Information processing device

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus that is able to arrange a display image for each of a plurality of chromatograph apparatuses on a management screen at a common aspect ratio, and is able to rearrange the display image in a state where an aspect ratio is maintained when a display mode of the management screen is changed.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 20 capable of communicating with a plurality of chromatograph apparatuses 40 includes a display unit 30, a display processing unit 76, and an operation receiving unit 32. The display processing unit 76 causes the display unit 30 to display a management screen 60 in which a display image 62 for each of the chromatograph apparatuses 40 related to at least one of an analysis result in the plurality of chromatograph apparatuses 40 and operation on the plurality of chromatograph apparatuses 40 is arranged at a common aspect ratio. The operation receiving unit 32 receives change operation for changing a display mode of the management screen 60. When the change operation is received by the operation receiving unit 32, the display processing unit 76 rearranges the display image 62 in a state where an aspect ratio is maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of chromatograph apparatuses.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a graph display processing apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, after roughly arranging each position of a plurality of windows displayed on a display screen by an operation by a user, each window can be arranged.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in such a graph display processing apparatus, for each window, the aspect ratio changes with the arrangement. Therefore, for example, when the gradient and the interval between peaks in the graph of the analysis result change with the change in the aspect ratio of the window, there is a risk that the user misrecognizes the analysis result. That is, for each window, the convenience decreases when the aspect ratio changes.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of arranging display images for each of a plurality of chromatograph apparatuses on a management screen with a common aspect ratio, and rearranging the display images while maintaining the aspect ratio when the display mode of the management screen is changed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An aspect of the present invention is an information processing device capable of communicating with a plurality of chromatograph devices, comprising a first display unit, a display processing unit, and an operation reception unit. The display processing unit causes the first display unit to display a management screen in which display images for each chromatograph device relating to at least one of the analysis results of the plurality of chromatograph devices and operations on the plurality of chromatograph devices are arranged in a common aspect ratio. The operation reception unit receives a change operation to change the display configuration of the management screen. When the change operation is received by the operation reception unit, the display processing unit causes the first display unit to display the management screen in which the display images have been rearranged while maintaining the aspect ratio. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, display images from multiple chromatograph devices can be arranged on the management screen with a common aspect ratio, and when the display mode of the management screen is changed, the display images can be rearranged while maintaining the aspect ratio. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing an example of the management system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of how the management screen of this embodiment is displayed. [Figure 3] This figure illustrates the rearrangement of the display images in this embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows a first embodiment of the rearrangement of the display images of this embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows a second embodiment of the rearrangement of the display images of this embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows a third embodiment of the rearrangement of the display images of this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a functional block diagram showing a specific example of the electrical configuration of the information processing device of this embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing an example of the screen display process of the information processing device of this embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing an example of the display switching process of the information processing device of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] 1. Management System Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the management system 10 of this embodiment. Figure 1 is also a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the information processing device 20 of this embodiment.

[0010] The management system 10 includes an information processing device 20. The information processing device 20 comprises a control unit 22, a display unit 30, an operation reception unit 32, a communication unit 34, etc., which are electrically connected to each other via a circuit 36 ​​such as a bus.

[0011] The control unit 22 is responsible for the overall control of the information processing device 20. The control unit 22 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 24. The control unit 22 also includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 26 and a storage unit 28 that can be directly accessed by the CPU 24.

[0012] RAM26 is used as the work area and buffer area for the CPU24. Non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) is used as the storage unit 28.

[0013] The storage unit 28 stores a program (control program) for controlling the operation of the information processing device 20, and data (execution data) required for the execution of the control program. The storage unit 28 may also be configured to include RAM 26.

[0014] The display unit 30 is a device for displaying a screen. As the display unit 30, a general-purpose display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display can be used. Also, as the display unit 30, a device that projects an image, a screen, etc. onto an object such as a projector may be used.

