Drawing support program, drawing support device, drawing support system, and drawing support method

Abstract

The drawing support program causes the computer to function as a display control unit (101) that causes a display device to display a drawing screen for drawing the display screen of the programmable display device (200), a display screen information acquisition unit (103) that acquires display screen information defining the display screen, a color information acquisition unit (104) that acquires color information indicating the colors of components included as images on the display screen from the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquisition unit (103), and a generation unit (105) that acquires a specified number of colors by clustering the colors indicated by the color information acquired by the color information acquisition unit (104) and generates a color palette composed of the acquired colors, and the display control unit (101) displays the color palette generated by the generation unit (105) on the drawing screen.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drawing support program, a drawing support device, a drawing support system, and a drawing support method. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a programmable display that displays the status of devices such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) and a sensor, and accepts operations for the devices. A display screen displayed on a programmable display includes a plurality of components as images, such as components indicating specific functions such as switches and meters, and components displaying data such as text. A display screen displayed on such a programmable display is drawn by a user selecting and arranging components and setting the colors of the components on a drawing screen provided by drawing software for the programmable display. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for creating a display screen by setting the colors of components using a color palette prepared in advance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-9578 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When using a color palette prepared in advance in the above-mentioned drawing software, it is necessary to select and set colors for a large number of parts from a large number of color candidates. If a display screen is created while considering color schemes for a large number of parts using such a color palette, there is a problem that it leads to an increase in work time.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a drawing support program, a drawing support device, a drawing support system, and a drawing support method that are capable of generating a color palette that facilitates color arrangement and efficiently drawing the display screen of a programmable display device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the drawing support program according to the present disclosure includes: Computer, A display control means for displaying a drawing screen for drawing a display screen of the programmable display device on a display device; a display screen information acquiring means for acquiring display screen information defining the display screen; a color information acquiring means for acquiring color information indicating colors of components included as images on the display screen from the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquiring means; a generating means for generating a color palette consisting of a specified number of colors by clustering the colors indicated by the color information obtained by the color information obtaining means, The display control means displays the color palette generated by the generating means on the drawing screen. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a drawing support program, a drawing support device, a drawing support system, and a drawing support method that can generate a color palette that facilitates color arrangement and efficiently draw the display screen of a programmable display device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a drawing support system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a drawing support device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in a drawing screen according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of color information according to an embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of color palette information according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of additional color palette information according to an embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an additional color palette according to an embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in a drawing screen according to an embodiment; [Figure 9] Flowchart showing drawing support processing according to an embodiment DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (Embodiment) 1, a drawing support system 1 according to an embodiment includes a drawing support device 100 and a programmable display device 200. The drawing support device 100 is communicably connected to the programmable display device 200 via a wired or wireless communication network (not shown).

[0010] The drawing support device 100 is a device in which drawing software for drawing a display screen of a programmable display device is installed. The drawing software edits project data including display screen information that defines the display screen of the programmable display device 200, system setting information, etc. When a user draws a display screen by selecting, arranging, setting, etc., components on a drawing screen provided by the drawing software, project data including display screen information that defines the drawn display screen is created. Then, when the drawing support device 100 transfers the project data and firmware that runs on the programmable display device 200 to the programmable display device 200, the programmable display device 200 becomes able to display the display screen drawn by the user.

[0011] In addition to the color palette (hereinafter referred to as the "preset color palette") prepared in advance in the drawing software, the drawing support device 100 has a function of generating an additional color palette (hereinafter referred to as the "additional color palette") from any display screen selected by the user.

[0012] The programmable display device 200 is a device that displays information about the state of an external device connected to the programmable display device 200, receives a predetermined operation, and controls the external device in accordance with the received operation. The programmable display device 200 displays a display screen drawn by the drawing support device 100.

[0013] The drawing support device 100 in FIG. 1 has a hardware configuration shown in FIG.

[0014] The drawing support device 100 has a processor 11 that executes various processes, a main memory unit 12 used as a working area for the processor 11, an auxiliary memory unit 13 that stores various data used in the processes of the processor 11, a communication unit 14 for communicating with external devices, and an input / output interface 15 for connecting external devices. The main memory unit 12, the auxiliary memory unit 13, the communication unit 14, and the input / output interface 15 are all connected to the processor 11 via a bus 16.

[0015] The processor 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 11 executes programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 13 to realize various functions of the drawing support device 100.

[0016] The main memory unit 12 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory). Programs are loaded into the main memory unit 12 from the auxiliary memory unit 13. The main memory unit 12 is used as a working area for the processor 11.

