JP2009042913A - Tool device in multi-plc-distributed control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool device for easily recognizing the operation of a whole control program integrated into a plurality of PLC in a multi-PLC-distributed control system. <P>SOLUTION: On the basis of the content of an input memory and an output memory acquired from each of devices, a pair of input signal and output signal corresponding to the same signal between different devices are extracted based on device information attached to each signal, and the linking processing of the pair of input signal and output signal is performed, and logic symbol diagrams restored from a control program integrated in each PLC are displayed in a batch, and the pair of input signal and output signal corresponding to the same signal are displayed in series in such a state that they are connected by one line on the screen of a prescribed display device based on the content of the input memory, output memory and program memory acquired from each device and the linking result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tool device in a programmable controller (hereinafter referred to as “PLC”), and in particular, each of a plurality of controlled systems arranged in a distributed manner is not limited to its own system state but also to other system states. This also relates to a tool device applied to a multi-PLC / distributed control system that is organically coupled to each other and can be controlled.

  For example, in the field of safety control, each of a plurality of controlled systems that are distributed and distributed is controlled by being organically coupled to each other by considering not only the state of the own system but also the state of other systems. A multi-PLC / distributed control system that has been made possible has been known.

  Temporarily, one input device (consisting of a remote IN unit or the like) to which a system stop signal is input from an emergency stop switch, and each having a logical operation function and controlling the stop operation of the controlled systems A and B Two control devices (a first safety PLC and a second safety PLC) and one output device (consisting of a remote OUT unit or the like) that controls the stop operation of the controlled system C over a network. A multi PLC / distributed control system is assumed.

  When a system stop signal is input from the emergency stop switch, the input device passes this system stop signal to the first safety PLC via the network.

  The first safety PLC generates a unique system stop signal by performing a predetermined logical operation on the system stop signal received from the input device, and the controlled system A that directly controls the system stop signal by itself. For example, to stop it all at the same time, and simultaneously pass this system stop signal to the second safety PLC via the network.

  The second safety PLC generates a unique system stop signal by performing a predetermined logical operation on the system stop signal received from the first safety PLC, and directly controls the system stop signal by itself. This is given to the control system B to partially stop it, for example, and at the same time, this system stop signal is passed to the output device via the network.

  Based on the system stop signal received from the second safety PLC, the output device completely stops the controlled system C managed by the output device.

  According to the above-described multi-PLC / distributed control system, each safety PLC processes the system stop signal generated from the emergency stop switch according to the current situation and generates its own system stop signal. Even with one emergency stop switch, optimal stop control can be performed for each controlled system controlled by each safety PLC.

By the way, in general, in order to debug a control program of a PLC, the contents of the input memory, output memory, program memory, etc. of the PLC are read from the corresponding memory and restored based on the contents of the memory thus read. 2. Description of the Related Art A tool device (usually configured by incorporating predetermined tool software in a personal computer) that displays a circuit diagram (ladder diagram, logic symbol diagram, etc.) on a screen has been known (Patent Document 1). reference).
JP 09-330250 A

  In the above-described multi-PLC / control system, the operation of the control program for each safety PLC comes not only from the state of the input device in the controlled system supervised by its own safety PLC, but also from other safety PLCs. Since it changes depending on the contents of the input signal, in order to debug a control program of a specific safety PLC, not only the control program of the safety PLC is displayed in a circuit diagram but also other related safety PLCs. The control program is preferably monitored by displaying a circuit diagram.

  However, since the circuit diagram display in the conventional tool device can be performed for one specified PLC, it cannot be performed for a plurality of PLCs at the same time. In order to monitor this, the circuit diagram display must be repeated for each control program, and there is a problem in that it is not easy to use.

  In addition, even if the circuit diagram display of each PLC is stored and displayed at the same time, the individual circuit diagram displays are separated and independent, and therefore correspond to the same signal between adjacent PLCs. Since a pair of output signals and input signals are displayed as different symbols, there is a problem that it is not easy to correctly recognize their correlation.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned problems in the conventional tool device, and the object of the present invention is to control the entire control program incorporated in a plurality of PLCs in the above-described multi-PLC / distributed control system. An object of the present invention is to provide a tool device capable of easily grasping the operation.

