JP2002297208A - Display device for control and its program and recording medium with the same program recorded - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a linkable display device for control without spending much time on setting even in a large-scaled control system. SOLUTION: An HMI ran time part 56 of a graphic control panel 5 stores the state of a device 21 or the state of a graphic operation panel 5 itself as variables, and displays pictures or accepts operations while updating the contents of the variables. Also, each graphic control panel 5 is provided with a project file storing part 57 and a variable opening part 58, and in the case of accepting access from another graphic control panel 5b to the variables, the variable opening part 58 permits the access from the other graphic control panel 5b to the variables as long as the graphic control panel 5b is previously registered in a project file and also the variables are set so as to be made open to the public.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system H
The present invention relates to a control display device used as an MI (Human Machine Interface), a program thereof, and a recording medium recording the program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, programmable logic
The controller (hereinafter abbreviated as PLC) is, for example,
It is widely used as a control device for controlling various target systems such as a belt conveyor type automatic assembling machine. Further, in recent years, with the complexity of the target system, a plurality of PLCs have been used in cooperation with each other. The display of data from each PLC or the control instruction to the PLC is performed not only by a control display device arranged in the vicinity of the PLC, for example, but also at a location away from these display devices. In some cases, a control system is constructed so that the control host computer installed in the PC can display or operate the computer.

As described above, when a plurality of PLCs are used in cooperation with each other, the PLCs 503 are conventionally connected to each other by a network 506 as in a control system 501 shown in FIG. In this configuration, the PLC 503 reads the state of the device 521 of the target system 502 into a predetermined memory area 531 and, while referring to the memory area, stores a memory based on a control program stored in advance such as a ladder program. Change the contents of the area. Further, the PLC 503 includes a memory area 531
Is written to each device 521, and each device 5
21 is controlled. The reading process, the control program execution, and the writing process are repeated at a predetermined cycle (scan time).
The states 21 are controlled according to the control program and the respective states. Further, a display device 505 is connected to each PLC 503, and the display device 505 is
Communicate with C503 to obtain the status of device 521,
In addition to displaying to the operator, a control instruction of the device 521 can be transmitted to the PLC 503 based on the instruction from the operator.

[0004] When the PLCs 503 operate in cooperation with each other, each PLC 503 has, as distribution settings, an address indicating a memory area (distribution source area) 532 in which the status of the device 521 is to be distributed, and a distribution trigger. Is set, and the PLC 503 of the distribution destination and the address indicating the memory area (delivery destination area) 533 are set.
Thus, the transmission source PLC 503 (503a)
Copies the contents of the distribution source area 532 to the distribution destination area 533 of the destination PLC 503 (503b) when the above trigger occurs. On the other hand, the PLC 503b serving as the transmission destination controls the device 521 based on the control program while referring to the distribution destination area 533. Thus, each PLC
503 can control all the devices 521 in the control system 501 in cooperation with each other by distributing necessary data.

However, when the PLCs 503 are connected to each other as in the control system 501, the PLC 503
The load on the computer increases, and it is necessary to employ a device with higher computational power. Specifically, when the PLC 503 does not communicate with another PLC 503, as described above, the PLC 503 repeatedly reads a state, executes a control program, and writes a state at a predetermined scan time. Is approximately constant and can be estimated almost exactly. Therefore, the calculation capability of the PLC 503 is as follows.
Although some allowance is provided, the calculation capability is set to such an extent that each of the above processes can be executed. As a result, in order for the PLC 503 to execute communication with the other PLC 503 in addition to the above-described processes, the other PLC 503 is required.
PLC 503 with greater computing capacity than when not communicating with
It is necessary to prepare.

