JP2008250691A - Cable wiring-less system with equipment in programmable controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it unnecessary to change the hardware configuration and software configuration of each unit, and to make it unnecessary to change their development, and to easily facilitate countermeasures to the layout conversion of control equipment without increasing costs. <P>SOLUTION: Each of units 10, 12 and 16 of a programmable controller is mounted so as to be freely attached/detached to/from a power line 28 through a PLC socket 20, and a power line communication MODEM 24 for performing at least communication between each of those units 10, 12 and 16 through the power line 28 is loaded on the PLC socket 20. The PLC socket 20 is provided with a power line communication MODEM 24; a connector 26 arranged so as to be attachable/detachable to/from a connector for connection with the other unit installed in the unit of the programmable controller; and a power source plug 32 arranged so as to be attachable/detachable to/from a socket opening 30 of the power line 28. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable wiring-less system (hereinafter referred to as a cable wiring-less system) with a device in a programmable controller.

  The building block type programmable controller 1 is well known and is already known in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-202803. In the conventional building block type programmable controller, as shown in FIG. 4, the CPU unit 16, the input unit 10, the output unit 12, and the other unit 13 are connected by connecting their respective connectors 14 to, for example, the connectors 19 of the rails 17. There are some which can be connected to each other by PLC (programmable controller) bus. There are various PLC bus connection modes other than the rail 17. The CPU unit 16 is a unit that executes a sequence program that is a user program, and the input unit 10 and the output unit 12 are units that are connected to input control devices and output control devices and handle ON / OFF signals. Other units 13 include a communication unit that connects to a monitor device such as an external personal computer or a programmable display and performs network communication, and a high-function unit that controls analog signals and controls temperature and positioning. These units are connected by a PLC bus. The CPU unit exchanges data by communicating with each unit via a PLC bus. As other units, there is a power supply unit that supplies power to each unit.

  When the manufacturing equipment is controlled by the programmable controller 1 as shown in FIG. 5, a cable wiring system in which the control devices such as the sensor 6 and the actuator 8 and the units 10 and 12 such as input and output are connected by the cable wiring 15. It has become. That is, input control of a sensor 6 or the like that detects the state of each of a plurality of products 4 conveyed on the belt conveyor 2 in the vicinity of, for example, one belt conveyor 2 among various facilities in the manufacturing facility by the conventional programmable controller 1 The device 6 is arranged and the sensor 6 is connected to the input unit 10 through the cable wiring 15, and the output control device such as the actuator 8 is arranged near the belt conveyor 2 and the actuator 8 is connected to the output unit 12 through the cable wiring 15. is doing.

  That is, conventionally, control devices such as sensors and actuators and the input unit 10 and output unit 12 of the programmable controller 1 are connected by the cable wiring 15.

  When the operation of the belt conveyor 2 is controlled by the programmable controller 1 configured as described above, the signal detected by the sensor 6 is transmitted to the input unit 10 via the cable wiring 15 and the actuator 8 is controlled from the CPU unit 16. Is output to the output unit 12 and transmitted to the actuator 12 via the cable wiring 15.

  However, the cable wiring 15 for transmitting the sensor signal from the sensor 6 to the input unit 10 and the cable wiring 15 for transmitting the control signal from the output unit 12 to the actuator 8 include the sensor 6 and the actuator 8, etc. As the number of installed control devices has increased, the complexity has increased, and in such an increase, rewiring of cables has increased work costs in manufacturing sites where the relocation of sensors 6 and actuators 8 is frequently performed. With increasing labor, in particular, miswiring has become a very important issue.

  On the other hand, in solving the above problems, the hardware configuration and the software configuration of the CPU unit 16, the input unit 10, and the output unit 12 in the building block type programmable controller are not changed, and development changes thereof are not required. It is desirable to be able to respond.

Furthermore, when solving the above-mentioned problems, it is desirable that it is possible to easily change the arrangement, change the arrangement, etc. of the sensor 6, the actuator 8, etc. without incurring costs for facility construction.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-202803

  Therefore, the present invention requires a hardware or software configuration change of each unit such as a CPU unit, an input unit, and an output unit on the programmable controller side for the arrangement of the control device and the change or change of the arrangement. It is possible to easily, quickly, and easily cope with the system without requiring any development changes.

