JP2005092808A - Ladder program macro generator and generation method, program therefor and computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the work of correcting macros even when the position of a unit or the assignment of a device is changed, and to facilitate the use of the macros. <P>SOLUTION: This ladder program macro generator is provided with: an argument setting part for setting the unit number of a specific unit which is to be used in the macros among a plurality of units and which shows the connection position at a programmable controller and also setting an arbitrary device number included in the macros as the arguments of the macros; a macro registering and converting part for extracting the device number included in the range of the device assigned to the unit set as the argument by the argument setting part from the plurality of device numbers included in the macros before registration, and converting the extracted device number into the relative position by using the leading device number of the range of the device as a reference; and a macro registering part for registering the macros whose argument includes the unit number set by the argument setting part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention provides a ladder diagram macro creation device, a ladder program macro creation method for creating a ladder diagram editing device for creating and editing a ladder diagram used for a programmable control device and the like, and a macro usable for a program, The present invention relates to a ladder program macro creation program and a computer-readable recording medium.

  A ladder diagram (ladder diagram) is used as a program for defining a control sequence by a programmable controller (hereinafter referred to as PLC) called a programmable controller, programmable logic controller, PLC, sequencer or the like. A ladder diagram is created by a ladder diagram editing device or a program. The execution program created using the ladder diagram is transferred to the PLC and executed, and controls an external control target device connected to the PLC to perform a desired process.

  There are two types of PLCs: an integrated package type that incorporates necessary functions, and a building block type that has various functions in individual units and is configured by combining necessary units. For the latter, a CPU unit including a CPU, a communication unit or link unit for communicating with an external control target device, an input / output unit including an input / output unit (I / O), an A / D conversion unit, a D / A conversion There are a unit, a computer link unit, a positioning unit, a counter unit, a temperature control unit, a power supply unit, an Ethernet (registered trademark) unit, an end unit, and the like. Each unit fixes the back surface to a base unit, and connects adjacent units. Alternatively, the units are directly connected without solving the base unit. It is also possible to integrate the functions of these units into a single unit. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a building block type PLC system 32 in which a plurality of units 33 are combined.

  When the PLC system 32 is configured by connecting a plurality of units 33 in this way, each unit 33 may be given a unique unit number in order to distinguish the connected units 33. . In the PLC system, the unit number generally indicates the number of units connected to the CPU unit with respect to the CPU unit. For example, in the PLC system 32 of FIG. 2, the numbers given on the units 33 constituting the PLC system 32 in FIG. 2A indicate unit numbers. In this figure, the unit number of the CPU unit 31 is 0. Each unit 33 is assigned a range of devices in the PLC according to the unit number. The unit number is used for exchanging information between the ladder program executed by the CPU unit 31 and each unit 33. FIG. 2B shows an example in which a device area range is set for each unit 33.

  By the way, in creating a ladder program executed by the PLC, a macro program (referred to as “macro” in the present specification) describing a predetermined procedure may be used. A macro is a set of programs created for reuse. For example, in a communication protocol macro for performing communication between a PLC and a control target device, the protocol macro is composed of a plurality of transmission / reception sequences. Each transmission / reception sequence consists of a command group in units of steps. The designated sequence is executed by designating the sequence number of the protocol macro by a dedicated instruction on the ladder program of the CPU unit. As a result, a message is created, and transmission / reception is performed between the link unit and the general-purpose external device via the transmission path.

  In a program in a macro in such a PLC programming application, a device or a direct value that can be changed depending on a situation during use can be designated as an argument. An example of the macro will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, MACROA and MACROA are registered in advance in the data file 34 of the system as registered macros that can be used for the application. In MACROA, R0 designates the actual relay number 0, and P0 is designated as an argument. For this reason, when MACROA is actually used, the user needs to specify the argument P0. In the example of FIG. 3, MACROA is used for the control program shown in the upper left, and the device of R500 is designated as the argument P0 in MACROA. As a result, P0 in MACROA is replaced with R500, and the developed control program is executed.

  In this way, in a macro, any device or direct value that can be used in a program can be specified as an argument. However, in a conventional macro, when a device assigned to a unit is registered as a macro argument as it is, it is handled without distinction from a normal device. For this reason, when the position of a device assigned to a unit is changed in a program using a macro, all the arguments of the part using the macro in the program must be changed.