Therefore, in recent years, like a control system 101 shown in FIG. 4, display devices 105 connected to each PLC 103 are connected to a local area network (LA).
N) A system connecting at 106 has been devised. Here, the display device 105 operates as an HMI of the control system 101, notifies the operator of the state of each device 121 of the target system 102 by a high-definition graphic display, and receives an operation from the operator. In order to respond at a sufficient speed, PLC1
The calculation capability is set to be higher than that of 03. Also,
No matter when you receive an operation, you can respond fast enough.
The margin of the computing capacity is set to be larger than that of the PLC 103.

As a result, the calculation capability of the display device 105 becomes
Even if the calculation capability is set to the same as the case where no communication is performed, communication with another display device 105 can be performed without any problem.
Thus, the display device 10 essential to the control system 101
5 connect each device 12 in the control system 101 as compared with the case where the PLCs 503 are connected to each other.
When the... Are operated in cooperation with each other, it is possible to reduce the computing capacity required for the entire control system.

The PLC 503 (103) often uses different communication protocols for data communication depending on the manufacturer or even the same company, depending on the background of the development from the sequencer using the relay. Therefore, a PLC connectable to a certain PLC 503
Reference numeral 503 tends to be limited to the same model. On the other hand, when the display devices 105 are connected to each other,
When the display device 105 sets a protocol between the devices to a predetermined protocol (common protocol) and the display device 105 mutually converts a protocol unique to the PLC 103 connected to the own device and the common protocol, the control system 101 PLCs 103 having different communication protocols can be easily mixed together. As a result, the display device 105
By connecting the components, it is possible to easily realize a large-scale system, that is, a system having a large number of components compared to the control system 501.

[0009]

However, in the control system 101 having the above configuration, the control system 501
In a manner similar to that described above, when each display device 105 tries to cooperate by distributing data to another display device 105, there is a problem that the setting of each display device 105 becomes complicated.

[0010] More specifically, as the scale of the control system 101 increases, the number of devices 121 to cooperate with each other also increases, and the number of display devices 105 to which the display device 105 distributes data also increases. As a result, when the distribution is set on each display device 105, the trouble of setting the address of the distribution destination and the distribution destination area increases as the scale increases.
In addition, when the scale increases, any of the members (103, 105, 121, etc.) of the control system 101 is often changed. In this case, it is necessary to change the distribution setting in each display device 105, which is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to realize a control display device capable of cooperating with a large-scale control system without troublesome setting. Is to do.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control display device capable of communicating with a display means for displaying a state of a device and another control display device. A control display device having communication means,
It is characterized by the following measures.

[0013] That is, a storage means for storing a project file in which a group of devices capable of communicating with the own device are registered in advance, and the contents of variables which can be specified by name are disclosed only to the devices registered in the project file. And a control means for controlling at least one of the variables so that the contents of the variables match the state of the device or the control display device itself.

In the control display device having the above-described configuration, a variable corresponding to the state of the device or the control display device and identifiable by name is provided. The state is controlled, or the content of the variable is updated in accordance with the state, so that the content of the variable matches the state. On the other hand, the variable disclosure means
Among the devices that can communicate with the own device, the variables are disclosed only to devices (regular devices) registered in advance in the project file, such as another control display device arranged on the same manufacturing line.

[0015] Thus, the authorized device can access the variables and acquire or change the status of the device or the control display device. Conversely, the variable disclosure means does not disclose the variable to a device that is not a legitimate device, so that unauthorized access from the device can be prevented.

Since the contents accessed by the other authorized devices are the contents of the variables, the operation of the control means for matching the contents of the variables with the above state depends on the presence or absence of the disclosure of the variables and the presence of the other authorized devices. Is the same regardless of the access.
Therefore, unlike the configuration of the related art in which a distribution destination is set to a device that manages data in order to distribute data required by another device, the operation of the device that manages data is changed without changing the operation of the device that manages the data. Change the device that refers to the data,
Or increase the number of such devices. As a result, since the legitimate devices cross-reference data, the trouble of setting each device can be reduced.

