Control panel

• US 10,055,112 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jtekt Corporation (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Okado, Yosuke, Takahara, Hiroyuki, Kimura, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Phantana-angkool, David
• Application Number:
  US15/058,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 715778
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23109 Configuration of display device, operator panel
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35481 Display, panel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

A control panel includes an input portion to which an operation by an operator is input; a unified screen storage element that stores a unified screen that is a screen that is unified with respect to the plurality of types of controllers, and displays the data; a display portion capable of displaying a special screen and the unified screen; and an operation control portion that switches between displaying the special screen and the unified screen on the display portion based on information input to the input portion, and controls an actuator control portion based on information input to the input portion.

Claims

1. A control panel that is able to be connected to a plurality of types of controllers of a machine tool, each of the controllers capable of controlling an actuator, each of the controllers including a data storage element that stores data used to control the actuator, a special screen storage element that stores a special screen that displays the data, and an actuator control portion that controls the actuator, the control panel comprising:

an input portion to which an operation by an operator is input;

a unified screen storage element that stores a unified screen, which is a screen that is unified with respect to the plurality of types of controllers of a machine tool and that displays the data;

a display portion that is configured to display the special screen and that is configured to display the unified screen, the special screen having been previously designed specifically for its respective controller; and

an operation control portion that switches between displaying the special screen and the unified screen on the display portion based on information input to the input portion, and controls the actuator control portion based on information input to the input portion,

wherein items on the unified screen are linked to various types of data from the plurality of types of controllers of a machine tool.

2. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein

the unified screen includes a first switching button that switches from the unified screen to the special screen;

and

the operation control portion switches from displaying the unified screen on the display portion to displaying the special screen on the display portion when the unified screen is being displayed on the display portion and an operation of the first switching button by the operator is input to the input portion.

3. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein

the unified screen storage element stores a second switching icon for switching from the special screen to the unified screen;

and

the operation control portion

displays the second switching icon on the display portion when the special screen is displayed on the display portion, and

switches from displaying the special screen on the display portion to displaying the unified screen on the display portion when an operation of the second switching icon by the operator is input to the input portion.

4. The control panel according to claim 3, wherein the operation control portion moves a display position of the second switching icon on the display portion based on the operation input to the input portion when the special screen and the second switching icon are displayed on the display portion.

5. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein

the control panel is a device to which only one of the plurality of types of controllers is connected;

and

the operation control portion displays the data stored in the data storage element of the connected controller when the unified screen is displayed on the display portion.

6. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein

the control panel is connected to the plurality of types of controllers;

a selection operation of a controller to be displayed that is selected from among the plurality of types of controllers is input by the operator to the input portion; and

the operation control portion displays the data stored in the data storage element of the controller corresponding to the controller to be displayed, from among the plurality of types of controllers, when the unified screen is displayed on the display portion.

7. The control panel according to claim 6, wherein the unified screen storage element stores a plurality of unified screens, each of which is a screen whose design is standardized regardless of the type of the plurality of types of controllers connected to the control panel.

8. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein

the control panel is a device to which only one of the controllers is connected;

and

the operation control portion displays the data stored in the data storage element of the connected controller when the unified screen is displayed on the display portion.

9. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein the special screen was designed by a manufacturer of its respective controller.

10. The control panel according to claim 1, further comprising an interface configured to retrieve the special screen from the special screen storage element of the respective controller.