[0015] The operation reception unit 32 receives an arbitrary operation. As the operation reception unit 32, an input device such as a pointing device, a keyboard, a touch panel, or a hardware button can be used. Also, as the operation reception unit 32, a sensor can be used. For example, an inertial sensor such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor may be used. According to the inertial sensor, displacements such as the rotation and inclination of the information processing device 20 itself can be detected.

[0016] Also, when a touch panel is used as the operation reception unit 32 and a display is used as the display unit 30, the touch panel is provided on the display surface of the display. Also, in such a case, a touch panel display in which the display and the touch panel are integrally formed may be used.

[0017] The communication unit 34 includes a communication module, a communication circuit, etc., and communicates with the outside according to an instruction from the control unit 22.

[0018] In this embodiment, as the information processing device 20, a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook (laptop) PC, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a tablet PC, etc. can be used.

[0019] The management system 10 includes a plurality of chromatograph devices 40 in addition to the information processing device 20. The chromatograph device 40 is a device that separates the components contained in a sample by component and detects various components as necessary. As the chromatograph device 40, a liquid chromatograph device, a gas chromatograph device, etc. can be used.

[0020] The chromatograph apparatus 40 may be equipped with a communication unit 42 similar to the communication unit 34 and configured to communicate with the outside. The chromatograph apparatus 40 may also be equipped with a display unit 44 similar to the display unit 30. Furthermore, the chromatograph apparatus 40 may be equipped with an operation reception unit 46 similar to the operation reception unit 32.

[0021] In the management system 10 of this embodiment, the information processing device 20 is connected to a plurality of chromatograph devices 40 via a network 50 such as a LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, or a mobile communication network.

[0022] The information processing device 20 may be directly connected to multiple chromatograph devices 40 by wired or wireless connection. Therefore, the information processing device 20 may be directly connected to multiple chromatograph devices 40 by infrared or short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth®. Furthermore, the communication method for each chromatograph device 40 does not have to be the same.

[0023] According to this management system 10, the information processing device 20 can communicate with multiple chromatograph devices 40 and manage multiple chromatograph devices 40 together.

[0024] 2. Management screen Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display mode of the management screen 60 in this embodiment. In the example shown in Figure 2, the information processing device 20 is a portable device such as a tablet terminal.

[0025] In this embodiment, a display image 62 is generated in each chromatograph apparatus 40. Furthermore, the display images 62 for each chromatograph apparatus 40 share a common aspect ratio. Additionally, the display images 62 for each chromatograph apparatus 40 have similar sizes. It is preferable that the display images 62 for each chromatograph apparatus 40 have matching sizes.

[0026] Display image 62 is an image relating to at least one of the analysis results from the chromatograph apparatus 40 and the operation of the chromatograph apparatus 40. Images relating to the analysis results from the chromatograph apparatus 40 include, for example, a chromatogram. Images relating to the operation of the chromatograph apparatus 40 include, for example, keys operated when starting or stopping the operation of the chromatograph apparatus 40, or keys operated when setting the operating conditions of the chromatograph apparatus 40. Display image 62 may also include images other than those described above.

[0027] The display image 62 generated by the chromatograph device 40 is input to the information processing device 20. The generation of the display image 62 may also be performed on the information processing device 20 side. In this case, the information necessary for generating the display image 62 is input from the chromatograph device 40 to the information processing device 20.

[0028] When a predetermined application is executed in the information processing device 20, the management screen 60 is displayed on the display unit 30. The method of displaying the management screen 60 on the display unit 30 is not particularly limited. For example, the management screen 60 may be displayed on the display unit 30 when the information processing device 20 becomes able to communicate with at least one chromatograph device 40.

[0029] In this embodiment, the management screen 60 displays images 62 for each chromatograph device 40, arranged with a common aspect ratio.

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, display images 62 (display images 62A to 62D) for each chromatograph device 40 relating to at least one of the analysis results from the multiple chromatograph devices 40 and the operations performed on the multiple chromatograph devices 40 are arranged on the management screen 60 with a common aspect ratio, and the management screen 60 is displayed on the display unit 30. Each of the display images 62A to 62D in Figure 2 is a display image 62 input to the information processing device 20 from a different chromatograph device 40, and they have a common aspect ratio.

