JP2001243059A - Control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To operate the writing or rewriting work of a control program without stopping the operation of a controller or each peripheral equipment even when a system is operating, and to improve memory efficiency. SOLUTION: When peripheral equipment 2 is newly added, a software managing means 5 for peripheral equipment of a controller 1 copies a control program for peripheral equipment stored in a back-up memory 17 to a program memory 9, and copies the data of a parameter memory 18 to a data memory 11. Then, the controller 1 controls the peripheral equipment 2 by using the control program copied to the program memory 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control system used in plant facilities such as a steel plant and a papermaking plant, assembly facilities in the automobile industry, and public facilities such as water and sewage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of control system has
A plurality of peripheral devices installed at each site are assigned to one control device, and the control device comprehensively manages each of these peripheral devices and performs a collective control. This control device stores the contents of a control program for each peripheral device in its own memory, and controls each peripheral device with reference to the control program.
Therefore, when a new peripheral device is additionally installed in the control system, the content of the control program for the new peripheral device also needs to be written in the memory of the control device. Further, even in the case of an existing peripheral device, the content of the control program is often changed. In such a case, it is necessary to rewrite the memory in the control device with the content of a new control program.

[0003]

However, the control device in the conventional control system includes a case where a control program for an added peripheral device is written into a memory and a content of a control program for an existing peripheral device which is written into the memory. Must be performed at the time of starting the system, and if the system is already operating, it is necessary to temporarily stop the operation. For this reason, this has been one of the causes of lowering the operation efficiency of the system.

Further, since a control device having a certain degree of versatility has been used as a control device in a conventional control system, unnecessary control programs that are not actually used are also stored in a memory. This has resulted in a decrease in memory efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and allows a control program to be written or rewritten without stopping the operation of a control device and each peripheral device even while the system is operating. It is another object of the present invention to provide a control system capable of improving memory efficiency.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system comprising: a plurality of peripheral devices installed in a system; and a control device for controlling the peripheral devices. The control device has a program memory in which data for controlling each peripheral device is stored, executes control for each peripheral device based on reading of the program memory, and is stored in the program memory. In the control system, which has software management means for the peripheral device that manages the data content, each of the peripheral devices has a backup memory in which data on its own control content is stored, When detecting a newly installed peripheral device, the software management means for the peripheral device stores the backup memory of the peripheral device. Is intended to write over data in the control program memory, characterized in that.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the peripheral device software management means includes:
When there is not enough space in the program memory, instead of writing the data in the backup memory to the program memory, the data in the backup memory is directly read to control the peripheral devices. It is characterized by.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the peripheral device software management means refers to version information on data stored in a backup memory of each of the peripheral devices. When it is determined that the data content has been changed, the data in the backup memory of the peripheral device is written to the program memory.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the peripheral device software management means issues a request to change the contents of a control program for a certain peripheral device. When received from an external information processing device, control program data sent from the information processing device is written in the program memory.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, when the peripheral device software management means detects a newly removed peripheral device, the peripheral device software management means detects the peripheral device. Program data for controlling the device is to be deleted from the program memory,
It is characterized by the following.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the control device 1
The peripheral device 2 is connected via a bus 3. The control device 1 has a CPU bus 4 connected to the bus 3. The CPU bus 4 has a peripheral device software management unit 5, a system memory 6, and a program memory 7 formed in the CPU. To 10, a data memory 11, and an interface 12 are connected. Although only one peripheral device 2 is shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of peripheral devices 2 are actually connected to the control device 1.

The CPU controls the whole of the control device 1, and the peripheral device software management means 5 formed in the CPU adds or deletes a new peripheral device 2 as described later. The management work is performed when the contents are changed or when the content of the control program of the peripheral device 2 is changed. The system memory 6
The program memory 7 is a memory for storing an operation program, and the program memory 7 is a memory for storing data on a control procedure of the entire control device 1. The program memory 8 is a memory that stores a peripheral device addition program which is a program for determining a procedure for adding a control program for a peripheral device 2 when there is a newly added peripheral device. The program memory 9 is a memory for storing peripheral device control software including control program data and the like, which are control contents of each peripheral device 2.
The program memory 10 is a memory that stores a peripheral device deletion program, which is a program for determining a procedure for deleting a control program of the peripheral device 2 when the peripheral device 2 is deleted. The data memory 11 is a memory for storing data of a peripheral device management table including various items necessary for managing each peripheral device 2.

The control device 1 is capable of exchanging data with the input / output device 13 via the interface 12, and is provided with an external information processing device via the interface 12 and the communication line 14. Both 15 can exchange data.

The peripheral device 2 is an I / O connected to the bus 3
A backup memory 17, a parameter memory 18, and a reference memory 19 are connected to the I / O bus 16. The parameter memory 18 and the reference memory 19 are provided in the peripheral device 2 of the conventional system, and are new components in which the backup memory 17 is not provided in the conventional system.

