HMI server, HMI system, display control method, and program

Abstract

To provide an HMI server capable of displaying content according to the number of displays on various terminal devices. [Solution] An HMI server that enables a terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, comprising: a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information indicating the number of displays of the terminal device from the terminal device; a display determination unit that determines the content to be displayed on each screen based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit; and a display control unit that displays the content on each screen according to the determination by the display determination unit.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to an HMI server, an HMI system, a display control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, monitoring and control systems such as power, transportation, and plants have an HMI (Human Machin Interface) function, and one or more videos (contents) are displayed on a display such as a multi-display system. <​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

[0007] This disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of this disclosure provides an HMI server that enables a terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, comprising: a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information indicating the number of displays of the terminal device from the terminal device; a display determination unit that determines the content to be displayed on each screen based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit; and a display control unit that displays the content on each screen in accordance with the determination by the display determination unit.

[0008] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal information acquisition unit further acquires peripheral device information indicating peripheral devices of the terminal device, and the display determination unit provides an HMI server that determines the content to be displayed on each screen based on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit, as well as at least the peripheral device information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit.

[0009] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the peripheral device includes a user authentication device, and the display determination unit provides an HMI server that includes content requiring authentication by the user authentication device in the content to be displayed on each screen when the peripheral device information includes a user authentication device.

[0010] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the peripheral device includes a microphone, and the display determination unit provides an HMI server that includes content requiring audio input via the microphone in the content to be displayed on each screen when the peripheral device information includes a microphone.

[0011] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the display determination unit provides an HMI server that determines the content to be displayed on each screen, based at least on the results of user authentication in the terminal device, in addition to the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit.

[0012] Furthermore, in another embodiment of this disclosure, the display determination unit provides an HMI server that, when the number of displays indicated by the screen information is a first number of displays, determines a first group of content to be displayed on each screen; when the number of displays indicated by the screen information is a second number of displays which is less than the first number of displays, determines a group of content in which the display size of at least a portion of the first group of content has been adjusted to be displayed on each screen, or determines a second group of content consisting of the remaining content after removing lower-priority content from the first group of content, to be displayed on each screen.

[0013] One aspect of the present disclosure provides an HMI system comprising a terminal device and an HMI server that causes the terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, wherein the HMI server comprises a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information indicating the number of displays of the terminal device from the terminal device, a display determination unit that determines the content to be displayed on each screen based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit, and a display control unit that displays the content on each screen according to the determination by the display determination unit.

[0014] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a display control method for an HMI server that causes a terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, the method comprising: a first step of acquiring screen information from the terminal device indicating the number of displays of the terminal device; a second step of determining content to be displayed on each screen based at least on the screen information acquired in the first step; and a third step of displaying the content on each screen in accordance with the determination made in the second step.

[0015] One aspect of this disclosure provides a program for causing a computer to function as a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information from a terminal device indicating the number of displays of a terminal device that functions as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system; a display determination unit that determines the content to be displayed on each screen based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit; and a display control unit that displays the content on each screen according to the determination by the display determination unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to this disclosure, the HMI server, HMI system, display control method, and program can display content according to the number of displays of various terminal devices. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of an HMI system 100 according to one embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the HMI server 10 in the same embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device 40a in the same embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device 40b in the same embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device 40c in the same embodiment. [Figure 6] This is an example of the display layout of the terminal device 40a in the same embodiment. [Figure 7] This is an example of the display layout of the terminal device 40b in the same embodiment. [Figure 8] This is an example of the display layout of the terminal device 40c in the same embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart illustrating a first example of operation of the HMI server 10 in the same embodiment. [Figure 10]It is a flowchart for explaining a second operation example of the display determination unit 12 in the same embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart for explaining a third operation example of the display determination unit 12 in the same embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart for explaining a fourth operation example of the display determination unit 12 in the same embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart for explaining a fifth operation example of the display determination unit 12 in the same embodiment. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart for explaining a sixth operation example of the display determination unit 12 in the same embodiment. [Figure 15] It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of each device according to the same embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of an HMI system 100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The HMI system 100 is a system that is communicably connected to a system control system 20 via an IP (Internet Protocol) network or the like and provides the MHI function of the system control system 20. In this embodiment, the system control system 20 monitors and controls the power system, but it may be other monitoring and control systems.

[0019] The HMI system 100 includes an HMI server 10 and one or more terminal devices 40. The HMI server 10 and the one or more terminal devices 40 are communicably connected by an IP network 30. In FIG. 1, three terminal devices 40 are shown, but the number of terminal devices 40 may be one, two, or four or more.