[0031] Each display image 62A to 62D functions as an interface to each chromatograph device 40. Therefore, each display image 62A to 62D can be said to be a screen relating to at least one of the analysis results in each chromatograph device 40 corresponding to each display image 62A to 62D, and operations on each chromatograph device 40. For example, when an operation is performed on any display image 62, various processes are executed in the chromatograph device 40 corresponding to that display image 62.

[0032] 3. Changes to the display of the administration screen The information processing device 20 of this embodiment is equipped with a function to prevent the aspect ratio of the displayed image 62 from being changed when an operation to change the display mode of the management screen 60 (change operation) is received by the operation reception unit 32.

[0033] For example, if the information processing device 20 is a device equipped with a function to detect the rotation of the device itself, such as a tablet terminal, the operation to rotate the information processing device 20 itself (rotation operation) is received by the operation reception unit 32.

[0034] In such cases, to prevent the display image 62 from being displayed at an angle, the management screen 60 rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the information processing device 20. As a result, the display mode of the management screen 60 is changed so that its vertical direction aligns with the vertical direction. Therefore, the rotation operation is included in the modification operation.

[0035] When the management screen 60 is rotated, its size may be changed to match the size of the display unit 30. In such cases, conventional information processing devices change the aspect ratio of the management screen 60 in accordance with the change in its size.

[0036] In conventional information processing devices, the display image 62 is displayed as large as possible on the management screen 60. Therefore, there was a problem in that if the aspect ratio of the management screen 60 was changed, the aspect ratio of the display image 62 would also change.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, if the information processing device 20 is a device equipped with a function to arbitrarily adjust the size of the management screen 60 of a desktop PC or the like, the operation to change the size of the management screen 60 (size change operation) is received by the operation reception unit 32. Note that the size change operation means an operation to change at least one of the height and width of the management screen 60, and may be an operation to change either the height or width of the management screen 60, or it may be an operation to change both the height and width of the management screen 60 simultaneously.

[0038] Resizing operations are the conventional operations performed on tablet devices and desktop PCs to change the size of the screen. When the management screen 60 is resized, at least one of its height and width is changed, thereby changing the display of the management screen 60. Therefore, resizing operations are included in modification operations.

[0039] Resizing operations include, for example, operations that directly change the size of the administration screen 60. Operations that directly change the size of the administration screen 60 include dragging operations on the frame of the administration screen 60, pinching operations on the administration screen 60, and pinching operations on the administration screen 60.

[0040] Note that the rotation operation indirectly changes the size of the administration screen 60. Therefore, it can be said that the rotation operation is included in the resizing operation.

[0041] In conventional information processing devices, when a resizing operation is performed, the aspect ratio of the management screen 60 may change along with the resizing of the management screen 60. If the aspect ratio of the management screen 60 changes, then, as mentioned above, the aspect ratio of the displayed image 62 also changes, which presents a problem.

[0042] Thus, if the aspect ratio of the displayed image 62 changes each time a modification operation (rotation or resizing operation) is performed, it becomes inconvenient when managing multiple chromatograph devices 40.

[0043] For example, if the aspect ratio of the display image 62 corresponding to the analysis results is changed, the slope and the spacing between peaks in the graph will change, which could lead the user to misinterpret the analysis results.

[0044] Furthermore, if the aspect ratio of the displayed image 62 is changed, the feel of interacting with that displayed image 62 will also change.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment, when a change operation is received by the operation reception unit 32, the management screen 60 in which the display image 62 is rearranged while maintaining the aspect ratio is displayed on the display unit 30.

[0046] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the rearrangement of the display image 62 in this embodiment. The information processing device 20 in Figure 3 is a device capable of receiving rotational operations. Furthermore, the display image 62 is omitted in Figure 3 as appropriate.

[0047] In this embodiment, when a change operation (rotation operation) is received by the operation reception unit 32 and the size of the management screen 60 is changed, a rearrangement process is executed. The rearrangement process may be a process that rearranges the display image 62 to be displayed as large as possible while maintaining the aspect ratio.