[0017] The auxiliary storage unit 13 includes a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). In addition to programs, the auxiliary storage unit 13 stores various data used in the processing of the processor 11. In accordance with instructions from the processor 11, the auxiliary storage unit 13 supplies the processor 11 with data used by the processor 11 and stores the data supplied from the processor 11.

[0018] The communication unit 14 includes a network interface circuit for communicating with an external device. The communication unit 14 receives a signal from the external device and outputs data indicated by the signal to the processor 11. The communication unit 14 also transmits a signal indicating the data output from the processor 11 to the external device.

[0019] The input / output interface 15 is an interface for connecting an external device, and includes an interface having a serial port and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port. The external device is, for example, an input device such as an input key, a display device such as a display, and an output device including a speaker. The input / output interface 15 receives a signal from the external device, and outputs data indicated by the signal to the processor 11. The input / output interface 15 also transmits a signal indicating the data output from the processor 11 to the external device.

[0020] Next, a description will be given of the functions of the drawing support device 100 in Fig. 1. Functionally, the drawing support device 100 includes a display control unit 101 that causes a display device to display a drawing screen for drawing a display screen, a storage unit 102 that stores information on a preset color palette and an additional color palette, a display screen information acquisition unit 103 that acquires display screen information, a color information acquisition unit 104 that acquires color information, a generation unit 105 that generates an additional color palette, and a conversion unit 106 that converts the colors of components.

[0021] The display control unit 101 causes the display device to display a drawing screen for drawing the display screen of the programmable display device 200. Here, the display control unit 101 causes the display device to display the drawing screen based on display screen information 1021 stored in the storage unit 102. The display control unit 101 is realized by the processor 11 and the input / output interface 15. The display control unit 101 is an example of a display control means.

[0022] An example of a drawing screen is shown in Fig. 3. A drawing screen 300 includes a display screen 400 for displaying the image being drawn, and a window 310 including a preset color palette 311 for use in drawing.

[0023] For example, when the display control unit 101 receives information indicating that an operation to start creating a display screen has been performed, it refers to the display screen information 1021 stored in the memory unit 102 and displays the drawing screen 300 of Figure 3 on a display external to the drawing support device 100.

[0024] The storage unit 102 stores display screen information 1021 that defines the display screen, color information 1022 that indicates the colors of parts included as images on the display screen, and color palette information 1023 that indicates a color palette used for drawing. The storage unit 102 is realized by the auxiliary storage unit 13.

[0025] The display screen information 1021 is information that defines a display screen displayed on the programmable display device 200. The display screen information 1021 includes identification information for identifying a drawn display screen (hereinafter referred to as a "display screen ID"), attribute information indicating the attributes of the display screen, identification information for identifying a part included in the display screen (hereinafter referred to as a "part ID"), attribute information indicating the attributes of the parts, and the like. The attribute information of the display screen and the attribute information of the parts include various information that can be set to the display screen and the parts in the drawing software. For example, the attribute information of the display screen is information indicating the type of background image and the color of the background image. Also, for example, the attribute information of the parts is information indicating the type of the part, the color of the part itself, and the color of the character string displayed on the part. The parts include, for example, those that indicate a specific function such as a switch or a meter, and those that indicate data such as text or a graph. The display screen information 1021 is acquired by the display screen information acquisition unit 103, or is updated in response to a user's operation on the drawing screen.

[0026] Color information 1022 is information that indicates the color of a part included as an image on the display screen. Color information acquisition unit 104 acquires color information 1022 from display screen information 1021 and associates color information 1022 with a display screen ID. Color information 1022 is also used by generation unit 105 to generate an additional color palette.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows an example of color information 1022. The color information 1022 includes information on the number of times a part is used on the display screen, information on the color of the part represented by RGB values, information identifying the part, information indicating the target of the colored part, and information on the state of the part, all of which are associated with each other. The information indicating the target of the colored part is information indicating the target of the part to which the color is applied, such as the part itself, characters displayed on the part, and the background of the part. The color information 1022 in FIG. 4 is assumed to be associated with the display screen 400 (display screen ID "1") in FIG. 3. The record in the first row of the color information 1022 in FIG. 4 indicates that the RGB value of the color with the number of times used "3 times" is "255,255,0", that the color is used by the part "switch 3", that the target for which the color is used is "figure color", and that the color is displayed when the part is in the "OFF" state. The information identifying the part may be a part ID.

[0028] The color palette information 1023 includes information on the preset color palette and information on the additional color palette generated by the generation unit 105 .