[0020] The HMI server 10 obtains terminal information from the terminal device 40 regarding the configuration of the terminal device 40, determines the content to be displayed on the terminal device 40 based at least on the terminal information, and displays the determined content on the terminal device 40. The HMI server 10 may also determine the display layout, including the display position and size, when determining the content. The HMI server 10 stores the correspondence between the terminal information, the content to be displayed, and the display layout, and may determine the content to be displayed and the display layout by referring to this storage. The content may include, for example, a system diagram of the power grid monitored and controlled by the system control system 20, monitoring video, logs of the system control system 20, and operation menus. The terminal information may include screen information indicating the number of displays and the size of each screen of the terminal device 40, or it may include peripheral device information indicating the peripheral devices of the terminal device 40. Peripheral devices may include user authentication devices (e.g., fingerprint authentication devices, vein authentication devices, iris authentication devices), microphones, etc., and may be built into the computer chassis that realizes the terminal device 40, or they may be external.

[0021] The HMI server 10 may be implemented by one or more computers loading and executing a program, or it may be located on a so-called cloud.

[0022] The terminal device 40 provides terminal information regarding its configuration to the HMI server 10 and displays content according to the control of the HMI server 10. The terminal device 40 may also provide information regarding its configuration in accordance with requests from the HMI server 10. The terminal device 40 may be equipped with one or more displays and peripheral devices such as a card reader, a user authentication device, and a microphone. The terminal device 40 may be implemented by one or more computers loading and executing a program. The computer may be a personal computer such as a desktop or notebook computer, or it may be a tablet terminal or a smartphone.

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the HMI server 10 in this embodiment. The HMI server 10 comprises a terminal information acquisition unit 11, a display determination unit 12, and a display control unit 13. The terminal information acquisition unit 11 acquires screen information from the terminal device 40 indicating the number of displays of the terminal device 40. The screen information may also indicate the resolution of each display of the terminal device 40. The terminal information acquisition unit 11 may further acquire peripheral device information indicating peripheral devices of the terminal device 40.

[0024] The display determination unit 12 determines the content to be displayed on each screen of the terminal device 40 based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 11. The display determination unit 12 may also determine the content to be displayed on each screen of the terminal device 40 based at least on peripheral device information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 11, in addition to the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 11. Furthermore, if the peripheral device information includes a user authentication device, the display determination unit 12 may include content requiring authentication by the user authentication device in the content to be displayed on each screen of the terminal device 40. If the peripheral device information includes a microphone, the display determination unit 12 may also include content requiring voice input via the microphone in the content to be displayed on each screen of the terminal device 40. Additionally, the display determination unit 12 may determine the content to be displayed on each screen of the terminal device 40 based at least on the results of user authentication in the terminal device 40, in addition to the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit 11.

[0025] The display determination unit 12 may determine the first content group as the content to be displayed on each screen of the terminal device 40 if the number of displays indicated by the screen information is the first number of displays. The display determination unit 12 may determine the content to be displayed on each screen as a content group in which the display size of at least a portion of the first content group has been adjusted, if the number of displays indicated by the screen information is the second number of displays, which is less than the first number of displays. Alternatively, the display determination unit 12 may determine the content to be displayed on each screen of the terminal device 40 as a second content group consisting of the remaining content after removing the content with lower priority from the first content group.

[0026] The display control unit 13 displays content on each screen of the terminal device 40 according to the decision made by the display determination unit 12.

[0027] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the terminal device 40 can take on various forms with different numbers of displays, resolutions, and peripheral devices. Figures 3 to 5 are schematic block diagrams showing the configurations of terminal devices 40a, 40b, and 40c in this embodiment, and each of terminal devices 40a, 40b, and 40c is an example of the terminal device 40.

[0028] The terminal device 40a in Figure 3 includes three displays 41a, 42a, and 43a, a user authentication device 44a, an operating console 45a, a card reader 46a, a microphone 47a, a keyboard 48a, and a mouse 49a. The terminal device 40b in Figure 4 includes two displays 41b and 42b, an operating console 45b, a card reader 46b, a keyboard 48b, and a mouse 49b. The terminal device 40c in Figure 5 includes one touch panel display 41c and an operating console 45c.

