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Graphical user interface device

  • US 9,164,647 B2
  • Filed: 06/15/2011
  • Issued: 10/20/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A graphical user interface device for use in a monitor control system for a monitor control of a plant, said graphical user interface device comprising:

  • an operation procedure information database in which a display item to be operated on by an operator for performing an operation of operation steps and text information forming an operation manual and describing how the display item is to be operated by the operator are registered for each of said operation steps;

    a display element information database in which display element information about a display element included in said display item is registered;

    the graphical user interface device being configured todetermine a current operation step from said operation steps based on information given from said plant;

    select, from said display element information database, said display element information corresponding to said display item of said determined current operation step;

    based on said selected display element information prepare a layout of an operation screen allowing said text information and said display item corresponding to said current operation step to be simultaneously displayed on a single screen of an interface device;

    select, from said display element information database, display element information corresponding to the display items of a plurality of operation steps included in the same operation procedure as said determined current operation step;

    prepare a layout of the operation screen such that the text information and the display items of the operation steps included in the same operation procedure as said current operation step are simultaneously displayed on the single screen of the interface device such that said display items and said text information corresponding to said display items are displayed adjacently to each other,wherein information about a branch in said operation procedure is registered in said operation procedure information database, said information about said branch in said operation procedure includes an identification of plural branch destinations and a conditional expression for branching, wherein one of the plural branch destinations is selected as a next operation-procedure step based on an evaluation of the conditional expression for branching,in a case where said operation procedure including said current operation step has said branch, said graphical user interface device prepares a layout of the operation screen in which text information and a display item of each of the plural branch destinations and the conditional expression for branching are simultaneously displayed on the single screen of said interface device,said display items include a plurality of display elements that are classified into hierarchical groups such that a number of display elements belonging to a unit group of display items at an upper level in the hierarchy is greater than a number of display elements belonging to a unit group of display items in a lower level in the hierarchy,said graphical user interface device being further configured tochange an arrangement of said plurality of display elements in the layout of said operation screen, on a unit group basis, the plurality of display elements being displayed in alignment with the current operation step, andcalculate a visibility evaluation value for evaluating visibility of the arrangement of said plurality of display elements obtained as a result of the changed arrangement and, based on said visibility evaluation value, recursively change the arrangement of said plurality of display elements, andsequentially shift a unit group at each level of the hierarchy, in order from a unit group at a lower level in the hierarchy to a unit group at an upper level in the hierarchy to change the arrangement of said plurality of display elements until the visibility evaluation value satisfies a predetermined criteria which includes maintaining a certain blank space in both a vertical and horizontal direction surrounding the arrangement of said plurality of display elements and the display items of the operation steps included in the same operation procedure as said current operation step are simultaneously displayed on the single screen.

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