Regardless of the configuration, the setting for processing the data is indispensable on the side that refers to or changes the data. Therefore, by reducing the setting on the data management side, the time and effort for setting in the entire system is reduced.

In addition, since a variable can be specified by a name, when a legitimate device accesses by specifying an address such as a device address, and when the address is changed, when a reference address is changed in each device, Unlike the control display device, if the correspondence between variables and addresses is changed, it is not necessary to change the settings of other regular devices.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the control display device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the variable publishing means can set in advance whether or not to publish a variable of its own device. It is characterized by:

According to the above configuration, by setting the variable to be private by the variable disclosure means of the control display device, access can be denied even from a legitimate device. Even if the variable is set to public, access from devices not registered in the project file is denied. Therefore, it is possible to set whether or not variables can be disclosed without lowering the security.

The variable publishing means may set all the variables of the own device at once, but if it is possible to set disclosure / non-disclosure of a part of the variables, the variable disclosure means may determine whether the device is an authorized device or not. / The access right to the variable can be set more flexibly than in the case of judging that it is not disclosed.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the control display device according to the first or second aspect,
Among the above variables, the device variable includes a data area for storing the state of the corresponding device in a predetermined specific format regardless of the device model, and the control unit stores the device status in the specific format. It is characterized by accessing the data area by expressing.

In the above configuration, data indicating the status of the device is stored in a specific format in the data area of the device variable, regardless of the device model, and the control means controls the contents of the device variable expressed in the format. And the state of the corresponding device. Therefore, regardless of the device model, the data format when other authorized devices access the variables can be unified.

Incidentally, the control display device may be realized only by hardware, or may be realized by a computer executing a program. More specifically, the program according to the fourth aspect of the present invention causes a computer having display means capable of displaying the state of a device and communication means capable of communicating with another control display device to operate as a control display device. Storage means for storing a project file in which a device group capable of intercommunicating with the own device is registered in advance, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a name is assigned only to a device registered in the project file. A variable disclosing means for disclosing the content of a variable that can be specified in, and a control means for controlling at least one of the variables so that the content of the variable matches the state of the device or the control display device itself. It is a program for operating a computer. Further, the program is recorded on a recording medium according to a fifth aspect of the present invention.

When the program is executed by a computer, the computer operates as the control display device according to the first aspect. Therefore, as in claim 1,
Since legitimate devices safely cross-reference data, the trouble of setting each device can be reduced.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described below with reference to FIG. That is, the control system 1 according to the present embodiment includes, for example,
A system that is particularly preferably used when controlling a target system in which a plurality of PLCs cooperate with each other, such as when the target system is a belt conveyor type automatic assembling machine. As shown in the figure, the PLC 3 is connected to the PLC 3 via a PLC 3 that controls each device 21 of the target system 2 and a communication line 4 that communicates using a communication protocol unique to each PLC 3. A graphic connection panel (control display device) 5 operated by an operator of the target system 2 in the vicinity, and a connection L between the graphic control panels 5 by a common communication protocol.
An AN 6 and a control host computer 7 that is connected to the LAN 6 and that performs monitoring control or setting of the entire control system 1 from a location farther than the graphic operation panel 5 in many cases.

The graphic operation panel 5 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display panel or the like, and includes a display unit (display means) 51 for displaying the state of the device 21 to the operator, and a touch panel disposed on the panel, for example. An input unit 52 for receiving an instruction from an operator;
PLC side IF section 53 / LAN side IF section (communication means) 5 connected to the communication line 4 and LAN 6 respectively.
4, a storage unit 55 in which screen data for specifying an operation at the time of screen display and control instruction is stored in advance, and a storage unit 5
An HMI runtime unit (control means) 56 for controlling the above members 51 to 54 based on the screen data of No. 5 is provided.

