JP2007179114A - Data processor, its indication data creating device, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an indication data creating device and a data processor capable of reducing labor in creation of variables. <P>SOLUTION: A control layer 42/service layer 43 accessing a device indicated by access target information, and a database 44 storing address information indicating an address of the device and an identifier of a variable are provided in a graphic operation panel. In the control layer 42, when the device to be an access target is specified by the identifier of the variable, reference is made to the database 44, and the service layer 43 is indicated to access the address indicated by the address information corresponding to the identifier of the variable. In an editor device, when a variable corresponding to a device not coordinated beforehand with a particular address is created, a storage area for the device is automatically allocated in a free space in a particular area for automatic allocation of the graphic operation panel, and access is made to the storage area by the graphic operation panel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides, for example, a data processing apparatus such as a graphic operation panel or a PLC, and an instruction data generation apparatus that generates instruction data such as screen data or a ladder program to be referred to when the graphic operation panel or the PLC operates. And a program and a recording medium thereof.

  Conventionally, in a control system, an industrial control device called a programmable logic controller (PLC) or the like has been used to realize various controls including sequence control.

  The PLC stores a ladder program created in the program editor device in advance, and controls a device connected to the PLC based on the ladder program.

  Here, when creating a ladder program, the program editor device directly inputs the address of a device corresponding to the ladder symbol to the ladder symbol arranged in the ladder diagram, for example, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described later. In addition, a device is associated with a variable, a variable is associated with an address, and a name is assigned to the variable, thereby using a variable name instead of an address.

Further, as described in Patent Document 3 described later, when creating an operation screen of a graphic operation panel used as an HMI (Human Machine Interface) of the control system, the components arranged on the operation screen are also included in the components. The screen data indicating the operation screen is generated by associating the address or variable of the device corresponding to.
JP 2003-085119 A (publication date: March 20, 2003) JP 2005-129026 A (publication date: May 19, 2005) JP 2001-075612 (Publication date: March 23, 2001)

  However, in the above conventional configuration, as in the case of associating a variable connected with a device connected to the PLC or graphic operation panel, the variable is associated with a storage area reserved in the device for temporarily storing data. In addition, if the variable is to be associated with the address of the storage area, the user operating the ladder program or the editor device of the operation screen determines which of the storage areas to secure as the temporary data storage location. There is a problem that it is necessary to manage and set the address, which takes time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the object thereof is, for example, a data processing device such as a graphic operation panel or a PLC, and a reference when the graphic operation panel or the PLC operates. In the instruction data generation apparatus that generates instruction data such as screen data and ladder programs to be performed, it is necessary to reduce the trouble of generating a variable of a device not previously associated with a specific address.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the instruction data generation apparatus according to the present invention includes an instruction data generation apparatus that includes generation means for generating instruction data indicating an operation of the data processing apparatus, wherein the data processing apparatus includes the instruction data The access means for accessing the device indicated by the access target information included in the device and changing the content of the device according to the instruction data or acquiring the content of the device, and specifying the device A database for storing a correspondence relationship between address information indicating an address to be addressed and an identifier for identifying a variable corresponding to the device, and the access means includes the above when the device to be accessed is identified by the identifier of the variable The address information corresponding to the identifier of the variable is identified by referring to the database, and the address information When the variable corresponding to the device not previously associated with the specific address is generated as a variable, the instruction data generation device stores the address indicated by the data processing device in the storage device of the data processing device. A device storage area corresponding to the variable is automatically allocated to a free area in a predetermined automatic allocation specific area, and a correspondence relationship between the identifier of the variable and address information indicating the address of the storage area When the device corresponding to the automatically allocated storage area is to be accessed, the generation means stores address information indicating the address of the storage area, and the device To generate instruction data including access target information indicating one of the identifiers of the variables corresponding to the It is characterized in that to access the automatic assigning storage area.

  In the above configuration, the automatic allocation unit of the instruction data generation device is provided in advance in the storage device of the data processing device when a variable corresponding to a device not previously associated with a specific address is generated as a variable. Address information indicating the identifier of the variable (for example, variable name) and the address of the storage area, as well as automatically assigning the storage area for the device corresponding to the variable to the free area in the specific area for automatic allocation Is stored in the database.

  In addition, when the generation unit of the instruction data generation device targets the device corresponding to the automatically allocated storage area as an access target, the address information indicating the address of the storage area and the identifier of the variable corresponding to the device Instruction data including access target information indicating one of the above is generated.

  On the other hand, the access means of the data processing apparatus accesses the device indicated by the access target information included in the instruction data, and changes the contents of the device according to the instruction data or acquires the contents of the device However, when a device to be accessed is specified by a variable identifier, the address information corresponding to the variable identifier is specified by referring to the database, and the address indicated by the address information is accessed.

  Here, when the generation unit generates instruction data including address information indicating the address of the storage area when the device corresponding to the automatically allocated storage area is an access target, The access means accesses the device indicated by the access target information included in the instruction data.

  On the contrary, when the generation unit of the instruction data generation device targets the device corresponding to the automatically allocated storage area as the access target, the access target information indicating the identifier of the variable corresponding to the device is included. When the designated instruction data is generated, the access means of the data processing device refers to the database, identifies the address information corresponding to the identifier of the variable, and accesses the automatically allocated storage area indicated by the address information To do.

  In the above configuration, when a variable corresponding to a device not previously associated with a specific address is generated as a variable, an empty space in a specific area for automatic allocation provided in advance in the storage device of the data processing apparatus The storage area for the device corresponding to the variable is automatically allocated to the area, the correspondence between the identifier of the variable and the address information indicating the address of the storage area is stored in the database, and the automatically allocated storage area When the device corresponding to the access target is to be accessed, the instruction data including the access target information indicating one of the address information indicating the address of the storage area and the identifier of the variable corresponding to the device is generated. The data processing device is made to access the automatically allocated storage area.

  As a result, unlike the configuration in which a variable of a device not previously associated with a specific address is generated in the same procedure as that for generating a variable of a device previously associated with a specific address, the variable Even if the address corresponding to is not specified, the data processing apparatus can be made to access the automatically allocated storage area, and the labor for generating the variable can be reduced.

  Further, when the access target is specified by the variable identifier, the data processing apparatus refers to the database, identifies the address information corresponding to the variable identifier, and accesses the address indicated by the address information. In addition to specifying with, variable identifiers can also be accepted. As a result, an instruction data generation device and a data processing device that can easily specify an access target can be realized.

  Further, in addition to the above-described configuration, the automatic allocation means accepts an input indicating which type of the variable to be automatically allocated is a predetermined type, and the variable to be automatically allocated. Each storage area may be automatically allocated so that each storage area is aligned for each type.

  In this configuration, since each storage area is automatically allocated so that each storage area of variables to be automatically allocated is aligned for each type, for example, each storage area is independent of each type, Compared with the configuration arranged in the order of generation, the use efficiency of the storage area or the efficiency when the access means of the data processing device accesses each storage area can be improved.

  Further, in addition to the above configuration, when the generation unit sets a device associated in advance with a specific address as an access target, the generation unit sets an address of the device as access target information, and is automatically allocated. When the device corresponding to the storage area is the access target, the access target information having the same size as that of the device previously associated with the specific address is divided into the first and second areas. In the first area, the offset of the storage area of the variable in the storage area for the variable type corresponding to the device is set, and the storage area of the device is configured by a plurality of fields. You may set to the value which shows the field made into access object to the said 2nd area | region.

