JP2001117609A - Sequence control simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool for easily confirming a mechanical system operation, without preparing complicated control system program requiring labor and time. SOLUTION: A time chart under sequence control is prepared on the screen of a personal computer 1, and the arbitrary destination of skip is set on the time axis. Next, waveform signal data based on the time chart and the destination of skip are transferred to a control unit 2, and when a start switch 25 is pressed, a waveform signal is port-outputted from a parallel interface circuit 24, and outputting equipment 27 starts to operate, and inputting equipment 26 is operated, while being linked with the operation, and a trigger is generated. Then, the time axis of a time chart for outputting the waveform signal is skipped to the next destination of skip.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sequence control simulator for simulating a controlled object to check its input / output operation.

[0002]

In the conventional contact sequence control, a large number of electromagnetic relays are used, so that the power consumption is large, the device is large, the movable contact portion needs to be replaced due to wear, and the operation speed is low. There were problems such as slowness. Further, when changing the control content, it is necessary to change the wiring, exchange control devices, or add control devices.

For this reason, non-contact sequence control using a semiconductor switch without a movable contact portion is becoming mainstream. In the non-contact sequence control, the control system can be changed simply by modifying the control system program without disconnecting the control system from the mechanical system, changing wiring, replacing control equipment, or adding a control system.

In the non-contact sequence control, since all operations are controlled by a program, the apparatus cannot be operated unless a control system program is completed. For this reason, before combining the control system and the mechanical system, it is necessary to separately create a test program in order to check the operation of the mechanical system in advance and adjust the mounting position of the sensor and the like. In addition, when a failure occurs due to a combination of the control system and the mechanical system, a test program for determining the cause is also required.

However, a control program such as a ladder language has a complicated logic and requires considerable experience and specialized knowledge to be used. Therefore, it is difficult to create such a program. Also, it is not easy to modify or change the program.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tool which can easily confirm the operation of a mechanical system without creating a complicated program for a control system which requires time and effort.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

That is, a control unit is connected to an external interface of a computer, a time chart creating means for creating a sequence control time chart on a screen, and an arbitrary skip destination are set on the time axis of the time chart. Skip destination setting means, and waveform signal data transfer means for transferring the waveform signal data based on the time chart and the skip destination to the control unit, wherein the control unit receives the waveform signal data and stores it in the memory. A waveform signal data storage unit for storing, a waveform signal output unit for reading the waveform signal data and outputting a waveform signal for turning on / off a signal level along a time axis of a time chart, and detecting an external trigger input. Trigger input detecting means, and when the trigger input is detected, the waveform A skip means for skipping time axis of the time chart for outputting No. to the skip destination,
Is a sequence control simulator comprising:

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a sequence control simulator embodying the present invention. The sequence control simulator connects the personal computer 1 and the control unit 2 to the RS-23
Connect via 2C cable 3.

The control unit 2 is connected to a bus of the CPU 21 by:
A serial interface circuit 22 for performing bidirectional data communication with the personal computer 1 and an R for storing programs and data;
The AM / ROM 23 is connected to a parallel interface circuit 24 for exchanging data with an external device. The parallel interface circuit 24 includes a start switch 25 for starting control, an input device 26 such as a switch or a sensor, and a motor or solenoid. A connector 28 for pin-connecting the output device 27 to an LED 29 for displaying the status of a power supply, a switch, a port and the like is connected.

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of a personal computer embodying the present invention. The personal computer 1 includes a time chart creating unit 110 for creating a sequence control time chart on the screen, a skip destination setting unit 120 for setting an arbitrary skip destination on the time axis of the time chart, and a waveform based on the time chart and the skip destination. It comprises a waveform signal data transfer means 130 for transferring signal data to the control unit 2.

The time chart creating means 110 creates a time chart as shown in FIG. When creating a time chart, the time axis 1
Waveform signal data is created while specifying a time per graduation (for example, 1 to 10 ms), an output channel, and the like, and specifying a time point at which the signal level is turned on / off. When creating pulse signal data, the pulse signal data is created by designating the length (time) of the entire pulse, the ON time and the OFF time of the pulse, and the like.

The skip destination setting means 120 sets arbitrary skip destinations t1 and t2 by moving the mouse pointer to the time axis of the time chart.

