SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE APPARATUS, METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20160162129A1
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Tone, Yuzuru, Nagashima, Masaru, Amano, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,792,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/05 Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

A system construction assistance apparatus includes a first display screen, a second display screen, and a processing section displaying units each belonging to one of categories on the first display screen such that the units are sorted by category, receiving a first input to select one unit from the units displayed on the first display screen, generating a system configuration diagram on the basis of the received first input, and displaying the generated system configuration diagram on the second display screen. After a first input is newly received and before a next first input is received, the processing section predicts a category to which a unit to be selected by the next first input belongs on the basis of first inputs received in a past and presents the predicted category as a candidate category to a user.

Claims

1. A system construction assistance apparatus, comprising:

a first display screen;

a second display screen; and

a processing section that displays, on the first display screen, a plurality of units each belonging to one of a plurality of categories such that the units are sorted by category, receives a first input to select one unit from the units displayed on the first display screen, generates a system configuration diagram on a basis of the received first input, and displays the generated system configuration diagram on the second display screen, wherein,

after a first input is newly received and before a next first input is received, the processing section predicts a category to which a unit to be selected by the next first input belongs on a basis of a plurality of first inputs received in a past and presents the predicted category as a candidate category to a user.

2. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing section aggregates, for each combination of a first category of the categories and a second category of the categories, number of times a unit belonging to the first category is selected and then a unit belonging to the second category is selected on a basis of a selection sequence of units selected by the first inputs received in a past, and

the processing section predicts the candidate category on a basis of a count value of each of the combinations.

3. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage section that stores category summary information, wherein

the processing section records a count value of each of the combinations in the category summary information,

the processing section identifies a combination having a largest count value recorded in the category summary information from a group of combinations including as the first category a category to which a unit selected by the newly received first input belongs, and

the processing section determines that a category included as the second category in the identified combination is a candidate category.

4. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

after a first input is newly received and before a next first input is received, the processing section monitors reception of a second input, and, when the second input is received, the processing section presents the candidate category to a user.

5. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the processing section monitors reception of a third input,

on receiving of the third input, the processing section identifies a second combination having a largest count value, recorded in the category summary information, next to the combination including the candidate category as the second category, from the group of combinations including as the first category a category to which a unit selected by the newly received first input belongs, and

the processing section updates the candidate category with a category included as the second category in the identified second combination.

6. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

each first input is an input to select one unit from the units displayed on the first display screen and place the selected unit on the second display screen,

the storage section stores in advance limitation information in which is recorded number of placeable units for each category, and

the processing section determines a candidate category from categories in which number of units already selected has not reached number of placeable units on a basis of the limitation information.

7. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage section that stores category summary information and a third display screen, wherein

the processing section records a count value of each of the combinations in the category summary information,

the processing section identifies a descending order of count values, recorded in the category summary information, of combinations including as the first category a category to which a unit selected by the newly received first input belongs,

the processing section displays, on the third display screen, categories each included as the second category in the combinations such that the categories are listed in the identified order, and

on receiving of a fourth input to select one category from the third display screen, the processing section determines that a category selected by the received fourth input is a candidate category.

8. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage section that stores in advance a unit list in which is recorded a plurality of units to be displayed on the first display screen and classification information in which is recorded which one of the categories the units recorded in the unit list each belong to, wherein

the processing section determines a category each unit belongs to on a basis of the classification information.

9. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the storage section stores a plurality of pieces of the classification information, and

the processing section selects classification information to be used from the plurality of pieces of the classification information.

10. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the processing section exports and imports the category summary information on a basis of an instruction from a user.

11. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the storage section stores unit summary information,

the processing section aggregates, for each combination of a first unit of the units and a second unit of the units, number of times the first unit is selected and then the second unit is selected on a basis of a selection sequence of units selected by the first inputs received in a past,

the processing section records a count value of each combination of the first unit and the second unit in the unit summary information,

the processing section creates the category summary information on a basis of the unit summary information, and

the processing section exports and imports the unit summary information on a basis of an instruction from a user.

12. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing section presents the candidate category to a user by scrolling display positions of all units belonging to the candidate category of the units to a top end of the first display screen.

13. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the units are displayed on the first display screen such that the units are sorted by category, the processing section displays the units such that a first display form, in which a category name alone is displayed, and a second display form, in which a category name and all units belonging to the category of the units are both displayed, are selectable for each category, and

the processing section presents the candidate category to a user by displaying all units belonging to the candidate category of the units in the second display form and displaying all units not belonging to the candidate category of the units in the first display form.

14. The system construction assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing section presents the candidate category to a user by highlighting all units belonging to the candidate category of the units in the first display screen.

15. A method comprising:

a step of a computer displaying, on a first display screen included in the computer, a plurality of units each belonging to one of a plurality of categories such that the units are sorted by category;

a step of the computer receiving a first input to select one unit from the units displayed on the first display screen;

a step of the computer generating a system configuration diagram on a basis of the received first input and displaying the generated system configuration diagram on a second display screen included in the computer; and

a step of the computer, after a first input is newly received and before a next first input is received, predicting a category to which a unit to be selected by the next first input belongs on a basis of a plurality of first inputs received in a past and presenting the predicted category as a candidate category to a user.

16. A computer readable recording medium having recorded a program for causing a computer to execute:

a procedure of displaying, on a first display screen, a plurality of units each belonging to one of a plurality of categories such that the units are sorted by category;

a procedure of receiving a first input to select one unit from the units displayed on the first display screen;

a procedure of generating a system configuration diagram on a basis of the received first input and displaying the generated system configuration diagram on a second display screen; and

a procedure of, after a first input is newly received and before a next first input is received, predicting a category to which a unit to be selected by the next first input belongs on a basis of a plurality of first inputs received in a past and presenting the predicted category as a candidate category to a user.