  Here, as described above, since each storage area is automatically allocated so that each storage area of the automatically allocated variable is arranged for each type, in the storage area for a certain variable type, The storage capacity required to store the storage area offset of the variable is less than the storage capacity required to store the address of the storage area for a variable type. Therefore, when the access target information set when the device previously associated with the specific address is the access target is the same size as the device previously associated with the specific address Even if the access target information is divided into the first and second areas, the offset can be stored in the first area without any trouble.

  Furthermore, when the storage area of a certain device is composed of a plurality of fields, the value indicating the field to be accessed is set in the second area of the access target information of the variable to which the device is to be accessed. Accordingly, since the storage area and field corresponding to the device can be specified with one piece of access target information, the access means can access the automatically allocated storage area more efficiently than when setting each individually. Can be improved.

  In addition to the above configuration, the status is displayed by the control program editing means capable of setting the variable corresponding to the device to be accessed by the instruction as an operand of the instruction of the control program, and the parts arranged on the operation screen. An operation screen editing means for setting a variable corresponding to the device in association with a device to be changed or a device whose state is changed in response to an operation on the component, and is associated with the specific address in advance. Device is a first type device, and a device not previously associated with the specific address is a second type device, the control program editing unit and the operation screen editing unit are still set to the corresponding device. When adding a variable that does not exist, the variable corresponds to the type 1 device or the type 2 device It shall be is one of the initial settings, may be different from each other.

  Here, when the control program editing unit and the operation screen editing unit add a variable for which a corresponding device has not yet been set due to the background up to now, mainly due to a difference in communication partner, etc., Which of the second type devices is better to be the initial setting is often different from each other.

  Therefore, if the initial settings of the control program editing unit and the operation screen editing unit are common, even if one editing unit can reduce the setting effort, the other editing unit uses the first or second variable as the variable. After one of the seed devices is initialized, it is necessary to change the setting to the other of the first or second seed device, which is troublesome.

  On the other hand, in the instruction data generation device, the control program editing unit and the operation screen editing unit can initialize one of the first and second type devices, which is suitable for each of the first and second type devices. It is possible to reduce the trouble of adding a variable for which the corresponding device is not set.

  In addition to the above configuration, when the control program editing unit and the operation screen editing unit add a variable for which a corresponding device is not yet set, a character string set as the name of the variable is determined in advance. When the pattern matches, the predetermined one of the first and second type devices corresponding to the pattern may be associated with the variable regardless of the respective initial settings. . As the pattern, a pattern starting with a specific character is preferably used.

  In the above configuration, when the character string set as the name of the variable matches a predetermined pattern, the pattern of the first and second type devices is included in the pattern regardless of the initial setting. Corresponding predetermined one is associated with the variable. Therefore, for example, when a numerical value as an address is input, or when a name specific to the first or second type device is set as a variable name, the first and second patterns are matched. Of the two types of devices, the one different from the initial setting can be set. As a result, it is possible to reduce the trouble of adding a variable for which a corresponding device is not yet set.

  On the other hand, the data processing device according to the present invention is a data processing device that operates based on the instruction data generated by any one of the instruction data generation devices described above, and indicates the access target information included in the instruction data. Access means for accessing the device and changing the content of the device in accordance with the instruction data or acquiring the content of the device; address information indicating an address for identifying the device; And a database for storing a correspondence relationship with an identifier for specifying a variable corresponding to the device.

  Even in this configuration, when a variable corresponding to a device not previously associated with a specific address is generated as a variable, an empty space in a specific area for automatic allocation provided in advance in the storage device of the data processing apparatus The storage area for the device corresponding to the variable is automatically allocated to the area, the correspondence between the identifier of the variable and the address information indicating the address of the storage area is stored in the database, and the automatically allocated storage area When the device corresponding to the device is to be accessed, the instruction data including the access target information indicating one of the address information indicating the address of the storage area and the identifier of the variable corresponding to the device is generated. On the other hand, the data processing apparatus accesses the automatically allocated storage area based on the instruction data.

  As a result, unlike the configuration in which a variable of a device not previously associated with a specific address is generated in the same procedure as that for generating a variable of a device previously associated with a specific address, the variable Even if the address corresponding to is not specified, the data processing apparatus can be made to access the automatically allocated storage area, and the labor for generating the variable can be reduced.

  Further, when the access target is specified by the variable identifier, the data processing apparatus refers to the database, identifies the address information corresponding to the variable identifier, and accesses the address indicated by the address information. In addition to specifying with, variable identifiers can also be accepted. As a result, an instruction data generation device and a data processing device that can easily specify an access target can be realized.

  By the way, the instruction data generation device and the data processing device may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by causing a computer to execute a program. Specifically, the program according to the present invention is a program that causes a computer to operate as the instruction data generation device by operating the computer as each unit of the instruction data generation device described above, or the data A program that causes a computer to operate as the data processing device by operating the computer as each means of the processing device. In addition, at least one of these programs is recorded on the recording medium according to the present invention.

  For example, when the computer reads the recording medium and the programs are executed by the computer, the computer operates as the instruction data generation device or the data processing device. Therefore, similarly to the above, it is possible to reduce the time for generating the variable and to realize an instruction data generation device or a data processing device that can easily specify an access target.

  According to the present invention, when a variable corresponding to a device that is not previously associated with a specific address is generated as a variable, within a specific area for automatic allocation provided in advance in the storage device of the data processing apparatus The storage area for the device corresponding to the variable is automatically allocated to the free area, and the correspondence between the identifier of the variable and the address information indicating the address of the storage area is stored in the database, and the automatic allocation is performed. When a device corresponding to a storage area is to be accessed, instruction data including access target information indicating one of address information indicating the address of the storage area and a variable identifier corresponding to the device is generated. To do. On the other hand, the data processing apparatus accesses the automatically allocated storage area based on the instruction data.

  As a result, unlike the configuration in which a variable of a device not previously associated with a specific address is generated in the same procedure as that for generating a variable of a device previously associated with a specific address, the variable Even if the address corresponding to is not specified, the data processing apparatus can be made to access the automatically allocated storage area, and the labor for generating the variable can be reduced.

  Further, when the access target is specified by the variable identifier, the data processing apparatus refers to the database, identifies the address information corresponding to the variable identifier, and accesses the address indicated by the address information. In addition to specifying with, variable identifiers can also be accepted. As a result, an instruction data generation device and a data processing device that can easily specify an access target can be realized.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the control system 1 according to the present embodiment is suitably used for controlling a target system 2 provided in a production plant or the like, for example, a belt conveyor type automatic It is used to control a device (control target) 2a of the target system 2 such as an assembly machine.

  The control system 1 includes a PLC 11 as a control device for controlling the device 2a and, in many cases, is arranged in the vicinity of the control target, displays the state of the device 2a as an HMI of the control system 1, and is operated by an operator. A graphic operation panel (data processing device) 12 that receives an operation to the device 2a is provided. Further, as will be described in detail later, the graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment also has a function as a PLC, and is directly connected not only to the corresponding PLC 11 but also to the device 2a controlled by itself. Yes.

  Furthermore, in the control system 1 according to the present embodiment, the graphic operation panels 12 are connected to each other by a LAN (Local Area Network) 13 such as Ethernet (registered trademark). In many cases, a control host computer 14 that manages the entire control system 1 is connected to the LAN 13 from a location farther than the graphic operation panel 12.

  Each graphic operation panel 12 is connected to the corresponding PLC 11 via a communication path such as a serial cable. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, two graphic operation panels 12 are connected to the LAN 13, and one PLC 11 and one device 2 a are connected to each graphic operation panel 12, and a device 2 a is connected to each PLC 11. Although the case where one unit is connected is illustrated, it is a matter of course that the number of connected units can be arbitrarily set.