In other words, when a device assigned to a unit is changed, for a macro that includes a device as an argument, debugging work is required to change the device specified by the argument to a new device. There was a problem of being extremely troublesome. In particular, in the conventional macro, the unit number cannot be specified, and therefore the device assigned to each unit cannot be detected on the macro side, and the change of the unit configuration cannot be easily dealt with.
JP 2002-229613 A

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems. A main object of the present invention is to provide a ladder program macro creation device, a ladder program macro creation method, and a ladder program macro creation that reduce the macro correction work and facilitate the use of the macro even if the unit position or device assignment is changed. To provide a recording medium readable by a program and a computer.

  In order to achieve the above object, a ladder program macro creation device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a programmable control device that is composed of a plurality of units, and a range of devices that can be specified is assigned to one or more units. A ladder program macro creation device for creating a macro that can be used when creating a ladder program to be executed, and a connection position in a programmable control device of a specific unit used in the macro among a plurality of units As an argument in the argument setting unit, from an argument setting unit that can be set as a macro argument, and an arbitrary device number included in the macro, and a plurality of device numbers included in the macro before registration Devices included in the device range assigned to the configured unit A macro registration conversion unit that converts the extracted device number into a relative position based on the first device number of the device range, and the unit number set by the argument setting unit as an argument And a macro registration unit for registering a macro to be included.

  A ladder program macro creation device according to claim 2 is the ladder program macro creation device according to claim 1, and further includes an argument input when a macro registered in the macro registration unit is called. Macro execution that converts the device number represented by the relative position converted by the macro registration conversion unit into the actual device number by referring to the first device number of the device range assigned to the unit corresponding to the unit number A conversion unit is provided.

  According to this configuration, when registering a macro argument, the unit number can be set for the device assigned to the unit, and when using the registered macro, the unit number can be assigned by entering the unit number as an argument. Identified devices. As a result, if the device assigned to the unit set as an argument is included in the macro, the program will not change even if the device assigned to the unit is changed, and the macro can be easily managed and reused. It becomes.

  Furthermore, the ladder program macro creating method according to claim 3 creates a ladder program that is executed by a programmable control device that is composed of a plurality of units and in which a range of devices that can be specified is assigned to one or more units. A ladder program macro creation method for creating a macro that can be used when a macro is used, a unit number indicating a connection position in a programmable control device of a specific unit used in a macro among a plurality of units, and a macro The device included in the range of devices assigned to the unit set as an argument from the step of setting any device number included in the macro as an argument and the multiple device numbers included in the macro before registration The number is extracted and the extracted data The chair numbers, characterized by comprising the steps of converting the relative position from the first device number in the range of the device, and registering the macro that contains the set unit number as an argument.

  Furthermore, the ladder program macro creation method according to claim 4 is the ladder program macro creation method according to claim 3, and further, the unit number of the input argument is set when the registered macro is called. The method includes a step of converting a device number expressed by the converted relative position into an actual device number by referring to a head device number of a range of devices assigned to the corresponding unit.

  The ladder program macro creation program according to claim 5 is a ladder program that is executed by a programmable control device that includes a plurality of units and is assigned a range of devices that can be designated to one or more units. This is a ladder program macro creation program for creating a macro that can be used when performing a unit number indicating a connection position in a programmable control device of a specific unit used in a macro among a plurality of units. And the function to set any device number included in the macro as an argument of the macro, and from the multiple device numbers included in the macro before registration, to the range of devices assigned to the unit set as the argument Extracting the device number included And realizing a function of converting the extracted device number into a relative position based on the first device number of the device range and a function of registering a macro including the set unit number as an argument. It is characterized by.

  Furthermore, the ladder program macro creation program according to claim 6 is the ladder program macro creation program according to claim 5, and further includes a unit of an argument input to the computer when the registered macro is called. A function for converting a device number represented by the converted relative position into an actual device number by referring to a head device number of a device range assigned to a unit corresponding to the number is provided. To do.

  A computer-readable recording medium described in claim 7 of the present invention stores the ladder program macro creation program described in claim 5 or 6. Recording media include CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, flexible disk, magnetic tape, MO, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD + R, DVD + RW, Blu-ray disc, A medium such as an AOD magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory or the like capable of storing a program is included. The above-mentioned program includes a form that can be downloaded via a network.