[0029] Each of the displays 41a, 42a, 43a, 41b, and 42b is a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The touch panel display 41c is a display equipped with a touch panel. The user authentication device 44a is a device for authenticating a user, such as a fingerprint authentication device, a vein authentication device, or an iris authentication device. The control consoles 45a and 45b are, for example, desktop personal computers. The control console 45c is, for example, a tablet terminal. The card readers 46a and 46b are contact-type or contactless IC (Integrated Circuit) card readers.

[0030] Microphone 47a is a microphone for capturing the user's voice and may be built into the casing of a device such as the control console 45a or one of the three displays 41a, 42a, or 43a, or it may be external. Keyboards 48a and 48b are computer keyboards capable of character input. Mice 49a and 49b are pointing devices.

[0031] Figures 6 to 8 are examples of content display layouts determined by the display determination unit 12 in this embodiment. Each display layout corresponds to terminal information relating to the configuration of the terminal device 40.

[0032] Figure 6 shows an example of the display layout of the terminal device 40a in this embodiment. Since the terminal device 40a is equipped with three displays 41a, 42a, and 43a, the display determination unit 12 determines the content to be displayed on each of the three displays 41a, 42a, and 43a and its layout. Display screen D1, which is displayed on display 41a, displays screen A, such as a system diagram. Display screen D2, which is displayed on display 42a, displays screen B, such as surveillance camera footage. Display screen D3, which is displayed on display 43a, displays logs, submenus, and menus.

[0033] Figure 7 shows an example of the display layout of the terminal device 40b in this embodiment. Since the terminal device 40b is equipped with two displays 41b and 42b, the display determination unit 12 determines the content to be displayed on each of the two displays 41b and 42b and its layout. On display screen D4, which is displayed on display 41b, screen A is displayed, similar to display screen D1 in Figure 6. On display screen D5, which is displayed on display 42b, screen B, a log, a submenu, and a menu are displayed. Note that screen B and the log on display screen D5 may be scaled down versions of screen B on display screen D2 and the log on display screen D3, or they may be cropped portions of those versions.

[0034] Figure 8 shows an example of the display layout of the terminal device 40c in this embodiment. Since the terminal device 40c is equipped with one touch panel display 41c, the display determination unit 12 determines the content to be displayed on the touch panel display 41c and its layout. The display screen D6 shown on the touch panel display 41c displays screen A, screen B, log, submenu, and menu. Note that screen A, screen B, log, submenu, and menu on display screen D6 may be scaled down versions of screen A, screen B, log, submenu, and menu on display screens D1 to D3, or they may be cropped versions of those screens.

[0035] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of operation of the HMI server 10 in this embodiment. The terminal information acquisition unit 11 acquires screen information from the terminal device 40 (step Sa1). Next, the display determination unit 12 determines the content to be displayed on the terminal device 40 based on the screen information acquired in step Sa1 (step Sa2). At this time, the display determination unit 12 may also determine the display layout of the content. Next, the display control unit 13 displays the content on the terminal device 40 according to the determination in step Sa2 (step Sa3).

[0036] Thus, the HMI server 10 in this embodiment acquires screen information indicating the number of displays from the terminal device 40 and determines the content to be displayed based on this screen information, so it can display content according to the number of displays of various terminal devices 40.

[0037] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a second operation example of the display determination unit 12 in this embodiment. Step Sa2 in Figure 9 may include the operation example in Figure 10. First, the display determination unit 12 determines whether the number of screens indicated by the screen information is less than the first number of displays (threshold α1) (step Sa21). If, in step Sa21, it is determined that the number of screens is less than the first number of displays (step Sa21-Yes), the display determination unit 12 determines whether the number of screens indicated by the screen information is less than the second number of displays (threshold α2) (step Sa22). The second number of displays is less than the first number of displays.

[0038] In step Sa22, if it is determined that the number of screens is smaller than the number of second displays (step Sa22-Yes), the display determination unit 12 determines that the second content group, which consists of the remaining content after removing the lower-priority content from the first content group, will be the content to be displayed (step Sa23).

[0039] In step Sa22, if it is determined that the number of screens is the same as or greater than the number of second displays (step Sa22-No), the display determination unit 12 determines that the content to be displayed is a group of content from the first group of content whose display size has been adjusted for at least a portion of it (step Sa24). The adjustment of the display size may be done by reducing the size or by cropping a portion of it.

[0040] In step Sa21, if it is determined that the number of screens is the same as or greater than the number of first displays (step Sa21-No), the display determination unit 12 determines the first group of content to be displayed (step Sa25).

[0041] In this way, the HMI server 10 adjusts the display size of the content when the number of displays is less than threshold α1, and adjusts the number of content items to display when the number of displays is less than threshold α2, thereby enabling the display of content according to the number of displays.

