Screen creation device and screen creation method

Abstract

With the present invention it is possible to present, to a template creator, a screen that includes the most suitable configuration items corresponding to a method for using of the template screen, and to enable a screen creator, who will employ a template to create (customize) a display screen, to easily create a screen suited to work sites by configuring the template screen.　This screen creation device comprises: a configuration-screen auto-creation unit for creating a configuration screen for the purpose of configuring configuration items each defined in pre-created display screen template information; a configuration-information creation unit for creating configuration information on the basis of the information for each of the configuration items configured on the configuration screen; and a screen auto-creation unit for creating the display screen on the basis of the template information and the configuration information created by the configuration-information creation unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a screen creation device and a screen creation method for creating a screen related to manufacturing according to the site.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for generating a business screen by a user customizing a prototype screen based on a previously created prototype screen (for example, BI (Business Intelligence) tools, SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition), etc.). Also, as a conventional technique, it is known to display information and data that a user wants to check on a screen in a layout state with a certain degree of freedom. For example, see Patent Document 1. Also, regarding the display items and display sizes selected by an operator, a plurality of split screens corresponding to this display size are displayed on the screen based on the display information in the split screen storage area. When the operator designates any one of the plurality of split screens displayed on the screen, the display size and split screen position information for the designated split screen are stored in the customization screen storage area, and the configuration of the display screen is freely customized according to the intention of the operator. For example, see Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when applying screen templates to the field, customization is necessary to address gaps specific to each site and to meet the unique needs of the user. Using a general-purpose template complicates the application process at the field. Furthermore, templates specialized for specific sites or equipment have the drawback of having limited applications.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to provide template creators with screens that have optimal settings according to how they use the template screens, and for screen creators who use templates to create (customize) display screens, to be able to easily create screens that fit each site by configuring the template screen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One embodiment of the screen creation device of this disclosure comprises: an automatic setting screen creation unit that creates a setting screen for setting each of the setting items defined in pre-created display screen template information; a setting information creation unit that creates setting information based on the information of each of the setting items set on the setting screen; and an automatic screen creation unit that creates the display screen based on the template information and the setting information created by the setting information creation unit.

[0007] One aspect of the screen creation method of this disclosure is a screen creation method for causing a computer to function as a screen creation device, comprising: a selection step of selecting one of pre-created display screen template information; an automatic setting screen creation step of creating a setting screen for setting each of the setting items defined in the selected template information; a setting information creation step of creating setting information based on the information of each of the setting items set on the setting screen; and an automatic screen creation step of creating the display screen based on the selected template information and the created setting information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a functional block diagram of a screen creation system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2]This figure shows an example of an equipment status table. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of template information. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a template screen in the template information for factory monitoring screens. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the appearance and behavior of setting items in the template information for the factory monitoring screen. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of usage data for setting items in the template information for the factory monitoring screen. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a template screen in the template information for the production performance registration screen. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the appearance and behavior of setting items in the template information for the production performance registration screen. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of data used for setting items in the template information for the production performance registration screen. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of configuration information. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a template information creation screen. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of metadata for a data source. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of equipment metadata. [Figure 14A] This figure shows an example of a screen management screen. [Figure 14B] This figure shows an example of a template selection screen. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of the settings screen for the factory monitoring system. [Figure 16] This figure shows an example of the settings screen when an equipment icon (component) is selected. [Figure 17] This figure shows an example of the settings screen when an equipment icon (component) is selected. [Figure 18] This figure shows an example of the settings screen when an equipment icon (component) is selected. [Figure 19] This figure shows an example of the settings screen for the production results registration screen. [Figure 20]It is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen in which a work master is set. [Figure 21] It is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen when production result registration is selected and a production result table is set. [Figure 22] It is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen when a production result table is set and an input item is selected. [Figure 23] It is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen when a production result table is set and an input item is selected. [Figure 24] It is a diagram showing an example of the setting information of the updated production result registration screen. [Figure 25] It is a flowchart for explaining the creation process of a screen creation device when creating setting information anew. [Figure 26] It is a flowchart for explaining the creation process of a screen creation device when editing existing setting information. [Figure 27] It is a flowchart for explaining the creation process of a screen creation device when selecting setting information and displaying a business screen.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. <One Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a screen creation system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the screen creation system SYS includes a screen creation device 1, a data source 2, and equipment 3. The screen creation device 1, the data source 2, and the equipment 3 may be interconnected via a network (not shown) such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. In this case, the screen creation device 1, the data source 2, and the equipment 3 are provided with a communication unit (not shown) for communicating with each other by such a connection. Note that the screen creation device 1, the data source 2, and the equipment 3 may be directly connected to each other by wire or wirelessly via a connection interface (not shown). Furthermore, although Figure 1 shows the screen creation device 1 connected to one data source 2 and one piece of equipment 3, it may be connected to two or more data sources 2 and two or more pieces of equipment 3.

[0010] <Data Source 2> Data source 2 is, for example, a data server or cloud server, and stores data such as equipment status tables and production performance tables that show information about equipment 3 located at each site, such as a factory. Figure 2 shows an example of an equipment status table. As shown in Figure 2, the equipment status table has storage areas for, for example, "equipment name," "status start time," "equipment status," and "program." The "Equipment Name" storage area in the equipment status table stores equipment such as "Equipment 1" and "Equipment 2". The "Status Start Time" storage area in the equipment status table stores, for example, the start date and time when the equipment reached its current state. The "Equipment Status" storage area in the equipment status table stores information such as "Operating" and "Stopped" for each piece of equipment, for example, under the name of "Equipment". The "Program" storage area in the equipment status table contains, for example, "Program 1," "Program 2," etc., indicating the program currently running or most recently run for each piece of equipment with the specified "Equipment Name." Data source 2 may also store a production performance table (for example, including work ID, equipment name, process name, start time, completion time, etc.).

[0011] <Equipment 3> Equipment 3 consists of numerical control devices, robot control devices, machine tools, robots, etc., that are placed on-site in factories and other facilities. Equipment 3 stores data such as a list of executable functions that indicate the functions that can be performed. Equipment 3 outputs data such as the list of executable functions, along with the equipment status which indicates the current state, to the screen creation device 1 and the data source 2.

[0012] <Screen creation device 1> The screen creation device 1 may be, for example, a web server, a cloud server, a virtual server, etc., and may be interconnected with a display device (not shown) such as a computer that displays screens related to manufacturing, via a network (not shown) such as a LAN or the Internet. Examples of screens related to manufacturing include, but are not limited to, screens related to production such as factory monitoring screens, equipment status confirmation screens, OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) confirmation screens, and screens for recording the start and completion of processes; screens related to equipment maintenance such as screens for registering maintenance results, screens for registering maintenance plans, and screens for referencing maintenance history; and screens related to product quality such as screens for registering product measurement results and screens for understanding trends in product measurement results. It can be applied to any screen related to manufacturing. As described above, the screen created by the screen creation device 1 is applied to a display device (not shown). The display device (not shown) displays the screen created by the screen creation device 1 on a display unit (not shown), such as a liquid crystal display, to display a screen related to manufacturing. The screen creation device 1 may be directly connected to the display device (not shown) via a connection interface (not shown). Furthermore, although the screen creation device 1 is a different device from the display device (not shown), as will be described later, it may also include the display device (not shown).

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the screen creation device 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, an input device 30 such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and an output device 40 such as a liquid crystal display. The control unit 10 also includes a template creation unit 100, a metadata acquisition unit 101, an automatic setting screen creation unit 102, a setting information creation unit 103, an automatic screen creation unit 104, a setting information management unit 105, and a user information management unit 106.