  Other objects and operational effects of the present invention will be easily understood by those skilled in the art by referring to the following description of the specification.

  It is considered that the above technical problem can be solved by a tool device having the following configuration.

  That is, the tool device of the present invention is premised on the existence of a multi PLC / distributed control system. This multi-PLC / distributed control system is formed by connecting a plurality of devices via a network, at least two of which are PLCs, and each of those PLCs is directly controlled by the PLC. To be controlled is assigned. That is, in this multi PLC / distributed control system, the presence or absence of an input device or an output device is arbitrary.

  Each PLC that constitutes the device is provided with an input memory, an output memory, and a program memory. Here, “memory” may be a separate memory element or an area of a specific memory.

  In the input memory, a signal output from an input device included in the controlled system assigned to the PLC and / or a signal output to the own device from another device connected via the network Are stored in association with device information as an input signal.

  In the output memory, a signal to be output to an output device included in the controlled system assigned to the PLC and / or a signal to be output to another device connected via the network Are stored in association with device information as output signals.

  The program memory stores a control program that defines the correlation between the input signal stored in the input memory and the output signal stored in the output memory.

  In an input device constituting the device (in the case of a system in which an input device exists), a signal output from an input device assigned to the input device is stored as an input signal in association with device information.

  In an output device constituting the device (in the case of a system having an output device), a signal to be output to an output device assigned to the output device is stored as an output signal in association with device information.

  Thereby, each of the plurality of controlled systems arranged in a distributed manner can be controlled by being organically coupled to each other by considering not only the state of the own system but also the state of other systems.

  Based on the above multi-PLC / distributed control system, the tool device of the present invention generates the same signal between different devices based on the contents of the input memory and / or output memory acquired from each device. A pair of corresponding input signals and output signals are extracted based on device information attached to each signal, and a stringing processing means for performing a stringing process between the pair of input signals and output signals, Based on the contents of the input memory, output memory, and / or program memory acquired from each of the devices, and the result of linking, it is restored from the control program incorporated in each PLC on the screen of a predetermined display device. A series of logic symbol diagrams and a pair of input and output signals corresponding to the same signal are displayed in series in a connected state. It comprises a diagrammatic representation means.

  According to such a configuration, each PLC is displayed on the screen of a predetermined display device based on the contents of the input memory, the output memory, and / or the program memory acquired from each of the devices, and the association result. The logic symbol diagrams restored from the control program incorporated in the system can be collectively displayed as a pair of input signals and output signals corresponding to the same signal, for example, connected by a single line. Therefore, it is possible to simultaneously observe all the control programs of a plurality of PLCs constituting the multi PLC / distributed control system on the screen, and in the logic symbol diagram, output signals corresponding to the same signals between different PLCs. And the input signal are displayed as a connection state, and therefore, the connection relationship between a series of related signals is visually checked. Intuitively be grasped Te, thereby making it possible to easily grasp the operation of the overall control program incorporated in a plurality in the PLC.

  If the above-described invention is applied to the field of safety control, the PLC is a safety PLC, the input device is a safety input device such as an emergency stop switch, a door switch, a limit switch, and the output device. Are safety output devices such as safety relays and safety contactors. In particular, the control program for the safety PLC is often expressed as a logic symbol diagram, and therefore will be suitable for the present invention.

  According to the present invention, in a multi-PLC / distributed control system, it is possible to provide a tool device capable of easily grasping the entire operation of a control program incorporated in a plurality of PLCs. Needless to say, the work is effective for debugging work when adjusting the connection through the entire system, and the work time to start the system operation can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, in the safety control system, a circuit diagram representing a connection process across a plurality of machines (safety PLCs) can be easily created, so that the work cost for obtaining the safety standard certification can be greatly reduced.

  In the following, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. A schematic diagram of a multi PLC / distributed control system in which a plurality of control systems are connected via a bus network is shown in FIG.

  The distributed control system shown in FIG. 1 includes a bus network 4 constituting the backbone of the distributed control system, and a plurality of devices (input device 2, PLC 1a, PLC 1b, output device 3) connected on the network 4. Each device is connected to a plurality of control input / output devices (not shown).