  According to the ladder program macro creation apparatus, ladder program macro creation method, ladder program macro creation program, and computer-readable recording medium of the present invention, the macro can be registered in an easily reusable state, and the unit configuration is changed. Also realizes the excellent feature of reducing the debugging process. This is because the present invention makes it possible to specify a unit number for a device assigned to a unit when registering a macro argument. As a result, among the devices registered as arguments, the devices included in the device range assigned to the unit of the specified unit number can be expressed as an offset from the reference position in the range. When the macro is used, the device in the macro is designated by converting the device range assigned to the unit of the designated unit number into the device at the corresponding offset position. Accordingly, the user can correctly interpret the device by simply transmitting the unit number when specifying the argument without being aware of information such as the device area range allocated to the unit. Therefore, structuring of programs using macros is promoted, macro reuse is promoted, program management and debugging man-hours are reduced.

  In particular, even when the range or position of a device assigned to a unit is changed, the device is interpreted as an offset position in the changed device assignment. This eliminates the need for the user to change the device specified as the macro argument, eliminating the trouble of the debugging process. As described above, according to the present invention, the independence between the macro and the unit configuration is enhanced, and the reusability and maintainability of the macro are improved.

  As described above, according to the present invention, macros can be used without being aware of device information, and the debugging effort is reduced. Therefore, macros are very easy to use, promote reuse, and increase the efficiency of programming work. An excellent feature is realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below exemplify a ladder program macro creation device, a ladder program macro creation method, a ladder program macro creation program, and a computer-readable recording medium for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. The present invention does not specify a ladder program macro creation device, a ladder program macro creation method, a ladder program macro creation program, and a computer-readable recording medium as follows.

  Further, the present specification by no means specifies the members shown in the claims to the members of the embodiments. In particular, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the component parts described in the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, and are merely explanations. It's just an example. Note that the size, positional relationship, and the like of the members shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, in the following description, the same name and symbol indicate the same or the same members, and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, each element constituting the present invention may be configured such that a plurality of elements are constituted by the same member and the plurality of elements are shared by one member, and conversely, the function of one member is constituted by a plurality of members. It can also be realized by sharing.

  In this specification, the ladder program macro creation device, the ladder program macro creation method, the ladder program macro creation program, and the computer-readable recording medium relate to the system itself for creating and editing the ladder program macro, and the macro creation, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to devices and methods that perform input / output, display, calculation, communication, and other processes to be performed in hardware. An apparatus and method for realizing processing by software are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, creating, registering, calling, or calling a ladder program macro by incorporating software, programs, plug-ins, objects, libraries, applets, compilers, modules, program macros that run on specific programs, etc. into a general-purpose circuit or computer General-purpose or dedicated computers, workstations, terminals, portable electronic devices, mobile phones such as PDC, CDMA, W-CDMA, FOMA (registered trademark), GSM, IMT2000, fourth generation, etc. A PHS, PDA, pager, smartphone, and other electronic devices are also included in the ladder program macro creation apparatus, the ladder program macro creation method, the ladder program macro creation program, and the computer-readable recording medium of the present invention. Even without being included in any. In this specification, the program itself is also included in the ladder program macro creation device. In addition, this program is not limited to the one used alone, but is provided as a service in an environment that functions as a part of a specific computer program, software, service, etc., an aspect that is called and functions when necessary, and an environment such as an OS. It can also be used as a mode, a mode that operates resident in the environment, a mode that operates in the background, and other support programs.

  The ladder program macro creation device used in the embodiment of the present invention is connected to a computer, a printer, an external storage device and other peripheral devices for operation, control, display, and other processing connected thereto. For example, IEEE1394, RS-232x, RS-422, serial connection such as USB, parallel connection, or 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, etc. To communicate. The connection is not limited to a physical connection using a wire, but may be a wireless connection using a wireless LAN such as IEEE 802.1x or OFDM, radio waves such as Bluetooth, infrared rays, optical communication, or the like. Furthermore, a memory card, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like can be used as a recording medium for exchanging data or storing settings. In this specification, the ladder program macro creation device is used to include not only the main body of the ladder program macro creation device but also a control system in which peripheral devices such as a computer and an external storage device are combined.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a control system to which a ladder program macro creation device is connected. The control system shown in this figure includes a computer 1, a PLC 2, and a display 3. In the example of FIG. 4, the computer 1 creates a ladder program macro by installing three programs of a unit configuration creation program, a ladder diagram editing program, and a ladder program macro creation program via the recording medium 11. Registration and execution are realized. These programs can be configured as individual programs, integrated as a ladder creation support program, or used by calling functions of other programs from one program. Further, the computer 1 may install only the ladder program macro creation program and perform only the registration of the ladder program macro. In the following embodiment, a program in which the above functions are integrated into a ladder program macro creation program will be described as an example. Note that the ladder program macro creation device and program can also be used to create other mnemonic programs that directly create ladder diagrams.