[0014] <Storage section 20> The storage unit 20 is an SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage unit 20 stores the operating system and application programs executed by the control unit 10, along with m template information items 200-1 to 200-m, n setting information items 210-1 to 210-n, and user information 220 (where m and n are integers of 1 or more). Hereafter, if it is not necessary to distinguish between template information 200-1 to 200-m individually, they will be collectively referred to as "template information 200". Similarly, if it is not necessary to distinguish between configuration information 210-1 to 210-n individually, they will be collectively referred to as "configuration information 210". The template information 200 is information for creating a display screen (hereinafter also referred to as "business screen") that has been pre-created based on the operations of the template creator by the template creation unit 100, which will be described later. As shown in Figure 3, the template information 200 includes a template ID, template screen 201, setting items 202, and template behavior 203, which are pre-defined by the template creator. In addition, the setting items 202 include appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b, depending on the differences in supplementary information and setting screens for setting, as will be described later. The template ID is an identifier used to uniquely identify the template information 200, and may be set as letters, numbers, or a combination thereof, such as "XXX". The following sections will illustrate and explain the template screen 201, setting items 202, and template behavior 203 for (a) the factory monitoring screen and (b) the production performance registration screen, respectively. However, the template screen 201, setting items 202, and template behavior 203 for screens other than the factory monitoring screen and production performance registration screen are the same as those for the factory monitoring screen and production performance registration screen.

[0015] (a) In the case of the factory monitoring screen Figure 4 shows an example of a template screen 201 in the template information 200 for the factory monitoring screen. As shown in Figure 4, the template screen 201 has, for example, six components 230a to 230f set up. Components 230a and 230d have text fields for displaying the equipment name. Components 230b and 230e have equipment icons indicating equipment 3. Components 230c and 230f have text boxes for displaying the names of the workpieces manufactured by each piece of equipment.

[0016] Figure 5 shows an example of the appearance and behavior 202a of setting item 202 in the template information 200 for the factory monitoring screen. In Figure 5, the appearance and behavior 202a of setting item 202 for component 230b (equipment icon A) among the components 230a to 230f of the template screen 201 are shown. As shown in Figure 5, the appearance and behavior 202a of setting item 202 for component 230b may include supplementary information. Note that setting item 202 does not necessarily have to be for a component of the template screen 201. For example, setting items can be set for the entire template screen or for items that span multiple components, or for any other necessary unit. In other words, the appearance and behavior 202a for component 230b has setting item groups such as "Entire Screen," "Common Settings for Equipment Icons," "Common Settings for Labels," and four "Equipment Icons A." The appearance and behavior 202a has supplementary information for each of the setting item groups, such as "Entire Screen," "Common Settings for Equipment Icons," "Common Settings for Labels," and the four "Equipment Icons A," as indicated by the dashed lines from the second line onward. The supplementary information for appearance and behavior 202a includes the items "Setting Item Name," "Classification," "Default Value," "Detailed Setting Item," "Script Input Enabled / Disabled," "Input Type," and "Description." This supplementary information is a kind of setting condition for appearance and behavior 202a. The "Setting Item Name" storage area within the supplementary information stores the name used to identify each setting item for each setting item group included in Appearance / Behavior 202a. In the supplementary information of Figure 5, setting values ​​such as "Screen Update Interval," "Icon Size," "Font Size," "Icon Color," "Position (top)," "Position (left)," and "Screen Transition Destination" are stored for each of the setting item groups: "Entire Screen," "Equipment Icon Common Settings," "Label Common Settings," and the four "Equipment Icon A." The "Classification" storage area within the supplementary information stores the classification of appearance / behavior 202a. In the supplementary information of Figure 5, "Behavior" or "Appearance" is stored for each of the setting item groups: "Entire Screen," "Equipment Icon Common Settings," "Label Common Settings," and the four "Equipment Icon A." The "Default Value" storage area within the supplementary information stores the initial values ​​for the appearance / behavior 202a. In the supplementary information in Figure 5, "10", "40px", "10pt", "{{$.status == 1 ? 'green' : 'red'}}", "100px", "100px", and "boardId?machineId=machineId" are stored for each of the setting item groups: "Entire Screen", "Equipment Icon Common Settings", "Label Common Settings", and the four "Equipment Icon A". Note that "10" indicates that the screen update interval is 10 seconds. Also, "40px" indicates that the icon size of the equipment icon is 40 pixels. Also, "10pt" indicates that the font size of the label is 10 points. Furthermore, "{{$.status == 1 ? 'green' : 'red'}}" is, for example, JavaScript (registered trademark), which sets the color of the equipment icon to "green" when the variable "status" set in the data is "1", and to "red" otherwise. Also, "100px" indicates the top and left coordinates where equipment icon A of component 230b is positioned on the business screen. Finally, "boardId?machineId=machineId" indicates the destination screen when equipment icon A is pressed. The "Detailed Settings" storage area within the supplementary information stores whether (true) or (false) the setting screen for that setting item will display it as a detailed setting item that is not frequently changed. In the supplementary information in Figure 5, "false" or "true" is stored for each of the setting item groups: "Entire Screen," "Equipment Icon Common Settings," "Label Common Settings," and the four "Equipment Icon A." The "Script Input Allowed / Not Allowed" storage area within the supplementary information stores whether scripts can be set (true) or not (false) as a setting value. In the supplementary information in Figure 5, "false" or "true" is stored for each of the setting item groups: "Entire Screen," "Equipment Icon Common Settings," "Label Common Settings," and the four "Equipment Icon A." The "Input Type" storage area within the supplementary information stores the data type of the setting value. In the supplementary information in Figure 5, "Numerical Value," "Pixel," "Point," "Color," "Pixel," "Pixel," and "String" are stored for each of the setting item groups: "Entire Screen," "Equipment Icon Common Settings," "Label Common Settings," and the four "Equipment Icon A" items. The "Explanatory Text" storage area within the supplementary information contains explanatory text intended to inform the screen creator of the meaning of the setting item names.

[0017] Figure 6 shows an example of usage data 202b for setting item 202 in the template information 200 for the factory monitoring screen. In Figure 6, the usage data 202b for setting item 202 for component 230b (equipment icon A) and component 230c (label A) from the components 230a to 230f of the template screen 201 are shown. Note that the usage data 202b for components 230a, 230d to 230f is the same as for components 230b and 230c, so the explanation is omitted. As shown in Figure 6, the usage data 202b for setting item 202 for components 230b and 230c may include supplementary information. In other words, the usage data 202b for components 230b and 230c has setting item groups such as "Equipment Icon A" and "Label A". The items enclosed by the dashed lines from the second line onward in the usage data 202b have supplementary information for the setting item groups "Equipment Icon A" and "Label A", respectively, and have the items "Setting Item Name", "Classification", "Usage Data Name", "Meta Information", "Acquisition Conditions", and "Description". This supplementary information is a kind of setting condition for the usage data 202b. The storage area for "Setting Item Name" within the supplementary information contains setting values ​​for each setting item group included in the usage data 202b, indicating whether it represents a status or a specific variable. In the supplementary information of Figure 6, setting values ​​such as "Status" and "Variable 1" are stored for "Equipment Icon A" and "Label A" in the setting item group, respectively. The "Classification" storage area within the supplementary information stores the classification of usage data 202b. In the supplementary information in Figure 6, "Usage Data" is stored for each of the "Equipment Icon A" and "Label A" in the setting item group. The storage area for "Usage Data Name" within the supplementary information contains the variable names "status" and "variable1" for the usage data corresponding to "Equipment Icon A" and "Label A" in the setting item group, respectively. The "metadata" storage area within the supplementary information stores metadata for usage data that is assigned to "equipment icon A" and "label A" of the setting item group, respectively, based on metadata for the data stored in data source 2 and equipment 3, etc., acquired by the metadata acquisition unit 101 described later. The "Acquisition Conditions" storage area within the supplementary information contains the conditions (e.g., "Equipment Name", "Status Start Time", "Sort Order", "Number of Items Acquired", etc.) and default values ​​(e.g., "=", "Descending", "1", etc.) used to acquire usage data for each of the "Equipment Icon A" and "Label A" in the setting item group. The "Explanatory Text" storage area within the supplementary information contains explanatory text intended to inform the screen creator of the meaning of the setting item names.