[0029] FIG. 5 shows an example of the color palette information 1023. The color palette information 1023 includes preset color palette information 1023-1 and additional color palette information 1023-2. The preset color palette information 1023-1 includes information on N colors included in the preset color palette. FIG. 6 shows an example of the additional color palette information 1023-2. The additional color palette information 1023-2 includes a display screen ID 1023-21 of a display screen used to generate the additional color palette, information 1023-22 on the number of colors specified by a user of the drawing software, and information on four types of additional color palettes described below, that is, information 1023-23 on a color palette of colors acquired from colors used on the display screen, information 1023-24 on a color palette of a hue change, information 1023-25 ​​on a color palette of a saturation change, and information 1023-26 on a color palette of a lightness change.

[0030] The display screen information acquisition unit 103 acquires display screen information that defines a display screen. The display screen information acquisition unit 103 is realized by the processor 11, the communication unit 14, and the input / output interface 15. The display screen information acquisition unit 103 is an example of a display screen information acquisition means.

[0031] For example, the display screen information acquisition unit 103 displays a dialog for selecting a display screen to be referenced when generating an additional color palette on the drawing screen 300. It is assumed that the user selects the display screen 400 (display screen ID "1") in FIG. 3 that is being drawn in the dialog. The display screen information acquisition unit 103 acquires the display screen information 1021 that defines the display screen 400 with the display screen ID "1" from the storage unit 102.

[0032] Here, the display screen information acquisition unit 103 may acquire the display screen information from a programmable display device 200 that is communicably connected to the drawing support device 100 .

[0033] For example, the display screen information acquisition unit 103 communicates with the programmable display device 200 based on a user's operation, and when the user selects a display screen with display screen ID "2" used in the programmable display device 200, acquires display screen information defining the display screen with display screen ID "2" and stores the acquired display screen information in the memory unit 102.

[0034] The color information acquisition unit 104 acquires color information indicating colors of parts included as images on the display screen from the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquisition unit 103. The color information acquisition unit 104 is realized by the processor 11. Note that the color information acquisition unit 104 is an example of a color information acquisition means.

[0035] For example, the color information acquisition unit 104 acquires the color information 1022 from the display screen information 1021 of the display screen ID "1". Specifically, the color information acquisition unit 104 refers to the attribute information of the parts in the display screen information 1021 of the display screen ID "1" and acquires information such as the color of the parts themselves, the color of the characters displayed on the parts, and the color of the background of the parts, which are associated with all the parts included in the display screen 400 of the display screen ID "1". Therefore, when colors are set for multiple objects for one part, the color information acquisition unit 104 acquires all of the color information. Then, the color information acquisition unit 104 counts the colors used for a combination of the information specifying the part, the information indicating the object of the colored part, and the information on the state of the part to obtain the number of times of use, and acquires the color information 1022 of FIG. 4 for the display screen 400 of the display screen ID "1". Note that, when the used color has a saturation of "0", that is, white or black, the color information acquisition unit 104 does not include it in the color information.

[0036] The generating unit 105 generates four types of additional color palettes based on the color information acquired by the color information acquiring unit 104. The generating unit 105 is realized by the processor 11 and the input / output interface 15. The generating unit 105 is an example of a generating means.

[0037] The four types of additional color palettes are a color palette made up of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen, and a color palette generated by changing the hue, saturation, and brightness of a reference color, which will be described later. Hereinafter, the four types of additional color palettes are referred to as the color palette made up of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen, the color palette with hue changes, the color palette with saturation changes, and the color palette with brightness changes.

[0038] First, the generation of a color palette of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen will be described.

[0039] The generation unit 105 receives a designation of the number of colors to be included in the additional color palette from the user.

[0040] For example, the generation unit 105 displays a dialog on the drawing screen to specify the number of colors to be included in an additional color palette to be generated from the display screen 400 with the display screen ID "1." When the user specifies the number of colors in the dialog, the generation unit 105 includes information 1023-22 of the specified number of colors in additional color palette information 1023-2 and stores the information in the storage unit 102. Note that since the programmable display device 200 is often intended for the purpose of operating or checking the status of a control device, the number of colors does not need to be large, and is preferably limited to about 4 to 7 colors.

[0041] The generation unit 105 acquires a specified number of colors by clustering the colors indicated by the color information acquired by the color information acquisition unit 104, and generates a color palette made up of the colors indicated by the acquired colors.

[0042] Specifically, the generation unit 105 clusters the colors indicated by the color information acquired by the color information acquisition unit 104 into a cluster of two colors with the smallest color difference, integrates the two colors with the smallest color difference, and repeats the clustering and integration until the number of colors after integration reaches the specified number, thereby acquiring the specified number of colors.

