JPH0675554A - Graphic display device for monitoring panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a graphic display device for a monitoring panel which has a multi-windows function and can display a specific graphic screen for a monitoring panel at high speed. CONSTITUTION:Data is written in a VRAM 3 other than a system on a window controller bus B2 separated from a system bus B1 of a MPU 1 every window W1,..., Wn, it is read out by a graphic window controller 5, information about object is written in an object buffer 6 and an actual screen image is written in a frame buffer 7, and contents of each buffer 6, 7 are displayed on a graphic display device 8 by a screen display means 9. Therefore, graphic display can be performed without using the MPU 1, occupation of the system bus B1 owing to screen output is prevented, processing load of the MPU 1 is decreased, and high speed display can be performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a graphic display device for a surveillance board, and more particularly, it is used for an interface between a computer and an operator using a graphic multi-window.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of building automation (BA), improvement of a man-machine interface (MMI) on a monitoring board is required. One of the demands is a multi-window function that simultaneously displays a plurality of screens on the same display device at high speed. This multi-window system is generally interposed between an operating system (OS) and an application (APL) and may be a part of the OS. This system provides functions and objects such as application program interface (API) to APL, and opens and closes windows, changes the size, and changes the overlapping manner of windows. Is provided for multiple windows at the same time. Further, the APL is capable of screen output / input within the range without considering the states of other windows.

Another requirement is a function of displaying a graphic screen peculiar to BA at high speed in a multi-window. This graphic screen peculiar to BA is used to monitor / operate air conditioning, power, lighting, fire, security, etc. in the building as one symbol for each device.
It provides a graphical screen for performing maintenance and the like.

[0004]

However, if an attempt is made to implement the above-mentioned functions using a general-purpose computer system, most of the processing will be performed by the MPU, and a comfortable MMI will be realized and BA will be implemented. There is a problem that there is no sufficient ability to perform both of the required real-time processing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a VRAM dedicated to window display and a hardware for controlling the graphic window peculiar to the multi-window function and the monitor panel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a graphic display device for a monitoring panel, which is realized by using hardware and firmware, reduces the processing conventionally performed by the MPU, and enables high-speed display.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a graphic multi-window display device for a monitoring board, as shown in FIG.
In addition to the system bus B1 connected to 1, a window controller bus B2 for displaying a graphic multi-window is provided, and bus control means 2 for controlling connection / disconnection of both buses, and a window controller bus B
2 outside the system VRAM 3 connected to 2, and VRAM control means 4 for managing access to the outside system VRAM 3
And a graphic window controller 5 for reading information in the VRAM 3 via the VRAM control means 4, and a graphic for a monitoring board in the VRAM 3 under the control of the graphic window controller 5.
Object buffer 6 in which symbol object data is written, frame buffer 7 in which other image data is written, display device 8 for displaying graphic data, contents of the object buffer 6 and frame buffer 7 And a screen display means 9 for displaying on the display device 8.

Here, an attribute such as blinking of a graphic symbol for the monitoring board is written in the object buffer 6 as a part of the object data, and the object buffer 6 is executed so that the attribute of this object is executed. It is preferable to further include an object buffer controller 10 for controlling the.

[0008]

In the present invention, each window W1, ..., Wn is provided in the external system VRAM 3 on the window controller bus B2 which is separated from the system bus B1 of the MPU 1.
The data is written for each of them, the data is read by the graphic window controller 5, the information about the object is written in the object buffer 6, the actual screen image is written in the frame buffer 7, and the contents of each buffer 6, 7 are displayed on the screen. Since the image is displayed on the graphic display device 8 by the means 9, graphic processing can be performed without using the MPU1 on the window controller bus B2 which is separated from the system bus B1 of the MPU1. The system bus is prevented from being occupied, the processing load of the MPU 1 is reduced, and high-speed screen output is possible.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is the MPU, and the system bus B
Connected to 1. The system bus B1 has a data bus and an address bus. The system bus B1 is separated from the window controller bus B2 dedicated to graphic display. Reference numeral 2 denotes a bus control means, which controls to connect or disconnect the system bus B1 connected to the MPU1 and the window controller bus B2 as necessary, and displays the system by a screen display.
The bus B1 is prevented from being occupied. 3 is a VRAM outside the system, which is a window controller bus B2
And is accessible without occupying the system bus B1 of the MPU1. Reference numeral 4 is a VRAM control means, which functions as an address decoder for the VRAM 3 and, if necessary, the window controller bus B2.
It outputs data to the above.