  Further, the device may be the device 2a itself, for example, as long as it can be specified by a device address or a variable to be described later, and can acquire or control (change) the state. An area of a storage device provided in the control system 1 such as a storage device of the graphic operation panel 12 may be shown.

  Here, the control system 1 is a configuration essential to the control system 1, and further operates as an HMI, so that the graphic operation panel 12 having sufficient computing capacity is configured to process most of the communication. . Furthermore, each graphic operation panel 12 converts a dedicated protocol specific to the model of the PLC 11 connected to itself and a common protocol in the LAN 13, and other graphic operation panels 12 and a control host computer 14, Relay communication with the PLC 11. For protocol conversion between the common protocol and the dedicated protocol, conversion between a predetermined common command so that the same code is assigned to the same instruction and a command unique to the PLC 11 corresponding to the common command is performed. Also included are conversion of data and address expression methods, conversion of device addresses and variables that correspond to the device addresses, and that can be set to values different from the device addresses and variable names (variable names). .

  As a result, the graphic operation panel 12 and the control host computer 14 can communicate with each other via the LAN 13 using a common protocol regardless of the model of the PLC 11 connected to the other graphic operation panel 12. As a result, the control system 1 in which different types of PLCs 11 are mixed can be realized relatively easily.

  The graphic operation panel 12 specifies an operation for displaying the device state on the screen and an operation for controlling the device state according to the operation on the screen based on screen data described later. The PLC / IF unit 21 that communicates with the PLC 11, the LAN / IF unit 22 for connecting to the LAN 13, a display 23 including, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and a touch panel 24 disposed on the screen of the display 23 The HMI processing unit 25 that controls the members 21 to 24 and a storage unit 26 that is referred to by the HMI processing unit 25 and stores the screen data and variables.

  The screen data according to the present embodiment is data for specifying an operation when a screen is displayed and an operation is received. For example, between the graphic operation panels 12 having different displays 23 in terms of resolution or the like, or control The host computer 14 is expressed as abstracted object data (procedure and data) so that the screen data can be shared. On the other hand, the HMI processing unit 25 executes operations such as screen display and operation reception by translating and executing the screen data into a machine language corresponding to the device itself. Note that a storage area required when the HMI processing unit 25 executes the screen data, such as an area for storing the internal variables of the object and the state of the device 2a, or a work area, is secured in the storage unit 26.

  More specifically, the screen data according to the present embodiment is data for generating an object by the HMI processing unit 25 and is a set of objects corresponding to parts (graphic elements) that can be displayed on the screen of the display 23. Contains data for creating a panel object.

  In the screen data according to the present embodiment, an object is not directly associated with a device by an address, but is associated with a device via a variable corresponding to information (address or the like) specifying the device. In the present embodiment, an object is associated with a variable by an attribute, and among the above objects, an object related to a device has a device attribute AD indicating a variable associated with the object, and the object The attribute AD can be associated with any of the above variables.

  On the other hand, the variable associated with the device includes, as attributes, contents indicating the state of the device and information for specifying the device such as a device address. In addition, the data for generating the panel object includes a list of variables that are referred to by any of the objects among variables that can be associated with the device.

  Each object can be associated with an area on the screen. In the present embodiment, the association is also performed according to the attribute of the object. Among the above objects, for example, an object that displays a device state in one area on the screen or an operation on one area on the screen A region attribute AA indicating the region is added to the object that accepts. As a result, if the object refers to the value of the area attribute AA, the object identifies the area on the screen where the device state should be displayed, or informs the HMI processing unit 25 of the area where the operation should be accepted. Can be.

  Further, each object refers to its own attribute, responds to a message or at a predetermined timing, for example, exchanges with other objects, exchanges with other members 21 to 24, 26, and the like. A predetermined process can be performed. Examples of the processing include acquisition of variable contents, change of variable contents, display on the display 23, and the like.

  For example, the object that displays the device status is, for example, when the message indicating the device status display is received or at a predetermined timing (for example, when a predetermined time elapses), Based on the value of the attribute AD, the content of the variable associated with itself is acquired, and based on the value of the area attribute AA, the area on the screen where the device state should be displayed is specified. Furthermore, the object can change the graphic display in the area according to the contents of the variable, that is, the state of the device, according to a predetermined procedure.

  As an example, when an object displays a part by combining basic figures that show line drawings such as lines and circles, the object can be combined with the color and size of the basic figure according to the state of the device. The display of parts can be changed by changing the relative position of each basic figure. Further, when an object displays an image file as a part, the object can change the display of the part by changing the image file to be referred to according to the state of the device. Note that the display may be changed by changing the color or size when the image file is displayed.

  When the operator operates a part on the screen using the touch panel 24, the HMI processing unit 25 specifies an object to be operated based on the screen data or based on a response from the object, and sets the object as the object. , You can send a message according to the operation. On the other hand, among the above objects, an object that can accept an operation is associated with itself according to the operation indicated by the message when receiving a message indicating that the operation is accepted by the touch of the screen, for example. You can change the contents of the variable.

  Further, the HMI processing unit 25 can update at least one of the variable contents and the corresponding device state so that the variable contents match the corresponding device state. Specifically, the HMI processing unit 25 acquires the device states corresponding to the variables included in the list at a predetermined timing such as a predetermined cycle, and according to the state , The contents of the corresponding variable can be updated. Further, the HMI processing unit 25 can change the state of the device corresponding to the variable according to the content of the variable at a predetermined timing such as a predetermined cycle, for example.

  More specifically, the HMI processing unit 25 identifies the communication path to the device based on the attribute value for identifying the device among the variable attributes. When the communication path is specified, if necessary, the IF units 21 and 22 are instructed to communicate with the PLC 11 connected to the own device and other graphic operation panels 12 to acquire the state of the device 2a. To do. In addition, the HMI processing unit 25 can store the acquired state of the device 2a in the storage unit 26 as variable contents.

  On the other hand, when the state of the device 2a is changed according to the content of the variable, the HMI processing unit 25 specifies the communication path to the device 2a from the attribute value for specifying the device among the variable attributes. In addition, a control instruction to be transmitted to the device is specified. Further, when the communication path and the control instruction are specified, if necessary, the IF units 21 and 22 are instructed to communicate with the PLC 11 and other graphic operation panel 12 connected to the own device, and the device The state control instruction 2a can be transmitted.

  Note that the HMI processing unit 25 determines that communication is not required when communication is not necessary for status acquisition, such as when the device corresponds to a storage area in the graphic operation panel 12. In this case, the HMI processing unit 25 acquires the state of the device without controlling or controls the state of the device.

  As a result, the graphic operation panel 12 displays the device state indicated by the screen data on the screen (operation screen) of the display 23 as indicated by the screen data, as shown in FIG. 3, and based on the screen data. Thus, it is possible to accept an operation on the operation screen and change the state of the device according to the operation.

  Furthermore, since the graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment also operates as a PLC, the IO / IF unit 31 for connecting to the device 2a and the ladder program stored in the storage unit 26 are used. A device control unit 32 that controls the device 2a connected to the IF unit 31 is provided.

  Similarly to the HMI processing unit 25, the device control unit 32 according to the present embodiment also caches the state of the device 2a in the storage unit 26. When executing the ladder program, the device control unit 32 stores the device 2a instead of accessing the device 2a each time. The unit 26 is accessed. In addition, the device control unit 32 according to the present embodiment is configured so that a control target can be specified by a variable.