  In the cable wiring-less system according to the present invention, each unit of the programmable controller is detachably attached to a power line via a PLC socket, and a power line communication modem for performing at least communication between the units via the power line is mounted on the PLC socket. It is characterized by this.

  According to the present invention, since the communication between the CPU unit and the input / output unit can be performed through the power line by the PLC socket, the input and output units are arranged in the vicinity of the input and output control devices, The input / output unit and the CPU unit can be installed apart from each other, so that the cable wiring between the control device and the input / output unit becomes unnecessary. Therefore, in the present invention, it is not necessary to change the hardware or software of each unit such as a CPU unit, an input unit, an output unit, etc., without changing the development, etc. It can be easily handled without cost.

  The units applied in the inter-unit communication are preferably a CPU unit and an input / output unit. In this case, the input / output unit includes an input unit to which a control device such as a sensor can be connected, an output unit to which a control device such as an actuator can be connected, and an input / output unit to which both the control devices can be connected.

  In the programmable controller of the present invention, an existing building block type programmable controller can be applied as it is. Depending on the situation of the manufacturing equipment, the CPU unit, the input unit, the output unit, and other units may be rails or the like. The PLC unit may be connected to the PLC bus, or the input unit and the output unit may be connected to the CPU unit via the PLC socket via the power line, and the other unit may be connected to the PLC bus via a rail or the like.

  The PLC socket includes a socket case and a power line communication modem built in the socket case for at least communication between the units of the programmable controller, and the socket case includes other units included in the unit of the programmable controller. It is preferable to include a connector that can be attached to and detached from the connector for connection and a power plug that can be attached to and detached from the outlet of the power line.

  The power line communication modem is a communication device used when performing power line carrier communication for performing communication using power wiring. In this communication device, a communication signal can be superimposed (modulated) on AC power as a power line carrier communication signal, and a communication signal can be extracted (demodulated) from the power line carrier communication signal. Thus, power line carrier communication is a communication mode that uses a power line as a communication line.

  In the present invention, even if the control device is frequently relocated, it is only necessary to arrange each unit according to the relocation, and to connect each unit to the power line outlet through the PLC socket. There will be no increase in work costs and labor for conversion, etc., and there will be no concerns such as miswiring of control equipment. be able to.

  In particular, in the present invention, it is not necessary to change the hardware configuration and software configuration of each unit such as a CPU unit, an input unit, and an output unit for changing the arrangement of control devices, and therefore development changes are required. Therefore, an extremely useful cable wiring-less system can be provided.

  Hereinafter, a cable wiring-less system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a cable wiring-less system according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the PLC socket.

  With reference to these drawings, the product 4 is conveyed on the belt conveyor 2. A sensor 6 serving as an input control device that detects a processing temperature or the like for the product 4 and an actuator 8 serving as an output control device that performs discharge driving when the production of the product 4 is completed are arranged. An input unit 10 is connected to these sensors 6, and an output unit 12 is connected to the actuator 8. Each of the input unit 10 and the output unit 12 is provided with a connector 14. On the other hand, the CPU unit 16 is arranged at a position remote from the input and output units 10 and 12. The CPU unit 16 is provided with a connector 18. As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU unit 16, the input unit 10, and the output unit 12 can directly transmit and receive signals in parallel by connecting the mutual connectors 14 and 18 to the PLC bus that is an internal bus. That is, in the embodiment, the existing building block type programmable controller 1 can be applied as it is.

  In the embodiment, the PLC socket 20 is used to perform communication among the CPU unit 16, the input unit 10, and the output unit 12. The PLC socket 20 includes a socket case 22, a signal conversion module 25 of a programmable controller in the socket case 22, and a power line communication modem 24 built in at least for communication between the units. The socket case 22 includes a connector 26 that can be attached to and detached from the connectors 14 and 18 for connection to each unit, and a power plug 32 that can be attached to and detached from the outlet port 30 of the power line 28.