[0042] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating a third operation example of the HMI server 10 in this embodiment. The terminal information acquisition unit 11 acquires screen information from the terminal device 40 (step Sa1). Next, the terminal information acquisition unit 11 acquires peripheral device information from the terminal device 40 (step Sb1). Steps Sa1 and Sb1 may be performed simultaneously, in reverse order, or in parallel.

[0043] The display determination unit 12 determines the content to be displayed on the terminal device 40 based on the screen information acquired in step Sa1 and the peripheral device information acquired in step Sb1 (step Sb2). At this time, the display determination unit 12 may also determine the display layout of the content. Next, the display control unit 13 displays the content on the terminal device 40 according to the determination in step Sb2 (step Sa3).

[0044] Thus, the HMI server 10 in this embodiment acquires screen information and peripheral device information from the terminal device 40, and determines the content to be displayed based on the screen information and peripheral device information, so it can display content according to the configuration of various terminal devices 40.

[0045] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth operation example of the display determination unit 12 in this embodiment. Step Sb2 in Figure 11 may include the operation example in Figure 12. The display determination unit 12 determines whether or not there is a user authentication device in the peripheral device information (step Sb21). If it is determined that there is a user authentication device (step Sb21-Yes), the display determination unit 12 includes content that requires authentication by the user authentication device in the content to be displayed (step Sb22). If it is determined that there is no user authentication device (step Sb21-No), the display determination unit 12 terminates the process in Figure 12. Note that if it is determined that there is no user authentication device, the display determination unit 12 may remove content that requires authentication by the user authentication device from the content to be displayed.

[0046] Thus, in this embodiment, the HMI server 10 determines the content to display based on whether or not the peripheral device information includes a user authentication device, and can display content according to whether or not the terminal device 40 is equipped with a user authentication device.

[0047] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating a fifth operation example of the display determination unit 12 in this embodiment. Step Sb2 in Figure 11 may include the operation example in Figure 13. The display determination unit 12 determines whether or not there is a microphone in the peripheral device information (step Sb23). If it is determined that there is a microphone (step Sb23-Yes), the display determination unit 12 includes content that requires voice input in the content to be displayed (step Sb24). If it is determined that there is no microphone (step Sb23-No), the display determination unit 12 terminates the process in Figure 13. Note that if it is determined that there is no microphone, the display determination unit 12 may remove content that requires voice input from the content to be displayed.

[0048] Thus, in this embodiment, the HMI server 10 determines the content to display based on whether or not a microphone is included in the peripheral device information, and can display content according to whether or not the terminal device 40 is equipped with a microphone.

[0049] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating a sixth operation example of the display determination unit 12 in this embodiment. Step Sb2 in Figure 11 may include the operation example in Figure 14. The display determination unit 12 determines whether user authentication on the terminal device 40 was successful (step Sb25). If it is determined that user authentication was successful (step Sb25-Yes), the display determination unit 12 includes the content requiring user authentication in the content to be displayed (step Sb26). If it is determined that user authentication was not successful (step Sb25-No), the display determination unit 12 terminates the process in Figure 14. Note that if it is determined that user authentication was not successful, the display determination unit 12 may remove the content requiring user authentication from the content to be displayed. Note that user authentication here may be authentication using the user authentication device 44a, or it may be authentication using other methods such as a password. The result of user authentication may be included in the peripheral device information, or the HMI server 10 may obtain it from the terminal device 40 separately from the peripheral device information.

[0050] Thus, the HMI server 10 in this embodiment determines the content to display based on whether or not user authentication was successful, and can therefore display content according to the result of user authentication.

[0051] Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of each device according to this embodiment. Each device is an HMI server 10 and a terminal device 40. Each device consists of an input / output module I, a storage module M, and a control module P. The input / output module I is implemented by including some or all of a communication module H11, a connection module H12, a pointing device H21, a keyboard H22, a display H23, buttons H3, a microphone H41, a speaker H42, a camera H51, or a sensor H52. The storage module M is implemented by including a drive H7. The storage module M may further consist of some or all of a memory H8. The control module P is implemented by including a memory H8 and a processor H9. These hardware components are connected to each other via a bus so as to be able to communicate with each other and are powered by a power supply H6.