[0048] When the rearrangement process is executed, the display area 64 of the management screen 60 is divided evenly to the same number as the number of display images 62. In the example shown in Figure 3(a), there are four display images 62, so when the modification operation (rotation operation) is performed as shown in Figure 3(b), the display area 64 is divided evenly into four parts. The following first division pattern (Figure 3(c)), second division pattern (Figure 3(d)), and third division pattern (Figure 3(e)) are possible patterns for dividing the display area 64 into multiple division areas 66.

[0049] In the first division pattern, the display area 64 is divided along one direction. In the example shown in Figure 3(c), the display area 64 is divided so that multiple division areas 66 are aligned along the shorter side of the management screen 60.

[0050] In the second division pattern, the display area 64 is divided along a different direction than in the first division pattern. In the example shown in Figure 3(d), the display area 64 is divided so that multiple division areas 66 are aligned along the long side of the management screen 60.

[0051] In the third division pattern, the display area 64 is divided along two directions. In the example shown in Figure 3(e), the display area 64 is divided so that multiple division areas 66 are arranged in a matrix along the long and short directions of the management screen 60.

[0052] If the goal is to display the image as large as possible while maintaining the aspect ratio of the display area 64, it is preferable that the aspect ratio of the divided display area 66 (the divided display area 64) is close to the aspect ratio of the display image 62. Therefore, it is most preferable that the aspect ratio of the divided area 66 be the same as the aspect ratio of the display image 62.

[0053] In the example shown in Figure 3, when the display area 64 is divided along the third division pattern (Figure 3(e)), the display image 62 can be displayed larger while maintaining its aspect ratio. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the rearrangement process is performed, the display image 62 is rearranged in a matrix as shown in Figure 3(e).

[0054] Furthermore, if the number of displayed images 62 is odd, the third division pattern will be treated as if there is one more displayed image 62.

[0055] Figure 4 shows a first embodiment of the rearrangement of the display images 62 in this embodiment. The information processing device 20 in Figure 4 is a device capable of receiving rotation operations. In the example shown in Figure 4, the arrangement of the display images 62 (display images 62A to 62D) switches between a linear arrangement (Figure 4(a)) and a matrix arrangement (Figure 4(b)), but the size of the display images 62 is not changed. However, the size of the display images 62 may be changed.

[0056] Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of the rearrangement of the display images 62 in this embodiment. The information processing device 20 in Figure 5 is a device capable of receiving resizing operations. In the example shown in Figure 5, the arrangement of the display images 62 (display images 62A to 62D) switches between a matrix (Figure 5(a)) and a linear arrangement (Figure 5(b)), and the size of the display images 62 is changed accordingly. However, the size of the display images 62 does not necessarily have to be changed.

[0057] In conventional information processing devices, if the size of the management screen 60 is changed, and the size of the displayed image 62 falls below a predetermined size, it may become inconvenient when managing multiple chromatograph devices 40.

[0058] Specifically, if the size of the display image 62 is displayed smaller than a predetermined size, it may become difficult to view the display image 62 and to interact with it.

[0059] Therefore, in this embodiment, we prevent the size of the displayed image 62 from falling below a predetermined size. The method for doing so will be described below with reference to Figure 6.

[0060] Figure 6 shows a third embodiment of the rearrangement of the display image 62 in this embodiment. The information processing device 20 in Figure 6 is a device capable of receiving resizing operations. In the example shown in Figure 6, the system switches between a state where all of the display image 62 (display images 62A to 62D) are displayed (Figure 6(a)) and a state where only a part of the display image 62 is displayed (Figure 6(b) or (c)), but the size of the display image 62 is not changed. However, the size of the display image 62 may be changed.

