JP2008210394A - Communication system for control, and computer-readable recording medium with communication program for control recorded thereon - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To convert data expressing a screen of a programmable display, into the optimum form, in every terminal equipment connected to the Internet, and to distribute it. <P>SOLUTION: A local control system 2 transmits an image data for specifying an operation when acquiring and displaying a content of a device by the programmable display 14, to a disclosure server device 4. A display file generation part 42 of the disclosure server device 4 converts the image data into an HTML file or XML file displayable by a client device 5, and then stores the files respectively into an HTML file storage part 46 and an XML file storage part 47. The display file generation part 42 is provided with generators 42e, 42n, 42i, etc, in every browser of the client device 5 with a predicted access, and generates respectively the HTML/XML files corresponding to the respective browsers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control communication system capable of disclosing data of a local control system to a terminal device connected via a network such as the Internet, and a computer-readable recording medium recording the control communication program It is about.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a programmable logic controller (hereinafter abbreviated as “PLC”) has been widely used as a control device for controlling various target systems such as a belt conveyor type automatic assembly machine. Further, in recent years, as the target system becomes complicated, a plurality of PLCs are used in cooperation with each other. In addition, the display of data from each PLC or the control instruction to the PLC is not only performed by a display device arranged in the vicinity of the PLC or the like, but for example, installed in a place away from these display devices. A control system may be constructed so that a control host computer can display or operate the computer.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, in the conventional control system 501, the PLC 503 is positioned as the center of control, and the device 521 of the target system 502 and display and control instructions are displayed on each PLC 503. A programmable display 505 is connected. Furthermore, another PLC 503 and a control host computer 507 are connected to the PLC 503 via a serial cable 504, and control data is transferred between the PLC 503 and the control host computer 507 or between the PLCs 503. The communication function is used.

  In this configuration, the display processing unit 571 of the control host computer 507 communicates with the PLC 503, receives data indicating the state of the target system 502, displays the screen according to the state, and according to the user's input, Control data is sent to the PLC 503, and the target system 502 is controlled according to the control data. Similarly, the programmable display 505 displays and controls the state of the target system 502 while communicating with the PLC 503.

  However, the control system 501 is basically a closed system, and the state of the control system such as a screen of a programmable display cannot be seen from a remote place.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to convert data indicating a screen of a programmable display into a format that can be displayed on a terminal device connected to a network such as the Internet. A control communication system capable of distributing data to a terminal device via a network such as the Internet, in particular, a data communication system in an optimum format for each terminal device, and a computer-readable recording medium recording the control communication program are provided. There is to do.

  In order to solve the above problems, the control communication system of the present invention is a control communication system in which a terminal device and a public server device are connected to a programmable display via a network. Screen data conversion means for converting the first screen data for drawing the screen of the programmable display device into second screen data in a format that can be displayed by the terminal device is provided for each specification of the terminal device, and A browser determination unit for determining the specifications of the terminal device is provided.

  With the above configuration, the first screen data for drawing the screen of the programmable display device can be converted into second screen data in a format that can be displayed by the terminal device for each specification of the terminal device. The screen of the programmable display drawn based on the first screen data and the screen of the terminal device drawn based on the second screen data may be the same or different.

  Therefore, the control communication system provides screen data conversion means for each specification of the terminal device that is predicted to be accessed, so that the first screen data indicating the screen of the programmable display is displayed for each terminal device connected to the network. Can be converted into the second screen data in the optimal format and distributed to each terminal device.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to select the specification (for example, browser) of the terminal device according to the format of the second screen data to be distributed. That is, according to the above control communication system, since there are few functional conditions required for the terminal device, the selection range of the terminal device is widened, and it is easy to construct the control communication system.

  Here, the first screen data includes an operation in which a programmable display provided in the control communication system acquires a device state (data) necessary for display, and an operation for displaying a screen based on the acquired state. It may be the data shown. Further, the first screen data is configured by combining information (device address) for identifying a device corresponding to display on an area on the screen of the programmable display and a tag indicating a correspondence relationship between the areas on the screen. It may be.

  In addition, the second screen data indicates the state of the device of the programmable display device via the network from the terminal device, and the screen data indicates the state of the device based on the response in the screen area of the terminal device. Data indicating an operation to be displayed in an area corresponding to the screen area may be used. Further, the second screen data is configured by combining information (device address) for identifying a device corresponding to display on the screen area of the terminal device and a tag indicating a correspondence relationship between the screen areas. May be. That is, the second screen data may be in a format in which the programmable display corresponding to the first screen data of the conversion source can be operated via the network via the screen of the terminal device drawn based on the second screen data. .

  In addition, the above specifications of the terminal device include hardware specifications such as the calculation speed of the terminal device, the number of displayable pixels and the number of displayable characters, and the correspondence of the type of browser used in the terminal device, HTML / XML, etc. Software specifications such as version.

  In the control communication system, for example, when the display on the terminal device is an HTML file (corresponding to the second screen data), the HTML file converted corresponding to the browser used in the terminal device is acquired. Therefore, the display suitable for the terminal device can be obtained.

  In addition, a computer-readable recording medium recording the control communication program of the present invention causes the computer as the public server device to realize the screen data conversion unit and the browser determination unit in order to solve the above problems. And a computer-readable recording medium on which a control communication program for operating the control communication system is recorded.