When the communication protocol on the communication line is different from the communication protocol on the LAN 6, the HMI runtime unit 56 converts the two communication protocols to each other, and connects the PLC 3 connected to itself to the control host computer 7. Alternatively, the communication with another graphic operation panel 5 is relayed. Thereby, each graphic operation panel 5
Even if the communication protocols adopted by the PLCs 3 connected to the
Communication between the control host computer 7 and the control host computer 7 can be performed using a common communication protocol. As a result, a plurality of PLCs 3 can be mixed in the same control system 1,
Wider range of model selection. Thereby, the control system 1
Can easily be scaled up. The above communication protocol is an agreement (transmission) that the data itself cannot be transmitted normally unless it is unified in the network including the transmission source and the transmission destination such as the transmission and reception timing of each character or the method of specifying the transmission destination and the reception destination. Protocol) and the command system, that is, if the source and destination are not unified, the operation desired by one does not match the operation performed by the other, and commands that cannot perform normal operations such as control operations It is a combination with the system.

Based on the screen data, the HMI runtime unit 56 instructs the IFs 53 and 54 as needed to communicate with the PLC 3 connected to the own device and the other graphic operation panel 5, The state of the desired device 21 can be obtained. Further, based on the screen data, a plurality of components corresponding to each device 21 are displayed on the display screen of the display unit 51, and, for example, in accordance with the data of the device 21 acquired via the PLC 3, for example, a shape or a color or By changing the display state of the component such as a numerical value, the operator of the graphic operation panel 5 can be notified of the state of the device 21. On the other hand, when the operator operates a component on the screen using the input unit 52, the HMI runtime unit 56 determines the device 2 to be operated based on the screen data.
1, and a control instruction to be transmitted to the device 21 is specified. Further, the HMI runtime unit 56 can communicate with the PLC 3 or another graphic operation panel 5 via each of the IF units 53 and 54 as necessary, and can transmit a state control instruction of the device 21.

The screen data according to the present embodiment is, for example,
Object data (procedures and data) abstracted so that they can be shared even between graphic operation panels 5 having display units 51 different in resolution and the like.
The HMI runtime unit 56 displays the screen by translating the screen data into a machine language corresponding to the own device and executing the machine language.

Specifically, the screen data is, for example, Ja
va (registered trademark), which is generated by compiling the source code.
Translates the bytecode sequentially as shown in FIG.
The Java virtual machine (VM) layer 61 to be executed and the operating system (O
S) interposed between the layer 63 and the JavaVM layer 61,
And an intermediate layer 62 that absorbs differences between the OS layers 63. By executing the bytecode, the device 21
Can be displayed on the screen of the display unit 51.

The intermediate layer 62 is made of, for example, JavaVM
It is realized as a group of functions, commands, or utilities that can be called (used) from the layer 61, and regardless of the model of the graphic operation panel 5, the Java VM layer 61
(Use) method from API (API: Application Prog
ramming Interface) is unified. The above functions, commands or utilities are Java
Processing required when the VM layer 61 executes the bytecode to display the state of the device 21, specifically, JavaV
The M layer 61 instructs screen display on the display unit 51,
A device for performing necessary processing when communicating with the C3 or accessing a memory on the graphic operation panel 5 controlled so as to be linked with the state of the PLC 3 is prepared. And the OS layer 63
Can be concealed.

Here, the HMI runtime unit 56 displays a screen based on screen data (byte code).
By changing the screen data, a different screen can be displayed. Therefore, even if the graphic operation panels 5 have different uses, they can be shared if the models are the same. In the present embodiment, as the OS layer 63, for example, Windows NT
(Microsoft Corporation: registered trademark), Windows CE
(Microsoft Corporation: registered trademark) or pSOS
(Integrated Systems, Inc: registered trademark) are provided for HMI runtime units 56a to 56d. Note that, in the figure, the HMI runtime unit 56b
And 56c employ Windows CE, but have different CPUs.