[0018] Template behavior 203 contains source code, such as a script for executing processing based on the settings of appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b. The source code of template behavior 203 may include, for example, code to update the screen at intervals set in the "screen update interval" of appearance / behavior 202a (e.g., 10 seconds). The source code may also include code to retrieve data from the metadata assigned to the "status" of "equipment icon A" in usage data 202b and make it available as usage data named "status". The source code may also include code to retrieve data from the metadata assigned to "variable 1" of "label A" in usage data 202b and make it available as usage data named "variable1". Furthermore, the source code may include code that interprets the script for the settings of the appearance / behavior 202a based on the usage data 202b (for example, determining the icon color to be "green" because the value of "status" for "equipment icon A" is "1"), or code that displays the template screen 201 based on the settings. The above explains template information 200 for the factory monitoring screen.

[0019] (b) In the case of the production record registration screen Figure 7 shows an example of template screen 201 in template information 200 for the production performance registration screen. As shown in Figure 7, the template screen 201 has, for example, four components 240a to 240d set up. Components 240a and 240b have text boxes for displaying the work ID and process. Components 240c and 240d have buttons for obtaining the start time and completion time of the process for the above work ID.

[0020] Figure 8 shows an example of the appearance and behavior 202a of setting item 202 in the template information 200 of the production performance registration screen. In Figure 8, the appearance and behavior 202a of setting item 202 for components 240a and 240b among the components 240a to 240d of the template screen 201 are shown. As shown in Figure 8, the appearance and behavior 202a of setting item 202 for components 240a and 240b may include supplementary information. In other words, the appearance and behavior 202a for components 240a and 240b has setting item groups such as "input items". The appearance and behavior 202a has items enclosed by dashed lines from the second line onward, and each of the two "input items" in the setting item group has supplementary information, and has items such as "setting item name", "classification", "default value", "detailed setting item", "script input allowed", "input type", and "description". The "Setting Item Name" storage area within the supplementary information stores the name used to identify each setting item for each setting item group included in the appearance / behavior 202a. In the supplementary information of Figure 8, setting values ​​such as "Item Name" and "Master" are stored for each of the two "Input Items" in the setting item group. The "Classification" storage area within the supplementary information stores the classification of appearance / behavior 202a. In the supplementary information in Figure 8, "Appearance" and "Appearance / Behavior" are stored for each of the two "Input Items" in the setting item group. The "default value" storage area within the supplementary information stores the initial values ​​for the appearance and behavior 202a. In the supplementary information of Figure 8, "[Work ID, Process]" and "{{$.master1}}, {{$.master2}}" are stored for each of the two "input items" in the setting item group. "{{$.master1}}, {{$.master2}}" are, for example, JavaScript (registered trademark), and the data corresponding to the metadata acquired by the metadata acquisition unit 101, which will be described later, is stored (displayed). The "Detailed Settings" storage area within the supplementary information stores whether (true) or (false) the setting screen for that setting item should display it as a detailed setting item that is not frequently changed. In the supplementary information in Figure 8, "false" or "true" is stored for each of the two "Input Items" in the setting item group. The "Script Input Allowed / Not Allowed" storage area within the supplementary information stores whether scripts can be set (true) or not (false) as a setting value. In the supplementary information in Figure 8, "false" or "true" is stored for each of the two "input items" in the setting item group. The "Input Type" storage area within the supplementary information stores the data type of the setting value. In the supplementary information in Figure 8, "String" and "Array" are stored for each of the two "Input Items" in the setting item group. The "Explanatory Text" storage area within the supplementary information contains explanatory text intended to inform the screen creator of the meaning of the setting item names.

[0021] Figure 9 shows an example of usage data 202b for setting item 202 in the template information 200 of the production performance registration screen. In Figure 9, the usage data 202b for setting item 202 for component 240a and 240b, respectively, from component 240a to 240d of the template screen 201 is shown. Note that the usage data 202b for component 240c and 240d is the same as for component 240a and 240b, so the explanation is omitted. As shown in Figure 9, the usage data 202b for setting item 202 for component 240a and 240b may include supplementary information. In other words, the usage data 202b for components 240a and 240b has setting item groups such as "Production Performance Registration" and "Master." The usage data 202b has items enclosed by dashed lines from the second row onward, which include supplementary information for each of the three setting item groups, "Production Performance Registration" and "Master," and has the items "Setting Item Name," "Classification," "Usage Data Name," "Meta Information," "Acquisition Conditions," and "Description." This supplementary information is a kind of setting condition for the usage data 202b. The storage area for "Setting Item Name" within the supplementary information contains setting values ​​that indicate which item it is for each setting item group included in the usage data 202b. In the supplementary information of Figure 9, setting values ​​such as "Start Time," "Completion Time," "Registered Item," and "Input Item Master" are stored for each of the three "Production Performance Registration" and "Master" setting item groups. The "Classification" storage area within the supplementary information stores the classification of usage data 202b. In the supplementary information in Figure 9, "Usage Data" is stored for each of the three setting item groups: "Production Performance Registration" and "Master". The storage area for "Usage Data Name" within the supplementary information contains the variable names for the usage data for each of the three setting item groups of usage data 202b: "Production Performance Registration" and "Master," as well as "-(blank)" and "master." The "metadata" storage area within the supplementary information stores metadata for the usage data that is assigned to each of the three "production performance registration" and "master" setting item groups of the usage data 202b, based on the metadata of the data stored in the data source 2 and equipment 3, etc., acquired by the metadata acquisition unit 101 described later. The "Acquisition Conditions" storage area within the supplementary information contains the conditions for acquiring usage data for each of the three "Production Performance Registration" and "Master" items in the setting item group of usage data 202b. Note that in usage data 202b in Figure 9, "- (blank)" is set. The "Explanatory Text" storage area within the supplementary information contains explanatory text intended to inform the screen creator of the meaning of the setting item names.

[0022] The template behavior 203 of the production performance registration screen stores source code such as scripts for executing processes based on the settings of the appearance / behavior 202a and the usage data 202b. The source code of template behavior 203 may include, for example, code to retrieve master data from the metadata assigned to the "input item master" of appearance / behavior 202a and set it in various dropdown menus. The source code may also include code to register new data based on the current time and input status when the start button of component 240c is pressed. The source code may also include code to update the data based on the current time and input status when the complete button of component 240d is pressed. The source code may also include code to display the input interface (e.g., work, process, equipment, etc.) according to the settings of the input items. The above explains template information 200 for the production performance registration screen.

[0023] Next, we will explain the configuration information 210. The configuration information 210 is created by the configuration information creation unit 103, which will be described later. Figure 10 shows an example of the configuration information 210. Note that Figure 10 shows an example of the configuration information 210 for the factory monitoring screen. As shown in Figure 10, the configuration information 210 includes a configuration information ID that identifies the configuration information 210 (such as an automatically generated UUID if it is newly created), a screen name, and a template ID of the template information 200 to be used. Furthermore, as will be described later, the configuration information 210 includes a table 211 that stores the group of configuration items whose default values ​​have been changed by the screen creator, the name of the configuration item, and the changed configuration value from the appearance and behavior 202a shown in Figure 5. Furthermore, the configuration information 210 includes a table 212 that stores the group of configuration items whose default values ​​have been changed by the screen creator, the name of the configuration item, and the changed configuration value from the usage data 202b shown in Figure 6. This concludes the explanation of setting information 210.

[0024] Next, we will explain user information 220. User information 220 stores information about the user in advance. Specifically, user information 220 may include, for example, the user's user ID, name, telephone number, email address, etc., as well as their current role, affiliation, years of experience, etc. Furthermore, user information 220 may also include information regarding whether or not the user is authorized to operate the work screen, as will be described later.