  With the above configuration, the control communication system can be realized on the computer network by the control communication program read from the recording medium.

  The embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12 as follows.

  The control communication system according to the present embodiment is a system that can remotely control and refer to screens and data similar to those of a programmable display arranged in the vicinity of the control target without impairing the safety of the local control system. It is.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the control communication system 1 is determined by combining a programmable logic controller (PLC) 12 as a control device that controls the device 11 a of the target system 11 and a processing instruction word (tag). Can be connected to the local control system 2 via the Internet (network) 3 and the local control system 2 including the programmable display 14 that can control input and screen display based on the screen data to be generated. A public server device 4 that publishes data indicating the status of the client, and a client device (terminal device) 5 that can be connected to the public server device 4 via the Internet 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the local control system 2, each programmable indicator 14 can be connected to the PLC 12 via the serial cable 13, and in many cases, by the operator of the target system 11 near the target system 11. Operated. The programmable displays 14 are connected to each other by a network 15 including a local area network such as Ethernet (trademark: Xerox Corporation). Further, a control host computer 16 is connected to the network 15.

  Here, in the local control system 2, unlike the conventional control system 501 (FIG. 13) in which each PLC 504 is interposed in communication processing in the local control system 2, a programmable display that is an essential configuration for the local control system 2. A device 14 is configured to handle most of the communication. Each programmable display 14 converts a dedicated protocol specific to the model of the PLC 12 connected to itself and a common protocol in the network 15, and the other programmable display 14 and the control host computer 16 , Relay communication with the PLC 12.

  Thereby, the programmable display 14 and the host computer 16 for control can communicate with the common protocol via the network 15 irrespective of the model of PLC12 connected to the other programmable display 14. FIG. As a result, compared to the control system 501, different types of PLCs 12 can be easily mixed in the local control system 2.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the programmable display 14 includes a dedicated protocol IF unit 21 and a common protocol IF unit 22 as an interface (IF) unit connected to the serial cable 13 and the network 15. Further, based on the protocol conversion unit 23 that relays the communication between the two, the screen data memory 24 that stores the screen data, the operator's operation or communication result from the operation input unit 25a such as a touch panel, and the screen data. And a display processing unit 25 for performing display processing. Moreover, you may provide the barcode reader 25b, ID sensor (not shown), etc. as another input means.

  Here, in the control communication system 1, the display processing unit 25 can switch and display a plurality of unit screens.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the unit screen has a display state such as a static figure B that does not change display contents such as a nameplate, a shape, a color, and a blinking state such as a switch, a lamp, or a meter. A part figure J (J1) to be converted is formed on the base screen.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the screen data (first screen data) for displaying the unit screen includes a file number F of the base screen, an event name N that specifies the operation content to be executed on the base screen, and The tag W includes one or a plurality of reference information R that is referred to for each execution event. More specifically, the tag has the following data structure according to its function.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the tag is a display tag, that is, the tag W displays a part graphic J corresponding to the content of a predetermined device address A in a predetermined screen area (display coordinate range). , The reference information R includes a display coordinate range (X · Y) and a device address A. In addition, when the part graphic J is a switch, for example, the reference information R further includes a file number FL to be referred to at the time of display, such as a graphic file indicating ON and a graphic file indicating OFF.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the tag is an input tag, the reference information R includes an effective input coordinate range (X · Y) and a device address A to which an input result is written.

  On the other hand, the display processing unit 25 extracts the display tag WL whose base screen file number F is the currently displayed base screen from the screen data memory 24 at a predetermined time interval, and the device address of each display tag WL. The contents of A are read from the memory 12a of the PLC 12, and a component figure J corresponding to the contents is displayed on the screen.

  For example, in FIG. 3, a display tag WL1 stored in the screen data memory 24 indicates a switch display and corresponds to the device having the device address A1. When the display tag WL1 is executed, the display processing unit 25 determines that the switch is OFF because the content of the device address A1 is “0”, and among the files stored in the memory 25m of the display processing unit 25, The graphic of the file FL1 associated with OFF is displayed in the display coordinate range (X · Y). Thereby, the part figure J1 which shows the switch of an OFF state is displayed in the said coordinate range (X * Y). As described above, the display processing unit 25 executes the display tag in the screen data at a predetermined time interval, so that the state of the device 11 a is reflected on the screen of the programmable display 14.

  Further, when the operation input unit 25a receives an operator's input operation such as a push operation on a touch panel (not shown), the display processing unit 25 corresponds to the currently displayed base screen from the screen data in the screen data memory 24. The input tag WT matching the input operation is searched, and the content of the device address A indicated by the input tag WT is changed according to the input result.

  For example, when the effective input coordinate range (X · Y) is set to the same coordinate range as the part figure J1, and the input tag WT1 for changing the content of the same device address A1 is included in the screen data, the operator displays When the part figure J1 (FIG. 3) on the screen is pressed, the input tag WT1 is found as a result of the search by the display processing unit 25. In this case, the display processing unit 25 rewrites the content of the device address A1 corresponding to the input tag WT1, for example, by giving an instruction to the dedicated protocol IF unit 21 or the common protocol IF unit 22. Further, after the input operation, when the display processing unit 25 processes the display tag WL1, the content of the device address A1 is changed to “1”, so that the display processing unit 25 displays the file FL2 as shown in FIG. And a part graphic J2 indicating ON is displayed on the screen. As a result, the display processing unit 25 can rewrite the contents of the device address A according to the input operation, and can update the screen display according to the contents of the device address A.