  Here, the input device 2 corresponds to an input terminal, a remote I / O terminal, or the like. The output device 3 corresponds to an output terminal, a remote I / O terminal, or the like. Furthermore, as input devices for control, for example, safety input devices such as emergency stop switches, door switches, limit switches and the like correspond to this, and as output devices, safety output devices such as safety relays and contactors correspond to this. To do.

  In FIG. 1, as individual control systems constituting the distributed control system, for example, the control system A is a manufacturing device that performs a shearing process, the control system B is an assembly line that has two rows of movable arms driven by rotation, and control. The system C can assume a packing line provided with a movable arm driven by rotation.

  Such a control system is controlled to be stopped by the various input / output devices described above, and predetermined logical operation processing is performed based on detection signals from the various input devices, and various processed results are output. The PLCs 1a and 1b are sent as predetermined control outputs to the devices.

  As an example of the control procedure adopted by the distributed control system, a case where an emergency stop switch is pressed is assumed. A system stop signal due to the pressing of the emergency stop switch is sent to the network 4 via the input device 2 having an input terminal wired to the switch. The PLC 1a detects a system stop signal sent over the network, outputs a stop signal to the control system A managed and controlled by itself after performing a predetermined logical operation process. Specifically, a “cut” signal for separating the contactor inserted in the power supply line of the manufacturing equipment that performs the shearing process is output to the output equipment (safety relay, etc.) wired to the output terminal of the PLC 1a. To do.

  Similarly, the PLC 1b detects a system stop signal on the network 4, performs predetermined arithmetic processing on the signal, and then controls the output device 3 connected on the network 4 with a movable arm by rotational drive. A system C stop signal is transmitted, and a “control system B partial stop” signal is output to an output device (such as a safety relay) wired to the output terminal of the system C. This “partial stop signal” means, for example, a state in which “power cutting” is performed on a movable arm by two rows of rotational driving, and the power of the conveyor on which the parts sheared by the control system A are conveyed is energized The signal is controlled to be maintained at That is, when a worker enters the assembly line of the control system B, the movable arm, which becomes a risk factor, is stopped, and the transfer conveyor that has become empty after a certain amount of assembly parts has been flown is operated in the empty state. is doing.

  The “control system C stop signal” generated by the PLC 1b is output via the network 4 to an output device (such as a safety relay) that is wired to the output terminal of the output device 3 to manufacture the control system C. Stop all equipment (movable arm, conveyor, etc.).

  In this way, when a plurality of distributed control systems (and different operation control modes required for each system) execute a uniform control operation as a whole (the entire distributed control system) according to a fixed work environment. The present invention is effective. Further, in the case of the stop example described above, for example, when the operation state of another control system is associated when returning from the system stop, the restart condition of the control system C is taken as an example. This is effective for control processing that requires that “the control system A is in a stopped state”.

  FIG. 3 is a typical internal configuration diagram of the PLC (1a, 1b) in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a calculation control program in the PLC and a predetermined storage area provided in the input / output memory. Is shown in

  As typical internal components of the general-purpose PLC shown in FIG. 3, the system setting support tool device 10 connected to the network 4 and other devices (PLC, remote I / O terminal, safety PLC, safety terminal, etc.) ) Communication I / F unit 20 that controls data communication, a central processing unit 21 that controls and controls the entire PLC, and external input / output devices (for example, emergency stop switches, limit switches, restart switches, relays, contactors, etc.) And input / output terminal portions (22a, 22b) for wiring connection to the terminal. These components are connected to each other by an internal bus 23 of the PLC.

  As described above, the PLC used in the distributed control system can detect a detection signal detected by the input device or another PLC provided in the network via the input terminal unit 22a or the communication I / F unit 20 included in the PLC. An arithmetic output is received, a predetermined logical operation process is performed on the input signal information, and the output terminal unit 22b provided in itself or another device connected to the network 4 (an output terminal to which a relay, a contactor, or the like is connected by wiring) The calculation result is output as a predetermined control output. It is well known to those skilled in the art that these arithmetic processes are executed by a work RAM 21a, an input / output memory 21b, a program memory 21c and an MPU (not shown) provided in the central processing unit 21.