[0052] The connection module H12 is a digital input / output port such as USB (Universal Serial Bus). The pointing device H21, keyboard H22, and display H23 may be touch panels. The sensor H52 is an accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS receiver module, proximity sensor, etc. The power supply H6 is a power supply unit that supplies the electricity necessary to operate each device. The power supply H6 may be a battery. The drive H7 is an auxiliary storage medium such as a hard disk drive or solid state drive. The drive H7 may be a non-volatile memory such as EEPROM or flash memory, or a magneto-optical disk drive or flexible disk drive. Furthermore, the drive H7 is not limited to one built into each device, for example, but may also be an external storage device connected to the connector of the connection module H12. The memory H8 is a main memory medium such as random access memory. Note that the memory H8 may be cache memory. The memory H8 stores instructions when they are executed by one or more processors H9. The processor H9 is the CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor H9 may be an MPU (microprocessing unit) or a GPU (graphics processing unit). The processor H9 reads programs and various data from drive H7 via memory H8 and performs calculations to execute instructions stored in one or more memory H8s.

[0053] Input / output module I is used in the HMI server 10, terminal device 40, etc. Control module P is used for the implementation of each part of the HMI server 10 and terminal device 40. In this specification, the descriptions of HMI server 10 and terminal device 40 may be replaced with the description of control module P.

[0054] This disclosure may also be in the following embodiments. (1) One embodiment of the present disclosure is an HMI server that causes a terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, comprising: a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information indicating the number of displays of the terminal device from the terminal device; a display determination unit that determines the content to be displayed on each of the screens based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit; and a display control unit that displays the content on each of the screens in accordance with the determination by the display determination unit.

[0055] Thus, the HMI server in this embodiment acquires screen information indicating the number of displays from the terminal device and determines the content to be displayed based on this screen information, thereby enabling the display of content corresponding to the number of displays of various terminal devices.

[0056] (2) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is the HMI server described in (1), wherein the terminal information acquisition unit further acquires peripheral device information indicating peripheral devices of the terminal device, and the display determination unit determines the content to be displayed on each of the screens based on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit, as well as the peripheral device information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit.

[0057] Thus, the HMI server in this embodiment acquires screen information and peripheral device information from the terminal device, and determines the content to be displayed based on the screen information and peripheral device information, thereby enabling the display of content that can be adapted to the configuration of various terminal devices.

[0058] (3) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is the HMI server described in (2), wherein the peripheral device includes a user authentication device, and the display determination unit includes content that requires authentication by the user authentication device in the content to be displayed on each of the screens when the peripheral device information includes a user authentication device.

[0059] Thus, the HMI server in this embodiment determines the content to display based on whether or not a user authentication device is included in the peripheral device information, and can display content according to whether or not the terminal device is equipped with a user authentication device.

[0060] (4) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is the HMI server described in (2) or (3), wherein the peripheral device includes a microphone, and the display determination unit includes, if the peripheral device information includes a microphone, content that requires voice input by the microphone in the content to be displayed on each of the screens.

[0061] Thus, the HMI server in this embodiment determines the content to display based on whether or not a microphone is included in the peripheral device information, and can therefore display content according to whether or not the terminal device is equipped with a microphone.

[0062] (5) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is an HMI server according to any one of (2) to (4), wherein the display determination unit determines the content to be displayed on each of the screens based on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit, as well as at least the results of user authentication in the terminal device.

[0063] Thus, the HMI server 10 in this embodiment determines the content to display based on the user authentication result, and can therefore display content according to the user authentication result.

[0064] (6) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is an HMI server according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the display determination unit determines a first group of content to be displayed on each of the screens when the number of displays indicated by the screen information is a first number of displays, and determines a group of content in which the display size of at least a portion of the first group of content has been adjusted to be displayed on each of the screens when the number of displays indicated by the screen information is a second number of displays which is less than the first number of displays, or determines a second group of content consisting of the remaining content after removing the content with lower priority from the first group of content to be displayed on each of the screens.

[0065] In this way, the HMI server adjusts the display size of the content or the number of content items to display if the number of displays is less than the number of first displays, so that it can display content according to the number of displays.

[0066] (7) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is an HMI system comprising a terminal device and an HMI server that causes the terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, wherein the HMI server comprises a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information from the terminal device indicating the number of displays of the terminal device, a display determination unit that determines the content to be displayed on each of the screens based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit, and a display control unit that displays the content on each of the screens in accordance with the determination by the display determination unit.

[0067] Thus, the HMI system in this embodiment acquires screen information indicating the number of displays from a terminal device and determines the content to be displayed based on this screen information, thereby enabling the display of content corresponding to the number of displays of various terminal devices.