[0043] For example, if the number of colors L of the colors indicated in the color information 1022 of the display screen ID "1" is greater than the specified number of colors X, the generation unit 105 reduces the number of colors until the number of colors reaches the specified number of colors X. First, for the colors indicated in the color information 1022 of the display screen ID "1", a color difference D is calculated according to, for example, the formula shown in Equation 1. R in Equation 1 i , G i , B i are the R, G, and B values ​​of color i (i is 1 or greater and L or less).

[0044] (Number 1) D = ((R i -R i+1 ) 2 +(G i -G i+1 ) 2 +(B i -B i+1 ) 2 ) 1 / 2

[0045] Next, the generation unit 105 clusters the L colors indicated in the color information 1022 of the display screen ID "1" into two colors with the smallest color difference D, and integrates the two colors with the smallest color difference D. For example, the generation unit 105 integrates the two colors with the smallest color difference D by generating a color having a new RGB value using the formula 2. C in formula 2 i is the number of times that color i is used on the display screen of the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquisition unit 103.

[0046] (Number 2) R i = (R i ×C i +R i-1 ×C i+1 ) / (C i +C i+1 ) G i = (G i ×C i +G i-1 ×C i+1 ) / (C i +C i+1 ) B i = (B i ×C i +B i-1 ×C i+1 ) / (C i +C i+1 )

[0047] Generation unit 105 repeats clustering into a cluster of two colors with the smallest color difference D and merging the color with the smallest color difference D until the number of colors after integration reaches the specified number of colors X. Then, generation unit 105 generates an additional color palette consisting of the integrated colors of number of colors X, and stores information about the generated additional color palette in storage unit 102 as information 1023-23 of the color palette of the colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen.

[0048] On the other hand, if the number of colors L indicated in the color information 1022 for display screen ID "1" is less than or equal to the specified number of colors X, the generation unit 105 generates an additional color palette consisting of the colors indicated in the color information 1022 for display screen ID "1" and stores the information of the generated additional color palette in the memory unit 102 as information 1023-23 of the color palette of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen.

[0049] Next, generation of a color palette with a hue change, a color palette with a saturation change, and a color palette with a brightness change will be described.

[0050] The generation unit 105 further generates a color palette on the display screen that is composed of colors obtained by varying the hue, saturation, or brightness of the reference color, using the most frequently used color or a specified color as a reference color among the colors indicated by the color information acquired by the color information acquisition unit 104.

[0051] For example, the generating unit 105 refers to the color information 1022 of the display screen ID "1" stored in the storage unit 102, identifies the color (RGB value: 255,255,0) with the most frequent use as the most frequently used color, and sets the identified color as the reference color. The generating unit 105 converts the reference color (RGB value: 255,255,0) into an HSV value. The generating unit 105 then registers the converted HSV value as reference color information for the color palette of the hue change. The generating unit 105 also registers the converted HSV value as reference color information for the color palette of the saturation change and the color palette of the brightness change. Note that if the saturation of the most frequently used color is within a range of 5% from the minimum selectable value, it is not suitable as the reference color, and therefore the color with the second most frequently used color is selected.

[0052] The generating unit 105 generates a color palette consisting of colors obtained by changing the hues of reference colors based on a predetermined coloring rule. Here, the predetermined coloring rule is a coloring rule based on a coloring theory using a hue wheel in HSV space. The coloring rules based on the coloring theory are triad coloring and tetrad coloring, and when colors are arranged using these two coloring rules, a coloring that gives a clear impression can be obtained. The generating unit 105 generates a color palette with a change in hue based on a coloring rule using a hue wheel in HSV space.

[0053] In the triad color scheme, the reference color, the color at +120° from the reference color, and the color at -120° from the reference color are selected as three colors that give a clear impression in the hue circle. Therefore, the generation unit 105 registers the color at +120° from the reference color and the color at -120° from the reference color in the hue circle as color HTr1 and color HTr2 in the information 1023-24 of the color palette of the hue change in FIG. 6. In the tetrad color scheme, the reference color, and the colors at +90°, +180°, and -90° from the reference color are selected as four colors that give a clear impression in the hue circle. Therefore, the generation unit 105 registers the colors at +90°, +180°, and -90° from the reference color in the hue circle as color HTe1, color HTe2, and color HTe3 in the information 1023-24 of the color palette of the hue change in FIG. 6.