Any of the HMI run-lime portions 56a to 56
d, the HMI runtime unit 56 shown in FIG.
Is the data of the device 21 and the graphic operation panel 5
When processing data indicating the internal state of, these are processed as abstracted variables. For each variable, for example, a variable name composed of a character string or the like can be set by a drawing editor or the like that designs screen data. As will be described later in detail, when the variable is disclosed, the other graphic operation panel 5 is used to specify the variable to be accessed, or the variable name displays a list of the disclosed variables. Used for occasions.

The variable can have a model-dependent attribute (for example, the address of the device 21) or a model-independent attribute (use, function, etc.). Note that each variable may be provided with, for example, an attribute for description, and the value of the attribute is set to a description of the variable.

For example, the device variable corresponding to the device 21 is an abstraction of the input / output of the corresponding device 21, and the function of the device 21, the input source, the attribute indicating the current value, and the like can be set.

As the attribute value of the above function, a value such as "1 bit", "integer", "real number" or "character string" can be set as the attribute value. To take the on / off state, "1 bit" is set. For example, in the case of a meter or the like, "integer" or "real number" is set.

In the attribute of the input source, "PLC" or "internal" is set as the attribute value. If the variable corresponds to the device 21 connected via the PLC 3, the "PLC" Is set. In this case, a value indicating each of the attribute indicating the device 21 and the attribute indicating the address in the device 21 is set.

On the other hand, if the input source of the variable is an internal device that can acquire data without communicating with the PLC 3 using the calculation function of the graphic operation panel 5, such as a counter indicating the number of operations, The value of the original attribute is set to “internal”. In the case of "internal",
Values indicating the respective values are set in the attribute indicating the initial value and the calculation formula.

When the attribute of the above function is set to "integer" or "real number", an attribute indicating whether data scaling is required can be set, and when the attribute is set to "necessary". Further, values can be set for the attributes of the input data range and the output data range. In this case, the HMI runtime unit 56 scales and displays the data so that the output data range matches the input data range.

Further, when the attribute indicating the input source is "PLC", the attribute of the data format used when the graphic operation panel 5 and the PLC 3 communicate can be set. The attribute includes, for example, “s” according to the data format at the time of communication.
"ignited", "unsigned" or "BC
D ”is set. In this case, the HMI runtime unit 56 performs communication in a data format corresponding to the attribute.
Since the instruction is given to each of the IF units 53 and 54, normal communication can be performed regardless of the actual data format.

When setting the value to the attribute indicating the current value of the device variable, the HMI runtime unit 56 uses a predetermined specific data format such as “signed” regardless of the actual data format. The data is stored, and at the time of communication or the like, the data format is converted as required by referring to the attribute of the data format. As a result, the attribute becomes model-independent, and erroneous display or erroneous calculation due to mismatch of the data format can be prevented. In addition, if the value of the attribute of the current value is referred to / changed, it is not necessary to perform data conversion according to the actual data format, so that the burden on the user when creating a program for referencing / changing the attribute can be reduced. Note that the attribute indicating the current value corresponds to the data area described in the claims.

The HMI runtime unit 56 updates the value of the attribute of the current value with respect to each device variable at a predetermined timing, for example, at a predetermined cycle or every communication with the device 21. When the device state control is instructed by an operator's operation, communication from another graphic operation panel 5 or the control host computer 7, or script processing of the HMI runtime unit 56 itself, the HMI runtime unit 56 For the device variable to be controlled, the value of the attribute indicating the current value is changed. As a result, the attribute value of the device variable is controlled to always match the state of the corresponding device.

As described above, in the present embodiment, for example, the data format when the graphic operation panel 5 communicates with the PLC 3 and the numerical range of the device 21 received from the PLC 3 are also one of the model-dependent attributes of the variables. The HMI runtime unit 56 is defined, and the model-independent attribute can be accessed by the same method regardless of the model. Further, the HMI runtime unit 56 executes, for example, conditions that can be processed without depending on the model, such as condition determination, display processing, or calculation processing, by referring to the model-independent attributes among the attributes of the above variables. When processing dependent on the model, such as communication in a specific data format or a control instruction to a specific device address, is required, the process refers to the attribute depending on the model among the above attributes. Therefore, even if the model of the device 21 or the PLC 3 is changed and the data format received from the PLC 3 is changed,
The HMI runtime unit 56 can display a correct screen only by changing the value of the attribute depending on the model in the variable corresponding to the LC3.