[0025] <Control Unit 10> The control unit 10 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, CMOS memory, etc., which are configured to communicate with each other via a bus, and is known to those skilled in the art. The CPU is a processor that controls the entire screen creation device 1. The CPU reads system programs and application programs stored in ROM via the bus and controls the entire screen creation device 1 according to the system programs and application programs. As a result, as shown in Figure 1, the control unit 10 is configured to realize the functions of the template creation unit 100, the metadata acquisition unit 101, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102, the setting information creation unit 103, the automatic screen creation unit 104, the setting information management unit 105, and the user information management unit 106. Various data such as temporary calculation data and display data are stored in the RAM. The CMOS memory is backed up by a battery (not shown) and is configured as a non-volatile memory that retains its memory state even when the power to the screen creation device 1 is turned off. In this embodiment, the screen creation device 1 is shown as having a template creation unit 100, but it is not limited to this configuration. The template creation unit 100 may be a separate device from the screen creation device 1, such as a template creation device (not shown). That is, a template creator can create template information 200 using the template creation device (not shown) and provide the created template information 200 to many users.

[0026] Here, before explaining in detail the functions of the template creation unit 100, the metadata acquisition unit 101, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102, the setting information creation unit 103, the automatic screen creation unit 104, the setting information management unit 105, and the user information management unit 106, we will first explain the general operation of each function. The template creation unit 100 creates template information 200 that is appropriate for the functions of the equipment and the site, such as a factory, based on the input operations of the template creator via the input device 30, and stores the created template information 200 in the storage unit 20. The metadata acquisition unit 101 acquires metadata for the data stored in data source 2 and equipment 3 from data source 2 and equipment 3, and outputs the acquired metadata to the setting screen created by the setting screen automatic creation unit 102. The automatic settings screen creation unit 102 reads template information 200 selected by the screen creator who generates (customizes) the business screen from the storage unit 20, and creates a settings screen for creating setting information 210 for setting items such as the entire screen or for each component of the screen (for example, components 230a to 230f) based on the appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b of the setting items 202 that are predefined in the read template information 200. In addition, if the screen creator selects existing setting information 210, the automatic settings screen creation unit 102 may also read template information 200 associated with the selected setting information 210 from the storage unit 20. The automatic settings screen creation unit 102 may also create a settings screen for editing (customizing) the selected setting information 210 based on the appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b of the setting items 202 that are predefined in the read template information 200 and the setting information 210. The setting information creation unit 103 creates setting information 210 based on the setting values ​​set or edited by the screen creator on the setting screen created by the automatic setting screen creation unit 102, and stores the created setting information 210 in the storage unit 20. The automatic screen creation unit 104 creates a business screen, which is a screen related to manufacturing, based on the setting information 210 selected based on the input operation of the screen user and the template information 200 linked to the selected setting information 210, and displays the created business screen on a display device (not shown). The configuration information management unit 105 manages the configuration information 210 created by the configuration information creation unit 103 based on the configuration information ID set in the configuration information 210. The user information management unit 106 manages user information 220 for each user, such as template creators, screen creators, and screen users.

[0027] <Template creation section 100> The template creation unit 100 creates template information 200 that is appropriate for the functions of the equipment 3 and the factory or other site based on the input operations of the template creator via the input device 30, and stores the created template information 200 in the storage unit 20. Specifically, when the template creation unit 100 receives an instruction to create template information 200 through an input operation by the template creator, for example, it displays the template information 200 creation screen 300 on the output device 40. Figure 11 shows an example of the creation screen 300 for template information 200. As shown in Figure 11, the creation screen 300 has a template screen setting area 310 and a component list 320. The component list 320 includes components such as buttons (pull-down menus, execution buttons, etc.), tables, equipment icons, and text displays. Each of these components may also be configured with its default setting items 202, namely the appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the template creation unit 100 drags and drops equipment icons based on input operations by the template creator to position and confirm the equipment icons in the desired location. Similarly, the template creation unit 100 also drags and drops equipment icons, text displays, etc., based on input operations by the template creator to position and confirm the components 230a, 230c to 230f in the desired location. In this way, the template creation unit 100 can create the template screen 201 shown in Figure 4, etc.

[0028] The template creation unit 100 determines the components such as equipment icons and their placement positions, and then automatically generates a template screen 201, the appearance and behavior 202a and usage data 202b of the setting items 202, and the source code for the template behavior 203 based on the type and placement positions of the components. The template creation unit 100 may also edit the source code for the template behavior 203 (for example, by adding template behavior or setting items not linked to components) based on the input of the template creator. Furthermore, the template creation unit 100 may, as necessary, create or modify the appearance and behavior 202a and usage data 202b of the setting items 202 (for example, by adjusting the setting items) based on the input operations of the template creator. The template creation unit 100 may also create new template information 200 based on existing template information 200. Furthermore, the template creation unit 100 may incorporate a debugging function for the template information 200. Furthermore, the template creation unit 100 may set information regarding the availability of users who are permitted to use the template information 200, and information regarding the availability of users who are permitted to edit the template information 200, based on the operations of the template creator, in the template information 200. The template creation unit 100 stores data including the template screen 201 set in the template screen setting area 310, the appearance and behavior 202a and usage data 202b of the setting items 202, and the template behavior 203 as template information 200 in the storage unit 20.

[0029] <Metadata acquisition unit 101> The metadata acquisition unit 101 acquires metadata for the data stored in the data source 2 and equipment 3 from the data source 2 and equipment 3, and outputs the acquired metadata to the automatic setting screen creation unit 102. Specifically, the metadata acquisition unit 101 acquires and pre-registers metadata related to equipment at each site, such as a factory, stored in the data source 2 (equipment name, model number, person in charge, status start time information, equipment status information, program name, etc.) and metadata related to equipment stored in equipment 3 (equipment name, function name, etc.). In addition, equipment 3 may have a list of executable functions of equipment 3 pre-registered, as well as connection information for equipment 3 to be set for each site (e.g., IP address, etc.). Alternatively, database connection information (e.g., IP address, password, etc.) may be pre-registered, and the metadata acquisition unit 101 may execute a query to acquire metadata.

[0030] Furthermore, the metadata acquisition unit 101 may utilize the metadata acquisition function of the IoT (Internet of Things) platform, which is provided by the equipment or software for communicating with the equipment (such as an interface for calling functions (RPC: Remote Procedure Call)). In this case, it is preferable that the IoT platform publishes user-facing documentation that shows what kind of metadata (an interface for calling functions (RPC)) the equipment or software for communicating with the equipment (converter) has. This allows the template creator to understand the functions of the equipment in advance and then create the appearance / behavior 202a of the setting item 202 and the supplementary information (setting conditions) of the usage data 202b. Furthermore, if the IoT platform defines common metadata (interfaces) for common functions regardless of the equipment (for example, sending files, retrieving files, retrieving a file list, deleting files, setting variables, retrieving variables, etc.), and uses equipment or software that communicates with such equipment that supports these common functions, the template creator can create the appearance and behavior 202a of setting item 202 and the supplementary information (setting conditions) of the usage data 202b without being aware of the equipment.

[0031] The metadata acquisition unit 101, for example, if the data source 2 is a database, acquires a list of tables and a list of column names and data types for each table from the data source 2 as metadata, as shown in Figure 12. Figure 12 shows an example of metadata for data source 2. As shown in Figure 12, the metadata has storage areas for "table name," "column name," and "type." The storage area for "table name" in the metadata contains tables (data) such as "production performance table" and "equipment status table". The "column name" storage area within the metadata contains, for example, column names such as "work ID," "process start time," "process end time," "process," "equipment name," "equipment status," and "status start time." The "Type" storage area within the metadata contains data types such as "String," "Date and Time," and "Number" for each column name, for example. Furthermore, if the data is in a CSV file or the like, the metadata acquisition unit 101 may acquire the file name and a list of header names for each file as metadata.

