Method of simplifying machine operation
AssigneeHusky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
InventorChristopher Wai-Ming Choi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method for controlling a molding machine includes structure and function for a human machine interface control panel having: (i) a flat panel display screen; (ii) a pointing device; (iii) a plurality of pushbuttons overlaid with or without icons; (iv) a housing containing the above and the associated electronics; (v) structure to uniquely identify each users preferred configuration; (vi) structure to connect to a remote controller for both digital information and video signal communication; (vii) a connection for receiving external power to drive the panel's electronics and display; and (viii) software running in the remote controller to provide all the operating functions of the human machine interface.
Claims26
Molding machine control apparatus, comprising:
- a processor-controllable touch-sensitive display screen for displaying information at least in the form of icons representative of selectively operable machine functions;
- a plurality of application specific control function buttons disposed along one side of said touch-sensitive display screen;
- a plurality of basic control function buttons also disposed along a side of said touch-sensitive display screen;
- and
- a computer program product comprising software code portions configured to control machine operation and to control information display on the touch-sensitive display screen, the software code portions, in use, to cause:
- (i) movement of a component of the molding machine in response to an activation of at least one of said plurality of basic control function buttons;
- (ii) movement in a component of the molding machine in response to an activation of at least one of said application specific control function buttons;
- and
- (iii) changes in at least one of the icons in response to a touch of said touch-sensitive display screen.
A molding machine display, comprising:
- a display screen having:
- (i) a first screen area configured to display molding machine display indicia;
- (ii) a second screen area configures to display molding machine function-actuating indicia;
- (iii) a first plurality of buttons interactively coupled o said display screen and arranged to cause a charge in correspondingly assigned molding machine display indicia;
- and
- (iv) a second plurality of buttons interactively coupled to said display screen and arranged to initiate a motion in a molding machine component.
A human machine interface of a molding machine, the human machine interface comprising:
- a touch screen display for displaying machine status icons and machine activation icons;
- a plurality of programmable buttons disposed along a side of said touch screen display and configured to change said machine status icons;
- a plurality of non-programmable buttons disposed along another side of said touch screen display and configured to control a motion of a part of the molding machine in response to actuation thereof;
- and
- at least one of said plurality of programmable buttons being programmable to initiate control of a plurality of molding machine movements in response to actuation thereof.
A human machine interface comprising:
- a display screen for displaying a plurality of machine function icons which correspond to a plurality of molding machine movements, said display screen also displaying a plurality of configuration icons;
- a plurality of buttons disposed along a side of said display screen, at least one of said buttons corresponding to one of the plurality of configuration icons and being actuable to configure the plurality of machine function icons into (i) a first configuration and (ii) a second configuration different from the first sequence;
- and
- a memory device reader couplable to a processor of the human machine interface, the memory device reader for at least reading, in use, configuration command data from at least one portable memory device containing such configuration commands arranged to cause the display screen to display one of the first configuration and the second configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.