  An explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the information stored in each memory and the arithmetic processing is shown in FIG. As described above, the memory area provided in the input / output memory (FIGS. 3 and 21b) is generally assigned addresses according to the input data and output data. In FIG. Allocation is performed so that the calculation input signal is stored in 21b-1) and the output signal of the calculation result is stored in the output memory area (21b-2).

  Each memory area (21 b-1, 21 b-2) is divided into a certain memory area for each device through which it is routed. In the explanatory diagram shown in FIG. 8, “input device 1” and “input device 2”, respectively. , Areas corresponding to “output device 1” and “output device 2” are illustrated. These areas correspond to, for example, the terminal sections (FIGS. 3, 22a, and 22b) provided by itself and other devices on the network (FIG. 1, input device 2, output device 3, PLC 1a, etc.). The “program calculation unit” in the figure represents the calculation process of the control program stored in the program memory (FIG. 3, 21c).

  A typical hardware configuration of the system setting tool device 10 connectable to the multi-PLC / distributed control system shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. In this example, the tool device 10 is configured by incorporating predetermined tool software on the assumption that the general-purpose notebook personal computer has an internal configuration as standard.

  That is, the system setting tool device 10 includes a CPU 11 that performs overall control of the entire tool device, an input operation unit 12 that includes a mouse, a keyboard, and the like, an image display unit 13 that includes an image display (screen 13a) provided in the tool device, and the like. A working memory (RAM) 14 used for operation input processing, predetermined internal calculation processing, image processing for a display screen, and the like, and external devices (PLCs (1a, 1b) connected to the network 4 in FIG. 1), A communication unit 16 that controls a communication interface with an input device, an output device, and the like) and a storage device 15 that includes an HDD or the like are included, and these are connected by an internal bus 17 of the tool device.

  Further, a program information connection application 150 is allocated to a predetermined storage area of the storage device 15 for storage and storage. Further, a link table generation program 150a described later and a program connection display are displayed in this storage area. A system setting table 150b storing necessary system setting information and a program integrated display program 150c are stored.

  In the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, the system setting table 150b includes system setting information (for example, control program information incorporated in the PLC, various devices (PLC Identification information, communication parameter setting information, etc.), and is temporarily expanded and stored on the working memory (RAM) 14 along with the execution of the program information link application of the present invention. In the calculation processing of each execution program (linking table generation program, program integrated display program), necessary information is read out from a predetermined storage area as appropriate and is used for program processing.

  Next, the detailed flow of the program information connection process in the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are flowcharts showing the linkage table generation processing of the program connection display application. When the system setting tool device 10 is turned on, predetermined initial processing on the PC is performed, and the user application Idle state waiting for the start of. The state in which the program information connection application is activated in the waiting state for the activation input is the “start” state in FIG.

  When the program information connection application 150 is started, a linking table generation program is first started and executed. Along with the execution of the program information connection application 150, a working memory read out from a predetermined storage area of the storage device 15 and expanded and stored. The device setting data is acquired for the above table information (steps 101 to 103).

  Here, the data structure of the system setting table stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage device 15 and developed on the working memory (RAM) 14 with the execution of the program information connection application 150 is shown in FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the data structure of the system setting table is composed of “system common setting data” and “each device setting information”. Here, “system common setting data” is a common setting item as a distributed control system. For example, a setting value of an execution cycle (cycle time) required for control processing, a priority for communication data on a network, and a specific program Information including overwriting prohibition (memory protection) information, password setting, etc., and upper information necessary for controlling and managing the target system.

  Further, “each device setting information” is identification information that is determined and assigned to each device constituting the multi-CPU / distributed control system. For example, if a communication node address or identification ID is specified, it is uniquely identified. Information to be determined (device information), communication setting data (communication data length (word data, bit data), communication procedure, etc.) on the control bus, and program data executed by the PLC when the corresponding device is a PLC (Other device setting data) is included.