  The PLC 2 is a device that connects and controls the input / output device 4 that is the device to be controlled. The PLC 2 controls the operation of the input / output device 4 in accordance with a procedure defined by the ladder program created by the ladder diagram editing program according to the control function program by the built-in CPU unit.

  The display 3 is connected to the PLC 2 and sets and displays the operating state of the input / output device 4 controlled by the PLC 2 or the PLC 2. Moreover, you may use the programmable indicator provided with the control function of PLC by mounting the input / output unit etc. for connecting a control object apparatus to the indicator 3. FIG. Or what is called an open controller (software PLC) which operate | moves with software can also be used.

  The computer 1 is a general-purpose computer, and includes a CPU 5, a memory unit 6, a display unit 7, an input device 8, an external storage unit 9, and an interface unit 10. The CPU 5 controls and operates each unit when operating various application programs including a unit configuration creation program, a ladder diagram editing program, and a ladder program macro creation program on an OS (operating system) installed in the computer 1. Process. The memory unit 6 includes a memory such as a RAM and a ROM, and plays a role of storing data, temporarily storing data, and providing a work area during the arithmetic processing of the CPU.

  The display unit 7 is configured by a flat panel display element such as a CRT, LCD, liquid crystal panel, or EL panel. The input device 8 is an apparatus for performing an input operation such as a keyboard and a mouse. In particular, a pointing device such as a mouse is suitable for an input operation in a ladder program macro creation program that operates in a GUI environment. The external storage unit 9 is a device such as a fixed disk drive such as a hard disk device, an optical disk drive such as a magnetic disk drive, or a CD-ROM drive, and reads at least information such as a ladder program macro creation program recorded in the recording medium 11. A recording medium driving device capable of recording a recording medium; Note that data and programs can be read and written directly by the external storage device 9 by communicating with a server computer or the like connected to a network without using a recording medium. The interface unit 10 is an input / output unit that performs data communication with the display 3 and the PLC 2. The ladder program created by the ladder diagram editing program is transferred to the PLC 2 via the interface unit 10 and downloaded to the memory in the PLC 2.

  The ladder program macro creation device realized by the above computer 1 converts an argument setting unit that can set a unit number, a device number, etc. as a macro argument, and a device number set as an argument in the argument setting unit into a relative value A macro registration conversion unit, a macro registration unit that registers a macro that has undergone predetermined conversion by the macro registration conversion unit, and a macro that converts a relative value of an argument into a device number when a macro registered in the macro registration unit is called An execution conversion unit is provided. Processing for realizing these members and functions is substantially executed by the CPU 5 of the computer 1.

[User interface]
FIG. 5 shows an interface screen of the ladder program macro creation program. The screen shown in this figure includes a tree display unit 15, a ladder diagram display unit 16, and a search result character string display unit 17. In these screens, it goes without saying that the arrangement, shape, display method, size, color scheme, pattern, etc. of the input fields and buttons can be changed as appropriate. By changing the design, the layout can be made easier to display, easier to evaluate and judge, and easy to operate. For example, the search conditions may be input in a wizard format so that the user can make the necessary settings simply by answering the question. In the description of this specification, the search result may be displayed in a separate window or in the same window, but it can be used by changing to either one or using both together. Not too long.

  On the user interface screens of these programs, ON / OFF operations for numerically provided buttons and input fields, numerical values, command inputs, and the like are specified in the computer 1 in which the ladder program macro creation program is installed. Use an input device. In this specification, “pressing” includes not only physically touching and operating buttons, but also clicking or selecting with an input device for pseudo-pressing. The input / output device is connected to the computer 1 by wire or wirelessly, or is fixed to the computer 1. Examples of general input devices include various pointing devices such as a mouse, keyboard, slide pad, track point, tablet, joystick, console, jog dial, digitizer, light pen, numeric keypad, touch pad, and accu point. In addition, using a touch screen or touch panel on the display unit itself that displays the interface screen, the user can directly input and operate the screen by hand, or use voice input or other existing input means. Or these can also be used together.