Reference numeral 5 is a graphic window controller, and its function includes graphic window control means 5a and window composition means 5b, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, a solid arrow indicates a control flow, and a broken arrow indicates a data flow. The window synthesizing unit 5b reads the window / management table from the VRAM 3 and checks the state (upper / lower relation) of the currently opened window. Then, as shown in FIG.
A composite of the real images in each window is expanded in the frame buffer 7. Further, the window synthesizing means 5b develops in the object buffer 6 a synthesis of the object names, attributes, current state, etc. of the BA monitoring board symbols in each window. As a result, the object buffer 6 stores the name, attribute, current state, developed upper left coordinate, display / non-display information, etc. of each object. The object buffer controller 10 evaluates the attribute of each object from the contents of the object buffer 6 synthesized by the window synthesizing means 5b,
It is expanded in the frame buffer 7. At this time, if necessary, the VR in which the actual image of each object is stored from the object pattern table in the VRAM 3
Knowing the address in the object pattern image in the AM, it is expanded in the frame buffer 7 through the window controller bus B2. In addition, the object
The buffer controller 10 arbitrarily develops the image in the frame buffer 7 according to the attribute of each object other than the time of window composition.

When the external VRAM 3 is accessed from the MPU 1, the system control is performed via the bus control means 2.
The bus B1 is connected to the window controller bus B2. When writing data from the MPU1 to the VRAM3 outside the system, the data in the window is B
A. The hardware and firmware that allow you to enter the symbol name of each device used on the graphic screen peculiar to the monitoring panel and convert the name into actual image data for display are provided on the window controller bus B2. . When the external VRAM 3 is not accessed from the MPU 1, the bus control means 2 sets the system bus B
1 and the window controller bus B2 are separated. Address spaces are assigned to the external VRAM 3 in units of windows, and under the control of the graphic window controller 5, data for graphic display is expanded in the object buffer 6 and the frame buffer 7, and the system bus B1 is used. By controlling for graphic display without using
The load of No. 1 can be significantly reduced.

The contents of the external VRAM 3 will be described. The VRAM 3 includes a window management table for managing the vertical relationship of each window, first to nth window detailed information, and a first window of each window.
~ A conversion table between the nth number and the address in the VRAM 3, an object pattern table, and an object pattern image are stored. First, in the window management table, the first to nth window numbers and information regarding their vertical relationship are stored. As the first to n-th window detailed information,
The upper left corner coordinates of the window, the lower right corner coordinates, the names, attributes, the current state, the expanded upper left coordinates, and the actual image of the window of the first to mth objects expanded in the window are stored. The object pattern table stores the correspondence between the name of each object and the object pattern image address. Further, as the object pattern image, R, G, and B image data of the object, the development method, and the attribute are stored. Here, as the expansion method, for example, clear, set, AND, OR,
There is XOR, and the attribute is, for example, blinking (blink). Clear means to erase image data, set means to display image data, and AND, OR and XOR means to display the result of bitwise logical operation on the background. .

[0013]

According to the present invention, in a graphic multi-window display device for a monitoring board, a symbol unique to the monitoring board is written as an object name from the MPU to the VRAM outside the system to draw a graphic screen unique to the monitoring board. Since it can be performed without the intervention of the MPU, there is an effect that it is possible to perform high-speed processing of the graphic multi-window display device for the monitoring board and prevent the processing capacity of the MPU from deteriorating.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the data and control flow of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the operation of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 MPU 2 Bus control means 3 Outside system VRAM 4 VRAM control means 5 Graphic window controller 6 Object buffer 7 Frame buffer 8 Display device 9 Screen display means 10 Object buffer controller

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A graphic multi-window display device for a monitoring panel, wherein a window controller bus for graphic multi-window display is provided in addition to the system bus connected to the MPU, and both buses are connected / unconnected. A bus control means for controlling the VCO, an external system VRAM connected to the window controller bus,
VRAM for managing access to the non-system VRAM
Control means, a graphic window controller for reading out information in the VRAM via the VRAM control means, and writing object data of graphic symbols for the monitoring board in the VRAM under the control of the graphic window controller An object buffer, a frame buffer into which other image data is written, a display device for displaying graphic data, and a screen display means for displaying the contents of the object buffer and the frame buffer on the display device. A graphic display device for a monitoring panel, which is provided. 2. An attribute such as a blinking graphic symbol for a monitoring board is written into the object buffer as part of the object data, and the object buffer is controlled so that the attribute of this object is executed. The graphic display device for a surveillance board according to claim 1, further comprising an object buffer controller.