  The device address A is an address that specifies the device 11a to be controlled. For example, the device address A is a memory device provided in the programmable display 14, the PLC 12, the control host computer 16, or the like such as the memory 12a of the PLC 12. Indicates the area. Here, when the device 11a is an input device such as the operation input unit 25a or the barcode reader 25b, the device address A is set to the memory storing the data manually input from these input devices. It may be set. As will be described in detail later, for example, the dedicated protocol IF unit 21 and the common protocol IF unit 22 communicate with the PLC 12 and other programmable displays 14 to acquire the contents of the device address A of each device 11a. Or change the contents. The acquisition and change of the contents of the device address A may be instructed each time, or a cache is prepared in the programmable display 14, and when the contents are acquired and changed, the cache is accessed and a predetermined time interval is obtained. May communicate with each other or every predetermined event to synchronize with the entity of device address A.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the control host computer 16 includes a display processing unit 31 that performs monitoring control of the entire local control system 2, a common protocol IF unit 32 connected to the network 15, and a common protocol IF unit. 32 and a server unit 33 that communicates with each programmable display 14 via the network 15 and responds to a request from the display processing unit 31 and the like. Thereby, in many cases, the control host computer 16 can display or control the state of the target system 11, the PLC 12, or the programmable display 14 from a location farther than the programmable display 14.

  The control host computer 16 is provided with a drawing processing unit 34 for creating screen data of the programmable display 14 and a screen data memory 35 for storing the created screen data. Then, the screen data defining the display and control operations of each programmable display 14 is aggregated and created (corrected) by the drawing processing unit 34, and then passed through the server unit 33, the common protocol IF unit 32, and the network 15. And distributed to each programmable display 14.

  Here, as described above, the screen data is configured by combining a tag indicating a correspondence relationship between an area on the screen and the device address A of the device 11a corresponding to display or input in the area. Then, the user can create screen data simply by arranging the tag at a desired position on the screen by operating the drawing processing unit 34 and associating each tag with the device address. For this purpose, the drawing processing unit 34 displays a tag palette, for example, and prompts the user to select a tag in the palette and place a desired tag on the screen. Further, the drawing processing unit 34 displays the arranged tag at the designated coordinates, and adjusts the coordinates of the tag in accordance with the user's operation such as drag and drop. The drawing processing unit 34 prompts the user to input the device address A related to the input tag or the display tag.

  Therefore, the display and operation of each programmable display 14 can be determined (changed) more easily than when the display program of the programmable display 14 is modified. Therefore, the user of the local control system 2 (the user of the control host computer 16) can change the user interface according to the actual situation of the target system 11, the proficiency level of the operator of the programmable display 14, or the user's preference. That is, it is possible to optimize the screen display and operation method.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in the control communication system 1, instead of the local control system 2, a public server device that publishes a display file that causes the client device 5 to display the same screen as the screen of the programmable display 14. 4 is provided. For this purpose, the control host computer 16 is provided with a public server side communication processing unit 36 that communicates with the public server device 4 via the Internet 3. When the local control system 2 and the public server device 4 perform cryptographic communication, the public server side communication processing unit 36 performs cryptographic communication with the public server device 4 using a predetermined encryption key or decryption key.

  The public server side communication processing unit 36 includes data such as the telephone number of the provider used when connecting to the Internet 3 and the address of the public server device 4, data for accessing the public server device 4, and the public server device 4. The account name and password in FIG. 6 and data for authenticating itself with the public server device 4 are stored.

  Then, the public server side communication processing unit 36 communicates with the public server device 4 at a desired timing such as when an instruction from the user is given or when the screen data is changed, and the screen of the screen data memory 35 is displayed. Data is transmitted to the public server device 4. Further, the public server side communication processing unit 36 accesses the public server device 4 at a predetermined timing such as when the device 11a deployed in the local control system 2 is changed or at a predetermined time interval, so that the public server device 4 transmits the contents (device data) of the device address A necessary for data disclosure in 4 to the disclosure server apparatus 4.

  Note that the content of the device address A is acquired via the server unit 33 as in the case where the display processing unit 31 acquires. Furthermore, as a result of communication with the public server device 4, the public server side communication processing unit 36 indicates that the client device 5 has instructed to change device data, the display processing unit 31 changes the contents of the device address A, and Similarly, the instruction can be relayed and a content change instruction can be transmitted to the substance of the device address A such as the programmable display 14 itself or the PLC 12 connected to the programmable display 14.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the public server device 4 includes a local control system side communication processing unit 41, a display file generation unit (screen data conversion unit) 42, a display file storage unit (screen data storage unit) 43, data A memory 44 and a public server unit (public means) 45 are provided.

  The local control system side communication processing unit 41 communicates with the local control system 2 via the Internet 3.

  The display file generation unit 42 uses an HTML file and XML (extensible) as a display file (second screen data) for display on the client device 5 based on the screen data (first screen data) for the programmable display 14. mark-up language) Create a file.