  In addition to an aspect in which the ladder program macro creation program is set from an input / output device connected to the computer 1 in which the ladder program macro creation program is installed, a ladder program macro creation program and hardware are incorporated in the PLC so that the setting can be performed on the PLC side. Also good. In this case, the input / output device is provided in or connected to the PLC, and a display, a monitor, or the like is connected as necessary.

[Tree display section 15]
The tree display unit 15 displays a control program file configuration, a PLC system configuration, and the like, and an area for selecting items to be displayed and edited in the ladder diagram display unit 16 which is a main work area. It is. The selected item is highlighted on the tree display unit 15, and the display content on the ladder diagram display unit 16 is switched according to the selected item. For example, when a module of a ladder program is selected from the tree display unit 15, the selected ladder program is displayed on the ladder diagram display unit 16, and the program can be edited. The ladder program is edited using the ladder diagram editing program.

  Also, by selecting an item in the tree display section 15, PLC system settings such as settings relating to units constituting the PLC, editing of comments and labels, setting of local devices, and the like can be performed. For example, the range of devices assigned to each unit constituting the PLC can be set. A unit configuration program is used for such setting.

  The unit configuration program arranges the units selected by the user from the choices of units that can be selected as the units constituting the PLC system on the computer screen, so that the PLC system as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. On the screen. Each unit is assigned a unit number in the order of connection from the CPU unit. Also, the operation of the configured PLC can be simulated.

  Further, the unit configuration program has a function of assigning the relay usable range and DM usable range to the devices of the respective constituent units of the PLC system. As shown in FIG. 2B, the allocation is specified in a range for each unit number. The unit configuration program program switches between a visual display as shown in FIG. 2A and a box display as shown in FIG. 2B, and performs setting and confirmation of the assignment of relays and the like of each unit.

  By including such a unit configuration program, the data created by the unit configuration program can be used, and when this macro is created, the data created by the unit configuration program can be used by the macro creation program. The data created by the macro creation program can be utilized by the ladder diagram editing program, and the burden of the user's input work in creating the ladder diagram can be reduced.

[Ladder diagram display unit 16]
The ladder diagram display unit 16 displays a ladder diagram to be edited. The ladder diagram is configured in a ladder diagram display area, and a part or the whole of the ladder diagram display area is displayed on the ladder diagram display unit 16. When the entire ladder diagram display area does not fit in the display area of the ladder diagram display unit 16, a part of the ladder diagram display region is displayed on the ladder diagram display unit 16, and the screen is scrolled to display other parts. The display magnification can be changed to display the entire ladder diagram display area, or a part of it can be enlarged.

[Search result character string display unit 17]
The ladder program macro creating program has a search function, and the search result character string display unit 17 is an area for displaying a list of lines including the character string to be searched when executing the search function. Since the search is a search for a character string, it is preferable to perform the search in a mnemonic format that displays a program as a character string rather than a ladder diagram that displays a program as a symbol. A known method used in an existing text editor or a character string search method developed in the future can be used as appropriate for the character string search. For example, an ambiguous search that takes into account fluctuations such as upper / lower case letters, full-width / half-width characters, the presence or absence of a long sound symbol, an AND search or OR search using a plurality of search keywords, a NOT search, or a GREP search can be used as appropriate. Examples of character strings to be searched include command words, device names, PLC addresses, operands such as constants, comment sentences, and the like. For specifying the search condition, range specification, use of a wild card, or the like can be adopted as appropriate. The search result character string display unit 17 can be displayed in a separate window in addition to the method of displaying it integrally at the bottom of the screen as shown in FIG. 5, or can be hidden as shown in FIG. .

  As described above, the user can register the control program created by the ladder diagram editing function as a macro and call it at the time of creating the program for use. Macros allow users to divert previously created ladder diagrams and save programming effort. However, in a conventional macro, when expressing a device, the address must be expressed as a direct value, or the user must input a desired address as a direct value when executing the macro using the address as an argument. This method has a problem that the macro cannot be used as it is when the system configuration of the unit is changed, that is, when the address assigned to the unit is changed.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when a device is expressed by a macro, a unit number can be specified as an argument, so that a device assigned to the unit is held as a relative value instead of a direct value. Then, according to the unit number designated as an argument when the macro is used, the device in the macro is converted from a relative value to a direct value according to the device assigned to the unit at the time of execution of the macro. As a result, the program automatically converts the address according to the unit to be used, and the macro can be used, so the user can register and use the macro without being aware of the device range assigned to each unit. This makes it easier to use macros. Also, with this method, since the macro can be used even if the device assignment to the unit is changed, the user can also use it in different system configurations without performing macro debugging work.

