JP2001312418A - Device and method for supporting debugging of sequence program for programmable controller and computer- readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To find an error of a sequence program ealier by checking the used number range of devices in use during simulation when the sequence program is simulated by a personal computer, etc. SOLUTION: The range of device numbers used in the sequence program is previously set and while the sequence program is simulated and debugged, it is decided whether or not a set device number exceeds the range of the device numbers when the set range of the device numbers is exceeded, an alarm including information specifying the device is outputted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a debugging support apparatus and a debugging support method for simulating and debugging a sequence program used in a programmable controller on a computer such as a personal computer, and a computer-readable recording. It is about media.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a sequence program used in a programmable controller, a sequence program programmed on a screen in a ladder chart format is known. A conventional example of a debugging method of this type of sequence program by simulation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows “value 123 at 100 points from device D0 to device D99, and device W9 from device W0 to device W9.
Substitute a value 789 for 10 points of the sequence program ".

In FIG. 9, (1) sets "0" to an index device Z, and (2) uses devices D0, D1, D1,.
..., the value 123 is substituted for D99. Device D0Z
Is a device obtained by adding an offset for Z from D0. For example, when the value of Z is “0”, the device D0 is
When the value of Z is "50", it is a device representing the device D50. In (1), “0” is substituted for Z, and in (2) INC
Since the value of Z is incremented by one by the instruction, the device D0
Z changes devices D0, D1,..., And the value 123 is assigned to each device. The sequence program shown in FIG. 9 is (3) and (2)
Similarly to the above, this program is created considering that the value 789 is substituted into the devices W0 to W9.

[0004]

However, when the above-described sequence program is operated by simulation, the value 789 is not substituted from the device W0 to the device W9, and the value 789 is incorrectly substituted from the device W100 to the device W109. Does not work as specified.

The reason for this is that the index device Z has not been initialized before (3) in FIG. 9. Even if the sequence program does not operate as specified, the simulation operates normally. . For this reason, the debug operator needs to review the sequence program again by himself and follow the program one by one to find out where the cause is.

[0006] The conventional simulation aims to emulate a real machine sequencer. Therefore, as described above, if a program operates within the device range existing in the programmable controller, the program can operate as specified by the program creator. Even if it wasn't working, no error occurred. Therefore, in order to check why the operation did not work as specified, the program creator needs to review the sequence program again and follow the program one by one to find out where the cause is. For this reason,
A lot of man-hours were required to debug the sequence program.

Particularly, in the case of a sequence program using an index device, "W0
Since only Z is described, it is difficult to verify that the W device is operating within the specification range only by reviewing the program. In addition, the index device can be used to modify the index of different devices at multiple locations in the circuit. Since Z is used, it takes a very long time to visually find out where a device in a device range different from the specification has been used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. When a sequence program is simulated by a personal computer or the like, the use number range of a device to be used is checked during the simulation, and the error of the sequence program It is an object to obtain a debugging support device and a debugging support method that enable the user to quickly find a computer, and a computer-readable recording medium.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a debugging support apparatus for a sequence program for a programmable controller according to the present invention sets a device number range to be used in a sequence program in advance, and executes the sequence program. In the process of simulating and debugging, it is determined whether the used device number exceeds the set device number range. If the used device number exceeds the set device number range, information identifying the device is used. Is output.

In the debugging support apparatus for a sequence program for a programmable controller according to the next invention, the information for specifying the device is a step number, a corresponding device name, and a corresponding device number in the sequence program including the corresponding device. A warning message is output to the display and displayed on the screen.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for supporting debugging of a sequence program for a programmable controller according to the present invention, wherein a range of device numbers used in the sequence program is set in advance, and the sequence program is simulated for debugging. In the process of performing, a determination is made as to whether the used device number has exceeded the set device number range, and if it has exceeded the set device number range, a warning output including information identifying the device has been output. Is what you do.

In the debugging support method for a sequence program for a programmable controller according to the next invention, the information for specifying the device is a step number, a corresponding device name, and a corresponding device number in the sequence program including the corresponding device. A warning message is output to the display and displayed on the screen.

In order to achieve the above object, a computer readable recording medium according to the present invention has a process of setting a device number range used in a sequence program in advance, and simulating and debugging the sequence program. In the process, it is determined whether or not the used device number exceeds the set device number range, and if the used device number exceeds the set device number range, a warning output including information specifying the device is performed. In a computer.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of a debugging support apparatus and a debugging support method for a sequence program for a programmable controller according to the present invention, and a computer-readable recording medium will be described in detail below. I do.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a debugging support apparatus according to the present invention. This debugging support device is realized by a personal computer or a programmable controller peripheral device. The debug support device includes a CPU 10, a memory 11, an auxiliary storage device 12,
Keyboard interface unit 13, display output interface unit 14, keyboard interface unit 13
, And a display 16 such as a CRT connected to the display output interface unit 14.