  More specifically, for example, the device control unit 32 reads the state of each device 2a every scanning period (scan time) of a predetermined length such as several tens of ms, and sets the variable corresponding to each device 2a. The contents can be stored in the variable area of the storage unit 26.

  Furthermore, the device control unit 32 can sequentially execute each command indicated by the ladder program stored in the storage unit 26 while referring to the contents of each variable stored in the variable area of the storage unit 26. The ladder program can be described as a ladder diagram as shown in FIG. 4, or can be described as a sequence of instructions indicated by mnemonics as shown in FIG. 4 and 5 are different from each other in terms of expression of whether they are illustrated as ladder diagrams or illustrated with mnemonics, but the contents (procedures) indicate the same ladder program.

  In the ladder program according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 as its mnemonic notation, in each instruction, an operation target (operand) indicated by the instruction word Cα can be specified by a variable, and the instruction is a variable. When the device control unit 32 executes the instruction, the device control unit 32 can refer to the content of the variable designated as the operand or update the content of the variable designated as the operand. . In each instruction, a value other than a variable (a constant or an address) can be specified as an operand, and the device control unit 32 refers to the value or executes the value when executing the instruction. The contents of the address indicated by can be referenced or updated. The instruction set that can be executed by the device control unit 32 may include an instruction that does not include an operand.

  Furthermore, when an end instruction is executed as one of the sequentially executed instructions, the device control unit 32 ends the execution of the ladder program, and among the variables stored in the variable area of the storage unit 26, The contents of the variable corresponding to the device 2a connected to the IO / IF unit 31 are written to each device 2a. Thereby, the device control part 32 can control each device 2a according to the state of the device 2a according to the ladder program which the user produced similarly to PLC.

  Here, in the graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment, the HMI processing unit 25 and the device control unit 32 are connected to the application layer 41, the control layer 42, and the service layer (access means) 43 as shown in FIG. It is implemented separately.

  That is, the application layer 41 is provided with an HMI application 41a and a control application 41b corresponding to the HMI processing unit 25 and the device control unit 32, respectively. These applications 41a and 41b perform processing other than the operation of acquiring the state of the device 2a and the operation of updating the state of the device 2a among the operations of the HMI processing unit 25 and the device control unit 32 described above. When acquiring or updating the state of the device 2a, the service layer 43 is instructed via the control layer 42 to acquire or update the state of the device 2a.

  On the other hand, in response to an access request from the application layer 41 via the control layer 42, the service layer 43 returns the status of the requested device 2a, or changes the status of the requested device 2a to the requested value. Can be changed.

  Since the graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment caches the state of the device 2a in the storage unit 26 as described above, the device 2a is connected as the service layer 43 via the PLC 11 or the IO / IF unit 31. The communication service 43a for acquiring the state of the device 2a or updating the state of the device 2a, and the real device area A1 provided in the storage unit 26 to access the real device area An actual device area service 43b for obtaining or updating the state of the device 2a cached in A1 is provided. The automatic allocation area service 43c will be described later.

  On the other hand, the control layer 42 provided between the both layers 41 and 43 is based on an instruction from the application layer 41 (more specifically, the applications 41a and 41b in the application layer 41). It controls which of the services in 43 the instruction from the application layer 41 is given to. When the access target is specified by a variable identifier (for example, a variable name or a variable ID) in the instruction from the application layer 41, the control layer 42 converts the variable identifier into a real address, An instruction in which an access target is specified by a real address can be given to the service layer 43.

  More specifically, the application layer 41 gives an instruction T1 of the data structure shown in FIG. The instruction T1 includes a field F11 indicating the type of instruction, a field F12 indicating information to be accessed (access area information), and a field F13 indicating a service to be accessed.

  The type indicates whether or not address translation in the control layer 42 is necessary. As shown in FIG. 7, when the instruction T1 is an instruction T1α that specifies an access target with a real address, the instruction In the field F11 of T1α, a value indicating that conversion is not necessary (in the example of the figure, “direct”) is stored. In this case, the real address (“D0000” in the example of FIG. 7) is stored in the field F12, and the control layer 42 changes the contents of the field F12 to the service indicated by the field F13 (in the example of FIG. 7). Transfer to real device area service 43b). As shown in FIG. 8, the control layer 42 gives the instruction T2α after removing the fields F11 and F13 from the instruction T1α, that is, the instruction T2α including the field F21 of the real address to the service layer 43. Yes.

  On the other hand, when the instruction T1 is an instruction T1β that specifies an access target with a variable identifier, as shown in FIG. 9, the field F11 of the instruction T1β has a value indicating conversion necessity (FIG. 9). In the example, “indirect”) is stored. In this case, the variable identifier (ID “5” corresponding to the variable name “internal register” in the example of FIG. 9) is stored in the field F12, and the control layer 42 sets the contents of the field F12 to the real address. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the converted instruction T2β is transferred to the service indicated by the field F13 (in the example of FIG. 9, the actual device area service 43b).

  More specifically, the graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment is provided with a database 44, and the control layer 42 refers to the database 44 when converting to a real address.

  In the database 44, the real address corresponding to each variable (variable ID) is stored in the database 44, and the control layer 42 receives an instruction in which the access target is specified by the variable ID. The variable ID can be converted into a real address by reading the real address corresponding to the ID from the database 44.

  The database 44 can also store the name of the variable (variable name) in association with the ID of each variable. When the control layer 42 receives an instruction in which the access target is specified by the variable name By reading the real address corresponding to the variable name from the database 44, the variable name can be converted into a real address.

  As an example, in the database 44 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a record is provided for each variable, and each record corresponds to a variable ID field F41 indicating the variable and the variable. Address field F42, a variable name field F43 of the variable, and a field F44 indicating the type of the variable (described later) are provided. When a variable is named, it corresponds to the variable. Information indicating the name of the variable is stored in the field F43 of the record.

  Further, in the graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment, a device that is not assigned a variable name and that is referred to only by a real address is also handled as a variable, and the database 44 records a variable corresponding to the device. Is also provided. If no variable name is assigned, the field F43 of the variable record is set to be empty.

  Furthermore, in addition to the fields F41 to F44, each record of the database 44 according to the present embodiment includes a field F45 indicating whether or not to hold the value of the variable, and a field F46 of the variable comment. Is provided. Each record is also provided with a field F47 for storing whether or not the variable is an array type, and in the case of the array type, the number of elements of the array.

  For example, in the example of FIG. 9, in the instruction T1β from the application layer 41, the access target is specified by the variable ID “5”. Therefore, the control layer 42 reads the real address ("LS0000" in the example of FIG. 11) corresponding to the variable ID from the database 44, and, as shown in FIG. 9, the instruction T2β including the real address field F21. Is generated.

  On the other hand, regardless of whether the instruction T1 to the control layer 42 is the instruction T1α for specifying the access target with the real address or the instruction T1β for specifying the access target with the variable identifier, the field T21 of the real address is included. When the instruction T2 (T2α or T2β) is given from the control layer 42 to the service layer 43, the service layer 43 can return or update the contents of the access target indicated by the field F21 of the instruction T2α. In the case of an instruction to change the contents, the instructions T1 and T2 are also provided with a field indicating the contents of the change, and the control layer 42 gives the field to the service layer 43 as well.

  For example, in the case of the communication service 43a of the service layer 43, for example, by instructing the device control unit 32 or each IF unit 21 or 22 to communicate with the access target indicated by the field F21 of the instruction T2α, The acquired state can be returned to the application layer 41 or communicated with the access target to change the state to the content indicated by the instruction T2α. In addition, the real device area service 43b of the service layer 43 accesses the storage area indicated by the field F21 in the real device area A1 provided in the storage unit 26, and sends the value read from the storage area to the application layer 41. It is possible to reply or change the contents of the storage area to the contents indicated by the instruction T2α.

