Method for quick navigation in a user interface, method for manufacturing a product from thermoplastic, plant control for quick navigation in a user interface and plant for manufacturing a product from thermoplastic

Abstract

A method and a device for the quick navigation of users through the user interface of a plant for manufacturing a product from thermoplastic, an extruder being operated for plastification of a thermoplastic, and a method and a plant for manufacturing a product from thermoplastic allow quick changing between user views of a machine or plant control. An input device for entering representative signals from a customized input library is used, which signals are linked to actions in a relational database, wherein the actions cause a rapid change between user views of a machine or plant control. The rapid change between user views makes the machine or plant control faster, and the customized input library makes the control more intuitive.

Claims

1. A method for quick navigation in a user interface for monitoring and controlling a machine or a plant for manufacturing a product of thermoplastic, the plant or machine having an extruder for plastification of a thermoplastic, the method comprising: displaying on an input interface a given operating page of a plurality of operating pages, wherein each operating page is associated with a unique input signal, and an association of each operating page and a respective unique input signal is stored in a database, wherein each unique input signal is one of a unique traced pattern in a point array and a unique gesture drawing, wherein the database comprises an input library comprising a plurality of linkages between a given input signal and an operating page of the plurality of operating pages, wherein the input library is individual for each user; receiving, via a touch screen of the input interface, an input signal, the input signal being one of a traced pattern in the point array and a gesture drawing; analyzing the received input signal relative to the database to identify another operating page of the plurality of operating pages; and navigating through the user interface of the machine or plant from the given operating page to the other operating page of the plurality of operating pages based on the analyzing.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface is released by pressing and keeping pressed a mechanical release button.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface is released by pressing and keeping pressed a virtual release button on the touch screen.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface includes a gesture control for detecting the gesture drawing.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the gesture drawing is a drawn figure comprising a triangle, a circle, a different geometrical shape or a quasi-three-dimensional that is based on intensity recognition.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface comprises a numerical keypad.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface comprises a pattern input field and the input signal is the traced pattern.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface comprises a function for storing and a linkage between the input signal and a corresponding operating page of the plurality of operating pages.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a save function searches the database, before saving, for a doubling of the entry and of the linkage of the operating page.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface has a search function and a linkage between the input signal and an operating page of the plurality of operating pages is search therewith in the database.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the input interface has a manage function and a linkage between the input signal and an operating page of the plurality of operating pages is managed therewith in the database, wherein in particular a plurality of linkages is sorted or a linkage is deleted.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the database is a relational database.

13. The method for manufacturing a product from thermoplastic, wherein an extruder is operated for plastification of a thermoplastic, wherein during production, the method according to claim 1 is performed.

14. A plant control for quick navigation in a user interface for monitoring and controlling a machine or a plant for manufacturing a product from thermoplastic, the plant or machine having an extruder for plastification of a thermoplastic, the user interface having a plurality of operating pages, wherein a user enters an input signal comprising one of a traced pattern in a point array and a gesture drawing, via an input interface, for navigating through the user interface of the machine or plant, the input interface having a touch screen, wherein the plant control has a data processing and detection unit, the data processing and detection unit having a program and an access to a database, the program being adapted for performing a method according to claim 1.

15. The machine control according to claim 14, wherein the machine control comprises a release button which releases the input interface.

16. The machine control according to claim 14, wherein the input signal is linked to an operating page in the database and the user interface changes directly to the linked operating page when the input signal is entered.

17. The plant for manufacturing a product from thermoplastic, with an extruder for plastification of a thermoplastic, wherein the plant has a machine control according to claim 13.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: assigning a respective operating page of the plurality of operating pages to a respective unique input signal that is one of a unique traced pattern in a point array and a unique gesture drawing to associate the respective operating page with the respective unique input signal; evaluating the association of the respective operating page with the respective unique input signal relative to the database to determine whether a similar association exists in the database; and storing the association of the respective operating page with the respective unique input signal in the database in response to determining that no similar association exists in the database.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following, the disclosure will be explained in more detail using two examples of embodiment with reference to the drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic example of an input interface design,

(3) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of an input interface,

(4) FIG. 3 shows an example of embodiment for navigation in a user interface of a machine or plant control by means of a gesture,

(5) FIG. 4 shows an example of embodiment for navigation in a user interface of a machine or plant control by means of a number, and

(6) FIG. 5 shows an example of embodiment for navigation in a user interface of a machine or plant control by means of a pattern in a point array.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(7) A user interface 1 for monitoring and controlling a machine or plant, comprising an operating page 2 and an input interface 3, is shown in FIG. 1.

(8) The operating page has a plurality of different operating elements 4, 5 which can be used for monitoring and controlling the machine or plant (for purposes of clarity, only two operating elements are mentioned as examples).

(9) The operating elements 4, 5 are linked to each other with regard to process control.

(10) An input interface 3, 10 has an input field 16 and several function elements 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and is shown enlarged in FIG. 2, and is emphasized as a detail from FIG. 1 for better clarity and explanation.

(11) In terms of displaying, the input field 16 can be adapted for different types of input signals, in particular for a gesture, a number or a pattern.

(12) The input field 16 in FIG. 2 is adapted for a gesture as an input signal.

(13) The function elements 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 of the input interface 3, 10 can be linked to different functions, in particular to the functions Search, Save, Manage and Change display input signal.

(14) A specific embodiment in which the user changes with one hand 23 by an input of a gesture 24 on an input field for gesture 22 from an input page 20 to a different input page 21, is schematically shown in FIG. 3.

(15) An alternative embodiment in which the user changes from one input page 30 to a different input page 31 by inputting a number in an input field numeric keypad 32 with one hand 33, is schematically shown in FIG. 4.

(16) An alternative embodiment in which the user changes from one input page 40 to a different input page 41 by inputting a pattern 44 in an input field pattern with point array 42 with one hand 43 is schematically shown in FIG. 5.