[0061] In this embodiment, when a change operation is received by the operation reception unit 32 in the state shown in Figure 6(a), if the size of the management screen 60 becomes less than a predetermined size, the display images 62 corresponding to some of the chromatograph devices 40 among the multiple chromatograph devices 40 are rearranged onto a single management screen 60 and displayed on the display unit 30 (Figure 6(b) or (c)). "When the size of the management screen 60 becomes less than a predetermined size" may mean that at least one of the height and width of the management screen 60 is less than a threshold, or that the ratio of the size of the management screen 60 to the size of the display image 62 (at least one of the ratio of height and the ratio of width) is less than a threshold.

[0062] In the example shown in Figure 6(b), when the size of the management screen 60 is changed, the size of the display image 62 becomes smaller than a predetermined size, so display images 62A and 62B are rearranged on the management screen 60. In such cases, as shown in Figure 6(b), display images 62C and 62D may be rearranged on the management screen 60 instead of display images 62A and 62B.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when some of the display images 62 are displayed on the management screen 60, the operation reception unit 32 accepts an operation (switching operation) to switch the display on the management screen 60.

[0064] Switching operations are the conventional operations performed on tablet devices and desktop PCs to switch the display of a screen. Switching operations include, for example, directly switching the display of the management screen 60. Directly switching the display of the management screen 60 includes operations such as swiping on the management screen 60.

[0065] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6(b) and (c), if a toggle key 68, to which the function of switching the display of the management screen 60 is assigned, is displayed on the management screen 60, then the operation of selecting the toggle key 68 is included in the switching operation. Note that the toggle key 68 is a button that is reproduced in software.

[0066] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6(b) and (c), when a switching operation is received by the operation reception unit 32, the display on the management screen 60 is switched, rearranging the display images 62 corresponding to the remaining chromatograph devices 40 on the management screen 60 and displaying them on the display unit 30. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rearrangement process is also performed when a switching operation is received by the operation reception unit 32.

[0067] In the example shown in Figure 6, when the toggle key 68 is operated while display images 62A and 62B are arranged on the management screen 60 (Figure 6(b)), the display on the management screen 60 switches, and display images 62C and 62D are rearranged on the management screen 60 (Figure 6(c)). Also, when the toggle key 68 is operated while display images 62C and 62D are arranged on the management screen 60 (Figure 6(c)), the display on the management screen 60 switches, and display images 62A and 62B are rearranged on the management screen 60 (Figure 6(b)).

[0068] In this embodiment, if the size of the management screen 60 becomes less than a predetermined size when a change operation is received by the operation reception unit 32, the display image 62 may be rearranged in advance across multiple pages of the management screen 60, and the page to be displayed may be switched each time a switch operation is received by the operation reception unit 32. In this case, the rearrangement process is performed separately for each page in advance.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the size of the management screen 60 is changed in the state shown in Figure 6(b) or (c), and the size of the management screen 60 exceeds a predetermined size, it becomes possible to display all display images 62 on the management screen 60, which may make switching the display of the management screen 60 more troublesome. In this case, as shown in Figure 6(a), the display images 62 may be displayed as a group on the management screen 60, thereby eliminating the need to switch the display of the management screen 60 while still displaying all display images 62 (display images 62A to 62D) in a visible manner.

[0070] As described above, in this embodiment, when a change operation is received by the operation reception unit 32 and the size of the management screen 60 becomes larger than or equal to a predetermined size, the display images 62 corresponding to the multiple chromatograph devices 40 are rearranged onto a single management screen 60 and displayed on the display unit 30. "When the size of the management screen 60 becomes larger than or equal to a predetermined size" may mean that at least one of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the management screen 60 is greater than or equal to a threshold, or that the ratio of the size of the management screen 60 to the size of the display image 62 (at least one of the ratio of the vertical and horizontal dimensions) is greater than or equal to a threshold. Furthermore, the determination of whether the management screen 60 is "less than a predetermined size" and the determination of whether the management screen 60 is "larger than or equal to a predetermined size" may be made using the same threshold, or they may be made using different thresholds.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the chromatograph apparatus 40 is equipped with a display unit 44, the display image 62 corresponding to the chromatograph apparatus 40 is appropriately displayed on the display unit 44 or the management screen 60.