  By the way, the contents of the database 44 and data such as screen data and ladder programs to be referred to when the application layer 41 creates the instructions T1α and T1β are, for example, the editor device (instruction data generation device shown in FIG. 15), the graphic operation panel 12 is connected temporarily, for example, before the normal operation period, that is, the period in which the device is controlled based on the ladder program and the operation screen is displayed based on the screen data. The data is acquired and stored in the storage unit 26 by communication from the editor device 15 or by reading from the recording medium in which the data is written by the editor device 15. For example, when a device connected to the LAN 13 such as the control host computer 14 has a function of generating each data, the graphic operation panel 12 communicates with the device via the LAN 13 to transmit each data. If the graphic operation panel 12 itself has a function for generating / editing each data, the graphic operation panel 12 stores the data in the storage unit 26 according to an instruction from the user. The data may be corrected or newly generated, and the corrected / generated data may be stored in the storage unit 26.

  As an example, the editor device 15 according to the present embodiment is a device having a function of generating / editing a ladder program and a function of generating / editing screen data. For example, as shown in FIG. A program editor (control program editing means) 51 that modifies or newly creates a ladder program stored in advance and programs a ladder program to generate a new ladder program according to the operation, and a user operation In response, the screen data stored in advance is modified or newly created to design an operation screen and generate a new screen data (operation screen editing means) 52, and the editors 51 and 52. And a storage device 53 for storing the ladder program and screen data generated. The editor device 15 is provided with a database 54 in which the variable data described above is stored, and each of the editors 51 and 52 can update the contents of the database 54 in accordance with a user operation.

  The editor device 15 shown in FIG. 2 is configured to transmit the above data by communicating with the graphic operation panel 12 as an example. The above data stored in the storage device 53 and the database 54 can be used as the graphic operation. A communication processing unit 55 that communicates with the panel 12 is provided. In addition, when transmitting each said data via a recording medium, it may replace with / in addition to the communication processing part 55, and the recording apparatus which writes each data stored in the memory | storage device 53 or the database 54 in the recording medium should just be provided.

  Note that each member 21, 22, 25-32 and 41 to 44 of the graphic operation panel 12 and each member 51 to 55 of the graphic operation panel 12 described above are stored in a storage means such as a ROM or a RAM by a calculation means such as a CPU. The function block is realized by executing a program and controlling input / output means such as a touch panel and a liquid crystal display device or a communication circuit such as an interface circuit. Of these members, each of the storage units 26, 51a, 52a, the storage device 53, and the databases 44, 54 (some of which will be described later) may be a storage device itself such as a ROM or a RAM. Therefore, the editor device 15 according to the present embodiment can be realized simply by a computer having these means reading a recording medium (for example, a CD-ROM) in which the program is recorded and executing the program. For example, if a program for downloading a program via the LAN 13 or another communication path is installed in the computer in advance, the program is distributed to the computer via the communication path. May be.

  More specifically, the program editor 51 receives a work storage unit 51a in which information corresponding to a ladder program and information indicating a ladder diagram corresponding to the ladder program are temporarily stored, and a user instruction. An editing processing unit (automatic assignment means) 51b for rewriting the contents of the storage unit 51a, and a display processing unit 51c for displaying the contents of the storage unit 51a edited by the editing processing unit 51b on a display (not shown) as a ladder diagram. A data input / output processing unit 51d that expands the ladder program stored in the storage unit 51a to the storage unit 51a and writes a ladder program corresponding to the contents of the edited storage unit 51a to the storage unit 51a. Yes.

  Here, as described above, the ladder program can be illustrated as a ladder diagram, and the editing processing unit 51b of the program editor 51 displays, for example, a palette indicating the types of ladder symbols that can be arranged, The user is prompted to select the type of ladder symbol in the palette and place the desired type of ladder symbol on the screen. In addition, when the editing processing unit 51b receives a ladder symbol arrangement operation by the user, the editing processing unit 51b changes the contents of the storage unit 51a according to the operation so that the ladder diagram being edited includes the ladder symbol arranged as described above. The display processing unit 51c displays the ladder symbol at the designated coordinates based on the contents of the storage unit 51a. Similarly, when the editing processing unit 51b receives a network placement operation by the user, the editing processing unit 51b changes the contents of the storage unit 51a according to the operation so that the ladder program being edited includes the network, and the display processing unit 51c can display the network at a designated position based on the contents of the storage unit 51a.

  Furthermore, the edit processing unit 51b changes the contents of the storage unit 51a in accordance with the user's operation such as drag and drop to adjust the value of the display coordinate range of the ladder symbol, and the display processing unit 51c The ladder symbol is displayed at the position of. In addition, the editing processing unit 51b prompts the user to input an address or a variable as information for specifying a device related to the ladder symbol, and so that the input address or variable is related to the ladder symbol. The content of the storage unit 51a (more specifically, information indicating the operand of the instruction corresponding to the ladder symbol) is changed, and the display processing unit 51c changes the variable associated with each ladder symbol according to a user instruction. Can be displayed in the format of the corresponding address or variable name.

  The edit processing unit 51b accepts an input operation of a device address for a variable, changes the contents of the database 54 (more specifically, the contents of a record corresponding to the variable) to indicate the input address, The display processing unit 51c may display an address associated with each variable in accordance with a user instruction. The operation when registering a new variable and the operation associated with the drawing editor 52 will be described later.

  Further, upon receiving an editing end instruction, the data input / output processing unit 51 d generates a ladder program according to the contents of the storage unit 51 a and writes the ladder program in the storage device 53. As a result, a ladder program including an instruction sequence corresponding to the edited ladder diagram is generated.

  Similarly, the drawing editor 52 includes a working storage unit 52a in which information corresponding to screen data is temporarily stored, and an editing processing unit (automatic operation) that accepts a user instruction and rewrites the contents of the storage unit 52a. Allocation means) 52b, a display processing unit 52c for displaying the contents of the storage unit 52a edited by the editing processing unit 52b on a display (not shown), and the screen data stored in the storage unit 53 are expanded in the storage unit 52a. Or a data input / output processing unit (generation unit) 52d for writing screen data corresponding to the contents of the edited storage unit 52a to the storage device 53.

  Here, as described above, the screen data is configured by combining an object indicating a correspondence relationship between an area on the screen and an address that can identify a device corresponding to display or input in the area. The edit processing unit 52b of the drawing editor 52 displays, for example, a palette of classes serving as an object template, and prompts the user to select a class in the palette and place a desired object on the screen. In addition, when the editing processing unit 52b receives an object placement operation by the user, the editing processing unit 52b changes the contents of the storage unit 52a so that the screen data being edited includes the data of the placed object according to the operation. The display processing unit 52c displays the object at the designated coordinates based on the contents of the storage unit 52a. Further, the edit processing unit 52b changes the contents of the storage unit 52a in accordance with the user's operation such as drag and drop to adjust the value of the region attribute of the object, and the display processing unit 52c displays the position after the change. Display objects on. In addition, the edit processing unit 52b prompts the user to input an address or variable related to the object, and the contents of the storage unit 52a (more specifically, so that the input address or variable is related to the object). The display processing unit 52c displays an address and a variable associated with each object according to a user instruction. Further, similar to the editing processing unit 51b of the program editor 51, when the editing processing unit 52b receives an input operation of a device address for a variable, the editing processing unit 52b displays the contents of the database 54 (more specifically, The content of the record corresponding to the variable) is changed, and the display processing unit 52c can display the address associated with each variable in accordance with a user instruction.

