JP2000047718A - Programmable logic controller, unit of programmable logic controller, management system for programmable logic controller, and management method for programmable logic controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a programmable logic controller which can integrally manage information of the respective units of the programmable logic controller on tools connected to the respective tools by reading out producing information, maintenance information, etc., on the respective units from the tools, a unit of the programmable logic controller, a management system for the programmable logic controller, and a managing method for the programmable logic controller. SOLUTION: A unit 1 as a CPU unit collects production information and maintenance information of a unit 2 as a high-function I/O unit and a unit 3 as a basic I/O unit, and the collected production information and maintenance information are read out by a tool 50 connected to the unit as a CPU unit through a tool cable 60 and managed integrally.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a programmable logic controller, a programmable logic controller unit, a programmable logic controller management system, and a method for managing a programmable logic controller. Logic information, a programmable logic controller unit, a programmable logic controller unit, a programmable logic controller management system, and a programmable logic controller, which read out the obtained information via a tool connected to any of the units and collectively manage the information on the tool. It relates to the management method of the controller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, each unit constituting a programmable logic controller, that is, a CPU unit, a base unit, various I / O units (basic I / O units)
Unit, high-performance unit, communication unit), etc., unique information set at the time of production or maintenance, such as 1) model information 2) production information (lot number etc.) 3) optional comments The records were managed by the method described above.

[0003] 1) Physical recording management is performed by sticking to each unit in the form of a seal or the like. 2) Record and manage separately in a list.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional method of physically recording and managing by sticking to each unit in the form of a seal, 1) it depends on the recording form and the physical location of each unit. Therefore, it may not be possible to confirm while the system is operating. 2) When confirming the information of each unit in the entire system, it is necessary to go to the location of each unit, which takes a lot of trouble. Therefore, there is a problem that it is inefficient.

[0005] In a method of recording and managing a list separately, it is necessary to change the list by a user's operation when exchanging units, so that the work is troublesome and an error may occur. There was a problem that is also high.

[0006] Further, it is difficult to manage some information as a record, and in some cases, it is not particularly managed as a record.

In any case, in the conventional recording management method of information unique to each unit at the time of production or maintenance, it is troublesome to update and utilize the recording.
Some information may not be recorded. As a result, 1) it is not possible to appropriately manage the system configuration. 2) problems such as investigating and reproducing the cause when a problem occurs become ad hoc.

Therefore, the present invention reads out production information, maintenance information, and the like of each unit of a programmable logic controller from a tool connected to each unit, and can centrally manage information of each unit on the tool. Programmable logic controller, programmable logic controller unit,
Programmable logic controller management system,
And a method for managing a programmable logic controller.

[0009]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a programmable logic controller comprising a plurality of units. Is stored, and at least one of the plurality of units includes an information collecting unit that collects information stored in the arbitrary unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication means for communicating with another unit, an information collecting means for collecting information of the other unit via the communication means, and a means for collecting information collected by the information collecting means. Output means for outputting.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage means for storing information relating to the unit by writing the information from the outside, and a storage means for storing the information in response to a read command. Means for sending to

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a management system for a programmable logic controller comprising a plurality of units, wherein an arbitrary unit among the plurality of units has set information and has a plurality of units. At least one of the units includes an information collecting unit that collects information set in the arbitrary unit, and is connected to any one of the plurality of units.
Tool means for managing information collected by the two units is provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a management system for a programmable logic controller comprising a plurality of units, wherein an arbitrary unit of the plurality of units stores information on the arbitrary unit. A storage unit, at least one of the plurality of units includes an information collection unit that collects information stored in the storage unit of the arbitrary unit, and is connected to any of the plurality of units; Tool means for managing information by reading out information collected by the one unit and rewriting information stored in any of the arbitrary units is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing a programmable logic controller system comprising a plurality of units, wherein profile information is written and stored in an arbitrary unit of the plurality of units. And collecting and reading profile information stored in the arbitrary unit.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a programmable logic controller, a unit of a programmable logic controller, a system for managing a programmable logic controller, and a method for managing a programmable logic controller according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Will be described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a programmable logic controller system configured by applying the programmable logic controller and the control method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a programmable logic controller system according to this embodiment includes a unit 1 as a CPU unit, a unit 2 as a high-performance I / O unit connected to this unit 1 via a system bus 40, and Unit 3 which is a basic I / O unit
And a tool 5 which is a personal computer (personal computer) connected to the unit 1 via a tool cable 60
0.