[0072] Therefore, with respect to display images 62 that can be appropriately displayed on the display unit 44 or the management screen 60, if the aspect ratio differs between when they are displayed on the display unit 44 and when they are displayed on the management screen 60, they may be perceived as different images. In such cases, the user experience will change depending on whether the chromatograph device 40 is operated directly or via the information processing device 20.

[0073] Based on these considerations, in this embodiment, if at least one of the multiple chromatograph devices 40 is equipped with a display unit 44, the display image 62 input from that at least one chromatograph device 40 to the information processing device 20 is displayed on the management screen 60.

[0074] For example, if all chromatograph devices 40 are equipped with a display unit 44, then each display image 62 will have the same aspect ratio when displayed by the chromatograph device 40 and when displayed by the information processing device 20.

[0075] If a chromatograph device 40 without a display unit 44 exists, the aspect ratio of the display image 62 generated by the chromatograph device 40 without a display unit 44 may be made the same as the aspect ratio of the display image 62 generated by the chromatograph device 40 with a display unit 44 by sharing aspect ratio information (aspect ratio information).

[0076] When aspect ratio information is shared among multiple chromatograph devices 40, for example, aspect ratio information may be input from a chromatograph device 40 equipped with a display unit 44 to an information processing device 20, and that aspect ratio information may be output from the information processing device 20 to a chromatograph device 40 that is not equipped with a display unit 44.

[0077] 4. Specific Examples of Electrical Configurations of Information Processing Devices Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing a specific example of the electrical configuration of the information processing device 20 of this embodiment. Note that the RAM 26 and other components are omitted from the illustration in Figure 7.

[0078] The memory unit 28 stores operation data 72 and display image data 74, etc. Operation data 72 is data representing the content of the operation received by the operation reception unit 32. Display image data 74 is data corresponding to the display image 62.

[0079] Furthermore, multiple instances of operation data 72 and display image data 74 may be stored in the storage unit 28. Although not shown in the diagram, as described above, the storage unit 28 also stores control programs and execution data.

[0080] The control unit 70 functions as a display processing unit 76 when the CPU 24 (see Figure 1) executes a control program.

[0081] When a change operation is received by the operation reception unit 32, that is, when operation data 72 corresponding to the change operation exists, the display processing unit 76 uses the display image data 74 to display the management screen 60 on the display unit 30, in which the display image 62 has been rearranged while maintaining the aspect ratio (see Figures 4 to 6).

[0082] Furthermore, when a change operation is received by the operation reception unit 32, if the management screen 60 becomes smaller than a predetermined size, the display processing unit 76 rearranges the display images 62 corresponding to some of the multiple chromatograph devices 40 into a single management screen 60 and displays it on the display unit 30. When a switching operation is received by the operation reception unit 32, the display of the management screen 60 is switched, rearranging the display images 62 corresponding to the remaining chromatograph devices 40 into the management screen 60 and displaying them on the display unit 30 (see Figures 6(b) and (c)).

[0083] Furthermore, when a change operation is received by the operation reception unit 32, if the management screen 60 exceeds a predetermined size, the display processing unit 76 rearranges the display images 62 corresponding to the multiple chromatograph devices 40 onto a single management screen 60 and displays it on the display unit 30 (see Figure 6(a)).

[0084] Furthermore, if at least one of the multiple chromatograph devices 40 is equipped with a display unit 44 on which the display image 62 is displayed, the display processing unit 76 will use the display image 62 input from the chromatograph device 40 equipped with the display unit 44 to display the management screen 60 on the display unit 30. However, the communication between the chromatograph device 40 and the information processing device 20 does not have to involve sending and receiving the "image data" itself; it is sufficient to send and receive information that allows the same image to be reconstructed. For example, compressed data or information about parameters to be displayed on the screen may be sent and received.

[0085] 5. Flow Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the screen display process of the information processing device 20 in this embodiment. The screen display process starts, for example, when a predetermined application is executed.

[0086] In step S1, the display on the display unit 30 of the management screen 60 is started. The management screen 60 displays images for each of the multiple chromatograph devices 40. In step S2, it is determined whether or not the change operation has been accepted.