  In FIG. 9, the data block on the left displays system common data and a plurality of device setting information existing on the distributed control system. Further, a specific example of the case where the corresponding device is a PLC and Specific examples other than the PLC are displayed in the right data block. As for the devices other than the PLC (corresponding to “device N setting information” in the figure), “device setting information” is composed of “device information” and “other device setting data” as described above. In this case, “program data” is added. In this example, the “device setting information” on the left side may be arranged in the order of “device information (identification code)”, for example. It may be arranged.

  In FIG. 9, when the corresponding device is a PLC, “program data” is added as described above. This “program data” further includes “input memory information” and “program data”. The detailed data block is shown in FIG. 10 and is composed of “code” and “output memory information”.

  In the device setting information 300 for the PLC shown in FIG. 10, the device information (identification code) 301 is “device information (identification code)” displayed in the data block on the right side of FIG. 9, and the device setting information 302 is the same. This corresponds to the figure “other device setting data” and includes communication setting data and the like. The PLC data 303 corresponds to “program data” displayed in the data block on the right side of FIG. 9, the input memory information 304 is “input memory information”, and the program execution code 305 is “program code”. The output memory information 306 corresponds to “output memory information” in FIG.

  In the figure, the input memory information is further stored in association with the stored input signal and device information (304a, 304b) for identifying which device on the system this input signal originates from. Similarly, output memory information is stored in association with output signals output as calculation results and device information (306a, 306b) for identifying which device on the system to output. It has the structure which was made.

  That is, the system setting table data included in the system setting tool device reflects the input / output signal structure of the internal I / O memory area of the PLC shown in FIG. Since it is a further combination of device information, by providing such a data holding structure as the structure of the system setting table data, the input / output objects related to the operation processing of the PLC are clarified. This makes it easy to extract the association information.

  Returning to the flowchart (part 1) showing the association table generation process of the program information linked application shown in FIG. 4, all device data constituting the distributed processing system for the system setting table data having the data structure described above. When the information acquisition is completed, the flow proceeds to the flowchart (part 2) showing the association table generation processing of the program information linked application shown in FIG. 5, and the association table is continuously generated based on the device information acquired in FIG. Execute the process.

  That is, the device information included in the input memory information (FIG. 10, 304) constituting the program data is analyzed (step 104) for the device having the device setting information including the program data. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, it is already known what input / output devices (for example, PLC, input terminal, output terminal, safety remote I / O, etc.) are included in the target distributed control system. Therefore, based on this information, a comparison judgment (step 105) with the device information associated with the input memory information constituting the program data is executed.

  This comparison determination may be based on the identification information assigned to each device, or may be based on the identification information assigned by the linking table generation program 150a being executed for internal processing. . It is considered that a processing form that can clearly confirm which device the input signal stored in the input memory information included in the program data originates from is acceptable.

  If the device information associated with the input signal matches the identification information assigned to another PLC constituting the distributed control system (step 105, branch YES), the corresponding information (identification information matches). The device setting information of the PLC is searched, and the output device information (FIG. 10, 306a, 306b) associated with the output memory information in the program code included in the device setting information is acquired (step 106). Then, the signals sent and received on the network are matched between the corresponding PLCs, that is, one as a PLC output signal and the other as a PLC input signal, and a linking process at a single signal level is executed (step 107).

  When executing this linking process, it is executed based on the device setting information stored in the predetermined memory area that has already been developed and stored in the working memory 14 of the system setting tool device. By extracting and correlating the input signal and the output signal that match the device information included in the output memory information of the PLC to which the code is assigned, the different identification information existing on the distributed control system is obtained. Matching of the input / output signals between the PLCs is performed. FIG. 11 shows a data structure between PLCs for explaining the linking process.

  An example of the data structure between PLCs for explaining the linking process shown in FIG. 11 is system setting data corresponding to the schematic diagram of the distributed control system based on the bus network 4 shown in FIG. It is an example of a table (FIG. 9), and each device setting information stored in this data table is already written in parallel.

  In the figure, the device setting information (2-300) corresponding to the input device 2, the device setting information (1a-300) corresponding to the PLC 1a that controls the control of the control system A, and the control control of the control system B are sequentially performed from the left side. Device setting information (1b-300) corresponding to the controlling PLC 1b and device setting information (3-300) corresponding to the output device 3 that outputs a control signal received via the network to the control system C are shown.