[0032] Furthermore, in the case of metadata for equipment 3, the metadata acquisition unit 101 may acquire a list of functions (interfaces) and arguments that can be executed by the equipment, as shown in Figure 13. Figure 13 shows an example of metadata for equipment 3. As shown in Figure 13, the metadata has storage areas for "equipment," "executable functions," and "arguments." The metadata acquisition unit 101 reveals that the "Equipment" storage area of ​​the metadata for Equipment 3 contains, for example, "Processing Machine A-1" and "Processing Machine A-2". The metadata for equipment 3 contains information on functions such as "processing program backup," "processing start," and "door opening / closing function." It can be seen that the "arguments" storage area of ​​the metadata for equipment 3 stores arguments such as the "start time" for each function of the "executable functions". In addition, the metadata acquisition unit 101 may acquire the type of data, file name, and data type that can be obtained from equipment 3 if it is metadata for equipment 3.

[0033] <Automatic creation of settings screen 102> The automatic settings screen creation unit 102 reads template information 200 selected by the screen creator who generates (customizes) a business screen using the template information 200 from the storage unit 20. Based on the template screen 201, setting items 202, and template behavior 203 predefined in the read template information 200, the automatic settings screen creation unit 102 creates a settings screen for the entire business screen or for each setting item of each component, in which the screen creator inputs setting information to customize (create) the business screen. The automatic settings screen creation unit 102 displays the created settings screen on the output unit 40. In this way, the screen creator can customize (create) the business screen through the settings screen created by the automatic settings screen creation unit 102. Furthermore, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 may read the selected setting information 210 from the storage unit 20 if the screen creator selects existing setting information 210 created by the setting information creation unit 103, which will be described later. The automatic setting screen creation unit 102 may also read the template information 200 of the template ID associated with the setting information 210 from the storage unit 20. Based on the read existing setting information 210 and template information 200, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 may create a setting screen for each setting item in which the screen creator can input settings to edit the setting information (screen) that has already been created. In this way, the screen creator can customize (edit) the existing setting information 210 (screen) through the setting screen created by the automatic setting screen creation unit 102. Furthermore, the automatic settings screen creation unit 102 may create a settings screen containing only the settings items that the user is permitted to edit, based on the permission information in the user information 220 and the editability information set in the template information 200. The following sections will explain the cases in which the created settings screen is (a) a settings screen for the factory monitoring screen and (b) a settings screen for the production performance registration screen. For (a) the factory monitoring screen, the explanation will be based on the example of when template information 200 is selected by the screen creator and a new settings screen is created. For (b) the production performance registration screen, the explanation will be based on the example of when existing settings information 210 is selected by the screen creator and a settings screen is created to edit the selected existing settings information 210. In addition, the automatic settings screen creation unit 102 can create settings screens for screens other than the factory monitoring screen and the production performance registration screen in the same way as the factory monitoring screen and the production performance registration screen.

[0034] (a) Regarding the settings screen for the factory monitoring screen Specifically, when the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 receives a selection instruction for template information 200 from a screen creator via the input device 30, for example, it displays a screen management screen 400 on the output device 40, as shown in Figure 14A. This screen management screen 402 includes a new creation button 401 and a setting information table 402 of existing setting information 210, which are created by the setting information management unit 105 described later. The setting information table 402 includes the ID of each setting information 210, the name of the business screen created based on each setting information 210, and operation buttons for each setting information 210. The operation buttons include a display button to display a business screen based on the setting information 210, an edit button to display a setting screen for editing the setting information 210, a duplicate button to copy the setting information 210, and a delete button to delete the setting information 210. The automatic settings screen creation unit 102 displays the template selection screen 410 shown in Figure 14B on the output unit 40 when the new creation button 401 on the screen management screen 400 is pressed, based on the input operation of the screen creator via the input device 30. As shown in Figure 14B, the template selection screen 410 includes the template information table 411 of the template information 200, a cancel button 412, and a create button 413. The automatic settings screen creation unit 102, based on the input operation of the screen creator via the input device 30, creates the factory monitoring screen settings screen 450 shown in Figure 15 when the template information 200 in the row of "Factory Monitoring Screen" with ID "1" in the template information table 411 of the template selection screen 410 is selected and the create button 413 is pressed.

[0035] Figure 15 shows an example of the settings screen 450 for the factory monitoring screen. As shown in Figure 15, the created settings screen 450 has, for example, five display areas 451 to 455. Display area 451 displays an input field for entering an arbitrary screen name (setting information name) such as "Factory Monitoring Screen" and a save button 456 for saving the settings values ​​etc. set on the settings screen 450. Display area 452 displays a pull-down menu for selecting one setting item group from a list of setting item groups (for example, the entire screen or common settings for equipment icons in Figure 5). Display area 453 displays the template screen 201 in Figure 4 as the default value from the template information 200 of the factory monitoring screen selected in the template selection screen 410 in Figure 14A. Display area 454 displays an interface for setting usage data based on the supplementary information of the usage data 202b of the setting item group selected in display area 452 or the components (or the entire screen) of the template screen 201 selected in display area 453, as will be described later. Furthermore, as will be described later, the display area 455 displays an interface for configuring each setting item based on the setting item group selected in the display area 452, or the supplementary information in the appearance and behavior 202a of the components (or the entire screen) of the template screen 201 selected in the display area 453.

[0036] For example, in the settings screen 450 of Figure 15, based on the input of the screen creator who generates (customizes) a business screen using the template information 200, the equipment icon A (component 230b in Figure 4) for "Processing Machine A-1" is selected from the template screen 201 displayed in the display area 453. As a result, the settings screen 450 displays a settings screen related to the usage data 202b of the selected equipment icon A (component 230b) in the display area 454, and a settings screen related to the appearance and behavior 202a of the selected equipment icon A (component 230b) in the display area 455. The settings screen 450 may also be displayed similarly if "Equipment Icon A" is selected in the dropdown menu of the setting item group displayed in the display area 452 based on the input of the screen creator. Figure 16 shows an example of the settings screen 450 when the equipment icon (component 230b) is selected. The same applies to the other components 230a, 230c to 230f as to component 230b. For example, when "Equipment Icon A" is selected in the dropdown menu of the setting item group in the display area 452, the setting screen 450 displays the selected equipment icon (component 230b) in the display area 453, surrounded by a rectangular frame indicated by a solid line. As shown in Figure 16, the settings screen 450 displays the interface for setting items such as the icon color and display position of the selected equipment icon A (component 230b) based on the supplementary information of the appearance / behavior 202a. That is, for example, when "Equipment Icon A" is selected in the dropdown menu of the setting item group in the display area 452, the settings screen 450 displays text boxes for entering setting values ​​(strings, numbers, scripts, etc.) such as icon color and screen transition destination, based on the supplementary information of the appearance / behavior 202a in Figure 5. For example, in the settings screen 450 in Figure 16, the default values ​​of the appearance / behavior 202a in Figure 5 are displayed in the text boxes for icon color and screen transition destination. If the screen creator adds a condition that the color of equipment icon A (component 230b) should be "yellow" when the status of equipment icon A (component 230b) is "2", the script for the icon color setting item will be edited, as shown in Figure 17. By doing so, screen creators can configure settings related to the appearance and behavior of 202a by referring to the displayed default values ​​(settings), and for settings that can be left at their default values, they can avoid the trouble of entering the settings themselves. Furthermore, in the settings screen 450 shown in Figure 16, the position (top) and position (left) of the setting items set to "true" in the detailed item settings of the appearance / behavior 202a in Figure 5 may be grouped together in the detailed settings section, and displayed in a expandable format depending on the operation (press) of the detailed settings section by the screen creator. Figure 16 shows the settings screen 450 when the detailed settings are expanded.