[0087] If the answer in step S2 is "NO," meaning the change operation was not accepted, proceed to step S4. On the other hand, if the answer in step S2 is "YES," meaning the change operation was accepted, proceed to step S3.

[0088] In step S3, the display mode of the administration screen 60 is changed. Specifically in step S3, the display images 62 on the administration screen 60 are rearranged while maintaining the aspect ratio.

[0089] In step S4, it is determined whether to terminate the display of the administration screen 60. If the answer in step S4 is "NO," that is, if the display of the administration screen 60 is not to be terminated, the process returns to step S2. On the other hand, if the answer in step S4 is "YES," that is, if the display of the administration screen 60 is to be terminated, the display of the administration screen 60 is terminated in step S5, and the screen display process is terminated. The decision of whether or not to terminate the display of the administration screen 60 (step S4) may be based on whether or not an operation to terminate the application has been performed.

[0090] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the display switching process of the information processing device 20 in this embodiment. The display switching process shown in Figures 6(b) and (c) is started, for example, when some of the display images 62 are rearranged into a single management screen 60 and displayed on the display unit 30.

[0091] Step S6 determines whether the switching operation was accepted. If the answer in Step S6 is "NO," that is, if the switching operation was not accepted, proceed to Step S8. On the other hand, if the answer in Step S6 is "YES," that is, if the switching operation was accepted, proceed to Step S7.

[0092] In step S7, the display on the management screen 60 is switched. Specifically in step S7, the display images 62 corresponding to the remaining chromatograph devices 40, that is, the display images 62 that are not arranged on the management screen 60, are rearranged on the management screen 60 and displayed on the display unit 30.

[0093] In step S8, it is determined whether all display images 62 will be rearranged when the size of the administration screen 60 is changed. If the answer in step S8 is "NO," that is, if all display images 62 will not be rearranged, the process returns to step S6. On the other hand, if the answer in step S6 is "YES," that is, if all display images 62 will be rearranged when the size of the administration screen 60 is changed, the display switching process is terminated.

[0094] The specific configuration described in this embodiment is merely an example and can be modified as appropriate depending on the actual product. Furthermore, the order in which each step in the flowchart shown in this embodiment is processed can be changed as appropriate, as long as the same result is obtained.

[0095] 6. Appearance Those skilled in the art will understand that the exemplary embodiments described above are specific examples of the following embodiments.

[0096] (Paragraph 1) An information processing device relating to one aspect is: An information processing device capable of communicating with multiple chromatographs, The first display unit and A display processing unit causes the first display unit to display a management screen in which the analysis results from the plurality of chromatograph devices and the display images for each chromatograph device relating to at least one of the operations for the plurality of chromatograph devices are arranged in a common aspect ratio. The system includes an operation reception unit that accepts change operations to change the display mode of the management screen, The display processing unit may, when the operation reception unit receives the change operation, cause the management screen, in which the display images have been rearranged while maintaining the aspect ratio, to be displayed on the first display unit.

[0097] According to the information processing device described in paragraph 1, display images for each of the multiple chromatograph devices can be displayed on the management screen with a common aspect ratio, and even if the display mode of the management screen is changed, the display images can be rearranged while maintaining their aspect ratio. In such a case, changes in the operation feel of the display images or misinterpretation of the display images due to changes in the display mode of the management screen can be prevented, thus preventing a decrease in convenience when managing multiple chromatograph devices.

[0098] (Paragraph 2) In the information processing device described in Paragraph 1, The aforementioned modification operation may include an operation to rotate the information processing device.

[0099] According to the information processing device described in paragraph 2, even when the display configuration of the management screen changes due to the rotation of the information processing device, the displayed images can be rearranged while maintaining their aspect ratio. Furthermore, in such cases, it is possible to prevent a decrease in convenience when managing multiple chromatograph devices due to the rotation of the information processing device.

[0100] (3) In the information processing device described in paragraph 1, The aforementioned modification operation may include an operation to change the size of the management screen.