Here, the unit 1 which is a CPU unit
Is a microcomputer (microcomputer) 11 for overall control of the operation of the unit 1; a memory 12 for storing production information (model information) of the unit 1;
A bus ASIC 13 having an interface function for accessing each unit through the system bus 40
It comprises.

The unit 2, which is a high-performance I / O unit, includes a microcomputer (microcomputer) 21 for controlling the operation of the unit 2 and a non-volatile memory for storing production information, maintenance information, and the like of the unit 2. 22 and a bus ASIC 23 having an interface function between the system bus 40 and the unit 2.

The unit 3, which is a basic I / O unit, has a bus AS having an interface function for inputting / outputting data to / from an external I / O terminal 33 via a system bus 40.
The unit 3 includes an IC 33, an external I / O terminal 33 for inputting / outputting an external signal, and a code information setting port 34 for setting code information to the unit 3 by hardware.

The tool 50 as a personal computer (personal computer) has a function of collecting or writing production information and maintenance information of each unit via the unit 1 as a CPU unit.

Here, in the programmable logic controller system of this embodiment, the production information of the unit 2 which is a high-performance I / O unit and the unit 3 which is a basic I / O unit is obtained by the unit 1 which is a CPU unit. And maintenance information, and the collected production information and maintenance information
It is configured to read and collectively manage by the tool 50 connected to the unit 1 which is a PU unit via the tool cable 60.

The following information can be adopted as an example of the recording information of each unit.

1) Model information For example, model: CSIH-CPU01, CSIH-ID
002 etc. 2) Production information For example, Lot. Production information such as NO (serial NO) 3) User comments

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of a CPU unit constituting the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, this CPU unit 1
A microprocessor unit (MPU) 111 for controlling the overall operation of the CPU unit 1 and a memory (SROM) 11 for storing system software for operating the microprocessor unit (MPU) 111
2. A memory (WKM) 113 functioning as a system work area of the CPU unit 110, an ASIC for bus interface 115, an ASIC 117 for executing various instructions and arbitrating memory, a memory (UM) 118 for storing a user program for execution, I Data memory (IOM) 12 used for / O assignment and user programs
2. It includes an INNER board 124 having a microprocessor unit (MPU) 125.

Here, a memory (SROM) 112, a memory (WKM) 113, an ASIC 115, and an ASIC 117
Is a microprocessor unit (MP
U) 111.

A memory (UM) 118 is connected to the ASIC 117 via a bus, and a data memory (IO)
M) 122 is connected to the ASIC 117 via a bus, and the microprocessor unit (MPU) 125 of the INNER board 124 is connected to the ASIC 117 via the bus.
Connected to.

An external bus (1) and an external bus (2) are connected to the ASIC 115.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the base unit connected to the CPU unit shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, the base unit 130
Includes a high-performance I / O unit 2 and a basic I / O unit 3 shown in FIG. 1. The high-performance CPU unit 131, the high-performance I / O unit 132, the basic I / O The unit 133 includes an ASIC 134 for controlling an interrupt.

Here, the high-performance CPU unit 131 and the high-performance I / O unit 132 have interface ASICs 135 and 136, respectively, and the basic I / O unit 133 has an interface ASIC 137.
SICs 135, 136 and 137 are external buses (2)
Of the CPU unit 110 shown in FIG.
115.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the entire operation of the PLC unit including the CPU unit shown in FIG. 2 and the base unit shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, first, a self-diagnosis process for checking an abnormality of the memory and the I / O bus is executed (step 141).

Next, an arithmetic process for sequentially executing each cycle execution task (user program) from the head to the END instruction is executed (step 142).

Then, an I / O refresh process, which is a data refresh between the IOM and the external connection unit, is executed (step 143), and then a command from the serial I / F connection device, the external connection unit, and the INNER board is issued. A peripheral service process, which is a process, is executed (step 144).

The cycle from step 141 to step 144 is repeated as one scan.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process in which the CPU unit collects information from the basic I / O unit in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, when the power is turned on, C
The microcomputer 11 of the unit 1 which is a PU unit reads information set in the code information setting port 34 via the bus ASIC 13, the system bus 40, and the bus ASIC 32, and stores the information in the memory area (profile table) of the memory 12. (Step 201).

At this time, in the unit 3 which is a basic I / O unit, since this information is set by hardware using the code information setting port 34, no particular processing is performed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of reading information from the tool from the basic I / O unit collected by the CPU unit in the process shown in FIG. 5 and managing the information.