The memory 11 includes a program memory unit 17
And a device memory unit 18 for holding a device value
And The program memory unit 17 includes a simulation program 17A for simulating a sequence program, a device range setting program 17B for setting a device number range based on the specifications of the sequence program, and a device for checking the device number range during execution of the simulation program. A range check program 17C is stored. These programs are executed by the CPU 10, and by executing the programs, simulation program executing means,
Device range setting means and device range checking means are implemented.

The auxiliary storage device 12 stores a sequence program 12A to be simulated and a device range setting storage file 12B for storing range data of the device number set by the device range setting means.

Next, an example of the sequence program 12A to be simulated will be described with reference to FIG. Sequence program 12A shown in FIG.
Is the same as the sequence program of FIG. 9 shown in the conventional example. The sequence program 12A reads “device D0
The value 123 is assigned to 100 points from to the device D99, and the value 789 is assigned to 10 points from the device W0 to the device W9. "

This sequence program 12A is:
In (1), “0” is set to the index device Z,
In (2), the value 123 is substituted for the devices D0, D1,..., D99 using the index-modified device D0Z, and in (3), the values are assigned to the devices W0 to W9 in the same manner as in (2). By substituting 789, it is a program created with consideration.

Next, a sequence program debugging (simulation) procedure will be described. First, before starting the simulation, the device range setting program 17B is executed to set the device range used in the sequence program. Next, the sequence program is executed by the simulation program 17A on the debug support device (personal computer).

During the execution of the simulation, the device range check program 17C is called and executed, and the device range used in the sequence program being simulated is checked with reference to the device range set by the device range setting program 17B. In this check, if the device number (device number) in the sequence program exceeds the set number range,
As illustrated in FIG. 6, as information for specifying the device, a step number (step No.), a corresponding device name, and a corresponding device number (device No.) in the sequence program including the corresponding device together with a warning message. A process for displaying on the display 16 is performed.

The debug operator finds a defective portion of the sequence program from the display as shown in FIG. 6, repairs the sequence program, executes the simulation program again, and repeats the debugging of the sequence program. be able to. The device range setting will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This program is started when the debug operator inputs a start command of the device range setting program 17B from the keyboard 15.

By executing the device range setting program 17B, a setting screen for inputting a device number range as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display 16 (step S301). The device number range setting is individually performed by the debug operator on the setting screen display by keyboard input for each of the devices D, W, and M based on the design specifications of the sequence program 12A.

When the OK button (save button) on the setting screen is clicked or pressed (step S302), it is checked whether the device name and device number have been correctly entered (step S303). If the input data is incorrect, an error message is displayed (step S304), and the process returns to step S301 to repeat the same processing.

If the input data is correct, the input device name and device number range are stored in the device range setting storage file 12B of the auxiliary storage device 12 (step S305), and the device range setting program 17B ends. Note that even if the cancel button (end button) on the setting screen is clicked or pressed, the device range setting program 17B ends.

Next, regarding the execution of the simulation,
This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This program is started when the debug operator inputs a start command of the simulation program 17A from the keyboard 15. By executing the simulation program 17A, first, the sequence program 12A in the auxiliary storage device 12 is read (step S501).

It is determined whether or not the processing branches according to an instruction in the sequence program 12A (step S).
502). The processing branches depending on the instruction in the sequence program 12A. In this case, “M” in FIG.
The description will proceed with an example of the operation when “OV K789 W0Z” is executed.

It is checked whether or not the argument of the instruction includes an index-modified device (step S503).
Since “W0Z” is index-modified, the value of Z is read from the device memory unit 18 (step S504), and “0 + Z” is performed. Is calculated (step S505). At the time when (2) in FIG. 2 is executed, the value of Z in the device memory unit 18 is “100”.
Changes to W100, W101,...

Next, the device range check program 17C is called and executed to check the device range of the device to which the device number is assigned (step S).
506). The device range check here will be described later.

Receiving the result of the device range check,
If OK (Yes at step S507), the device No.
The value 789 is written to the device memory unit 18 indicated by (step S508). On the other hand, if the device range check is not OK (No at Step S507), as illustrated in FIG. , Device name, device No. Is displayed on the display 16 together with the warning message (step S509).

When executing “MOV 789 W0Z”,
W0Z becomes W100, which exceeds the range set by the device range setting program 17B. Therefore, the device range check does not become OK, and a message as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed. Then, when the END instruction is reached, the execution ends.

Next, the device range check will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The device range check program 17C is called as a subroutine from step S506 of the simulation program 17A, and first reads a device range that has been set and stored in advance from the device range setting storage file 12B (step S701). Next, the device No. Is checked by comparing the magnitudes in the device range (step S702). If it is within the range, OK is returned to the simulation program 17A (step S70).
3) If out of range, simulation program 1
NG is returned to 7A (step S704).