[0037] Furthermore, when "Equipment Icon A" is selected in the pull-down menu of the setting item group in the display area 452, the setting screen 450 displays the interface of the setting items for the usage data of the selected equipment icon A (component 230b) in the display area 454, based on the supplementary information of the usage data 202b, as shown in Figure 17. For example, in the setting screen 450, the table name included in the metadata of Figure 12 acquired by the metadata acquisition unit 101 is set in the pull-down 460. When "Equipment Status Table" is selected in the pull-down 460 by the input operation of the screen creator, the column names and types of the selected table are displayed as the column name list 462. The setting screen 450 also displays the setting item 461 corresponding to "Equipment Icon A" selected in the pull-down menu of the setting item group in the display area 452, and the configured metadata 463, which allows setting column names from the column name list 462 to be set in the setting item 461 by dragging and dropping, etc. For example, when the column name "Equipment Status (Numerical Value)" from the column name list 462 is dragged and dropped onto the setting item 461 based on the input operation of the screen creator, the setting screen 450 displays an acquisition condition button 464 to set the acquisition conditions for the "Equipment Status Table - Equipment Status" data set in the configured metadata 463, according to the supplementary information of the usage data 202b of the setting item 202 of the component 230b. Then, when the acquisition condition button 464 is pressed based on the input operation of the screen creator, the setting screen 450 modally displays the acquisition condition setting screen 465, as shown in Figure 18. The setting screen 450 prompts the screen creator to set the "Equipment Name" to "Processing Machine A-1" based on the "Acquisition Condition" of the supplementary information of the usage data 202b in Figure 6, and accepts input from the screen creator. Furthermore, the settings screen 450 sets the default values ​​for the status start time, sort order, and number of retrieved items based on the "acquisition conditions" in the supplementary information of the usage data 202b. Note that the default values ​​for the status start time, sort order, and number of retrieved items may be changed from the default values ​​based on the input operations of the screen creator. Furthermore, the settings screen 450 may be configured to add acquisition conditions when the add button 466 is pressed by the screen creator. In addition, the supplementary information of the usage data 202b may include acquisition conditions other than "equal to (=)", such as "not equal to (≠)", "contains", greater than / less than relationships, SQL (Structured Query Language) aggregate functions, and the number of records to retrieve. After the screen creator has finished configuring (editing the screen) on the settings screen 450, they press the save button 456. The settings information creation unit 103, described later, then creates the settings information 210 shown in Figure 10, for example, based on the information entered on the settings screen 450, and saves it to the storage unit 20.

[0038] (b) Settings screen for production record registration For example, when the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 receives a selection instruction for template information 200 from the screen creator via the input device 30, it displays the screen management screen 400 shown in Figure 14A, created by the setting information management unit 105 (described later), on the output device 40. Based on the input operation of the screen creator via the input device 30, if the edit button for the setting information 210 of "Production Results Registration Screen A" with ID "YYY" on the screen management screen 400 is pressed, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 reads the setting information 210 from the storage unit 20. The automatic setting screen creation unit 102 reads the template information 200 of the template ID set in the read setting information 210 from the storage unit 20. Based on the read template information 200 and setting information 210, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 creates the setting screen 450 shown in Figure 19 and displays it on the output device 40. Figure 19 shows an example of the settings screen 450 for the production performance registration screen. As shown in Figure 19, the created settings screen 450 displays, for example, the template screen 201 of the production performance registration screen in the display area 453, based on the template information 200 read from the storage unit 20.

[0039] The settings screen 450 displays, for example, a list of column names 472 for the selected "Work Master" metadata if "Master" is selected in the dropdown menu in the display area 452 and "Work Master" is selected from the dropdown menu 470 in the display area 454, based on the input operation of the screen creator. The settings screen 450 also displays the setting item 471 corresponding to "Work Master" and the configured metadata 473, which allows the user to set column names from the column name list 472 to the setting item 471 by dragging and dropping, etc. For example, as shown in Figure 19, if the column name "Work ID (string)" from the column name list 472 is dragged and dropped to the configured metadata 473 based on the input operation of the screen creator, "Work Master: Work ID" is added. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 20, the settings screen 450 works similarly: based on the input operation of the screen creator, "Process Master" and "Equipment Master" are selected from the pull-down menu 470 in the display area 454, and "Process Name (string)" and "Equipment Name (string)" are dragged and dropped from the column name list 472 into the configured metadata 473, thereby setting them. Next, the settings screen 450, for example as shown in Figure 21, displays a list of column names 472 for the metadata of the selected "Production Results Table" based on the input of the screen creator. This is done when "Production Results Registration" is selected from the pull-down menu in the display area 452 and "Production Results Table" is selected from the pull-down menu 470 in the display area 454. Similar to the "Work Master" case, the settings screen 450 sets the "Start Time (Date and Time)" of setting item 471 by dragging and dropping "Start Time (Date and Time)" from the column name list 472 into the configured metadata 473 based on the input of the screen creator. Also, the settings screen 450 sets the "Completion Time (Date and Time)" of setting item 471 by dragging and dropping "Completion Time (Date and Time)" from the column name list 472 into the configured metadata 473 based on the input of the screen creator. Furthermore, the settings screen 450 may also be configured by dragging and dropping "Work ID (string)", "Process Name (string)", and "Equipment Name (string)" from the column name list 472 into the pre-configured metadata 473, as partially shown in the diagram, based on the input operations of the screen creator.

[0040] Furthermore, based on the input operation of the screen creator, if "Input Item" is selected in the pull-down menu of the display area 452, the settings screen 450 displays the interface of the setting items between the selected input item, the master, and the detailed settings, in the display area 455, as shown in Figure 22, based on the supplementary information of the appearance and behavior 202a in Figure 8. That is, for example, if "Input Item" is selected in the pull-down of the setting item group in the display area 452, the settings screen 450 displays a text box for entering setting values ​​(strings, scripts, etc.) such as the item name and master, based on the supplementary information of the appearance and behavior 202a in Figure 8. In addition, the settings screen 450 may also display add buttons 474 and 475 for the item name and master, so that setting values ​​of the item name and master can be added based on the input operation of the screen creator, as shown in Figure 23. This allows the screen creator to add the component 240e of "Equipment" in the display area 453. Furthermore, the screen creator can configure settings related to appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b by referring to the displayed default values ​​(settings). In addition, the screen creator can save the effort of entering settings for items that do not need to be changed from the selected settings information. After the screen creator has finished configuring (editing the screen) on the settings screen 450, they press the save button 456. The settings information creation unit 103, described later, then creates the settings information 210 based on the content edited on the settings screen 450 and updates the settings information 210 stored in the storage unit 20.

[0041] Figure 24 shows an example of the settings information 210 for the updated production performance registration screen. As shown in Figure 24, the configuration information 210 includes the configuration information ID set when the new information was created, the screen name, and the template ID of the template information 200 to be used. Furthermore, the configuration information 210 includes a table 211 that stores the default value groups, configuration item names, and modified configuration values ​​from the appearance and behavior 202a in Figure 8, which have been changed by the screen creator.

[0042] <Configuration Information Creation Section 103> The configuration information creation unit 103 creates configuration information 210 based on the information of each configuration item set on the configuration screen 450. Specifically, when the screen creator presses the save button 456 on the settings screen 450, the settings information creation unit 103 adds the settings information ID (an automatically generated UUID, etc., if newly created), the screen name, and the template ID of the template information 200 to be used to the settings information 210, as shown in Figure 10 or Figure 24. The settings information creation unit 103 adds tables 211 and 212 of the appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b of the template information 200 to the settings information 210, which include the settings item group, settings item name, and changed settings value of the settings items whose default values ​​have been changed by the screen creator. The settings information creation unit 103 stores (updates) the created settings information 210 in the storage unit 20.