[0068] (8) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a display control method for an HMI server that causes a terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, the method comprising: a first step of acquiring screen information from the terminal device indicating the number of displays of the terminal device; a second step of determining content to be displayed on each of the screens based at least on the screen information acquired in the first step; and a third step of displaying content on each of the screens in accordance with the determination in the second step.

[0069] Thus, the display control method in this embodiment acquires screen information indicating the number of displays from a terminal device and determines the content to be displayed based on said screen information, so it is possible to display content according to the number of displays of various terminal devices.

[0070] (9) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to function as a terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information from a terminal device that functions as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, indicating the number of displays of the terminal device; a display determination unit that determines the content to be displayed on each of the screens based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit; and a display control unit that displays the content on each of the screens in accordance with the determination by the display determination unit.

[0071] Thus, a computer that loads and executes the program in this embodiment obtains screen information indicating the number of displays from the terminal device and determines the content to be displayed based on this screen information, thereby enabling the display of content corresponding to the number of displays of various terminal devices.

[0072] Alternatively, the HMI server 10 and terminal device 40 may be realized by recording a program for realizing the functions of the HMI server 10 and terminal device 40 in Figures 1 and 2 onto a computer-readable recording medium, and then loading and executing the program recorded on this recording medium into a computer system. The term "computer system" here includes hardware such as the operating system and peripheral devices.

[0073] Furthermore, "computer system" shall also include the homepage provisioning environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is being used. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Moreover, "computer-readable recording media" also includes those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside computer systems that act as servers or clients in such cases. In addition, the above-mentioned programs may be for the purpose of realizing some of the functions described above, and may also be able to realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system.

[0074] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and may include design changes and the like that do not depart from the gist of this disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0075] 10 HMI Servers 11 Terminal Information Acquisition Unit 12 Display determination section 13 Display Control Unit 20-system control system 30 IP Networks 40, 40a, 40b, 40c Terminal devices 41a, 41b, 42a, 42b, 43a displays 41c Touchscreen Display 44a User authentication device 44a 45a, 45b, 45c console 46a, 46b card reader 47a Microphone 48a, 48b keyboard 49a, 49b Mouse 100 HMI Systems

Claims

1. An HMI server that enables terminal devices to function as HMIs (Human Machine Interfaces) of a monitoring and control system, A terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information from the terminal device indicating the number of displays of the terminal device, A display determination unit determines the content to be displayed on each of the displays of the terminal device, based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit, A display control unit that displays content on each of the displays of the terminal device in accordance with the decision made by the display determination unit. An HMI server equipped with [this feature].

2. The terminal information acquisition unit further acquires peripheral device information indicating peripheral devices of the terminal device, and the display determination unit determines the content to be displayed on each of the displays of the terminal device, based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit and the peripheral device information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit. The HMI server according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned peripheral device includes a user authentication device. The display determination unit, when the peripheral device information includes a user authentication device, includes in the content displayed on each of the terminal device's displays content that requires authentication by the user authentication device. The HMI server according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned peripheral device includes a microphone, The display determination unit, when the peripheral device information includes a microphone, includes in the content displayed on each of the terminal device's displays content that requires voice input from the microphone. The HMI server according to claim 2.

5. The display determination unit determines the content to be displayed on each of the terminal device's displays, based at least on the results of user authentication in the terminal device, in addition to the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit. The HMI server according to claim 1.

6. An HMI system comprising a terminal device and an HMI server that causes the terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, The aforementioned HMI server is A terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information from the terminal device indicating the number of displays of the terminal device, A display determination unit determines the content to be displayed on each of the displays of the terminal device, based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit, A display control unit that displays content on each of the displays of the terminal device in accordance with the decision made by the display determination unit. An HMI system equipped with [features / features].

7. A display control method for an HMI (Human Machine Interface) server that enables a terminal device to function as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system, A first step is to obtain screen information from the terminal device indicating the number of displays of the terminal device, A second step of determining content to be displayed on each of the displays of the terminal device, based at least on the screen information obtained in the first step, A third step is to display content on each of the displays of the terminal device in accordance with the decision made in the second step. A display control method having [a specific feature].

8. Computers, A terminal information acquisition unit that acquires screen information from a terminal device that indicates the number of displays of a terminal device that functions as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a monitoring and control system. A display determination unit determines the content to be displayed on each of the displays of the terminal device, based at least on the screen information acquired by the terminal information acquisition unit. The display control unit causes the content to be displayed on each of the terminal device's displays according to the decision made by the display determination unit. A program designed to function as such.

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