The backup memory 17 is a memory in which data on the control contents of the peripheral device 2, that is, a control program is stored. Parameter memory 18
Is a memory in which data including various items necessary for managing the peripheral device 2 and substantially corresponding to the data items stored in the data memory 11 is stored. The reference memory 19 stores input / output data during operation of the peripheral device 2. The control device 1 controls the peripheral device 2 while referring to the reference memory 19.

FIG. 2 shows a data memory 11 in the control device 1.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a detailed configuration of the embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 11a denotes a slot position address memory for storing data on the slot position of the peripheral device 2, reference numeral 11b denotes a type memory for storing data on what kind of peripheral device 2 is, 11c is a program number memory for storing data on the program number of the peripheral device control software stored in the program memory 9, and reference numeral 11d is data on the head address of the peripheral device control software stored in the program memory 9. 11e is a size memory for storing data on the size of the peripheral device control software stored in the program memory 9, and 11f is an address for the reference memory 19 of the peripheral device 2. Reference memory address memory, 11g is a version memory for storing peripheral device control software version information.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a detailed configuration of the parameter memory 18 in the peripheral device 2. As is apparent from a comparison between FIG. 3 and FIG. 2, the type of the memory in FIG. 3 has contents substantially corresponding to the memory in FIG. Therefore, description of the memories 18a to 18e is the same as that of FIG.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. Here, the outline of the operation will be described.
Operates based on the operation program stored in the CPU 1. When the control device 1 is started, the CPU
Executes a program instruction based on the control program stored in the program memory 7. And CPU
Transmits / receives data to / from the input / output device 13 through the interface 12 and performs program control for the peripheral device 2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of this embodiment. In this figure, when the system is first started, a start process of program control is started based on the operation program stored in the system memory 6 (step 1), and then the control program of the control device 1 stored in the program memory 7 is started. , A normal program control process is started (step 2).

Then, the peripheral device software management means 5 determines whether or not the peripheral device 2 is newly mounted (step 3). If it is determined that the peripheral device 2 is newly mounted, it is stored in the program memory 8. Based on the peripheral device addition program, a process for adding a peripheral device control program is performed (step 4). That is, the peripheral device software management unit 5 checks the type memory 18 a of the parameter memory 18 and performs processing such as copying the control program stored in the backup memory 17 to the program memory 9. The details of the processing in step 4 will be described later with reference to FIG. If the peripheral device software management means 5 determines that there is no newly installed peripheral device, it immediately proceeds to the next step.

Next, the peripheral device software management means 5 determines whether or not there is a removed peripheral device (step 5). If it is determined that there is a removed peripheral device, it is stored in the program memory 10. Based on the peripheral device deletion program, a process for deleting the peripheral device control program is performed (step 6). That is, the parameter memory 18
And the data memory 11, and the data memory 11
Of the program memory 9
From the corresponding control program. If the peripheral device software management means 5 determines that there is no peripheral device that has been removed, it immediately proceeds to the next step.

Next, the peripheral device software management means 5 determines whether or not a unit program has been added to the control program of the peripheral device 2, that is, whether or not the data content of a part of the control program has been changed. (Step 7). This determination can be made by referring to the data in the version memory 18e of the parameter memory 18. If it is determined that the data content has been changed, processing such as adding a unit program is performed (step 8), and the data content of the control program of the peripheral device 2 stored in the program memory 9 is rewritten.

Next, the peripheral device software management means 5 determines whether or not there is a request for replacement of the peripheral device control software stored in the program memory 9 from the external information processing device 15 (step 9). ). If it is determined that the replacement request has been received, the control program for the peripheral device stored in the program memory 9 is transferred to the information processing device 15 via the communication line 14.
(Step 10).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the peripheral device control program adding process in step 4 in FIG. In this figure, first, the software management means 5 for the peripheral device stores the program memory 8
Is started (step 4-1), and it is determined whether the type of the newly installed peripheral device is already registered or not in the type memory of the data memory 11. 11b and the type memory 18a of the parameter memory 18 are compared (step 4-2).

If "NO" is determined in step 4-2, the peripheral device software management means 5 determines whether or not the memory capacity of the program memory 9 has a margin (step 4--2). 3). If it is determined that there is enough time, the control program of the peripheral device 2 stored in the backup memory 17 is copied to the program memory 9 and the contents of the parameter memory 18 are newly set in the data memory 11. (Step 4-5).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the memory capacity of the program memory 9 is not enough, the peripheral device software management means 5 only sets the contents of the parameter memory 18 in the data memory 11 (step S1). 4-
6). When the CPU of the control device 1 controls the peripheral device 2, the control program stored in the backup memory 17 is directly read.