In FIG. 6, in the peripheral tool processing by the tool 50, first, a communication command of "read production information" is issued from the tool 50 to the unit 1 which is a CPU unit (step 211).

When the unit 1 which is a CPU unit receives the "production information read" communication command from the tool 50 (step 221), it corresponds to the specified rack / slot number from the code information table already collected. The information is returned to the tool 50 as a response (Step 222).

When the tool 50 receives the response of "read production information" from the CPU unit 1 (step 212), the code No. -Code No. from the model correspondence table. Is converted into a model and displayed on the screen (step 213). At this time, no special processing is required for the unit 3, which is the basic I / O unit.

With the above configuration, it is possible to obtain the type information of each unit actually constituting the system, and the following effects are obtained.

1) Information on system reproduction at the time of occurrence of a failure can be obtained. That is, the system 50 can reproduce the system up to the model level of each unit by downloading data from the tool 50.

2) A search key can be obtained from a database such as a specification voltage, a circuit diagram, defect information, and manual information. For example, an information key such as an ON-LINE manual can be obtained.

Further, according to the above configuration, it is possible to obtain the production information of each unit actually constituting the system.
In addition, maintenance information and the like can be written, and the following effects can be obtained.

1) Since the production information of each unit can be read out, a) managing each unit one by one b) using it for washing out an object at the time of FC (Field Change) c) returning a defective product Can be used as information for giving feedback to quality control.

2) Since the production information can be written, the user can input a comment and drop the history or memo on the user application into each unit.

Here, the memo on the user application can be used as a designer of this system, a correction history, and a failure history of the user application.

When the target unit is a communication unit, a communication command can be transmitted to a unit connected to a communication network. Also, it is possible to read and write production information / maintenance information.

The following nonvolatile memory can be used as a memory device provided in each unit.

1) EPROM, EEPROM, FLAS
H-ROM etc. 2) MPU, ASIC, other memory set in logic IC 3) PAM with battery backup

It is also possible to record information of all units in one unit, but in this case, care must be taken since the independence of the information is lost.

Now, in the system shown in FIG.
A bus ASIC 2 on the unit 2 side, which is a high-performance I / O unit, for transferring production information / maintenance information
3, a shared memory area is provided. The shared memory area includes the microcomputer (microcomputer) 21 and the CP of the unit 2 which is a high-performance I / O unit.
It is configured to be accessible from both the microcomputer (microcomputer) 11 of the unit 1 which is a U unit.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a memory map of a shared memory area provided in the bus ASIC on the unit 2 side which is the advanced I / O unit shown in FIG.

In FIG. 7, the control memory (1W) (profile register 0) and the unit profile information 1 (1W) (profile register 1) are stored in the shared memory area of the bus ASIC 23 of the unit 2 which is a high-performance I / O unit. ) To unit profile information 12 (1
W) (profile register 12) is set.

Here, 1) D15: request flag is set in the control register (1W) (profile register 0) when the main CPU unit requests writing to the peripheral unit. Request is accepted and cleared to "0" when processing is executed. 2) D14: Production information write error. Peripheral unit sets "1" when writing failed. 3) D0: Interrupt factor acquisition flag. “1” is set when the cause is not confirmed, and “0” is cleared when the main body recognizes the interrupt cause.

The unit profile information 1 (1
W) (profile register 1) to unit profile information 12 (1W) (profile register 12)
This area stores production information / maintenance information.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing the CPU when the power is turned on in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG.
6 is a flowchart illustrating processing of a unit and a high-performance I / O unit.

When the power is turned on in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG. 1, the unit 2, which is a high-performance I / O unit, is read out from the nonvolatile memory 22 in the unit 2, which is a high-performance I / O unit. Information / maintenance information is transferred to the bus ASIC2
3 is stored in the above-mentioned shared memory area (step 231).

When the power is turned on in the programmable logic controller system, no processing is performed in the unit 1 which is a CPU unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing production information reading processing by a tool in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG.

In FIG. 9, in the peripheral tool processing by the tool 50, first, a communication command of “read production information” is issued from the tool 50 to the CPU unit 1 (step 241).

When the unit 1 as the CPU unit receives the communication command of “read production information” from the tool 50 (step 251), the bus ASIC 13
The production information / maintenance information is returned to the tool 50 from the shared memory area as a response (step 25).
2).

When the tool 50 receives the response of “read production information” from the unit 1 (step 24)
2) The response of the received production information / maintenance information is displayed on the screen (step 243).

