CONTROL UNIT WITH TOUCHSCREEN KEYS

• US 20100138031A1
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Netstal-Maschinen AG (KraussMaffei Group GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Netstal-Maschinen AG (KraussMaffei Group GmbH)
• Inventors: Werfeli, Friedrich, Hutter, Jens
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/200
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/7606 Controlling or regulating the display unit
• 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 2219/36133 MMI, HMI: man machine interface, communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36168 Touchscreen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

The novel invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling one or more machines or a production cell with repeatable sequences using a machine controller, and to an operating unit in the form of a man-machine interface (MMI). The novel invention proposes making at least some of the operative control inputs for machine movement using haptic keys which can be programmed for their function and are applied to a screen and/or tactile touchscreen keys which can be seen and sensed, for example with an edge which can be sensed, with a respective associated screen field. The operator is thus provided with a guide function for operation, whether by the fact that he haptically senses the keystroke, for example via snap domes, or by the fact that he only tactually feels an edge around the screen key.

Claims

1-39. -39. (canceled)

40. A method for controlling an injection molding machine or die-casting machine, or a production cell, having repeatable process sequences for producing injection-molded parts and die-cast parts, comprising the steps of:

inputting, configuring and changing parameterization of process sequences by actuating keys, while viewing a control unit or a main display screen, and

inputting and changing operative control inputs by actuating machine movement keys, while viewing the machine, wherein at least a portion of the actuated machine movement keys are haptic keys or tactile touchscreen keys disposed on a display screen, with each of the haptic keys and tactile touchscreen keys having an associated display screen field or symbol field.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the haptic keys are embodied as keys selected from the group consisting of mechanical keys, clicker keys, short-stroke keys, silicone keys, piezo switches, and capacitive switches, with the haptic keys generating haptic feedback upon actuation of a key.

42. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of programming and making visible for each key a display screen field in a region around the key, with a corresponding control field implemented as a display screen.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the display screen field for the machine movement keys displays machine functions selected from the group consisting of general information, status, attributes for status, conventional technical symbols, injection molding symbols, colors, static diagrams, dynamic diagrams, bar diagrams, and graphic display of images, image sequences and video sequences.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein parameterization and configuration of the production process sequences are inputted and changed via keys on a first control field and the operative control inputs are inputted and changed with the machine movement keys on a second control field, wherein the second control field is in data exchange from and to the first control field, and wherein a function of at least a portion of input locations of the second control field is defined through programming on the first control field.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the first and second control fields are functionally bidirectionally connected, and wherein upon selection of a concrete machine function on the second control field or originating from the second control field, required keys with an associated symbol are automatically activated.

46. The method of claim 44, further comprising the steps of programming the machine movement keys via the display screen field associated with the respective machine movement key, enabling the machine movement keys to be flexibly used, and activating a reduced number of machine movement keys in the second control field depending on the machine movement keys selected and programmed in the first control field, with the selection of the machine movement keys depending on at least one of production means, a machine function and an operating mode.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein for an operating mode “

automatic operation”

, operative inputs and control commands are provided on the second control field, with operative inputs via keypad and trackball being provided in a region of the first control field, wherein corrections of operating parameters are displayed in the first control field and stored in a storage device, allowing physical quantities or parameters selected from the group consisting of speed, pressure, force, and distance to be inputted, and increased or decreased via “

+”

(plus) keys and “

−

”

(minus) keys, respectively.

48. The method of claim 44, further including software for selecting or addressing individual components schemes on the first control field, wherein a limited number of mechanical keys of the second control field is automatically activated based on the selected schemes, with the activated keys allowing component-specific inputs.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein depending the limited number of mechanical keys or symbol representations on symbol fields and depending on functional relationships, a mechanical key can be used differently with an associated symbol field of other components and functional relationships.

50. The method of claim 44, wherein at least a portion of the mechanical keys are individual sectors in a region of the second control field, allowing two or more mechanical keys to be operated simultaneously.

51. The method of claim 48, wherein the second control field is operated using Windows®

software, with the software simultaneously or sequentially controlling machine processes, or operating as an auxiliary computer for processing text and numbers.

52. A controller for an injection molding or die-casting machine or for a production cell, with a production process having repeatable process sequences for producing injection-molded parts or die-cast parts, the controller comprising:

a display screen,

a machine controller, and

a control unit configured as a man-machine-interface (MMI) and comprising a first control field for inputting and changing parameterization and configuration of the production process, and a second control field comprising machine movement keys for inputting and changing operative control inputs, wherein at least a portion of the machine movement keys are implemented as haptic keys disposed on the display screen and having a programmable machine function, and wherein a display screen field or symbol field is directly associated with each machine movement key.

53. The controller of claim 52, wherein the haptic keys are implemented as mechanical keys selected from the group consisting of clicker keys, short-stroke keys, silicone keys, piezo switches, and capacitive switches, wherein operation of each key produces a haptic feedback.

54. The controller of claim 52, wherein the machine movement keys are arranged inside the control unit or on a control area of the control unit and implemented as a glued-on strip, as an embedded strip or as glued-on mechanical keys.

55. The controller of claim 54, wherein the machine movement keys are arranged on the display screen in form of strips or blocks in the control area.

56. The controller of claim 52, wherein individual keys comprise a display screen field programmed in an area around the key and configured to be visible.

57. The controller of claim 55, wherein the haptic keys are applied on a display screen in form of strips having associated symbol fields or as several small display screens, wherein the strips, the symbol fields and the small display screens representing symbol fields are alternatingly arranged on the display screen between the strips of the machine movement keys.

58. The controller of claim 52, wherein a machine movement keys with the associated display screen field associated with a machine movement key is programmable and activatable depending on a machine function.

59. The controller of claim 52, wherein a machine movement key with the display screen field associated with the machine movement key is programmable for flexible use, wherein the flexible use allows a reduced number of machine movement keys to be activated depending on a selection of production means, a machine function or an operating mode, or a combination thereof.

60. The controller of claim 52, wherein the controller includes software for functions of the machine keys, wherein the software is configured to automatically display activatable input locations on the symbol fields.

61. The controller of claim 52, wherein the machine movement keys with the corresponding associated symbol fields have at least one function selected from the group consisting of an illuminated display as status display, a display of a symbol related to functions to be activated by the keys or the significance of the function of a key, a control input and control command for operatively intervening or changing production parameters, and images, image sequences and video sequences.

62. The controller of claim 52, wherein the control man-machine-interface (MMI) is of modular construction and comprises a single display screen having at least two areas, with the first and second control field displayed in separate areas on the single display screen, or comprises at least two separate display screens, with the first and second control field displayed on separate display screens.

63. The controller of claim 62, wherein a basic module comprises a hand-held control module for operative intervention or for an auxiliary computer function, and a display screen module for configuration and parameterization of the process sequence.

64. The controller of claim 52, wherein the man-machine-interface (MMI) comprises several modules disposed on a support console and a USB controller module arranged in the support console.

65. The controller of claim 52, wherein the machine movement keys with the associated symbol fields are programmable for operative interventions on the machine or as an auxiliary computer, wherein when programmed as an auxiliary computer, at least a portion of the haptic keys are used as input keypad, said keypad configured according to the international Qwerty-, Qwertz- or Azerty-principle (France), and the symbol fields are used as display screen for processing text and numbers.

66. The controller of claim 52, wherein the display screen fields for the machine movement keys are implemented as individual small display screens for a single key or as small display screens for several keys or on one or several larger display screens.