[0043] <Automatic screen creation unit 104> For example, when the automatic screen creation unit 104 receives a selection instruction for a business screen from a screen user via the input device 30, it displays the screen management screen 400 shown in Figure 14A, created by the setting information management unit 105 (described later), on the output device 40. Based on the screen user's input, if the display button for a business screen such as "Factory Monitoring Screen A" with ID "XXX" on the screen management screen 400 is pressed, the automatic screen creation unit 104 reads the setting information 210 for the selected business screen from the storage unit 20 based on instructions from the setting information management unit 105 (described later). The automatic screen creation unit 104 reads the template information 200 of the template ID set in the read setting information 210 from the storage unit 20. Based on the read template information 200 and setting information 210, the automatic screen creation unit 104 creates a business screen as a screen related to manufacturing. Furthermore, the automatic screen creation unit 104 may create business screens that only include setting items that the user is permitted to operate, based on the permission information in the user information 220 and the usability information in the template information 200. The automatic screen creation unit 104 can apply the created business screens as manufacturing-related screens on a display device (not shown). For example, the screen creation device 1 may be linked to a business system (not shown) and provide the generated screens to that business system (not shown).

[0044] <Setting information management section 105> The configuration information management unit 105 manages the configuration information 210 created by the configuration information creation unit 103. Specifically, when the configuration information management unit 105 receives a display instruction for configuration information 210 from a user via the input device 30, for example, it reads the configuration information 210 that can be displayed for each user from the configuration information 210 stored in the storage unit 20, based on the user information 220. The configuration information management unit 105 displays the screen management screen 400 shown in Figure 14A, which is a list of the read configuration information 210, on the output device 40. When the user presses the display button, the configuration information management unit 105 outputs the selected configuration information 210 to the automatic screen creation unit 104. The automatic screen creation unit 104 creates a business screen based on the configuration information 210 and the corresponding template information 200, and displays the created business screen on a display device (not shown). Furthermore, when the user presses the edit button, the configuration information management unit 105 outputs the selected configuration information 210 to the automatic configuration screen creation unit 102. The automatic configuration screen creation unit 102 creates a configuration screen 450 of the selected configuration information 210 and displays it on the output device 40. Furthermore, when the user presses the screen duplication button, the configuration information management unit 105 duplicates the selected configuration information 210 and assigns a new configuration information ID to the duplicated configuration information 210, and stores it in the storage unit 20. Furthermore, when the user presses the delete button, the configuration information management unit 105 deletes the selected configuration information 210 from the storage unit 20. Furthermore, the configuration information management unit 105 may, for example, control the availability of operations (display, edit, copy, delete) for each screen on the screen management screen 400 in Figure 14A based on the availability information of user information 220, the availability information of template information 200, and / or the availability information of editing. For example, the configuration information management unit 105 may hide or gray out buttons for operations that are not permitted for each user based on the user information 220.

[0045] <User Information Management Department 106> The user information management unit 106 manages user information 220. Specifically, the user information management unit 106 may, for example, manage permission information for each user and each screen (setting information 210) in the user information 220. As a result, the setting information management unit 105 may, as described above, control the permission of each screen operation (display, edit, copy, delete) in the screen management screen 400 of Figure 14A based on, for example, the permission information in the user information 220 and the usage permission information and / or editing permission information in the template information 200. For example, the setting information management unit 105 may hide or gray out buttons for operations that are not permitted. Furthermore, the user information management unit 106 may manage information regarding the ability to edit settings for each setting item in the template information 200 within the user information 220. This allows the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 to control whether setting items on the setting screen 450 can be edited based on the ability information in the user information 220 and the availability or editability information of the template information 200 (or setting information 210). For example, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 may hide or gray out setting items that are not allowed to be edited. Alternatively, the automatic screen creation unit 104 may create business screens based on the availability information of the user information 220 or the availability information of the template information 200 (or setting information 210). In other words, even for the same business screen, such as a factory monitoring screen or a production performance registration screen, the setting items displayed on the business screen may differ for each user. By doing so, even with the same business screen (setting information 210), different equipment 3 can be monitored for each user.

[0046] <Processing for creating screen creation device 1> Next, the process flow for creating the screen creation device 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 25 to 27. The following sections will describe the creation process for the screen creation device 1 in the following cases: (a) creating new configuration information 210, (b) editing existing configuration information 210, and (c) displaying a business screen.

[0047] (a) When creating a new configuration information 210 Figure 25 is a flowchart illustrating the creation process of the screen creation device 1 when creating new configuration information 210. The flowchart shown here is executed each time a new business screen is requested by the screen creator.

[0048] In step S11, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 receives a new creation instruction when the screen creator presses the new creation button 401 on the screen management screen 400 via the input device 30. The automatic setting screen creation unit 102 receives the selection of template information 200 for the business screen to be newly created by the screen creator in the template information table 411 of the template selection screen 410.

[0049] In step S12, the metadata acquisition unit 101 acquires metadata for the data from data source 2 and equipment 3, etc.

[0050] In step S13, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 creates a setting screen 450 based on the template information 200 of the business screen selected in step S11 and displays it on the output device 40.

[0051] In step S14, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 accepts settings for the appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b of setting item 202 in the setting screen 450 based on the input operation of the screen creator.

[0052] In step S15, the setting information creation unit 103 creates setting information 210 by adding the newly created setting information ID, screen name, and template ID of the template information 200 to be used, for example, when the save button 456 of the setting screen 450 is pressed by the screen creator. The setting information creation unit 103 also sets tables 211 and 212 in the setting information 210, which include the setting item group, setting item name, and changed setting value of the setting item 202 of the template information 200 whose default value has been changed from the appearance / behavior 202a and usage data 202b.

[0053] In step S16, the setting information creation unit 103 stores the setting information 210 created in step S15 in the storage unit 20.

[0054] (b) When editing existing configuration information 210 Figure 26 is a flowchart illustrating the creation process of the screen creation device 1 when editing existing configuration information 210. The flowchart shown here is executed each time the screen creator requests editing of existing configuration information 210. Note that the processes in steps S22, S24, and S25 are the same as those in steps S12, S14, and S15 in Figure 25, and therefore their explanation is omitted.

[0055] In step S21, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 receives an instruction to edit the setting information 210 when the edit button on the business screen displayed on the screen management screen 400 is pressed, based on the input operation of the screen creator.

[0056] In step S23, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 reads the setting information 210 of the business screen selected in step S11 from the storage unit 20. The automatic setting screen creation unit 102 reads the template information 200 of the template ID set in the read setting information 210 from the storage unit 20. The automatic setting screen creation unit 102 creates a setting screen 450 based on the read template information 200 and setting information 210 and displays it on the output device 40.

[0057] In step S26, the setting information creation unit 103 stores and updates the setting information 210 created in step S25 in the storage unit 20.

[0058] (c) When selecting setting information 210 and displaying the business screen Figure 27 is a flowchart illustrating the screen creation process of the screen creation device 1 when setting information 210 is selected and a business screen is displayed. The flow shown here is executed each time setting information 210 is selected by the screen user and a display instruction is received.

[0059] In step S31, the automatic screen creation unit 104 receives a command to display a business screen when the display button for the business screen displayed on the screen management screen 400 is pressed, based on the input operation of the screen user.

[0060] In step S32, the automatic screen creation unit 104 reads the setting information 210 of the selected business screen from the storage unit 20.

[0061] In step S33, the automatic screen creation unit 104 reads the template information 200 of the template ID set in the setting information 210 read in step S32 from the storage unit 20.

[0062] In step S34, the automatic screen creation unit 104 creates a business screen based on the template information 200 read in step S33 and the setting information 210 read in step S32.

[0063] In step S35, the automatic screen creation unit 104 displays the business screen created in step S34 on a display device (not shown).

[0064] As described above, the screen creation system SYS according to one embodiment can provide template creators with screens that have optimal settings according to how they use the template screens, and for screen creators who create (customize) business screens using templates, it is possible to easily create screens that fit each site by configuring the template screens. Furthermore, screen creators can easily create multiple screens with different data, layouts, and behaviors from a single template. For example, even for screens used to perform the same task, they can easily create work screens optimized for each user's needs. Furthermore, the SYS screen creation system allows users to easily create screens with restricted or added data visible to each user, and manage which of the multiple screens created can be displayed to each user. Furthermore, since each created screen has an ID, transitions between screens can be easily achieved by specifying that ID in the link destination settings.