At this time, no special processing is required in the unit 2 which is a high-performance I / O unit.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process of writing production information by a tool in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 10, in the peripheral tool processing by the tool 50, first, the tool 50 issues a "production information write" communication command to the CPU 1 unit 1 (step 261).

When the unit 1 as the CPU unit receives the communication command of “writing production information” from the tool 50 (step 271), the bus ASIC 23
If the contents of the control register of the shared memory area in the
× 0) ”is checked (step 272).

If the contents of the control register of the shared memory area in the bus ASIC 23 are other than "0.times.0", the processing of the CPU unit 1 is abnormally terminated.

At step 272, the bus ASIC2
3 is "0"
If (0 × 0) ”is determined, the writing process of the unit profile register is executed (step 27).
3).

Then, "1" is set to the D15 bit of the control register of the control register of the shared memory area in the bus ASIC 23 (step 274), and the main CPU unit, that is, the CPU unit 1 to the peripheral unit, In this case, a profile write notification is made to the high-performance I / O unit 2 (step 275).

The unit 2, which is a high-performance I / O unit, which has received a profile write notification from the unit 1, which is a CPU unit, first recognizes an interrupt factor (step 281). Is checked (step 282).

If the unit cannot receive the profile update (No in step 282), the D of the control register of the shared memory area in the bus ASIC 23 is set.
"1" is set in the 14 bits (step 287), and the processing of the unit 2 which is a high-performance I / O unit ends.

If it is determined in step 282 that this unit can accept profile update (Yes in step 282), the contents of the control register are read (step 283).

If D15 is not 1, the flow advances to step 287 to set "1" to the D14 bit of the control register.
Is set, and if D15 = 1, the unit profile data of the shared memory area in the bus ASIC 23, that is, the information on the unit profile information 1 to 12) is read (step 284), and is read out from the high-performance I / O unit. Is written to the non-volatile memory 22 in the unit 2 (step 285), and then the control register D of the control register of the shared memory area in the bus ASIC 23 is written.
The 15 bits are cleared to "0" (step 286), and the processing of unit 2, which is a high-performance I / O unit, ends.

On the other hand, the unit 1, which is the CPU unit that has notified the unit 2, which is a high-performance I / O unit, has written the profile, next completes writing, that is, D15 in the control register of the shared memory area in the bus ASIC 23. (Step 27)
6).

Here, the writing is not completed, that is, D1
If 5 = 1 and D14 = 0, the process returns to step 276. However, if the writing is completed, that is, if D15 = 0, the response of the production information writing communication command is transmitted to the tool 50.
(Step 278), and the process of the CPU unit 1 ends.

If it is determined in step 276 that a write error has occurred, that is, D15 = 0 and D14 = 1, the profile register is restored to the state before writing (step 277), and the CPU unit Abnormally terminates the process of No. 1.

When the tool 55 receives a response to the production information writing communication command from the CPU 1 (step 262), the tool 55 ends the peripheral tool processing.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of the model information, production information / maintenance information of each unit on the tool shown in FIG.

In FIG. 11, since the unit configuration is displayed on the screen as a physical image on the tool 50, double-clicking with the mouse of a personal computer or the like on the unit for which information is to be referenced or written is performed. , Target unit model information and maintenance information are displayed.

Here, maintenance information and the like can be edited on the displayed screen, and can be written to each unit after the editing.

As described above, according to the present invention, 1) since information is recorded in an electronic memory element, information of the entire system is collectively collected and managed, and information of each unit is online ( 2) By defining the correspondence with detailed technical information (specifications, circuits, defect information, manuals, etc.) of each unit using the information collected as a keyword, the detailed technical information can be simplified It becomes possible to search. 3) Since the information is incorporated in each unit, the information is automatically switched to a new unit when the unit is replaced. As a result, redundant update operations can be omitted,
There is no possibility that an error occurs due to the update operation. 4) As a result of 1) to 3), it is possible to obtain an effect that efficient system management can be easily and continuously performed.

According to the above description, the “information” described in the claims can be defined from the following three viewpoints.

(Viewpoint 1) Information can be set and changed externally. Alternatively, the stored contents can be updated. Or
Read / write is possible. Or, information that can be written by the user.

(Viewpoint 2) Information is rewritten by a command from a unit having information collecting means.