  In each device setting information (2-300, 1a-300, 1b-300, 3-300), the device information display includes a device name (input device, PLC1, PLC2, output device) for easy identification. However, as long as it can be uniquely specified as described above, the identification ID or communication node address may be used.

  The generation process of the linking table in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is performed in association with the input / output signals of the memory information 400 surrounded by a broken line in the explanatory diagram of FIG. In PLCs (1a-300, 1b-300) having different identification IDs (device information), output memory information (1a-306) of the corresponding PLC 1 from device information (PLC1) included in input memory information (1b-306) And the process of associating the input memory information (1b-306) with the output memory information (1a-306) is executed.

  These processes are shown in step 104 to step 107 in the flowchart shown in FIG. In the process of step 105, if the device information included in the input memory information does not correspond to another PLC (branch, NO), the process of step 106 to step 107b is skipped.

  When the analysis of the input memory information included in the program data of each PLC has been completed for all the PLCs included in the target distributed control system (step 108, branch YES), the process proceeds to the flowchart shown in FIG. The analysis process is continuously executed. On the other hand, if the input memory information included in the PLC program data has not been analyzed yet (step 108, branch NO), the process returns to step 104 to execute the above-described process of associating the input / output memory information between the PLCs. To do.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 6 executes the association process executed in FIG. 5 based on the device information included in the output memory information. By providing such a double processing configuration from the device information included in the input memory information and the device information included in the output memory information, the information accuracy of the generated linking table is higher. Thus, there is an advantage that the link information created based on the input memory information can be checked from the corresponding output memory information side.

  The linking process by the device information included in the output memory information is also performed by the same linking process as the input memory information, and the details are based on the data structure example between PLCs for explaining the linking process shown in FIG. In other words, the device information included in the output memory information (1a-306) of the PLC1 (1a-300) is analyzed (“PLC2” in FIG. 11 corresponds), and this device information is a device indicating a PLC other than itself. (FIG. 6, flowchart, step 110, branch YES), the input memory information (1b-306) of the corresponding PLC2 (1b-300) is acquired (FIG. 6, step 111).

  If the process of associating the input memory information and the output memory information between the PLCs has already been performed (step 112, YES at step 112), step 113 is skipped. If the linking process has not yet been performed (FIG. 6, step 112, branch NO), the device information ("PLC2" is included) included in the output memory information (1a-306) to the input memory information of other PLC ( 1b-306) (FIG. 6, step 113) is executed. If the device information does not indicate PLC in step 110 of FIG. 6 (branch NO), the processing of steps 111 to 113 is skipped.

  Note that “100,..., 100 + N” and “300,..., 300 + N” assigned to the input memory information and the output memory information shown in FIG. In the figure, “100” and “300” represent the head addresses where they are stored, and are address numbers for explanation.

  Returning to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, if the linking process is completed for the output memory information included in each program data for all the PLCs included in the target distributed control system (step 114, branch YES) The linking process ends. On the other hand, if the output memory information included in the PLC program data has not been analyzed yet (step 114, branch NO), the process returns to step 109, and the input memory information and output memory information between the corresponding PLCs already described. Execute the linking process with.

  An example of the linking table created by the above linking table generation process is shown in FIG. As can be seen from the table information shown in the figure, on the right is device information on the output side (transmission source) ("PLC1" represents uniquely identifiable identification information) and the address number assigned to the signal output. However, the device information on the input side (reception destination) (“PLC2” represents identification information that can be uniquely specified) and the address number assigned to the signal input are stored on the left side.

  As described above, the identification information of the PLC (device information) on the transmission side and the address information where the signal is output, and the identification information of the PLC (device information) on the reception side and the address information where the signal is input are one-to-one. By providing the associated linking table information, the input / output relationship of the control program incorporated in the PLC becomes clear. Since this input / output processing becomes clear, especially in a distributed control system formed by connecting a plurality of control systems, calculation information between PLCs (the calculation output of PLC1 matches the calculation input of PLC2). The table information is reflected. For example, even in a hierarchical signal procedure based on a specific input signal, the processing destination (PLC calculation processing) can be easily specified.

