Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Hiroshi Okada

Toshiaki Yoshiyasu

Masato Nanboku

Eiichi Uematsu

Kyosuke Iribe

Koji Ono

Yoshiharu Yoshimoto

Sadamitsu Koike

Teruma Nishi

A system for designing visual information on a monitor unit which enables the use of the monitor unit manufactured at a reduced cost but assures rapid reproduction of the intended visual information. The monitor unit is utilized in combination with a programmable logic controller (PLC) for monitoring a task to be performed by I/O devices managed by the PLC. The monitor unit includes a display, a controller section, and a memory. The system includes an image design tool operating on a personal computer for creating a source display code of the visual information to be reproduced on the display. The image design tool has a conversion means which translates the source display code into a corresponding bitmapped image and exports the bitmapped image to the monitor unit for immediate reproduction of the visual information on the display. Consequently, the monitor unit can be dispensed with a costly component of translating the source image code into the bitmapped image, yet effecting rapid reproduction of the visual information on the display directly from the bitmapped image transferred from the image design tool.

System for designing visual information to be displayed on monitor unit used in combination with programmable controller

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Yawata, Japan

Hiroshi Okada