The waveform signal data transfer means 130 connects the control unit 2 to the personal computer 1 via the RS-232C cable 3 and controls the personal computer 1 for transferring the waveform signal data based on the time chart and the skip destination to the control unit 2. The unit 2 is connected only when transferring waveform signal data, and the sequence control is performed by the control unit 2 alone.

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of a control unit embodying the present invention. The control unit 2 is a personal computer 1
A waveform signal data storage means 210 for receiving the waveform signal data of the above and storing it in the RAM / ROM 23, and a parallel interface for reading the stored waveform signal data and turning on / off the signal level along the time axis of the timing chart. A waveform signal output means 220 for outputting a port to the circuit 24, and a trigger input detecting means 2 for detecting a trigger input which is input to the port from the parallel interface circuit 24
30 and a skip means 240 for skipping a time axis of a time chart for outputting a waveform signal when a trigger input is detected to a preset skip destination.

Upon detecting the trigger input, the skip means 240 skips the time axis of the time chart for outputting the waveform signal to a skip destination set at a subsequent time. That is, when a trigger input is detected at T1 in FIG.
Skip to 1 and skip to the next t2 when detected at T2.

The sequence control simulator embodying the present invention is configured as described above. When performing control, a sequence control time chart is created on the screen of the personal computer 1 and an arbitrary skip destination is set on the time axis. I do. next,
The control unit 2 is connected to the external interface of the personal computer 1, and the transmission button on the screen is pressed to transfer the time chart and the waveform signal data based on the skip destination to the control unit 2. When the transfer of the waveform signal data is completed,
And the input device 26 and the output device 27 are connected to the connector 28 of the control unit 2. Here, when the start switch 25 is pressed, a waveform signal is output from the parallel interface circuit 24 as a port. When the port output of the waveform signal starts, an output device 27 such as a motor or a solenoid starts to move, and in conjunction with this movement, an input device 26 such as a switch or a sensor operates to generate a trigger. As a result, the time axis of the time chart that outputs the waveform signal skips to the next skip destination, and as a result, the flow of the time chart switches to the next control set in advance.

[0019]

As described above, the sequence control simulator of the present invention creates a sequence control time chart on the screen of a computer, and outputs a waveform signal for turning on / off the signal level based on the time chart. I do. Therefore, according to the present invention, a series of sequence controls can be easily performed only by creating a time chart without creating a difficult control system program that requires experience and expertise such as a ladder language. The operation of the system can be confirmed. Further, control contents can be easily changed only by rewriting the time chart. Further, since the control flow is expressed in a dual manner, it is easy to understand, the efficiency of the design work is improved, and errors are reduced.

Further, the sequence control simulator of the present invention, when detecting a trigger input, skips a time axis of a time chart for outputting a waveform signal to a preset skip destination. Therefore, according to the present invention, not only the fixed sequence control in which the control steps are sequentially advanced according to a predetermined order, but also the next step to be performed in response to the elapse of a fixed time or a trigger input of a switch or a sensor, etc. Since variable sequence control for determining an operation and proceeding to the next stage can also be performed, it can be widely applied to various forms of controlled objects.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a sequence control simulator embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a personal computer embodying the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a control unit implementing the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an example of a time chart embodying the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 personal computer 2 control unit 21 CPU 22 serial interface circuit 23 RAM / ROM 24 parallel interface circuit 25 start switch 26 input device 27 output device 28 connector 29 LED 3 RS-232C cable 110 time chart creating means 120 skip destination setting means 130 waveform signal Data transfer means 210 Waveform signal data storage means 220 Waveform signal output means 230 Trigger input detection means 240 Skip means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A control unit connected to an external interface of a computer, a time chart creating means for creating a sequence control time chart on a screen, and an arbitrary skip destination set on a time axis of the time chart. And a waveform signal data transfer means for transferring waveform signal data based on the time chart and the skip destination to the control unit, wherein the control unit receives the waveform signal data and stores the waveform signal data in a memory. A waveform signal data storage unit for storing, a waveform signal output unit for reading the waveform signal data and outputting a waveform signal for turning on / off a signal level along a time axis of a time chart, and detecting an external trigger input Trigger input detection means, and when the trigger input is detected, the waveform signal And a skip means for skipping the time axis of the time chart for outputting the data to the skip destination.