How to use NB Events

Objectives
This article will provide details for the use and functionality of the events feature supported by the NB HMI. 
Introduction
The NB-series programmable terminal has a powerful event feature that can be used to display critical information based on a triggered condition. Various settings and adjustments are possible to customize the appearance and type of information displayed as well as provide the opportunity to store these events on an attached USB memory device or internal NB memory. The article has the following sections: 
Content
General Info - Events, Event History Display, and Event Display
 
There are several event occurrence, recording and display options in the NB HMI. These items are used in applications when a detailed message must be displayed and possibly recorded in the event of an important machine condition. It is helpful to understand the event capabilities and operation in the NB HMI and NB-designer software before attempting to implement them in a project. The following is a general description of the various event items. 
- Events: The event component is used to display event information registered in the Event Setting area. The event information will be displayed when the current state satisfies the triggering conditions.
- Event History Display: A table that contains a history of events that is easily displayed and accessible to the operator.
- Event Display: A screen item (function part) that displays the event information in a scrolling fashion when the current state satisfies the triggering conditions.
 
Example
 
In the attached example, several event features are implemented on one screen. This example does not demonstrate all event features, but it shows how to create some of the most commonly used settings. See the NB-Designer Operation manual (Cat. No. V106E) for more information. The following steps illustrate how to create a screen* that includes:
- Event history with custom event messages
- Bit switch buttons to simulate the triggering of events
- A scrolling event display
- An event message display area that when selected, creates a pop-up with more info for a user.
- Recording of all events to a mounted USB memory device.
 
*Note: This example does not detail basic screen development details such as bit switch and text layout and appearance. It does not cover all event settings and details. See the NB-Designer Operation Manual (Cat. No. V106) for more information.
 
 
The following steps will create a screen similar to the image shown below.
 
 
 
To create this example, use the following steps in NB-Designer v1.3.
 
  1. Create a new project with one NB7W-TW01B PT.

 
 
  1. Select the Screen 0:Frame0 from the Tree View where the event items will be created.

 
 
  1. In the project database areas under the project library window, open the Event Setting item. Click the Add button to create a new event and access the settings.

 
 
  1. In the Event Settings area, we can make settings for the triggering conditions, the event message text, and additional functions such as pop-up screens and buzzer control. In this example, we will use memory areas LW.B 0.0 and LW.B 0.1 to trigger two events. Add two new events and make the following settings.

 
  1. Next, we will add the Event item to display a currently existing event on the screen. In the Parts area of the Project Library Window, drag the Event item to the Screen 0. Make the following settings in the Basic Property tab and the Event Setting tab.

 
  1. There needs to be some buttons to trigger the event conditions (normally this would occur as a machine condition). Place two alternate type bit switches on the screen to control LW.B 0.0 and LW.B 0.1.

 
Your screen should appear similar to this now:
 
 
 
  1. Next, we can add an Event Display to show the event details scrolling from right to left. In the Function Parts area of the Project Library Window, drag the Events Display item to the Screen 0. Make the following settings in the Event Setting tab.

 
  1. The last item to add to the screen is the Event History item. Drag this from the Project Library Window under Parts to screen 0. Several settings should be made in the Basic Property tab as well as the Table Property tab. These areas control how the Event History functions and how it appears on the screen. Make the following initial settings.

 
TIP: The Table Property tab controls how the Event History table will appear. The Status Display area above has default settings of Occurring:0, Checked:1, and Canceled: 2 but these can be words to give an operator a literal description of the event status in the history i.e. "Occurring", "Checked" and "Canceled". Additionally, in the Title Bar section above, many font and text adjustments can be made to customize the Event History appearance. Finally, when placing the Event History item on the screen, make it as wide as possible to maximize the amount of text that is visible at once.
 
The screen 0 should appear similar to the image below.

  1. There is a very important setting for the NB that must be made to allow storage and display of the Event History item. Open the PT Property window (double click on the NB7W-TW01B that was added in step 1). Select the Event History Setting tab and enable Save to External Memory. These settings tell the NB where and how to store the Event History data. If Export to CSV File is checked, ejecting and examining the contents of the memory card will reveal a CSV file in the specified folder that contains all event history information.

Make the following settings.

  1.  To create a pop-up when an operator acknowledges/checks a new event, follow the steps below.
 
Add a new screen to the project. Adjust the screen properties to reduce the width and height and change the background color. Also change the X-Y position so the screen pops up in a suitable location on screen 0.

 
Add some text and a Function Key part to enable closing of the pop-up.

 
Open the Event Setting and select a registered event number. Make the following setting in the Function area for that and any other events requiring a pop-up when the event is checked.

 
Now, when an event is present and the user touches the event, the event history updates that the event is now "checked" (see step 8 above) in the state column and a pop-up should appear on screen 0 as shown below.

 
 
Additional Info and Tips
  • - Adding several blank spaces behind the event message text created in the Event Setting of step 4 above will ensure that multiple scrolling messages are spaced apart and easily readable (i.e. "Event 1 Message.     ").
  •  
  • - When placing the Event item on the screen as in step 5 above, make it very wide (about the width of the whole screen) so that all of the information can be seen at once.

  • - When placing the event display item on the screen as in step 7 above, make it about as wide as half of the screen so the scrolling text will be readable.
  •  
  • - To customize the appearance of the event history table, adjustments can be made to the row and column spacing in the event history properties area. Row spacing controls the height of a row. Column spacing controls the width of a column. The cell will automatically expand to always show the full text if the value set is too small.
  •  
  • - If no events are appearing in the event history table, check that a selection has been made in the Event History Settings tab in the PT Properties area (see step 9). 

Model Compatibility
Not all NB HMI models support the event history display. Only models that support external USB memory devices (TW01 models) support the event history display item. The event history display requires a USB memory device. The event item works for all models.
Summary
The event functionality is a powerful tool included in the NB-series HMI. Understanding the features, settings and implementation of events described in this article can improve HMI applications and usability.
References

Also, see the following article for more information regarding USB memory sticks used with the NB HMI.

How To Use USB Memory Sticks On NB HMI

*The details and references for this article were made at the time of NB-Designer Version 1.3. Newer versions may operate and function differently. Contact your local Omron representative for more information.

 

Link:
http://www.myomron.com/index.php?action=kb&print=1573


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