  The graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment can switch and display a plurality of screens (operation screens), and the edit processing unit 52b performs an operation screen addition operation and an editing operation on each operation screen. In addition to accepting, the data of each object arranged on the operation screen in association with each operation screen can be stored in the storage unit 51a.

  On the other hand, when the editing end instruction is received, the data input / output processing unit 52 d generates screen data corresponding to the contents of the storage unit 52 a and writes the screen data in the storage device 53. Thereby, screen data including information for generating the edited object on the graphic operation panel 12 can be generated.

  As a result, the designer operates the drawing editor 52 of the editor device 15 to place the object at a desired position on the screen, associate each object with the variable, and associate the variable with the device address. Just create screen data. Therefore, the display and operation of each graphic operation panel 12 can be determined (changed) more easily than when the display program of the graphic operation panel 12 is modified, and the user of the control system 1 (the designer who operates the editor device 15). Can be matched to the actual situation of the target system 2, the level of proficiency of the operator of the graphic operation panel 12, or the user's preference and judgment criteria.

  Furthermore, the editing processing units 51b and 52b of the editors 51 and 52 correspond to parts arranged on the screen of the other editor 51 and 52 by, for example, drag and drop from the other editor 51 and 52. Operation to place the part to be placed on its own screen, and in this case, it is a part that is predetermined to correspond to the other part and is associated with a variable that is associated with the other part. Placed parts can be arranged. The editors 51 and 52 refer to the same database 54. As a result, in both the editors 51 and 52, the information corresponding to the variables, such as the addresses corresponding to the variables, is arranged rather than the configuration in which the components corresponding to each other are separately arranged and the variables corresponding to those components are individually set. The time and effort required for inputting and setting variables corresponding to each part can be greatly reduced.

  By the way, the devices that can be accessed in the screen data and the ladder program include the device 2a connected to the PLC 11, the device 2a connected via the IO / IF unit 31, or the PLC 11 or the graphic operation panel 12. In the case of these devices, the device address or address of the device 2a is determined in advance.

  On the other hand, the above devices include not only devices whose specific addresses are determined in advance, but also storage areas reserved in the graphic operation panel 12 for temporarily storing data, for example. In this case, the storage area may be located at any address as long as the data can be stored.

  However, in this case, after the user determines a storage area to be assigned to the device from among the free storage areas in the graphic operation panel 12, the address is set in the variable as in the device in which the specific address is determined. If these are associated, the operation becomes complicated.

  On the other hand, in the graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment, an automatic allocation area (a specific area for automatic allocation) is stored in a storage area of the storage unit 26 that is different from the real device area A1. A2 is provided, and the editor device 15 automatically allocates a free storage area in the automatic allocation area A2 for the device for which the specific address is not predetermined, and accesses the device. In this case, the screen data, the ladder program, and the contents of the database 54 (the contents of the database 44) can be set so as to access the allocated storage area.

  Furthermore, the editor device 15 according to the present embodiment allocates the storage areas by arranging them according to variable types, and when the application layer 41 of the graphic operation panel 12 instructs the control layer 42, for example, As in the instruction T1γ shown in FIG. 13, the storage area to be accessed is specified by specifying with the offset in each type instead of specifying with the real address.

  In this embodiment, a bit type (bit type), an integer type (int type), a real number type (float type), and a real number type (real type) with the maximum accuracy depending on the model are prepared as an example of the above type. As shown in FIG. 14, the automatic allocation area A2 is divided into areas Ab, Ai, Af, and Ar corresponding to the areas. In addition, in this embodiment, other types such as a timer type, a counter type, a date type, a time type, and a PID type are also prepared, and the automatic allocation area A2 is provided with areas corresponding thereto. However, in FIG. 14, these regions are omitted for convenience of explanation.

  As an example, the instruction T1γ shown in FIG. 13 shows a case where the second variable (offset 0001) of the integer type is to be accessed, and the combination of the type and the offset is stored in the field F12 of the instruction T1γ. Has been. In the figure, for convenience of explanation, the contents of the field F12 are illustrated as a character string in which a character “I” indicating an integer type and a character string indicating an offset are connected by a separator “_”. Stores numerical values indicating combinations of molds and offsets.

  Note that the offset is different from variable names and variable identifiers that can be set independently of the address. If the base address (base address) and the size of the type are predetermined, the offset is particularly Even without referring to 44, the actual address can be calculated based on the base address, size, and offset.

  Here, the control layer 42 may calculate an actual address, but in the present embodiment, the service layer 43 calculates an actual address based on the base address, the size, and the offset. Accordingly, in the instruction T1γ, the field F11 indicating the type of instruction is set to a value indicating that conversion is not required (in the example of the figure, “direct”), and the control layer 42 sends information to the service layer 43. When generating the instruction T2γ, as shown in FIG. 15, the contents of the field F12 are set as they are in the field F21 of the instruction T2γ.

  On the other hand, the service layer 43 according to the present embodiment is provided with an automatic allocation area service 43c that accesses the automatic allocation area A2 based on an instruction T2γ in which a storage area is specified by an offset. When the instruction T2γ receives the instruction T2γ, the instruction T2γ designates the instruction T2γ as an access target in the automatic allocation area A2 based on the offset included in the instruction T2γ and the predetermined base address and size. The address of the storage area is calculated. Further, the automatic allocation area service 43c accesses the storage area and returns the contents of the storage area to the application layer 41, or changes the contents of the storage area according to an instruction from the application layer 41. .

  Thereby, even if the application layer 41 designates the access target with the offset in each type, the service layer 43 can access the access target, that is, the storage area provided in the automatic allocation area A2 without any trouble.

  In the above, when accessing the storage area allocated to the automatic allocation area A2, the application layer 41 specifies the storage area to be accessed by specifying with an offset instead of specifying with a real address. Explained the case. On the other hand, when the application layer 41 is designated by the identifier of the variable, the control layer 42 refers to the database 44 and sets the value corresponding to the identifier of the variable in substantially the same manner as when the actual device area A1 is the access target. The data is converted and transmitted to the service layer 43. However, when the access target is a storage area in the automatic allocation area A2, the database 44 stores the offset in each type instead of the actual address. Therefore, the control layer 42 reads the offset corresponding to the identifier of the designated variable from the database 44 and notifies the service layer 43 of the offset. Thereby, even if the access target is a storage area in the automatic allocation area A2, the application layer 41 can specify the access target by the identifier of the variable.

  Hereinafter, a configuration for creating a ladder program and screen data to be referred to when the application layer 41 accesses the automatically allocated storage area and for automatically allocating the storage area to be accessed will be described. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, in the databases 44 and 45 according to the present embodiment, the type field F44 is provided in the record corresponding to each variable, and the device stores the storage area in the automatic allocation area A2. In this case, information on the type of the device is stored in the field F44 of the variable record corresponding to the device. In the field F42 of the record of the variable, a combination of a type and an offset is stored as information indicating the storage area. In the figure, as in the field F12, for convenience of explanation, the contents of the field F42 are illustrated as a character string in which a character “I” indicating an integer type and a character string indicating an offset are connected by “_”. ing.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when a variable is associated with a real address, the real address is stored in the field F42 of the record of the variable. In this case, the type of the record is A value indicating a real address (a value indicating a real address type) is stored in the field F44.

  On the other hand, when a part (object) or a ladder symbol is arranged on a ladder diagram or an operation screen and an input of an address or a variable related to the part or the ladder symbol is received, the editing processing units 51b and 52b are as follows. To set the variable type.