  The display file storage unit 43 includes an HTML file storage unit 46, an XML file storage unit 47, and an applet storage unit that store the HTML file and the XML file and the applet transmitted in response to a request from the client device 5, respectively. 48 is provided.

  The data memory 44 stores the contents (device data) of the device address A received from the local control system 2 by the local control system side communication processing unit 41.

  The public server unit 45 accesses each of the storage units 46 to 48 in response to a request from the client device 5 via the Internet 3 and transmits an HTML file, an XML file, and an applet to the client device 5. Also, the public server unit 45 communicates with the client device 5 that executes the applet, transmits device data necessary for displaying the screen of the client device 5, and receives a device data change instruction from the client device 5. To do.

  The public server device 4 can disclose the states of a plurality of local control systems 2. Therefore, a storage area is allocated to each of the storage units 46 to 48 for each user of the local control system 2. Then, the local control system side communication processing unit 41 authenticates and identifies the user of the local control system 2 using, for example, an account name and a password, and generates a display file (described above) based on the screen data from the local control system 2 (HTML file, XML file) or device data is stored in an area allocated to the identified user among the storage areas of the storage units 46, 47, and 44. Note that applets are created in advance for each specification of the client device 5 and stored in the applet storage unit 48.

  Here, the HTML file, XML file, and applet will be described.

  First, the XML file stored in the XML file storage unit 47 is created for each unit screen included in the screen data for the programmable display 14. Each XML file includes an XML element (element) indicating each tag (processing instruction word) related to the unit screen.

  Here, FIG. 8 shows an outline of the XML file. For example, when the display tag WL of the base screen (unit screen) = 1 (main screen) is included in the screen data for the programmable display 14 in the format shown in FIG. 5, the XML corresponding to the main screen is displayed. The file includes a Tag element E1 corresponding to the display tag WL (FIG. 8). Further, the Tag element E1 includes a TagName element E11, an X element E12 and a Y element E13, a LibraryNo element E14, a BitSymbolName element E15, and the like corresponding to an event name, a display coordinate range, a reference file number, and a device address. include. In the example of FIG. 8, the contents (contents) of the elements E11 to E15 are changed to “L_0000”, “−232”, “120”, “101”, “010100” according to the contents of the display tag WL. Is set.

  Also, for example, in the format shown in FIG. 6, when the input tag WT is included in the screen data for the programmable display 14, in the XML file corresponding to the main screen, the Tag element corresponding to the input tag WT E2 is included (FIG. 8). Further, the Tag element E2 includes a TagName element E21, a SymbolName element E22, an X element E23, a Y element E24, an X2 element E25, a Y2 element E26, and the like corresponding to the event name, device address, and valid input range. The content is set according to the content of the input tag WT.

  In this way, the display file generation unit 42, for example, from the screen data for the programmable display 14, the processing instruction word (tag WL · WT...) Of a certain unit screen, that is, the file number of the base screen is a predetermined value. By sequentially extracting these tags, generating an XML element corresponding to the tag, and setting the contents of the XML element according to the tag, an XML file of the unit screen can be created. That is, the display file generation unit 42 can set the contents of the elements E11 to E26 and the like so as to match the contents of the display tag WL and the input tag WT. Note that the display file generation unit 42 determines the contents of the display tag WL and the input tag WT in a predetermined manner, for example, enlargement / reduction at a ratio according to the difference between the resolution of the programmable display 14 and the resolution of the client device 5. It can also be converted and set in the procedure.

  Next, the applet stored in the applet storage unit 48 performs, on the client device 5, an operation equivalent to the operation when the programmable display 14 displays and operates the unit screen while referring to the XML file. It is a program to let you.

  Specifically, the applet is realized as a byte code written in the Java language that can be executed by the virtual machine 51 of the client device 5. That is, the applet includes a class in which a method corresponding to a tag type that can appear in screen data is defined, and a class in which a method for calling a method corresponding to the tag type is defined with reference to the XML file. Is included. The virtual machine 51 that executes the applet refers to the XML file, and calls and executes a method corresponding to the tag type based on the XML element indicating the tag.

  For example, among the methods executed by the virtual machine 51, a method whose corresponding tag type is a display tag is called at a predetermined time interval, requests data of a specific device address from the public server unit 45, and responds to the response. It is a drawing method that performs the corresponding display. The method corresponding to the input tag is an input method that is called when an input event occurs and requests the public server unit 45 to write data corresponding to the input result to a specific device address.

  Here, in the screen data for drawing the screen of the programmable display 14, the switching operation of each unit screen is also realized as an input tag. That is, the screen switching input tag is associated with the device area A as a system area in which data indicating the unit screen currently displayed is stored in the storage area in the programmable display 14.

  Therefore, among the above input methods, an input method that requests an instruction to change to the specific system area transmits a unit screen change instruction to the public server unit 45 and changes the same as the normal input method. The XML file corresponding to the subsequent unit screen is read. Thereby, when the HTML / XML file generated from the screen data of a certain programmable display 14 is being executed by the client device 5, the same unit screen is always displayed on the client device 5 and the programmable display 14. .

  The input method may change the contents of an alternative storage area provided in the client device 5 instead of transmitting an instruction to change to the specific system area. In this case, when referring to the system area by another method, the alternative storage area is referred to instead of inquiring to the public server unit 45. In this case, the client device 5 can display a unit screen different from the unit screen currently displayed on the programmable display 14 even if it is a unit screen for the programmable display 14.