[0054] For example, if the drawing software allows the hue to be set in 256 steps from 0 to 255, in a triad color scheme, the colors whose hues are shifted by ±85 from the reference color correspond to the colors that are +120° and -120° from the reference color. In a tetrad color scheme, the colors whose hues are shifted by ±64 and +128 from the reference color correspond to the colors that are +90°, +180°, and -90° from the reference color. The saturation and brightness of colors HTr1, HTr2, HTe1, HTe2, and HTe3 are the same as those of the reference color.

[0055] Next, the generation unit 105 divides the number of saturation steps that can be set by the drawing software by the specified number of colors X to obtain an increase or decrease value, and adds or subtracts the obtained increase or decrease value to the reference color. Then, the generation unit 105 registers the color indicated by the value obtained by the addition or subtraction as color S1 to color S(X-1) in the color palette information 1023-25 ​​of saturation change in Fig. 6. The generation unit 105 also divides the lightness range that can be set by the drawing software by the specified number of colors X to obtain an increase or decrease value, and adds or subtracts the obtained increase or decrease value to the reference color. Then, the generation unit 105 registers the color indicated by the value obtained by the addition or subtraction as color V1 to color V(X-1) in the color palette information 1023-26 of lightness change in Fig. 6.

[0056] For example, in drawing software, saturation can be set in 256 steps from 0 to 255, and if the specified number of colors X is "4", the increase / decrease value is "64". If the saturation of the reference color is "100", "36", "164", and "228" correspond to values ​​obtained by adding or subtracting the increase / decrease value to the reference color. Note that the hue and lightness of colors S1 to S(X-1) are the same as the reference color, and the hue and saturation of colors V1 to V(X-1) are the same as the reference color.

[0057] If the specified number of colors X is an even number and the saturation or brightness of the reference color is equal to or greater than half the number of levels that can be set in the drawing software, X / 2 values ​​are found on the lower saturation or brightness side than the reference color, and X / 2-1 values ​​are found on the higher side. For example, if the saturation can be set in 256 levels in the drawing software, the specified number of colors X is "6", the saturation of the reference color is "128", and the increment / decrement value is "42", then "2", "44", "86", "128", "170", and "212" correspond to the values ​​obtained by adding or subtracting the increment / decrement value to the reference color.

[0058] If the user does not want the colors registered in the saturation change color palette information 1023-25 ​​or the lightness change color palette information 1023-26, the user may change the number of colors X and reset the colors included in the saturation change color palette information 1023-25 ​​or the lightness change color palette information 1023-26.

[0059] The display control unit 101 causes the color palette generated by the generation unit 105 to be displayed on the drawing screen.

[0060] Fig. 7 shows an example of a color palette generated by generation unit 105. Color palette 312 in Fig. 7 is a color palette composed of colors included in color palette information 1023-23 of colors acquired from colors used on the display screen, color palette 313 is a color palette composed of colors included in color palette information 1023-24 of hue change, color palette 314 is a color palette composed of colors included in color palette information 1023-25 ​​of saturation change, and color palette 315 is a color palette composed of colors included in color palette information 1023-26 of lightness change. These color palettes include reference color 316.

[0061] FIG. 8 shows an example in which an additional color palette generated by the generating unit 105 is displayed on the drawing screen 300. In the window 310 in FIG. 8, a color palette 312 and a field 317 for specifying the number of colors are displayed. The user can display other color palettes by selecting a tab in the window 310. The user can also change the number of colors included in the color palettes 312, 314, and 315 by inputting a numerical value in the field 317. Note that the number of colors in the color palette 313 composed of the colors included in the information 1023-24 of the hue change color palette is fixed at "6". The user can change the color attributes of the parts displayed on the drawing screen 300 by selecting a color included in the generated color palette displayed in the window 310, in the same way as the preset color palette.

[0062] The display control unit 101 causes a list of parts included in the display screen defined by the display screen information, which are set to a color included in the color palette generated by the generation unit 105, to be displayed on the drawing screen.

[0063] For example, the display control unit 101 displays a list of parts prepared in advance in the drawing software that use colors included in the color palettes 312, 313, 314, and 315 on the drawing screen 300. Alternatively, when displaying a list of parts prepared in advance in the drawing software on the drawing screen 300, the display control unit 101 highlights parts that use colors included in the color palettes 312, 313, 314, and 315.

[0064] The conversion unit 106 converts the colors of the parts included in the drawing screen into the closest colors included in the color palette generated by the generation unit 105. The conversion unit 106 is realized by the processor 11 and the input / output interface 15. The conversion unit 106 is an example of a conversion means.