  In other words, when the editing processing unit 51b or 51a according to the present embodiment receives an operation for arranging a new part or ladder symbol, it determines whether or not the variable corresponds to it. For example, in the case of an arrangement operation from one of the editing processing units 51b and 51a to the other, since the variable has already been associated with the part or ladder symbol in the original editing processing unit, the editing processing unit that has accepted the arrangement operation is The variable associated with the original editing processing unit is associated with the part or ladder symbol.

  On the other hand, when a part or ladder symbol is newly placed, such as when a placement operation from a pallet is accepted, the editing processing unit 51b / 51a is configured so that the user can input a variable name corresponding to the part or ladder symbol. Prompt.

  When the variable name is input, the edit processing units 51b and 52b refer to the database 54 to determine whether or not the input variable name is already registered in the database 54. A variable having the variable name is associated with the part or ladder symbol.

  On the contrary, if the input variable name is not registered in the database 54, the variable is a new variable. In this case, the edit processing units 51b and 52b determine whether or not the variable name is a character string that matches a predetermined pattern. As a corresponding type, a type preliminarily associated with the pattern is set.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, a real address type is associated with a numerical pattern. In addition, a pattern that starts with a character indicating a type, such as I indicating an integer type, is associated with the type. Further, as a pattern indicating a device 2a externally connected to the graphic operation panel 12 or the PLC 11, such as a motor, a lamp or a switch, a pattern starting with a predetermined character (for example, “M” in the case of a motor) is used. The real address type is associated.

  As described above, when a character string matching the pattern is input, a type associated with the pattern in advance is set.

  On the other hand, when the pattern does not match any of the predetermined patterns, the edit processing units 51b and 52b set a predetermined type as an initial type. In the present embodiment, the editing processing unit 51b of the program editor 51 defines a predetermined type (for example, an integer type) among automatic allocation types as an initial setting type. On the other hand, a real address type is defined as an initial setting type in the editing processing unit 52b of the drawing editor 52.

  Here, the drawing editor creates an operation screen of a control display device that does not have a PLC function and is assumed to be connected to the PLC, such as a programmable display or a graphic operation panel without a PLC function. Often used for. In addition, many PLCs cannot accept designation by a variable and can only accept designation by an address. Furthermore, as compared with the case of creating a ladder program, a certain device is rarely used frequently, and it is less likely that a storage area for temporarily storing data is required. Therefore, when a device connected to the PLC is an access target, the user of the drawing editor cannot avoid specifying the access target by an address, and is often accustomed to the specification by an address.

  As a result, if the pattern does not match the pattern, the edit processing unit 52b of the drawing editor 52 sets the type of the variable to the real address type. Can be reduced.

  On the other hand, the program editor is used to create a control program (such as a ladder program) for a control device directly connected to the device, but the same device is repeatedly used in the program as compared to the drawing editor. In many cases, there is a high possibility that a storage area for temporarily storing data is required. Therefore, similarly to the drawing editor 52, if the initial type is set to the real address type, there is a high possibility that the type needs to be changed, which may increase the labor of the user.

  On the other hand, if the edit processing unit 51b of the program editor 51 according to the present embodiment does not match the above pattern, the edit type of the variable is set to a predetermined type (for example, a type of automatic allocation) (for example, , Integer type, etc.). Therefore, compared with the case where the real address type is set, the possibility that the type needs to be changed can be reduced, and the labor of the user can be reduced.

  In preparation for the case where the above-described type setting is incorrect, the editing processing units 51b and 52b according to the present embodiment also accept a type changing operation as one of the attribute editing operations for parts or ladder symbols, for example. Can do. Each of the editing processing units 51b and 52b can also display a list of types of each variable according to a user operation, for example, and can perform an editing operation (type changing operation) on each type of the displayed variables. ) Can be accepted. As a result, even if the above type setting is incorrect, it can be changed to the correct type without any trouble.

  In addition, the editing processing units 51b and 52b, for example, when adding a new variable for automatic allocation, or even if a variable has already been created, the type is the type for automatic allocation. Is changed, the storage area for the variable is allocated to the automatic allocation area A2 of the storage unit 26 of the graphic operation panel 12.

  As described above, in the graphic operation panel 12 according to the present embodiment, the automatically allocated variable storage areas are allocated in line for each variable type. In order to realize this, the editing processing units 51b and 52b according to the present embodiment are already used among the variable type areas for newly allocating the storage area in the automatic allocation area A2 of the storage unit 26. A storage area for the variable is secured in an area (for example, the area next to the storage area that has already been used) that is continuous with the storage area in the database 54, and the field F42 of the record of the variable in the database 54 A combination of a mold and an offset is stored as information indicating the secured storage area.

  For example, in the state shown in FIG. 11, integer offsets I_0000 (not shown) and I_0001 are used. Therefore, in this state, when the storage area of the integer type variable is automatically allocated, a record of I_0002 is added as shown in FIG.

  As an example, the edit processing units 51b and 52b according to the present embodiment search the database 54, and among the variable type areas to which a storage area is newly allocated, areas that are continuous with the storage area that has already been used Looking for.

  Specifically, as described above, the database 54 stores combinations of types and offsets for variables that have already been assigned storage areas. Therefore, the edit processing units 51b and 52b can determine whether or not the storage area indicated by the combination has already been allocated based on whether or not the combination of the type and the offset is registered in the database 54. In addition, when the editing processing units 51b and 52b allocate new storage areas, they are allocated so that the storage areas are continuous. Therefore, the editing processing units 51b and 52b have the same type as the type of the variable to which a new storage area is to be allocated among the combinations of the type and offset stored in the database 54, and the offset value is the last one. The combination is extracted, and the next value of the offset is determined as the offset of the storage area. As an example, when the offset is continuously increased, the next value is a number obtained by adding 1 to the maximum offset value, and when the offset is decreased by skipping one, the next value is the offset. This is a value obtained by subtracting 2 from the minimum value.

  If they are aligned in the state where they are arranged in the storage unit 26, the editing processing units 51b and 52b arrange the storage areas discontinuously and register them in the database 44, for example, at the stage of registration in the database 54. In the stage, the offset may be corrected so as to align for each mold. In any case, the same effect can be obtained as long as they are arranged in the storage unit 26.

  In the above description, the basic type (type with one element) is described as an example. However, in the present embodiment, arrays of the above-described types are also prepared as derived types. In this case, the application layer 41 and the service layer 43 of the graphic operation panel 12 and the editing processing units 51b and 52b of the editor device 15 each include a combination of a type, an offset, and an index in the array. I have identified.

  Here, as described above, when the application layer 41 according to the present embodiment instructs the control layer 42 to access the storage area in the automatic allocation area A2, the type and offset are set in the field F12 of the instruction T1γ. The combination of is set.

  However, in general, the area required for storing the combination of the type and the offset is smaller than the area required for storing the real address. Accordingly, if the size of the field F12 is set to be the same between the instruction T1α specifying the access target with the real address and the instruction T1γ specifying the access target with the combination of the type and the offset, the field F12 of the instruction T1γ Among these, a specific area (for example, an area corresponding to the upper bits of the offset) always has the same value. In the same way, the specific areas always have the same value in the fields F21 and F42.