  Further, for example, whether the same unit screen as the programmable display 14 is displayed by specifying by parameter setting at the time of executing the applet, or by displaying a menu in conjunction with the selection operation of the unit screen. Each method may be created so that it is possible to select whether to display a different unit screen. In this case, for example, when it is desired to monitor the operation of the operator of the programmable display 14 even though the same applet or XML file is used, the former is selected, and the local control system is separated from the operation of the operator. If it is desired to monitor 2, the latter can be selected.

  For example, a method that refers to an XML file extracts an XML element indicating a tag from the XML file, and generates an instance of a class corresponding to the type of the tag (for example, the contents of the TagName element in the XML element). Then, the virtual machine 51 can execute a method corresponding to the XML file by setting a parameter of the tag (for example, contents of each element in the XML element) in the field of the instance.

  Next, the HTML file stored in the HTML file storage unit 46 is created for each programmable display 14.

  Here, FIG. 9 shows an outline of the HTML file. In the example of FIG. 9, the HTML file includes a character string P1 necessary as an HTML document such as “<HTML>” and “<TITLE>”. The HTML file includes a character string P11 for causing the virtual machine 51 of the client device 5 to execute the applet. In the character string P11, for example, screen data of the programmable display 14 to be displayed, such as designation of a unit screen to be displayed first when the browser 52 of the client device 5 displays the HTML file or designation of the programmable display 14 Contains all relevant information. In this example, it is specified as a parameter for executing the applet. For example, the first unit screen is specified as the attribute value of the attribute name “BASESCR” of the PARAM element (“1” in this example). .

  In the HTML file, a character string for displaying a character or image describing the programmable display 14 displayed by the applet, or a character string indicating a link to a hypertext document for explaining the local control system 2 is used. The character string P2 along the HTML format may be included. Further, the HTML file may include a character string P12 for executing an applet for switching the unit screen.

  Subsequently, when there is a request from the client device 5, the public server unit 45 determines an HTML file, an XML file, or an applet requested by the client device 5 based on, for example, a URI (universal resource identifier). These are transmitted to the client device 5.

  Furthermore, when the public server unit 45 receives an inquiry about the contents of the device address A from the client device 5 that draws based on the HTML / XML file and applet distributed as the display file, the public server unit 45 displays the display area in the storage area of the data memory 44. The contents of the user area corresponding to the file and the area corresponding to the device address A are read out and returned to the client device 5. When receiving a content change instruction of the device address A from the client device 5, the content of the area corresponding to the device address A is rewritten to a value according to the instruction.

  Here, the local control system 2 and the public server device 4 communicate with each other at a predetermined timing, and the contents of the data memory 44 are updated in accordance with instructions from the local control system 2 and the data memory 44 is changed. Is notified to the local control system 2. Therefore, the client device 5 can display and control the current status of the local control system 2.

  On the other hand, the client device 5 includes a browser 52 realized by, for example, general-purpose browser software in addition to the virtual machine 51. The browser 52 communicates with a device connected to the Internet 3 and receives it. The applet specified in the HTML file can be acquired from the applet storage unit 48 and executed by the virtual machine 51. The browser 52 can also receive and browse a document such as an HTML document from an arbitrary server device using, for example, an HTTP (hyper text transfer protocol) protocol.

  Here, the specifications of the client device 5 for displaying the display file, that is, the hardware of the client device 5 and the software for realizing the browser 52 and the virtual machine 51 are various. For example, the client device 5 includes a personal computer and a portable information terminal (such as a PDA (personal digital assistant) or an i-mode (registered trademark) mobile phone), and the browser used also includes an INTERNET EXPLORER (registered trademark), There are NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR (registered trademark), etc., and there are different versions for each. Different hardware has different display performance such as area and number of colors, and different software has different support for HTML, XML, and the like. Therefore, in order to perform an appropriate display in the client device 5, the display file generation unit 42 needs to generate a display file corresponding to the specifications of the client device 5 as described above and transmit it to the client device 5.

  Therefore, in the control communication system 1, the display file generation unit 42 is based on the screen data (first screen data) for the programmable display 14 and the hardware and software of the client device 5 that is expected to be accessed. A generator (screen data conversion means) 42e, 42n, 42i,... For generating a dedicated display file (second screen data) corresponding to the specifications is provided for each specification of the client device 5 (for example, for each browser type). Yes. Note that a display file corresponding to each specification of the client device 5 may be generated by providing one generator in the display file generation unit 42 and switching it with a switch or the like. Further, it is possible to determine which generators 42e, 42n, 42i,... Are provided according to the discrimination ability of the browser determination unit 49 (described later).

  When the local control system side communication processing unit 41 receives screen data from the local control system 2, each of the generators 42e, 42n, 42i,... Automatically generates an HTML / XML file and displays the display file storage unit 43 ( Are stored in predetermined folders 43e, 43n, 43i,... Set in the HTML file storage unit 46 and the XML file storage unit 47). Alternatively, the user of the public server device 4 selects the specification (for example, the type of browser software) of the client device 5 to be displayed by the display file generation unit 42, so that the HTML / XML file for the client device 5 is selected. It may be generated and stored in a designated folder 43e,.