[0065] Although one embodiment has been described above, the screen creation system SYS is not limited to the above-described embodiment and may include modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that the objective can be achieved.

[0066] <Example 1> In one embodiment, the screen creation device 1 is a separate device from the display device that displays the screen related to manufacturing, but the device is not limited to this. For example, the screen creation device 1 may include a display device (not shown).

[0067] <Modification 2> For example, in one embodiment, the automatic setting screen creation unit 102 created a Japanese setting screen 450, the setting information creation unit 103 created Japanese setting information 210, and the automatic screen creation unit 104 created a Japanese display screen, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the automatic settings screen creation unit 102 may create settings screens 450 for each language (e.g., Japanese, English, Chinese, etc.), the settings information creation unit 103 may create language-specific settings information 210 based on the information set on the settings screens 450, and the automatic screen creation unit 104 may create display screens corresponding to the language based on the settings information 210.

[0068] In one embodiment, each function included in the screen creation system SYS can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Here, implementation by software means that it is implemented by a computer loading and executing a program.

[0069] Programs can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable medium. Non-transitory computer-readable mediums include various types of tangible storage mediums. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable mediums include magnetic storage media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical storage media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, RAMs). Programs may also be supplied to a computer using various types of transient computer-readable mediums. Examples of transient computer-readable mediums include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer-readable mediums can be supplied to a computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels.

[0070] Furthermore, the step of writing the program to be recorded on the recording medium includes not only processes that are performed chronologically in that order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically, but are executed in parallel or individually.

[0071] While this disclosure has been described in detail, it is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. These embodiments can be added, replaced, modified, partially deleted, etc., in any way that does not depart from the gist of this disclosure or from the spirit of this disclosure derived from the claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, these embodiments can be implemented in combination. For example, the order of operations and processes in the embodiments described above are given as examples only and are not limited thereto. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical formulas are used in the description of the embodiments described above.

[0072] The following additional information is disclosed regarding the above embodiments and modifications. (Note 1) The image creation device (1) includes an automatic setting screen creation unit (102) that creates a setting screen (450) for setting each of the setting items defined in a pre-created display screen template information (200), a setting information creation unit (103) that creates setting information based on the information of each setting item set on the setting screen (450), and an automatic screen creation unit (104) that creates a display screen based on the template information (200) and the setting information (210) created by the setting information creation unit (103).

[0073] (Note 2) The automatic settings screen creation unit (102) creates a settings screen (450) for editing the settings information (210) created by the settings information creation unit (103), and the settings information creation unit (103) creates the settings information (210) based on the information edited on the settings screen (450).

[0074] (Note 3) The setting item (202) relates to at least one of the following: usage data, behavior, or appearance.

[0075] (Note 4) The template information (200) includes the setting items (202), the template screen (201), and the template behavior (203).

[0076] (Note 5) The screen creation device (1) described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 further includes a metadata acquisition unit (101) that acquires metadata of usage data or metadata of equipment, and the automatic setting screen creation unit (102) creates a setting screen (450) for setting setting information (210) based on the metadata acquired by the metadata acquisition unit (101), and the setting information creation unit (103) creates setting information (210) based on the information set on the setting screen (450).

[0077] (Note 6) The display screen shows information related to the manufacturing process.

[0078] (Note 7) The screen creation device (1) described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 further comprises a template creation unit (100) for creating template information (200).

[0079] (Note 8) The screen creation device (1) described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 further includes a setting information management unit (105) for managing the created setting information (210).

[0080] (Note 9) The screen creation device (1) described in Appendix 8 further includes a user information management unit (106) for managing user information (220).

[0081] (Note 10) The configuration information management unit (105) controls user-specific operations on the configuration information (210) based on user information (220).

[0082] (Note 11) The settings screen automatic creation unit (102) creates a settings screen (450) based on user information (220) and template information (200) or settings information (210), and the settings information creation unit (103) creates settings information (210) based on the information edited on the settings screen (450).

[0083] (Note 12) The automatic screen creation unit (104) creates a display screen based on user information (220), template information (200), and setting information (210).

[0084] (Note 13) The automatic settings screen creation unit (102) creates a settings screen (450) for setting items for each language, the settings information creation unit (103) creates language-specific settings information (210) based on the information set on the settings screen (450), and the automatic screen creation unit (104) creates a display screen according to the language.

[0085] (Note 14) The screen creation method is a screen creation method for making a computer function as a screen creation device (1), and comprises: a selection step of selecting one of the pre-created display screen template information (200); an automatic setting screen creation step of creating a setting screen (450) for setting each of the setting items defined in the selected template information (200); a setting information creation step of creating setting information (210) based on the information of each setting item set on the setting screen (450); and an automatic screen creation step of creating a display screen based on the selected template information (200) and the created setting information (210). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0086] 1. Screen creation device 10 Control Unit 100 Template Creation Department 101 Metadata Acquisition Unit 102 Automatic creation of settings screen 103 Configuration Information Creation Section 104 Automatic Screen Creation Section 105 Setting information management department 106 User Information Management Department 20 Memory section 200-1~200-m template information 201 Template screen 202 Setting items 202a Appearance and behavior 202b Usage Data 203 Prototype behavior 210-1~210-n Configuration Information 220 User Information 2 Data Sources 3 Equipment SYS Screen Creation System

Claims

1. A settings screen automatic creation unit creates settings screens for configuring the setting items defined in the pre-created display screen template information, the template screen, and the template behavior, including at least the source code of the script. A setting information creation unit creates setting information based on the setting items set on the setting screen, the template screen, and the template behavior information, respectively. A screen automatic creation unit creates the display screen based on the template information and the setting information created by the setting information creation unit, A screen creation device equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned settings screen automatic creation unit creates the settings screen for editing the settings information created by the settings information creation unit, The screen creation device according to claim 1, wherein the setting information creation unit creates the setting information based on the information edited on the setting screen.

3. The screen creation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the setting item relates to at least one of usage data, behavior, or appearance.

4. The system further includes a metadata acquisition unit that acquires at least one of either metadata for usage data or metadata for equipment. The automatic setting screen creation unit creates the setting screen for setting the setting information based on the metadata acquired by the metadata acquisition unit. The screen creation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the setting information creation unit creates the setting information based on the information set on the setting screen.

5. The screen creation apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the display screen is a screen related to manufacturing.

6. The screen creation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a template creation unit for creating the aforementioned template information.

7. The screen creation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a setting information management unit for managing the created setting information.

8. The screen creation device according to claim 7, further comprising a user information management unit for managing user information.

9. The screen creation device according to claim 8, wherein the setting information management unit controls user-specific operations on the setting information based on the user information.

10. The settings screen automatic creation unit creates the settings screen based on the user information and the template information or the settings information. The screen creation device according to claim 8, wherein the setting information creation unit creates the setting information based on the information edited on the setting screen.

11. The screen creation device according to claim 8, wherein the automatic screen creation unit creates the display screen based on the user information, the template information, and the setting information.

12. The aforementioned settings screen automatic creation unit creates the settings screen for which the setting items are set for each language, The aforementioned setting information creation unit creates language-specific setting information based on the information set on the setting screen. The screen creation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the automatic screen creation unit creates the display screen according to the language.

13. A method for creating a screen to make a computer function as a screen creation device, A selection step involves selecting one of the pre-created display screen template information, A setting screen automatic creation step that creates a setting screen for setting the setting items, template screen, and template behavior, including at least the source code of the script, defined in the selected template information, A setting information creation step that creates setting information based on the setting items set on the setting screen, the template screen, and the template behavior information, A screen automatic creation step that creates the display screen based on the selected template information and the created setting information, A method for creating a screen that includes the following features.

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