When a warning display as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display 16 during the simulation of the sequence program as described above, the debug operator
The displayed step No. , Device name, device N
o. Thus, a defective portion of the sequence program can be easily identified, and the operation can be smoothly shifted to the repair work.

In the case of this embodiment, it is understood from the display contents of FIG. 6 that W100 was used in step S22. This indicates that Z has become 100, that is, it can be understood that the cause is that the index device Z has not been initialized. The debug worker
Before step 22, a repair work is performed by inputting an instruction for initializing the index device Z (see FIG. 8).
The operation is confirmed by simulation.

The debugging support method described in the present embodiment can be realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. This program can be distributed via the recording medium and a network such as the Internet.

[0036]

As can be understood from the above description, according to the debugging support apparatus for a sequence program for a programmable controller according to the present invention, the range of device numbers used in the sequence program is set in advance, and the sequence program is simulated. During the debugging process, it is determined whether the used device number exceeds the set device number range. If the used device number exceeds the set device number range, the device identification information is included. Since the warning is output, the debug operator can quickly detect and debug an error in the sequence program.

According to the debugging support apparatus of the sequence program for the programmable controller according to the next invention, the step number, the corresponding device name, and the corresponding device number in the sequence program including the corresponding device are displayed together with the warning message as information for specifying the device. Since the displayed information is displayed, the debug operator can quickly identify the location of the error in the sequence program and perform the debugging by looking at the displayed information.

According to the method for supporting debugging of a sequence program for a programmable controller according to the next invention, the range of device numbers to be used in the sequence program is set in advance, and in the process of simulating the sequence program for debugging, the device number to be used is Determines whether or not the number exceeds the set device number range, and if it exceeds the set device number range, outputs a warning including information identifying the device. In addition, it is possible to quickly detect an error in the sequence program and to perform debugging, which has the effect of shortening the debugging time of the sequence program.

According to the debugging support method of the sequence program for a programmable controller according to the next invention, the step number, the corresponding device name, and the corresponding device number in the sequence program including the corresponding device are displayed together with the warning message as information for specifying the device. Since the displayed information is displayed, the debug operator can quickly identify the location of the error in the sequence program and perform debugging by looking at the displayed information, which has the effect of shortening the time required for debugging the sequence program.

According to the computer-readable recording medium of the next invention, the range of device numbers used in the sequence program is set in advance, and the sequence program is simulated and debugged.
The computer determines whether or not the used device number exceeds the set device number range. If the used device number exceeds the set device number range, the computer performs a process of outputting a warning including information specifying the device. Since the program to be executed is recorded, the recorded program is executed by a computer, so that a debugger can quickly detect an error in the sequence program and perform debugging. This has the effect of reducing debugging work time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a debugging support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a ladder diagram showing an example of a sequence program for explaining the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a device range setting routine in the debugging support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a device range setting screen in the debugging support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a simulation process of a sequence program in the debug support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a warning display screen in the debugging support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a device range check routine in the debugging support device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a ladder diagram showing a state after repairing a defect of a sequence program.

FIG. 9 is a ladder diagram showing a sequence program for explaining a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 CPU, 11 memory, 12 auxiliary storage device, 1
2A sequence program, 12B device range setting file, 13 keyboard interface unit, 14 display output interface unit, 15 keyboard, 16 display, 17 program memory unit, 17
A simulation program, 17B device range setting program, 17C device range check program, 18 device memory section.

Claims (5)

[Claims] In a process of setting a range of device numbers to be used in a sequence program in advance and simulating and debugging the sequence program, it is determined whether or not a used device number exceeds a set device number range. A debugging support apparatus for a sequence program for a programmable controller, which performs a determination and outputs a warning including information specifying the device when the device number exceeds a set device number range. 2. The information for specifying a device is a step number in a sequence program including the relevant device, a relevant device name, and a relevant device number. These information and a warning message are output to a display and displayed on a screen. 2. The debugging support apparatus for a sequence program for a programmable controller according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a range of device numbers used in the sequence program is set in advance, and in a process of simulating and debugging the sequence program, whether the used device number exceeds the set device number range. A method for assisting debugging of a sequence program for a programmable controller, comprising: performing a determination and outputting a warning including information specifying the device when the device number exceeds a set device number range. 4. The information for specifying a device is a step number in a sequence program including the relevant device, a relevant device name, and a relevant device number. These information and a warning message are output to a display and displayed on a screen. 4. The debugging support method for a sequence program for a programmable controller according to claim 3, wherein: 5. A process for setting a range of device numbers to be used in a sequence program in advance and simulating and debugging a sequence program to determine whether a used device number exceeds a set device number range. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a program for causing a computer to execute a process of outputting a warning including information specifying the device when the determination is made and a device number exceeds a set range. .