  A procedure for registering a device assigned to a unit in a macro and using the macro in a control program will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[Register Macro]
Here, a procedure for registering the control program shown in FIG. 7 as a macro will be described. Only the unit A is connected to the PLC control system described in this example, the unit number of the unit A is 1, the device area allocated to the unit A is the relay number R3000 to R3115, and the data memory address Assume that the numbers are DM100 to DM419.

  First, a control program before macro registration displayed on the left side of FIG. 7 is created. This work is performed by a method such as calling a ladder diagram editing function included in the ladder program macro creation program or a ladder diagram editing program which is another program. For example, a ladder symbol is selected from the template and placed at a desired position by drag and drop. Furthermore, necessary information such as ladder instruction words and operands such as device numbers are input. The device number includes a relay number (R) and a data memory address number (DM). Of the devices used in this control program, R3000 and DM120 are within the device area range assigned to unit A.

  When creating a macro, arguments can be specified. An argument is generally a value or parameter assigned to a function in a program, and specifies a device number, a unit number, or the like. FIG. 6 shows an example of a screen for setting the argument by displaying the argument setting dialog 30 by the ladder program macro creation program. The argument setting dialog 30 is a form of the argument setting unit, and sets the title of the argument, the description for the palette, the unit type, and the like on this screen. Here, the contents of the argument devices P0, P1, and P2 are set.

  As described above, the macro argument is set from the argument setting unit, and unit number 1 is set in the example of FIG. At this time, the devices R3000 and DM120 included in the device area range assigned to the unit A in which unit number 1 is set as an argument are automatically extracted by the macro registration conversion unit at the time of macro registration, as will be described later. Replaced with the argument device for the unit. In addition to the unit number, a necessary device number is specified as an argument device. The method for specifying a device number as an argument is the same as in the conventional method.

  Then, macro registration is performed. Macro registration can be done by drag and drop similar operations. For example, after selecting a desired range of the program being edited from the ladder diagram display unit 16 in FIG. 5, by dragging and dropping to the tree display unit 15, the program in the selected range is registered as a macro. Macro icons registered in the display unit 15 are displayed.

  Even when a registered macro is used, a desired macro can be pasted by dragging a desired macro from the tree display unit 15 and dropping it in an arbitrary position of the program being edited on the ladder diagram display unit 16. At this time, an input field for an item set as an argument in the macro is displayed, and the user inputs a desired value. The macro may be displayed by expanding a specific program registered as a macro, or may be displayed by omitting it as a macro as shown in the expanded program of FIG. The device of the circuit registered in the macro can be changed to any device by the user. By using macros in this way, ladder creation man-hours and debugging man-hours can be greatly reduced.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the macro registration unit registers as MACROA. In the registered macro, the R3000 and DM120 devices assigned to the unit are replaced with the unit argument device by the macro registration conversion unit. In this example, the R3000 device is replaced with UR0 and the DM120 device UM0 + 20. Here, UR0 and UM0 each represent the first device number of the device area range specified by the unit number. The notation UM0 + 20 represents a device offset by 20 from the device number indicated by UM0. For example, DM0 + 100 represents DM100.

  As for the argument device designated as an argument with the device number not assigned to the unit A, the user designates a desired value when using the macro as usual. In the example of FIG. 7, after macro registration, the device number R0000 is displayed as an argument P1, the device number DM0 is displayed as an argument P2, and DM2 is displayed as P2 + 2 based on the argument P2. Furthermore, device numbers that were not specified as arguments are displayed as real devices. In the example of FIG. 7, the device numbers R0500 and R0515 are taken over as they are after macro registration.

Use macro
Next, a procedure for using the registered macro in the control program will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the macro MACROA registered in FIG. 7 is used by the user by being incorporated in another control program or by calling. In this example, the unit A is connected to the third unit counted from the CPU unit, that is, the unit number is 3, and the device areas allocated to the unit A are R3500 to R3615 and DM110 to DM429. And

  First, the user inputs or specifies macro arguments. In MACROA, unit numbers, P1 and P2 are set as arguments. Here, unit number 3, P1 = R1500, and P2 = DM10 are input, and the macro execution conversion unit converts the macro based on the designated value. Since device A to which unit number 3 is assigned is the first device in the device area range of R3500, UR0 of MACROA is converted to R3500, and UM0 + 20 is converted to DM110 + 20 = DM130. Also, P1 designated as a normal argument device is converted to R1500, P2 to DM10, and P2 + 2 to DM10 + 2 = DM12. Furthermore, the device designated by the real device is maintained as it is. As a result, the expanded macro program shown on the left side of FIG. 8 is generated as the MACROA entity.