  Note that applets are created in advance for each specification of the client device 5 expected to be accessed and stored in the folders 43e, 43n,... Set in the applet storage unit 48, respectively. Further, the applet may be generated by the display file generation unit 42 or may be generated in another place, for example, the local control system 2. Also, the storage location of each file of HTML / XML files and applets can be set as appropriate.

  Here, the HTML / XML file may be generated and stored in advance as described above, but the client device determined by the browser determination unit 49 (described later) when a request is received from the client device 5. It may be generated according to the specification of 5. Alternatively, some HTML / XML files may be prepared in advance, and other files may be generated when requested.

  In addition, there is a client device 5 that does not have a display capability equivalent to that of the programmable display 14, such as a portable terminal such as an i-mode mobile phone. In this case, only the text can be displayed or the still image at that time can be displayed by using only the HTML file. For example, since an i-mode mobile phone has a small screen size, it is limited to numerical values and character strings. Note that the screen data input tag is appropriately converted into an operable display.

  Here, in the example of FIG. 1, the generator 42 i is a generator that generates a display file for the client device 5 that does not support JAVA and stores it in the folder 43 i. Therefore, the XML file and applet are not stored in the folder 43i. Then, based on the screen data and the device data acquired by the data memory 44, the generator 42i generates, for example, an HTML file that draws an image in which text and a still image are combined, and stores the HTML file in the folder 43i.

  The public server unit 45 includes a browser determination unit 49. When the public server unit 45 receives a request from the client device 5, the browser determination unit 49 determines the specification of the client device 5. Specifically, the browser determination unit 49 detects the browser name described in the header part of the request from the client device 5, for example. Then, a folder corresponding to the detected browser is selected from the folders 43e, 43n,... That store display files generated in advance for each browser.

  In addition, when the public server unit 45 can acquire the hardware specifications of the client device 5, that is, the number of displayable characters and the number of colors, or information related to the CPU, memory, etc., together with the request, the specification of the client device 5 is more precisely A display file can be generated by classification. As a result, the client device 5 can draw a screen adapted to the hardware and software specifications.

  The public server unit 45 determines a display file requested by the client device 5 based on a URI (universal resource identifier). Based on these results, the public server unit 45 generates a requested display file, that is, an HTML file, an XML file, and an applet, which are generated in correspondence with the requested client device 5 from the display file storage unit 43. The data is transmitted to the client device 5 by reading, CGI (common gateway interface), BGI (binary gateway interface), or the like.

  As described above, in the control communication system 1, the local control system 2 opens the screen data (first screen data) specifying the operation when the programmable display 14 acquires and displays the contents of the device to the public server. Transmit to device 4. The display file generation unit 42 of the public server device 4 converts the screen data into an HTML file and an XML file (second screen data) that can be displayed on the client device 5, and then stores the HTML file storage unit 46 and the XML file storage. The data are stored in the unit 47. Here, the display file generation unit 42 includes generators 42e, 42n, 42i,... For each specification of the browser or the like of the client apparatus 5 to be accessed, and generates an HTML / XML file corresponding to each specification. To do.

  Therefore, according to the control communication system 1, the screen data (first screen data) indicating the screen of the programmable display 14 is converted into a display file (optimized format) for each specification of the client device 5 connected to the Internet 3. (Second screen data) can be converted and distributed. For example, an HTML / XML file can be generated for each browser software used in the client device 5.

  Therefore, the selection range of the hardware and software of the client device 5 is widened, and the screen data of the programmable display 14 can be appropriately referred to in the client device 5 of various specifications. In addition, since a display file adapted to the screen size of the client device 5 can be generated, even the client device 5 that does not have the display capability equivalent to the programmable display 14 can display according to the display file.

  Next, the operation of the control communication system 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In step S11, the user of the local control system 2 operates the drawing processing unit 34 (FIG. 2) of the control host computer 16, and the actual situation of the target system 11, the level of proficiency of the operator of the programmable display 14, or the user Create or modify screen data according to your preferences. The created screen data is distributed to the programmable display 14 in step S12, for example, after it is confirmed that the screen data operates normally by a simulation or a connection test. In step S13, the programmable display 14 is converted into the screen data. The corresponding display starts.

  Next, when the screen data is updated, the control host computer 16 (public server side communication processing unit 36) accesses the public server device 4 in step S14. In step S15, the public server device 4 (local control system side communication processing unit 41) compares the combination of the account and password stored in advance with the received combination, for example, or the local control system 2 or Authenticate the user. If the authentication is successful, the screen data is transmitted from the local control system 2 to the public server device 4 in step S16.

  Next, when the public server device 4 receives screen data from the local control system 2 in step S17, the display file generation unit 42 generates an HTML file, which is a display file, or an HTML file and an XML file based on the screen data. And stored in the HTML file storage unit 46 and the XML file storage unit 47 of the display file storage unit 43. Specifically, each generator 42e,... Of the display file generation unit 42 generates an HTML / XML file for each browser of the client device 5 that is expected to be accessed, and stores it in the corresponding folder 43e,.

  Next, in step S18, when the user of the client device 5 accesses the public server device 4 via the Internet 3 and instructs to display the screen of the programmable display 14 of a certain local control system 2, the step In S19, the public server unit 45 confirms whether or not the identification number and password received from the client device 5 are predetermined, and the display and control on the screen is performed by the user or the client. It authenticates whether or not the device 5 is authorized, and denies access from unauthorized users or client devices.