In the above description, a device variable has been described as an example of the variable of the graphic operation panel 5. However, the storage unit 55 stores the current control display information such as the number of the screen currently displayed. The HMI runtime unit 56 also stores system variables for which the operation state of the apparatus is set to the attribute indicating the current value, and internal variables used for work during display processing and script processing. , The value of the current value attribute can be set or the value can be obtained.

Further, a project file is stored in the graphic operation panel 5 according to the present embodiment in order to share the above-mentioned variables among the graphic operation panels 5 with a simple setting without impairing safety. A project file storage unit (storage means) 57 and a variable disclosure unit (variable disclosure means) 58 for determining whether or not to release a variable with reference to the project file storage unit 57 are provided.

The project file includes, for example,
Graphic operation panels 5 belonging to the same project, such as the graphic operation panels 5 in the same production line, which are predetermined to cooperate with each other are registered. The project file is created, for example, when the control host computer 7 makes a setting for joining the graphic operation panel 5 to the LAN 6 and stored in the graphic operation panel 5 from the control host computer 7 via the LAN 6 in advance. Is done.

On the other hand, the variable publishing unit 58 publishes variables only to devices registered in the project file among devices connected to the LAN 6 such as the other graphic operation panel 5. In addition, the variable disclosure unit 58 according to the present embodiment, for each variable, the graphic operation panel 5
The side can set whether or not to release variables individually.

In the above configuration, the storage unit 55 of the graphic operation panel 5 stores the screen data and the script in addition to the predetermined system variables when the screen data and the script are created.
Device variables and internal variables corresponding to devices required for each process, such as an operation screen display process, an operation accepting process, or a script execution process, are stored. The HMI runtime unit 56 stores the content of the variable ( Update the value of the attribute indicating the current value). To update the contents of the above variables,
This is a necessary process in the above process itself, and is repeated regardless of whether or not variable disclosure is possible.

On the other hand, when it becomes necessary to disclose variables, for example, when it becomes necessary to cooperate with another graphic operation panel 5, for example, when an operator of the graphic operation panel 5 operates or the control host computer 7 In response to an instruction or the like, the variable publishing unit 58 sets to publish necessary variables.

In this state, when the other graphic operation panel 5 (5b) accesses by specifying the variable to be accessed by the variable name, the variable publishing unit 58 of the own device (5a) transmits 5b is registered in the project file and the access to the variable is permitted only when the variable is set to public.

Here, the contents of the device variable (for example, the value of the attribute indicating the current value) are updated according to the state of the device 21 connected to the own device 5a. Therefore,
The other graphic operation panel 5b can indirectly acquire the state of the device 21 connected to the own device 5a via the PLC 3 or control the state. Also, by accessing a system variable indicating the screen number currently being displayed, another graphic operation panel 5b can access the own device 5a.
Screen can be switched. In addition, by switching the screen of the own device 5a in accordance with the screen of the other graphic operation panel 5b, the plurality of graphic operation panels 5 can display associated screens in cooperation with each other.

Further, since the substance of the variable is directly accessed regardless of whether it is a device variable or not, data can be efficiently exchanged. Furthermore, unlike data distribution, it is not necessary to copy all data that may be accessed to a predetermined destination. Therefore, even if a variable or attribute to be accessed changes, if the variable is disclosed, for example, setting of a destination device or address,
There is no need to change the delivery settings of the sender. Further, even if the number of graphic operation panels 5 for which the user wants to refer to variables increases, there is no need to change the settings of the graphic operation panel 5 of the transmission source. As a result, more and more data can be exchanged between many graphic operation panels 5 with less settings.