  In this embodiment, by setting the sizes of the fields F12 and F21 to be the same, the configuration in which the automatic allocation area service 43c for automatic allocation is not provided and the data processing of the control layer 42 are made common. Nevertheless, by storing the array index in the specific area of the field F12, if the access target is an array, the index is also notified to the automatic allocation area service 43c by one instruction T1. Yes. Thereby, the efficiency at the time of accessing the automatically allocated storage area can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a flag indicating whether an index or a subfield (described later) is included in the fields F12 and F21 in a reserved area provided in advance in a header area (not shown) of the fields F12 and F21. The application layer 41 of the graphic operation panel 12 sets the flag to true (a value indicating that it is included) when specifying an index or a subfield (described later), and the service layer 43 When the flag is true, the area specified by the index or the subfield is accessed. As a result, the service layer 43 has the following problem, that is, the instruction is one of the instruction specifying the access target with the real address and the instruction specifying the access target with the combination of the type and the offset. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem of erroneous processing.

  Further, in the above description, the case of the array type has been described as an example. However, the application layer 41 and the service layer 43 according to the present embodiment, and the editing processing units 51b and 52b of the editor device 15 may be other types such as an integer type. Even if it is a variable of type, as long as the storage area of the variable is divided into a plurality of subfields, the application layer 41 and service layer 43 of the graphic operation panel 12 and the editing processing units 51b and 52b of the editor device 15 are used. Stores an identifier indicating the subfield to be accessed in the specific area. Thereby, the efficiency at the time of accessing the subfield can be improved while maintaining the compatibility of the control layer 42.

  In the above description, the case where the storage areas to be automatically allocated are arranged for each type has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Address information indicating the identifier of the variable and the address of the storage area as well as automatically assigning a storage area for the device corresponding to a device not previously associated with a specific address to the free area in the automatic allocation area A2 The correspondence relationship with (for example, a combination of a mold and an offset) may be stored in the database 44. In the above description, the storage area corresponding to the automatically assigned type variable is specified by the combination of the type and the offset. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If specified by address information indicating the address of the storage area, for example, the address itself may be used.

  Even with these configurations, a configuration for generating device variables not previously associated with specific addresses in the same procedure as when generating device variables previously associated with specific addresses In contrast, even if the address corresponding to the variable is not specified, the data processing apparatus can be made to access the automatically allocated storage area, and the labor for generating the variable can be reduced.

  However, if the storage areas to be automatically allocated are aligned for each type as in the present embodiment, for example, each storage area is compared with a configuration in which the storage areas are arranged in the order in which they are generated regardless of the type. Thus, the use efficiency of the storage area or the efficiency when the automatic allocation area service 43c accesses each storage area can be improved.

  Various data processing devices and instructions including a control device such as a PLC, a program editor device for generating the control program, a control display device such as a graphic operation panel, and a drawing editor device for designing the operation screen Widely applicable to data generators.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of main parts of an HMI processing unit and a device control unit provided in a graphic operation panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the control system containing the said graphic operation panel. It is drawing which shows an example of the operation screen of the said graphic operation panel. It is drawing which shows the ladder program which the said device control part performs as a ladder diagram. It is drawing which shows the said ladder program as a mnemonic. It is drawing which shows the data structure of the instruction | indication passed to the control layer provided in the said HMI process part and a device control part. It is a figure which shows an example of the said instruction | indication, and shows the case where an access target is specified with a real address. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the instruction | indication passed to the service layer from the control layer provided in the said HMI process part and device control part. It is a figure which shows the other example of the said instruction | indication, and shows the case where an access target is specified with the identifier of a variable. It is drawing which shows the data structure of the instruction | indication passed from the said control layer to a service layer. It is drawing which shows the data structure of the database which the said control layer refers. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the editor apparatus provided in the said control system. It is a figure which shows the other example of the said instruction | indication, and shows the case where the memory area used as access object is specified by designation | designated with the offset in each type | mold. It is drawing which shows the automatic allocation area | region provided in the graphic operation panel. It is drawing which shows the data structure of the instruction | indication passed from the said control layer to a service layer. It is data which shows the data memorize | stored in the said database, and shows the state by which the new variable was added.

Explanation of symbols

12 Graphic operation panel (data processing device)
15 Editor device (instruction data generation device)
43 Service layer (access means)
44 Database 51 Program editor (control program editing means)
52 drawing editor (operation screen editing means)
51b / 52b Edit processing unit (automatic allocation means)
51d / 52d data input / output processing unit (generating means)
A2 Automatic allocation area (specific area for automatic allocation)

Claims (9)

In the instruction data generating device provided with a generating means for generating instruction data indicating the operation of the data processing device,
The data processing apparatus accesses the device indicated by the access target information included in the instruction data, and changes at least one of the contents of the device according to the instruction data and acquires the contents of the device Access means for performing
A database for storing a correspondence relationship between address information indicating an address for specifying a device and an identifier for specifying a variable corresponding to the device;
When the device to be accessed is identified by a variable identifier, the access means refers to the database, identifies address information corresponding to the variable identifier, and accesses the address indicated by the address information. And
In the case where a variable corresponding to a device that is not previously associated with a specific address is generated as a variable, the instruction data generation device is provided with a specific area for automatic allocation provided in advance in the storage device of the data processing device Automatic allocation means for automatically allocating a storage area for a device corresponding to the variable to an empty area in the database and storing a correspondence relationship between an identifier of the variable and address information indicating an address of the storage area in the database Prepared,
When the device corresponding to the automatically allocated storage area is an access target, the generation means accesses one of address information indicating the address of the storage area and an identifier of a variable corresponding to the device. An instruction data generating apparatus, comprising: generating instruction data including target information and causing the access means to access the automatically allocated storage area.   The automatic allocation means accepts an input as to which type of the variable type to be automatically allocated is a predetermined type, and each storage area of the variable to be automatically allocated has its type 2. The instruction data generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage areas are automatically allocated so that the storage areas are aligned with each other.   When the generation unit sets a device associated in advance with a specific address as an access target, the address of the device is set as access target information, while a device corresponding to the automatically allocated storage area is set. When making the access target, the access target information having the same size as that of the device previously associated with the specific address is divided into first and second areas, and the first area includes In the storage area for the variable type corresponding to the device, an offset of the storage area of the variable is set, and when the storage area of the device is composed of a plurality of fields, the second area is set as an access target. 3. The instruction data generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a value indicating a field to be set is set. A control program editing means capable of setting a variable corresponding to a device to be accessed by the instruction as an operand of the instruction of the control program;
An operation screen editing means for setting a variable corresponding to a device whose state is displayed by a component arranged on the operation screen or a device whose state is changed according to an operation on the component; Prepared,
When a device previously associated with the specific address is a first type device, and a device not previously associated with the specific address is a second type device,
The control program editing means and the operation screen editing means correspond to a first type device or a second type device when adding a variable for which a corresponding device is not yet set. 4. The instruction data generation device according to claim 1, wherein the initial settings are different from each other.   When the control program editing unit and the operation screen editing unit add a variable for which the corresponding device is not yet set, if the character string set as the variable name matches a predetermined pattern 5. The instruction data according to claim 4, wherein a predetermined one of the first and second type devices corresponding to the pattern is associated with the variable regardless of the initial settings. Generator. A data processing device that operates based on instruction data generated by the instruction data generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Access means for accessing the device indicated by the access target information included in the instruction data and changing the contents of the device according to the instruction data or acquiring the contents of the device;
A data processing apparatus, comprising: a database for storing a correspondence relationship between address information indicating an address for specifying a device and an identifier for specifying a variable corresponding to the device.   A program that causes a computer to operate as the instruction data generation device by operating the computer as each unit of the instruction data generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   A program for operating a computer as the data processing apparatus by operating the computer as each means of the data processing apparatus according to claim 6.   A recording medium on which the program according to claim 7 or 8 is recorded.

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