  Next, when it is confirmed that the access is from an authorized regular user or the client device 5, the browser determination unit 49 determines the browser of the client device 5 that has transmitted the request in step S20. In step S21, the public server unit 45 selects the HTML file, XML file, or applet requested by the client device 5 from the display files generated in step S17 and stored in the display file storage unit 43. The browser determination unit 49 appropriately reads out from the folder corresponding to the browser determined and transmits it to the client device 5 via the Internet 3.

  Next, in step S <b> 22, the browser 52 of the client device 5 extracts the APPLET element (the part “</ APPLET>” from “<APPLET>”) from the received HTML file, and causes the virtual machine 51 to execute it. As a result, the virtual machine 51 communicates with the public server unit 45 based on the parameters directly given to the applet in the HTML file or the parameters given by the XML file, and displays and controls the same as the programmable display 14. I do.

  Specifically, in the virtual machine 51, an instance drawing method corresponding to each display tag in the applet is executed at predetermined time intervals. As a result, the virtual machine 51 inquires the public server apparatus 4 about the contents of the device address A.

  On the other hand, when the public server unit 45 of the public server device 4 receives a screen display request of the programmable display 14 of a certain local control system 2 from the browser 52, it is requested in the storage area of the data memory 44. The device data (contents of the device address A) is read from the storage area corresponding to the local control system 2 based on the device address A and transmitted to the client device 5. When the requested device data is transmitted to the client device 5 via the Internet 3, the drawing method displays the display area (X · Y) set by the parameter in the display screen of the client device 5 according to the device data. ) Display is updated.

  Here, each instance in the applet is created in advance so as to perform the same drawing as the tag of the screen data when the contents of the device address A are the same. On the other hand, in the HTML / XML file, the parameter given to the applet is generated based on the screen data so as to refer to the same tag as the corresponding tag in the screen data. As a result, when the applet is executed in the virtual machine 51 in accordance with the parameters specified by the HTML / XML file, the display screen of the client device 5 is displayed on the part figure J1 ( J2) is displayed (FIGS. 3 and 7).

  In addition, when an input operation such as a mouse operation is performed during execution of the display file, the virtual machine 51 selects an input method of an instance corresponding to the input operation from among the instances corresponding to the input tag in the HTML / XML file. Execute. Thereby, the virtual machine 51 requests the public server unit 45 to write data corresponding to the input result to the specific device address A. When receiving a write request from the client device 5, the public server unit 45 rewrites the contents of the requested device address A area in the storage area of the data memory 44. As a result, the operation result is reflected on the display screen of the client device 5 in the same manner as the programmable display device 14 when the drawing method is executed after writing.

  In the above, the control communication system 1 (FIG. 1) is shown, and the applet distributed by the public server unit 45 is displayed based on the XML file indicating the tag (processing instruction word) related to each unit screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, as a PARAM element described in an HTML file, an instance corresponding to all tags included in the screen data is generated, and each field of the instance is set according to the contents of the tag. A column (code) may be described. In this case, the display file generation unit 42 refers to the contents of the tag for all tags in the screen data, and generates a character string that calls the screen display applet based on the reference result, as shown by the character string P11a. And describe in the HTML file.

  In this case, since only the HTML file is generated as the display file, as shown in FIG. 10, the control communication system 1 does not require the XML file storage unit 47 (FIG. 1). Therefore, the HTML file and the applet are stored in the display file storage unit 43 ′ in the folders 43′e, 43′n, 43′i,... Corresponding to the specifications of the client device 5, respectively.

  Regardless of the operation or calling method of the applet, the public server unit 45 instructs the programmable display 14 to display the device according to the device state based on the screen data, and to change the device state according to the operation. If the operation at the time can be instructed to the client device 5 in the same manner, the control communication system 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 10 can obtain substantially the same effect.

  However, if applets and HTML files corresponding to all tags in the screen data are transmitted in a lump, the time from when the client device 5 accesses the public server unit 45 until the client device 5 starts display / operation. It will be long. Therefore, it is preferable to divide and transmit data instructing operations related to each unit screen.

  In addition, a display file (HTML / XML file and applet) for causing the client apparatus 5 to perform an operation for transmitting an inquiry / change instruction similar to that for the programmable display 14 to the public server unit 45 and an operation for displaying the response in response to the response. The case of distribution has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, the public server device 4 or the local control system 2 has the same contents as the screen display of the programmable display 14 based on the screen data and device data, and can be displayed by the client device 5 (bitmap format, JPEG format, etc. ) Image file may be generated and transmitted to the client device 5. In this case, although the state of the device cannot be controlled from the client device 5, the screen of the programmable display 14 can be displayed even by the client device 5 that does not have a display function equivalent to the programmable display 14.

  In the control communication system 1, the display file generation unit 42 is provided in the public server device 4 to generate and distribute a display file from screen data. Therefore, in particular, unless the screen for the client device 5 is designed, it is possible to keep the screen of the programmable display 14 and the screen of the client device 5 in common, and the maintenance management compared to the case where each is created separately. Can be saved.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the display file generation function (display file generation unit 42) may be provided in the control host computer 16 of the local control system 2 or in the client device 5.