[0101] According to the information processing device described in paragraph 3, even when the display mode of the management screen changes due to a change in the size of the management screen, the displayed images can be rearranged while maintaining their aspect ratio. In such cases, it is possible to prevent a decrease in convenience when managing multiple chromatograph devices due to a change in the size of the management screen.

[0102] (Article 4) In the information processing device described in Article 3, When the operation receiving unit receives the change operation, if the management screen exceeds a predetermined size, the display processing unit may rearrange the display images corresponding to the multiple chromatograph devices onto a single management screen and display it on the first display unit.

[0103] According to the information processing device described in paragraph 4, if the size of the management screen exceeds a predetermined size, the displayed images can be rearranged on the management screen. In such cases, a management screen in which all displayed images can be viewed can be displayed on the first display unit.

[0104] (Article 5) In the information processing device described in Article 3, When the operation receiving unit receives the change operation, if the management screen becomes smaller than a predetermined size, the display processing unit may rearrange the display images corresponding to some of the plurality of chromatograph devices onto one management screen and display it on the first display unit. When the operation receiving unit receives a switching operation, the display of the management screen may be switched to rearrange the display images corresponding to the remaining chromatograph devices onto the management screen and display them on the first display unit.

[0105] According to the information processing device described in paragraph 5, it is possible to prevent the display image from becoming smaller than a predetermined size, which would make it difficult to view and manipulate the display image.

[0106] (Paragraph 6) In the information processing device described in Paragraph 1, At least one of the plurality of chromatographs is equipped with a second display unit on which the displayed image is shown. The display processing unit may use the information input from the at least one chromatograph to display the management screen on the first display unit.

[0107] According to the information processing device described in paragraph 6, the aspect ratio of the displayed image can be made the same whether the displayed image is shown on the second display unit of the chromatograph device or on the first display unit of the information processing device. In this case, it is possible to prevent the displayed image from being perceived as different images when it is shown on the second display unit of the chromatograph device or on the first display unit of the information processing device. Furthermore, in this case, it is possible to prevent the feel of operation from changing depending on whether the chromatograph device 40 is operated directly or via the information processing device 20. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0108] 10 Management Systems 20 Information Processing Devices 30 Display section 32 Operation reception unit 34 Communications Department 40 Chromatography apparatus 42 Communications Department 44 Display section 46 Operation Reception Unit 60 Management screen 62 Displayed Images 72 Operation Data 74 Display Image Data 76 Display Processing Unit

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of communicating with multiple chromatographs, The first display unit and A display processing unit that causes the first display unit to display at least one of the following: (a) a management screen in which display images for each of the plurality of chromatograph devices relating to the analysis results of the plurality of chromatograph devices are arranged in a common aspect ratio, and (b) a management screen in which display images for each of the plurality of chromatograph devices relating to the operation of the plurality of chromatograph devices are arranged in a common aspect ratio; The system includes an operation reception unit that accepts change operations to change the display mode of the management screen, The display processing unit is an information processing device that, when the change operation is received by the operation reception unit, causes the management screen, in which the display image has been rearranged while maintaining the aspect ratio, to be displayed on the first display unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the modification operation includes an operation to rotate the information processing apparatus.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the modification operation includes an operation to change the size of the management screen.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the change operation is received by the operation reception unit, and the management screen becomes larger than a predetermined size, the display processing unit rearranges the display images corresponding to the plurality of chromatograph devices onto a single management screen and displays it on the first display unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the change operation is received by the operation reception unit, if the management screen becomes smaller than a predetermined size, the display processing unit rearranges the display images corresponding to some of the plurality of chromatograph devices onto one management screen and displays it on the first display unit, and when the operation reception unit receives a switching operation, the display of the management screen is switched to rearrange the display images corresponding to the remaining chromatograph devices onto the management screen and display them on the first display unit.

6. At least one of the plurality of chromatographs is equipped with a second display unit on which the displayed image is shown. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display processing unit displays the management screen on the first display unit using information input from the at least one chromatograph device.

Images