If "YES" is determined in step 4-2, that is, if a device of the same type as the newly added peripheral device 2 is already mounted, the peripheral device software management means 5 Next, the version memory 18e, 1
By comparing each data of 1 g, it is determined whether or not the newly added peripheral device 2 is of a newer version than that of the already mounted peripheral device 2 (step 4-).
7).

If the newly added peripheral device 2 is a newer version, the control program of the peripheral device which is already stored in the program memory 9 is deleted, and then the newly added peripheral device 2 is deleted. Peripheral device 2
The control program stored in the backup memory 17 is copied to the program memory 9 (step 4-
8). The peripheral device software management means 5 newly sets the contents of the parameter memory 18 in the data memory 11 (step 4-9).

On the other hand, when the newly added peripheral device 2 is an older version than the already mounted peripheral device, only the slot position is newly set in the data memory 11 and the memory 11b to 11g is set. Makes the data of the already mounted peripheral device be copied as it is (step 4-10). For example, assuming that the slot position of the peripheral device already mounted is “0031H”, the slot position of the newly added peripheral device 2 is set as “0032H”, and the fields of the memories 11b to 11g are set to “0031H”. Is copied as it is.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the program control process in step 2 in FIG. After the processing of steps 3 to 10, the CPU of the control device 1 determines that there is a control program for inputting / outputting to / from a peripheral device (step 2-1).
The control program stored in the program memory 7 is started. The started control program requests the operation program stored in the system memory 6 to perform processing using the slot position, program number, and input / output data as parameters. The operation program requested to perform processing refers to the data memory 11 for the slot position and program number received from the control program, and determines whether or not these are registered (step 2-2). If registered, the operation program sets these parameters,
The start address memory 11d is read, the program jumps to the start address of the peripheral device control program, and the peripheral device control program is started (step 2-3). The started peripheral device control program, based on the input / output data received from the operation program, refers to the reference memory 1.
9 to input / output data to / from peripheral devices (step 2-4).

According to the configuration of FIG. 1 described above, even if the peripheral device 2 is newly added during the operation of the system, the peripheral device software management means 5 of the control device 1 will
Since the control program for the peripheral device stored in the backup memory 17 can be copied to the program memory 9, the control device 1 can register the added peripheral device 2 without stopping the operation. it can.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operating efficiency of the system from being reduced due to the added peripheral device 2 as in the conventional system.

In addition, according to the configuration of FIG. 1, since only the data of the control program for the peripheral device that is actually used need be stored in the program memory 9, the memory efficiency can be improved.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, each peripheral device is provided with a backup memory in which data on its own control contents is stored, and the software management means for the peripheral device of the control device is newly provided. When a peripheral device installed in the peripheral device is detected, the data in the backup memory of the peripheral device is written to the program memory. Therefore, even when the system is operating, the operation of the control device and each peripheral device must be stopped. In addition, the control program can be written or rewritten without the need for the control program, and the memory efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a data memory 11 in the control device 1 in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a parameter memory 18 in the control device 1 in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a peripheral device control program adding process in step 4 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of a program control process in step 2 in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 control device 2 peripheral device 3 bus 4 CPU bus 5 peripheral device software management means 6 system memory 7 program memory 8 program memory 9 program memory 10 program memory 11 data memory 11a slot position address memory 11b type memory 11c program number memory 11d Start address memory 11e Size memory 11f Reference memory address memory 11g Version memory 12 Interface 13 I / O device 14 Communication line 15 Information processing device 16 I / O bus 17 Backup memory 18 Parameter memory 18a Type memory 18b Program number memory 18c Start address memory 18d size memory 18e version memory 19 reference memory

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A system comprising: a plurality of peripheral devices installed in a system; and a control device for controlling the peripheral devices, wherein the control device stores data for controlling each of the peripheral devices. With program memory,
A control system for controlling each peripheral device based on the reading of the program memory and having software management means for the peripheral device for managing data contents stored in the program memory; Has a backup memory in which data on its own control contents is stored. When the peripheral device software management means detects a newly installed peripheral device, the backup memory of the peripheral device is detected. A control system for writing the data in the program memory. 2. The peripheral device software management means,
When there is not enough space in the program memory, the data in the backup memory is directly read out instead of writing the data in the backup memory to the program memory to control the peripheral devices. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The software management means for a peripheral device,
Referring to the version information of the data stored in the backup memory of each of the peripheral devices, and writing the data of the backup memory of the peripheral device to the program memory when it is determined that the data content has been changed; The control system according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The peripheral device software management means includes:
When a request to change the content of the control program for a certain peripheral device is received from an external information processing device,
The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein control program data sent from the information processing device is written in the program memory. 5. The software management means for a peripheral device,
The method according to claim 1, wherein, when a newly removed peripheral device is detected, program data for controlling the peripheral device is deleted from the program memory. Control system.