[Change unit configuration]
Next, an operation when the configuration of a unit used in a registered macro is changed will be described. First, if the unit number changes due to changing the unit connection order, etc., as described above, the macro argument used in the macro corresponding to the unit is automatically searched and the unit number is changed to a new one. Change to something. In this case, there is no need to modify the macro. On the other hand, when the unit itself is deleted, the device corresponding to the unit is a reserved device. In this case, since the unit does not exist, the device number cannot be determined, and the user directly specifies the device number when using the macro, or corrects the macro and specifies a new device number.

  In addition, if the device area range assigned to the unit is changed without changing the unit number, the macro need not be changed. When registering a macro, the device number is determined in advance so that the device number can be determined according to the device area range assigned to the unit. There is no need to change the argument.

  Thus, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to obtain an excellent feature that the labor of correcting the macro according to the change in the unit configuration can be saved and the programming work can be saved. Since the conventional macro used for PLC programming is specified by an actual device, when the unit configuration is changed, the value of the actual device needs to be corrected accordingly. In particular, since the conventional macro cannot know the device area range assigned to each unit, the macro cannot be automatically corrected. On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the unit number can be designated as a special argument, so that the device area range assigned to the unit of the unit number can be inquired on the program side. And by making the device number included in this device area range not a real address but a relative argument device based on the first device in the device area range, the macro inquires the CPU unit etc. for the unit number, The device area range assigned to the corresponding unit can be confirmed, and the device number of the relatively specified argument device can also be specified. As a result, once a macro is registered, it can be used as it is even when the unit configuration is changed, and the use of the macro is greatly promoted. The macro is intended to repeatedly perform the same work and procedure as originally performed, and reduces the burden of programming work. By making the macro easily available, the use of the macro is further promoted by the embodiment of the present invention, and the efficiency of the programming operation is improved. Also, the user can specify the unit number as an argument, and the macro side can automatically perform operations such as extracting the device number included in the device area range of this unit and specifying the argument device with the offset amount. Therefore, the user does not need to worry about device allocation for each unit. Macro registration and execution can be easily performed without the user being aware of such device information, and an environment in which macros can be easily used is provided.

  The ladder program macro creation according to the embodiment of the present invention registers and executes a macro as follows.

1. Macro registration Acquires the system configuration information of the unit targeted by the program being edited from the CPU unit. In particular, get the range of devices assigned to this unit. Then, the devices included in this range are listed from the program, and the macro registration conversion unit replaces them as device devices. For example, if the area of the device to which unit B is allocated is DM 3000 to DM 3115 and DM 2999, DM 3000, DM 3010, DM 3115, and DM 3116 exist as devices used in the macro, these devices are converted by the macro registration conversion unit. Is replaced as follows:
DM2999 → DM2999 (No change because it is out of device range)
DM3000 → UM0
DM3010 → UM0 + 10
DM3115 → UM0 + 115
DM3116 → DM3116 (No change because it is out of device range)

  As described above, the macro registration conversion unit automatically changes the device number to a relative address for a device included in the device range assigned to the argument unit number. As a result, the unit number is changed by changing the connection position and form of this unit, and even when the assigned device number is changed, the macro side automatically converts it to the corresponding device number.

2. Using macros To use macros in a program, you must enter arguments. When the unit number is included in the argument, the device head number assigned to the corresponding unit is acquired based on the unit number. Then, the macro execution conversion unit replaces the head number with the device for the unit in the macro. For example, the area of the device allocated to the unit B is assumed to be DM4000 to DM4115. When the above macro is used for this unit, the macro execution conversion unit replaces the device appearing in the macro as follows based on the head device number.
UM0 → DM4000
UM0 + 10 → DM4010
UM0 + 115 → DM4115
Note that DM2999 and DM3116 are not arguments and are not changed.

  As described above, the macro execution conversion unit decodes the device converted into the relative address by the macro registration conversion unit into the actual device number with reference to the head device number assigned to the unit. As a result, the created macro can be converted into an appropriate device number according to the unit configuration and executed.