  Then, the PLC socket 20 is arranged in association with each of the CPU unit 16, the input unit 10, and the output unit 12. Then, the connector 26 of the PLC socket 20 is connected to the connector 18 of the CPU unit 16, and the power plug 32 of the PLC socket 20 is inserted into the outlet 30 of the power line. The connectors 26 of the corresponding PLC sockets 20 are connected to the connectors 14 of the input and output units 10 and 12, and the power plugs 32 of the PLC sockets 20 are inserted into the outlets 30 of the power lines 28.

  In the above configuration, when the belt conveyor 2 is operated, a signal detected by the sensor 6 serving as an input control device is input from the input unit 10 to the corresponding PLC socket 20 as a communication signal to the CPU unit 16. The PLC socket 20 converts the parallel signal of the programmable controller received from the input unit 10 into a communication signal of the power line communication module 25, and superimposes the communication signal on the AC power by the power line communication modem 24 built in the power socket communication signal. To the power line 28 from the power plug 32 side. This power line carrier communication signal is transmitted through the power line 28 and demodulated by the power line communication modem 24 in the PLC socket 20 from the outlet 30 on the CPU unit 16 side to the power plug 32 of the PLC socket 20 on the CPU unit 16 side. After being taken out from the AC power, this time, the power line communication signal is converted into a parallel signal of the programmable controller by 25 and received by the CPU unit 16 as a communication signal of the normal programmable controller.

  Further, a communication signal for controlling the output unit 12 from the CPU unit 16 is superimposed on the AC power by the power line communication modem 24 inside the PLC socket 20 corresponding thereto, and is transmitted to the power line 28 as a power line carrier communication signal. This power line carrier communication signal is transmitted through the power line 28, demodulated by the power line communication modem 24 in the PLC socket 20 from the power plug 32 of the PLC socket 20 on the output unit 12 side, and taken out from the AC power. The communication signal is converted into a parallel signal of the programmable controller by 25 and is received by the output unit 12 as a communication signal of a normal programmable controller. The output unit 12 controls the actuator and the like 8 which are output control devices from this communication signal.

  In the cable wiring-less system according to the embodiment described above, communication between the CPU unit 16 and the other input and output units 10 and 12 is performed through the power line 28 by the power line communication modem 24 built in the PLC socket 20. Therefore, the cable wiring between the input / output control device and the input / output units 10 and 12, which has been necessary in the past, becomes unnecessary, thereby eliminating the work cost and labor of cable wiring and rewiring, and The existence of miswiring can be eliminated.

  In particular, in the cable wiring-less system according to the embodiment, the module 25 for converting the control bus signals of the CPU unit 16, the input unit 10, the output unit 12, etc. into the power line communication unit is used for the PLC relocation. There is no need to change the hardware and software of the programmable controller composed of the building blocks used in the socket, and so this PLC socket can be used without changing their development. Can do.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cable wiring-less system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a main part of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the PLC socket. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional building block type programmable controller. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cable wiring system in a conventional programmable controller.

Explanation of symbols

2 Belt conveyor 4 Product 6 Sensor 8 Actuator 10 Input unit 12 Output unit 14 Connector 16 CPU unit 18 Connector 20 PLC socket 22 Socket case 24 Power line communication modem 25 Signal conversion module 26 Connector 28 Power line 30 Outlet port 32 Power plug

Claims (4)

  In a programmable controller, wherein each unit of the programmable controller is detachably attached to a power line via a PLC socket, and a power line communication modem for performing at least communication between the units through the power line is mounted on the PLC socket. Cable wiring-less method with equipment.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the units to which the inter-unit communication is applied are a CPU unit and an input / output unit.   A socket case, and a power line communication modem built in the socket case for at least communication between the units of the programmable controller, and the socket case is attached to and detached from a connector for connecting to other units of the programmable controller unit A PLC socket, comprising: a connector capable of being attached and a power plug that can be attached to and detached from an outlet of a power line.   A programmable controller of a building type, wherein at least a CPU unit and an input / output unit of each unit are provided with connectors to which the connector of the PLC socket according to claim 3 can be attached and detached. .

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