(Viewpoint 3) Information is profile information. Profile information is production information of the unit,
Or points that are maintenance information or user comments. Production information refers to any of product type, production lot, and information on improvement (version upgrade) of software and hardware in the unit. Maintenance information is information that is written by the person who performs maintenance (that is, the manufacturer), and includes information such as the time of failure, the location of the failure, the details of the failure, the time of repair, the location of the repair, the content of the repair, and the repair source (the name of the manufacturer or person who performed maintenance). A point that is either. The user comment is P
Information to be written by the LC user, including the system configuration, the unit installation location, and the machine name as the PLC (machine I
D), purchase time, failure time, failure location, failure content, repair time, etc.

[0091]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

1) Since the information is recorded in the electronic memory element, the information of the whole system can be collectively collected and managed, and the information of each unit can be updated online (remote operation). .

2) By defining the correspondence with the detailed technical information (specifications, circuits, defect information, manuals, etc.) of each unit using the extracted information as a keyword, the detailed technical information can be easily searched.

3) Since the information is stored in each unit, the information is automatically switched to a new unit when the unit is replaced. As a result, an extra update operation can be omitted, and there is no possibility that an error accompanying the update operation occurs.

4) As a result of 1) to 3), efficient system management can be implemented simply and continuously.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a programmable logic controller, a programmable logic controller unit, a programmable logic controller management system, and a programmable logic controller system configured by applying the programmable logic controller management method according to the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of a CPU unit constituting the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of a base unit connected to the CPU unit shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an overall operation of a PLC unit including the CPU unit shown in FIG. 2 and the base unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process in which a CPU unit collects information from a basic I / O unit in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG. 1;

6 is a flowchart showing a process of reading information from a tool from a basic I / O unit collected by a CPU unit in the process shown in FIG. 5 from a tool and managing the information.

7 is a diagram showing a memory map of a shared memory area provided in a bus ASIC on the unit 2 side which is the high-performance I / O unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing of a CPU unit and a high-performance I / O unit when power is turned on in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing production information reading processing by a tool in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing production information writing processing by a tool in the programmable logic controller system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a view showing a display example of model information, production information / maintenance information of each unit on the tool shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 unit (CPU unit) 2 unit (high-performance I / O unit) 3 unit (basic I / O unit) 11 microcomputer (microcomputer) 12 memory 13 bus ASIC 21 microcomputer (microcomputer) 22 nonvolatile memory 23 bus ASIC 33 External I / O terminal 34 Code information setting port 40 System bus 50 Tool 60 Rule cable 110 CPU unit 111 Microprocessor unit (MPU) 112 Memory (SROM) 113 Memory (WKM) 115 ASIC 117 ASIC 118 Memory (UM) 122 Data memory (IOM) 124 INNER board 125 Microprocessor unit (MPU) 130 Base unit 131 Advanced PCU unit 132 Advanced I / O unit 133 Basic I / O unit 134 ASIC 135,136 ASIC 137 ASIC

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (54) [Title of the Invention] Programmable logic controller, programmable logic controller unit, programmable logic controller management system, and programmable logic controller management method

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A programmable logic controller comprising a plurality of units, wherein information is stored in an arbitrary unit of the plurality of units, and at least one of the plurality of units includes:
A programmable logic controller comprising information collecting means for collecting information stored in any of the above units. 2. Communication means for communicating with another unit, information collecting means for collecting information of the other unit via the communication means, and output means for outputting information collected by the information collecting means. A unit of a programmable logic controller characterized by that: 3. A storage means for storing information relating to the unit by writing the information from the outside, and a means for transmitting the information stored in the storage means to another unit by receiving a read command. A programmable logic controller unit characterized by the following. 4. A management system for a programmable logic controller comprising a plurality of units, wherein an arbitrary unit among the plurality of units has set information, and at least one unit among the plurality of units. Is
An information collection unit for collecting information set in the arbitrary unit; and a tool unit connected to any of the plurality of units and managing the information collected by the one unit. And a programmable logic controller management system. 5. A management system for a programmable logic controller composed of a plurality of units, wherein, among the plurality of units, an arbitrary unit includes storage means for storing information of the arbitrary unit. At least one unit of the
An information collection unit for collecting information stored in the storage unit of the arbitrary unit; further connected to one of a plurality of units;
A management system for a programmable logic controller, comprising tool means for managing information by reading out information collected by one unit and rewriting information stored in any one of the units. 6. A method for managing a system of a programmable logic controller comprising a plurality of units, wherein profile information is written and stored in an arbitrary unit of the plurality of units, and stored in the arbitrary unit. A method for managing a programmable logic controller, comprising collecting and reading out profile information obtained.