  Note that the macro registration conversion unit and the macro execution conversion unit do not have to be separate members, and can be configured by the same member. For example, a control unit such as a CPU provided in the CPU unit realizes these conversion functions. Similarly, for the argument setting unit and the macro registration unit, the actual processing can be realized by a CPU unit or the like.

  The apparatus for programming the PLC ladder circuit has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the application to which the PLC is connected, and can be applied to any application for creating and editing ladder programs.

  The ladder program macro creation apparatus, ladder program macro creation method, ladder program macro creation program, and computer-readable recording medium of the present invention can transfer the created ladder program to the PLC and execute the control program.

It is an image figure which shows a unit number in an example of a PLC system. In another example of a PLC system, it is an image figure which shows the unit number of each unit, and the device area | region range allocated to each unit. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the aspect which uses a registered macro for an application. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the control system which connected the ladder program macro creation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an image figure which shows one interface screen of the ladder program macro creation program which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an image figure which shows the screen which sets an argument with the ladder program macro creation program which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the procedure which registers a control program as a macro. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the procedure which uses the registered macro for a control program.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Computer 2 ... PLC
3 ... Display 4 ... Input / output equipment 5 ... CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 6 ... Memory part 7 ... Display part 8 ... Input device 9 ... External storage part 10 ... Interface part 11 ... Recording medium 15 ... Tree display part 16 ... Ladder figure display part 17 ... Search result character string display part 21 ... Unit structure creation program 22 ... Ladder diagram editing program 23 ... Ladder program macro creation program 30 ... Argument setting dialog 31 ... CPU unit 32 ... PLC system 33 ... Unit 34 ... Data file

Claims (7)

Ladder program macro creation to create a macro that can be used when creating a ladder program that is executed in a programmable control device that is composed of multiple units and to which a range of devices that can be specified is assigned to one or more units A device,
A unit number indicating a connection position in a programmable control device of a specific unit used in a macro among a plurality of units, and an argument setting unit capable of setting an arbitrary device number included in the macro as a macro argument ,
Extracting the device number included in the range of devices assigned to the unit set as an argument in the argument setting unit from the plurality of device numbers included in the macro before registration, and the extracted device number, A macro registration conversion unit for converting to a relative position based on the first device number of the device range;
A macro registration unit for registering a macro including the unit number set in the argument setting unit as an argument;
A ladder program macro creation device comprising: The ladder program macro creation device according to claim 1, further comprising a head device in a range of devices assigned to a unit corresponding to a unit number of an input argument when a macro registered in the macro registration unit is called. A ladder program macro creation device comprising a macro execution conversion unit that converts a device number expressed by a relative position converted by the macro registration conversion unit into an actual device number by referring to the number. Ladder program macro creation to create a macro that can be used when creating a ladder program that is executed in a programmable control device that is composed of multiple units and to which a range of devices that can be specified is assigned to one or more units A method,
A step of setting a unit number indicating a connection position in a programmable control device of a specific unit used in a macro among a plurality of units and an arbitrary device number included in the macro as arguments of the macro;
A device number included in a device range assigned to a unit set as an argument is extracted from a plurality of device numbers included in a macro before registration, and the extracted device number is extracted from the device range. Converting to a relative position based on the first device number;
Registering a macro including the set unit number as an argument;
A ladder program macro creation method comprising: The ladder program macro creation method according to claim 3, further comprising referring to a head device number of a device range assigned to a unit corresponding to a unit number of an input argument when the registered macro is called. Thus, a ladder program macro creation method comprising the step of converting the device number represented by the converted relative position into an actual device number. Ladder program macro creation to create a macro that can be used when creating a ladder program that is executed in a programmable control device that is composed of multiple units and to which a range of devices that can be specified is assigned to one or more units A program, on a computer,
A function of setting a unit number indicating a connection position in a programmable control device of a specific unit used in a macro among a plurality of units and an arbitrary device number included in the macro as arguments of the macro;
A device number included in a device range assigned to a unit set as an argument is extracted from a plurality of device numbers included in a macro before registration, and the extracted device number is extracted from the device range. A function to convert relative position relative to the top device number,
A function of registering a macro including the set unit number as an argument;
A ladder program macro creation program characterized by realizing   6. The ladder program macro creation program according to claim 5, further comprising: a first device number in a range of devices assigned to a unit corresponding to a unit number of an input argument when the registered macro is called to the computer. A ladder program macro creation program that realizes a function of converting a device number represented by the converted relative position into an actual device number by referring to FIG.   A computer-readable recording medium storing the ladder program macro creation program according to claim 5.