The setting of the variable itself is as described above.
It is necessary for processing of the graphic operation panel 5 itself irrespective of whether or not the variables are made public. Therefore, by diverting the setting, for example, there is no need to set a function to publish the variable, and the setting to increase for publishing the variable is very similar to the setting of public / non-public of the variable. Few.

On the other hand, if the variable to be accessed is not set to public, or if the graphic operation panel 5b of the access source is not registered in the project file, the variable publishing unit 58 restricts the access to the variable. Reject. Therefore, access from an unauthorized device can be reliably prevented.

In this embodiment, the API used when accessing each variable of the graphic operation panel 5 from another graphic operation panel 5b is predetermined. Therefore, for example, Windows (registered trademark) is
Even from a device other than the graphic operation panel 5 such as a general-purpose computer adopted as the
By using, for example, it is possible to obtain a list of published variables, obtain a list of attributes of variables, and set or change the values of attributes of variables to access the variables. As a result, it becomes easier to cooperate with an application executed on a general-purpose computer.

Specifically, in the general-purpose computer, a program group for accessing the graphic operation panel 5 with the API is stored in, for example, a DLL (Dynam
ic Link Library) or the like, and if a program group can be accessed with a predetermined API, for example, the user of the general-purpose computer can simply write a code for calling the API of the program group. ,
A program that can access the variables of the graphic operation panel 5 can be created.

Further, in the present embodiment, the variable disclosure unit 58
You can set whether each variable can be published or not. Therefore, when publishing variables, there is no need to change the project file. Therefore, it is not necessary to give the operator who can determine whether to publicize or not to publicize the variable the authority to change the project file. Therefore, even if the authority for setting the disclosure / non-disclosure is deprived, the range in which the variables can be disclosed can be limited to authorized devices.

In the present embodiment, the attributes of the variables are classified into a model-dependent attribute and a non-model-dependent attribute. Can be accessed in the same way regardless of the model.

Here, the variable disclosure unit 58 may permit access to all the attributes of the variable from another graphic operation panel 5, but in the present embodiment, among the attributes of the variable,
Access is permitted only for attributes that indicate the current value.
Thus, the other graphic operation panel 5 controls / controls the state of the device 21 or the internal device connected to the PLC 3 more safely than when the access to all the attributes is permitted.
Can be obtained.

In the above description, the case of accessing using a variable name has been described as an example. However, at the first access, an identification code corresponding to the variable name may be obtained, and thereafter, access may be made using the identification code. . In either case,
The same effect can be obtained if the variable can be specified by the variable name.

Each of the above members 51-58.61a-
63a are, for example, CPU (Central Processing Uni
t) and other computing means are RAM (Random Access Memory)
) Or a ROM (Read-Only Memory) to execute a program stored in a storage unit, for example, an input / output unit such as a liquid crystal display panel or a touch panel, or an interface circuit to, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark). Is a functional block realized by controlling the communication means. Therefore, the graphic operation panel 5 according to the present embodiment can be realized only by a computer having these units reading a recording medium (for example, a CD-ROM) in which the program is recorded and executing the program. In addition, for example, a program for downloading from a network such as LAN6 is
If the graphic operation panel 5 is installed on the computer in advance, the graphic operation panel 5 is connected via the network.
The program can also be distributed to

[0063]

As described above, the control display device according to the first aspect of the present invention has a storage means for storing a project file in which a group of devices capable of communicating with each other is registered in advance, A variable publishing unit that publishes the contents of a variable that can be specified by name only to registered devices, and at least one of the two so that the contents of the variable and the state of the device or the control display device itself match. And control means for controlling the control. Further, the program of claim 4 and the program recorded on the recording medium of claim 5 are programs for realizing each of the above means, and a computer executing the program operates as the control display device.