[0065] For example, the conversion unit 106 displays a first dialog for converting the colors of parts included in the display screen being drawn in a batch on the drawing screen. When the user selects the display screen being drawn for which the colors of the parts are to be converted in a batch on the first dialog, the conversion unit 106 then displays a second dialog for selecting a display screen to be referenced when performing the batch conversion. Hereinafter, the display screen to be referenced when performing the batch conversion is referred to as a "reference display screen." When the user selects a reference display screen from the display screens of the display screen information 1021 stored in the storage unit 102 on the second dialog, the generation unit 105 generates four types of additional color palettes, that is, a color palette of colors acquired from the colors used on the display screen, a color palette of hue change, a color palette of saturation change, and a color palette of brightness change, from the display screen information 1021 of the reference display screen. If the four types of additional color palettes have already been generated for the reference display screen, the generation is omitted.

[0066] The conversion unit 106 displays the four types of additional color palettes generated for the reference display screen on the drawing screen, and when the user selects one of the additional color palettes, calculates the color difference between the color of the part included in the display screen being drawn and the color included in the selected additional color palette. Then, the conversion unit 106 changes the color of the part included in the display screen being drawn to the closest color among the colors included in the selected additional color palette. The conversion unit 106 changes all the parts included in the display screen being drawn to the closest color among the colors included in the additional color palette. This makes it possible to convert the parts of the display screen being drawn to a color similar to that of the parts of the reference display screen all at once. Note that the reference display screen may be the display screen being drawn. In this case, the colors of the parts included in the display screen being drawn can be changed all at once to a color included in the additional color palette generated for the display screen being drawn.

[0067] Next, a description will be given of the functions of the programmable display device 200 in Fig. 1. The programmable display device 200 functionally includes a display unit 201 that displays a display screen, a storage unit 202 that stores information transmitted from the drawing support device 100, and a display screen information acquisition unit 203 that acquires display screen information.

[0068] The display unit 201 displays a display screen created by the drawing support device 100 .

[0069] For example, the display unit 201 displays a display screen on the screen of the programmable display device 200 based on the display screen information stored in the storage unit 202 .

[0070] The storage unit 202 stores the information transmitted from the drawing support device 100 .

[0071] For example, the storage unit 202 stores project data including display screen information transmitted from the drawing support device 100 and firmware that runs on the programmable display device 200 .

[0072] The display screen information acquisition unit 203 acquires display screen information in response to a request from the drawing support device 100 .

[0073] For example, when the display screen information acquisition unit 203 receives a request to acquire display screen information for display screen ID "2" from the drawing support device 100, it acquires the display screen information for display screen ID "2" stored in the memory unit 202, and transmits the acquired display screen information to the drawing support device 100 as a response.

[0074] Next, the drawing support process executed by the drawing support device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 9. The drawing support process of Fig. 9 is executed, for example, when the drawing support device 100 receives information indicating an operation to instruct the generation of an additional color palette.

[0075] The display screen information acquisition unit 103 receives a selection of a display screen to be referenced when generating an additional color palette (step S101).

[0076] For example, the display screen information acquisition unit 103 displays a dialog on the drawing screen 300 for selecting a display screen to be referenced when generating an additional color palette, and accepts selection from the user of the display screen 400 (display screen ID "1") in Figure 3 that is being drawn.

[0077] The display screen information acquisition unit 103 acquires the display screen information of the selected display screen (step S102).

[0078] For example, the display screen information acquisition unit 103 acquires, from the storage unit 102, the display screen information 1021 that defines the display screen 400 with the display screen ID “1”.

[0079] The color information acquisition unit 104 acquires color information indicating the colors of parts included as images on the display screen from the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquisition unit 103 (step S103).

[0080] For example, the color information acquisition unit 104 acquires the color information 1022 in FIG. 4 from the display screen information 1021 with the display screen ID "1."

[0081] The generating unit 105 receives a designation of the number of colors to be included in the additional color palette from the user (step S104).

[0082] For example, the generation unit 105 displays a dialog on the drawing screen 300 for specifying the number of colors to be included in an additional color palette to be generated from the display screen 400 with the display screen ID "1."

[0083] The generation unit 105 generates a color palette of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen (step S105).

[0084] For example, generation unit 105 finds the color difference D of the color indicated in color information 1022 for display screen ID "1," clusters the colors into the two colors with the smallest color difference D, and combines the two colors with the smallest color difference D to generate a color with a new RGB value. Generation unit 105 then repeats the combination of the color with the smallest color difference until the number of colors after combination reaches the specified number of colors X, and generates a color palette consisting of the combined colors of number X of colors as a color palette consisting of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen.