  In the control communication system 1, the display file storage unit 43 stores the display file generated by converting the screen data by the display file generation unit 42. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a display file that is displayed based on device data, such as an HTML / XML file that displays data obtained by statistically processing device data, may be used. The display file may be created in the local control system 2 or the public server device 4. Even in this case, since the device data is synchronized between the local control system 2 and the public server device 4, the client device 5 does not communicate directly with the local control system 2 and the state of the local control system 2 Can be displayed. In addition, since it is only necessary to transmit device data, the setting on the local control system 2 side can be simplified. Therefore, the state of the local control system 2 can be safely displayed on the remote client device 5 without imposing a burden on the user of the local control system 2.

  Further, since the screen of the programmable display 14 depends on the preference and the proficiency level, the optimal screen cannot be determined as one, and is often changed relatively frequently. In this regard, as described above, in the control communication system 1, the user of the local control system 2 (control host computer 16) can generate screen data by a combination of tags, and can flexibly respond to these requests. , Can continue to keep the optimal condition. Further, since the control host computer 16 can collectively manage the screen data, the screen data can be easily managed as compared with the case where the management is performed in parallel in many places.

  Finally, in each of the above members 21 to 25, 31 to 36, 41 to 49, 43 ', and 51 and 52, a calculation means such as a CPU executes a program stored in a storage means such as a ROM or a RAM. This is a functional block realized by controlling input / output means such as a touch panel and a liquid crystal display device, or a communication circuit such as an interface circuit.

  Therefore, the computer having these means reads the recording medium (for example, CD-ROM) in which the program is recorded, and executes the program, the programmable display 14 of the control communication system 1, the control The host computer 16, the public server device 4, and the client device 5 can be realized. In particular, since the virtual machine 51 and the browser 52 of the client device 5 can be realized by general-purpose browser software installed in many computers in advance, these computers can be used as the client device 5 without installing a special program. It can work. For example, if a program for downloading a program via the serial cable 13, the network 15, the Internet 3, or another communication path is installed in the computer in advance, via these communication paths, The program can be distributed to the computer.

〔The invention's effect〕
The control communication system of the present invention, as described above, in the control communication system in which the terminal device is connected to the programmable display device via the network, the first screen data for drawing the screen of the programmable display device, Screen data conversion means for converting the second screen data into a format that can be displayed by the terminal device is provided for each specification of the terminal device.

  Therefore, the 1st screen data which draws the screen of a programmable display can be converted into the 2nd screen data of the format which a terminal device can display for every specification of a terminal device.

  Therefore, the control communication system provides screen data conversion means for each specification of the terminal device that is predicted to be accessed, so that the first screen data indicating the screen of the programmable display is displayed for each terminal device connected to the network. There is an effect that it is possible to convert the data into the second screen data in the optimum format for the data and to distribute it to the terminal device.

  Therefore, there is an effect that it is not necessary to select a specification (for example, a browser) of the terminal device in accordance with the format of the second screen data to be distributed. That is, according to the control communication system, since there are few functional conditions required for the terminal device, the selection range of the terminal device is widened, and it is easy to construct the control communication system. Play.

  Further, as described above, the computer-readable recording medium on which the control communication program of the present invention is recorded has the control communication program for causing the computer to realize the screen data conversion means and operating the control communication system. A recorded computer-readable recording medium.

  Therefore, the control communication system can be realized on the computer network by the control communication program read from the recording medium. Therefore, the effects of the control communication system described above can be achieved.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the communication system for control which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a local control system in the control communication system shown in FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the screen data and display screen of the programmable display apparatus in the communication system for control shown in FIG. 1, and shows the time of a switch being OFF. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure of the tag contained in the screen data shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure of a display tag among the tags contained in the screen data shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure of an input tag among the tags contained in the screen data shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the screen data of the programmable display apparatus in the communication system for control shown in FIG. 1, and a display screen, and a switch is in an ON state. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an XML file distributed from a public server device to a client device in the control communication system illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an HTML file distributed from a public server device to a client device in the control communication system illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the control communication system illustrated in FIG. 1 according to a modification. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an HTML file distributed from a public server device to a client device in the control communication system illustrated in FIG. 10. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the communication system for control shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. It is a block diagram which shows a prior art and shows the principal part structure of a control system.

Explanation of symbols

1 Communication system for control 3 Internet (network)
5 Client device (terminal device)
14 Programmable display 15 Network 42e, 42n, 42i Generator (screen data conversion means)

Claims (2)

In a control communication system in which a terminal device and a public server device are connected to a programmable display via a network,
In the public server device, screen data conversion means for converting the first screen data for drawing the screen of the programmable display device into second screen data in a format that can be displayed by the terminal device is provided for each specification of the terminal device. It is provided in
Furthermore, a browser determination unit for determining the specifications of the terminal device is provided,
When the public server device receives from the terminal device an instruction to change the device data of the device address that identifies the device corresponding to the display on the area of the programmable display, the device data change instruction is received. A control communication system that notifies a programmable display.   A computer-readable recording medium storing a control communication program for operating the control communication system according to claim 1, wherein the screen data conversion unit and the browser determination unit are realized in a computer as the public server device A computer-readable recording medium on which a control communication program is recorded.

Images