In the above configuration, it is the contents of the variable that are accessed from other authorized devices, and the operation of the control means for matching the contents of the variable with the above state depends on whether or not the variable is disclosed, whether or not the other authorized device is used. Irrespective of the presence or absence of access from the other device. Therefore, unlike the configuration of the related art in which a distribution destination is set to a device that manages data in order to distribute data required by another device, the operation of the device that manages data is changed without changing the operation of the device that manages the data. The device that refers to the data can be changed or the number of devices can be increased. Further, the variable disclosure unit does not disclose the variable to a device that is not a legitimate device, so that unauthorized access from the device can be prevented. As a result, there is an effect that the trouble of setting each device can be reduced although the data can be safely cross-referenced between authorized devices.

A control display device according to a second aspect of the present invention
As described above, in the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the variable publishing means can set in advance whether or not to publish a variable of its own device.

According to this configuration, by setting the variable to non-public by the variable disclosure means of the control display device, even an access from a legitimate device can be rejected. Even if the variable is set to public, access from devices not registered in the project file is denied. Therefore, it is possible to set whether or not to disclose the variables without lowering the security.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control display device,
As described above, in the configuration according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, among the above variables, the device variable is a data storing the state of the corresponding device in a predetermined specific format regardless of the device model. An area is included, and the control means accesses the data area by expressing the state of the device in the specific format.

In the above configuration, in the data area of the device variable, data indicating the state of the device is stored in a specific format regardless of the type of the device, and the control means controls the contents of the device variable expressed in the format. And the state of the corresponding device. Therefore, there is an effect that the data format when other authorized devices access the variables can be unified regardless of the device model.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a control system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an HMI runtime unit provided in a graphic operation panel of the control system.

FIG. 3 shows a conventional example, and is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a control system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another example of the related art and showing a main configuration of a control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Graphic operation panel (control display device) 21 Device 51 Display unit (display unit) 54 LAN side IF unit (communication unit) 56 HMI runtime unit (control unit) 57 Project file storage unit (storage unit) 58 Variable disclosure unit ( Variable disclosure means)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5H220 BB17 CC09 CX06 CX08 DD04 DD10 EE04 EE10 GG24 HH01 HH04 JJ12 JJ14 JJ15

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A control display device having display means for displaying a status of a device and communication means capable of communicating with another control display device, wherein a group of devices capable of communicating with itself is registered in advance. Storage means for storing the project file; variable publishing means for publishing the contents of variables identifiable by name only to the devices registered in the project file; contents of the variables; and the device or the control display device itself And a control means for controlling at least one of the two so that the state of the control display coincides with the state of the control display. 2. The control display device according to claim 1, wherein said variable publishing means can set in advance whether or not to publish variables of its own device. 3. A device variable among the above variables, which includes a data area for storing a state of a corresponding device in a predetermined specific format regardless of the type of the device, 3. The control display device according to claim 1, wherein the data area is accessed by expressing a state of the device by using a command. 4. A program for operating a computer having display means capable of displaying the state of a device and communication means capable of communicating with another control display device as a control display device, comprising: Storage means for storing a project file in which a group of devices capable of communicating with each other is registered in advance; variable disclosure means for releasing the contents of variables identifiable by name only to the devices registered in the project file; and the variable A program for operating the computer as control means for controlling at least one of the device and the control display device itself so that the contents of the device and the control display device themselves match. 5. A recording medium on which a program for operating a computer having a display means capable of displaying the status of a device and a communication means capable of communicating with another control display device as a control display device is recorded. Storage means for storing a project file in which a group of devices capable of communicating with the own device are registered in advance; variable disclosure for disclosing the contents of variables that can be specified by name only to devices registered in the project file Means, and a recording medium in which a program for operating the computer is recorded as control means for controlling at least one of the variable and the state of the device or the control display device itself so that the content of the variable coincides with the state of the control display device itself.