[0085] The generating unit 105 generates a color palette of hue changes, a color palette of saturation changes, and a color palette of brightness changes (step S106).

[0086] For example, the generating unit 105 generates a color palette with a hue change in which the hue is changed from the reference color based on the coloring rules of the triad color arrangement and the tetrad color arrangement. The generating unit 105 also generates a color palette with a saturation change and a color palette with a lightness change based on the reference color and the specified number of colors X.

[0087] The generation unit 105 determines whether or not there has been an instruction to register the generated additional color palette (step S107). If the generation unit 105 determines that there has been an instruction to register the generated additional color palette (step S107; YES), the generation unit 105 stores information about the generated additional color palette in the storage unit 102 (step S108). Then, the drawing support process of Fig. 9 ends. On the other hand, if the generation unit 105 determines that there has been no instruction to register the generated additional color palette (step S107; NO), the process returns to step S104.

[0088] For example, when a user gives an instruction to register an additional color palette generated in drawing software, the generation unit 105 stores the color palette information generated in step S105 in the memory unit 102 as color palette information 1023-23 of the colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen, and stores the color palette information generated in step S106 in the memory unit 102 as color palette information 1023-24 of hue change, color palette information 1023-25 ​​of saturation change, and color palette information 1023-26 of lightness change.

[0089] According to this embodiment, an additional color palette containing a specified number of colors is generated based on color information of parts included in the display screen of a programmable display. A user can shorten the drawing time by drawing using a color palette containing a specified number of colors, i.e., a limited number of colors. In addition, since a color palette consisting of colors similar to those used in the display screen from which the color information was obtained is generated, a screen with an atmosphere similar to that of the display screen from which the color information was obtained can be easily drawn. In addition, since the display screen obtained from the programmable display has the colors of the parts arranged in consideration of visibility, the color palette generated based on the color information of the parts included in such a display screen contains colors that take visibility into consideration. Therefore, a display screen with high visibility can be easily drawn.

[0090] According to the present embodiment, a color palette is generated based on a predetermined coloring rule, and a user can easily create a display screen on which components are clearly visible by drawing a display screen using a color palette generated based on a predetermined coloring rule, for example, a triad coloring rule and a tetrad coloring rule.

[0091] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a list of parts to which colors included in the generated additional color palette are set is displayed on the screen, which allows the user to easily check the color arrangement of the parts, and allows the user to efficiently arrange the colors of the parts to be placed on the display screen.

[0092] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the colors of the parts included in the display screen being drawn can be converted collectively to the colors closest to the colors included in the generated additional color palette, which can save the labor of coloring the parts and shorten the drawing time.

[0093] (Modification) Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, various modifications and applications are possible in implementing the present disclosure.

[0094] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which the drawing support system 1 includes one programmable display device 200, but there may be a plurality of programmable display devices 200 communicably connected to the drawing support device 100. Thus, the display screen information acquisition unit 103 may acquire display screen information from a plurality of programmable display devices 200.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the generation unit 105 generates a color palette of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen by clustering the colors into two colors with the smallest color difference D and integrating the two colors with the smallest color difference D, but a color palette of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen may be generated using other methods. For example, the generation unit 105 regards the colors indicated by the color information as three-dimensional vectors having RGB values, and obtains clusters of a specified number of colors using a known clustering method such as the k-means method. Then, the generation unit 105 may generate an additional color palette consisting of colors indicated by the average value, median, mode, or center of gravity of each cluster, as a color palette of colors obtained from the colors used on the display screen.

[0096] In the above embodiment, the display control unit 101 is realized by the processor 11 and the input / output interface 15, and the display control unit 101 causes the display device to display a drawing screen for drawing a display screen to be displayed on the programmable display device 200, but this is not limited thereto. The display control unit 101 may be realized by the processor 11 and the display device and may display a drawing screen. Therefore, the drawing support device 100 may have a hardware configuration including a display device such as a display.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the display control unit 101, the color information acquisition unit 104, the generation unit 105, and the conversion unit 106 are realized by the processor 11 and the input / output interface 15, but this is not limited thereto. The display control unit 101, the color information acquisition unit 104, the generation unit 105, and the conversion unit 106 may be realized by the processor 11 and an input device, and may receive operations from a user. In addition, the display screen information acquisition unit 103 is realized by the processor 11, the communication unit 14, and the input / output interface 15, but this is not limited thereto. The display screen information acquisition unit 103 may be realized by the processor 11, the communication unit 14, and the input device, and may receive operations from a user. Therefore, the drawing support device 100 may have a hardware configuration including an input device such as an input key.

[0098] In addition, by applying an operating program that specifies the operation of the drawing support device 100 according to the above embodiment to an existing personal computer or information terminal device, it is also possible to cause the personal computer or information terminal device to function as the drawing support device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0099] Furthermore, the method of distribution of such a program is arbitrary; for example, the program may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a memory card and distributed, or the program may be distributed via a communications network such as the Internet.

[0100] Various embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure are possible without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0101] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a drawing support program, a drawing support device, a drawing support system, and a drawing support method that can generate a color palette that facilitates color arrangement and efficiently draw the display screen of a programmable display device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1 drawing support system, 11 processor, 12 main memory unit, 13 auxiliary memory unit, 14 communication unit, 15 input / output interface, 16 bus, 100 drawing support device, 101 display control unit, 102, 202 memory unit, 103, 203 display screen information acquisition unit, 104 color information acquisition unit, 105 generation unit, 106 conversion unit, 200 programmable display device, 201 display unit, 300 drawing screen, 310 window, 311 preset color palette, 312 to 315 color palette, 316 reference color, 317 column, 400 display screen, 1021 display screen information, 1022 color information, 1023 color palette information.

Claims

1. Computers Display control means for displaying a drawing screen for drawing the display screen of a programmable display on a display device, A means for acquiring display screen information that defines the aforementioned display screen, Color information acquisition means that acquires color information indicating the color of a component included as an image on the display screen from the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquisition means, The color information acquired by the aforementioned color information acquisition means is clustered to acquire a specified number of colors, and the resulting color palette is generated from these acquired colors. The display control means causes the color palette generated by the generation means to be displayed on the drawing screen. A drawing support program.

2. The generation means clusters the colors indicated by the color information acquired by the color information acquisition means into clusters of the two colors with the smallest color difference, merges the two colors with the smallest color difference, and repeats the clustering and merging until the number of colors in the merged color reaches the specified number of colors, thereby acquiring the specified number of colors. The drawing support program according to claim 1.

3. The generation means further generates a color palette consisting of colors obtained by changing the hue, saturation, or brightness of the reference color, using the color most frequently used or a specified color from the color information acquired by the color information acquisition means as the reference color on the display screen. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The generating means generates a color palette consisting of colors obtained by changing the hue from the reference color, based on a predetermined color scheme rule. The drawing support program according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned predetermined color scheme rules are color scheme rules based on color theory using the HSV color circle. The drawing support program according to claim 4.

6. The display screen information acquisition means acquires the display screen information from a programmable display that is connected to the computer in a communicative manner. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The display control means causes the drawing screen to display a list of components included in the display screen defined by the display screen information, whose colors are set to those included in the color palette generated by the generation means. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The color of the components included in the display screen of the drawing screen is converted in bulk to the closest color from the color palette generated by the generation means. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

9. A display control means for displaying a drawing screen for creating the display screen of a programmable display on a display device, A means for acquiring display screen information that defines the aforementioned display screen, A color information acquisition means that acquires color information indicating the color of a component included as an image on the display screen from the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquisition means, The system includes a generation means that clusters the colors indicated by the color information acquired by the color information acquisition means to acquire a specified number of colors and generates a color palette composed of the acquired colors, The display control means causes the color palette generated by the generation means to be displayed on the drawing screen. Drawing support device.

10. Programmable display and A display control means for displaying a drawing screen for drawing the display screen of the programmable display on a display device, A means for acquiring display screen information that defines the aforementioned display screen, A color information acquisition means that acquires color information indicating the color of a component included as an image on the display screen from the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquisition means, The system includes a generation means that clusters the colors indicated by the color information acquired by the color information acquisition means to acquire a specified number of colors and generates a color palette composed of the acquired colors, The display control means causes the color palette generated by the generation means to be displayed on the drawing screen. Drawing support system.

11. A drawing support method performed by a drawing support device, The display control means causes the display device to display a drawing screen for drawing the display screen of the programmable display, The display screen information acquisition means acquires display screen information that defines the display screen, The color information acquisition means acquires color information indicating the color of the components included as images on the display screen from the display screen information acquired by the display screen information acquisition means. The generation means obtains a specified number of colors by clustering the colors indicated by the color information obtained by the color information acquisition means, and generates a color palette composed of the obtained colors. The display control means causes the color palette generated by the generation means to be displayed on the drawing screen. Drawing support method.

Images