  Furthermore, once the table information subjected to the linking process is generated and stored once, the table information is provided with a program connection display program to be described later via a portable storage medium or a network bus. It can be downloaded to a PC or the like (including a handy terminal such as a PDA capable of displaying images). For example, when connecting and adjusting a distributed system, the logic circuit of the entire system on the screen of the PC used for the adjustment It can be displayed as a diagram.

  Next, the program integrated display process of the program information connection application will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 and the explanatory diagram showing the creation of the connection diagram by the program integrated display process shown in FIGS. . In this description, the procedure after the linking table generation process will be described. However, as described above, the linking table information can be provided via a predetermined medium.

  FIG. 7 shows a flowchart relating to the program integrated display process of the program information connection application, and it is stored in the storage device 15 of the system setting tool device due to the “processing end” flag in the flowchart shown in FIG. The state in which the stored program integrated display program 150c (FIG. 2) is activated is the “process start” state in FIG.

  With the execution of this program integrated display program, table information (system setting table data) on the working memory 14 that has already been read out from a predetermined storage area of the storage device 15 and expanded and stored together with the start of the program information connection application 150 Device information search is executed to identify the corresponding device information (PLC1, 2). Then, the logic circuit diagram data for drawing and displaying on the screen 13a (display screen) of the system setting tool device is restored from the program data included in the PLC (steps 202 to 204).

  The data restoration to the logic circuit diagram is based on the program data developed and stored in the working memory 14, for example, by reading the program execution code 305 (FIG. 10) included in the program data provided in the corresponding PLC. Executed. That is, since the information necessary for displaying the symbol of the program execution code is included in the already developed and stored table information, the symbol information that matches the predetermined program execution code is read from the table information and associated. The associated symbol display information is stored / held as restored data information in a predetermined storage area on the working memory 14.

  Similarly, the restoration of the input information and output information processed in steps 203 to 204 is performed based on the program execution code information. For example, the input information associated with operands included in the execution code (FIG. 10, “input signal 1,..., Input signal N”) and output information (FIG. 10, “output signal 1,..., Output signal N”) are input corresponding to the corresponding PLC. It is executed by reading from the memory information and the output memory information. The read input information and output information are stored and held as restored data information in a predetermined storage area on the working memory 14.

  Returning to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, the above processing is executed for all the PLCs included in the target distributed control system (step 201 to step 205). FIGS. 13 to 14 show how the connection diagrams are created by the program integrated display process, and circuit diagrams using symbol marks incorporated in each PLC are illustrated.

  The explanatory diagram showing the creation of the connection diagram by the program integrated display processing shown in FIG. 13 corresponds to the schematic diagram of the distributed control system formed on the bus network 4 shown in FIG. It is. FIG. 2A is a circuit diagram of a control program incorporated in a PLC (FIGS. 1 and 1a) that supervises control of the control system A. An input signal that is processed by the control program A is an emergency stop signal ( Emergency stop signal detected via the input device 2 connected on the control bus 4), and this emergency stop signal has been subjected to predetermined duplexing treatment (emergency stop signal A, emergency stop signal B). is there. Then, upon receiving this emergency stop signal input, the PLC 1 (FIGS. 1 and 1a) outputs all stop signals (system A all stop signal 1, system A all stop signal 2) to the system A which is controlled by itself. . Here, the “system A all stop signal 1” cuts off the power of the control system A via the output terminal of the self (PLC1). At the same time, the “system A all stop signal 2” is sent to the PLC 2 (FIGS. 1 and 1b) that supervises the control of the control system B and the control system C as a signal for giving each system stop start (FIG. 1, FIG. 1). 4) sent out.

  FIG. 2B is a circuit diagram of a control program incorporated in a PLC (FIGS. 1 and 1b) that supervises control of the control system B and the control system C, and an input that is processed by the calculation of the control program B (2). The signal is an emergency stop signal that has been subjected to dual processing (emergency stop signal detected via the input device 2 connected on the control bus 4). Upon receiving this emergency stop signal input, the PLC 2 (FIG. 1, 1b) outputs a partial stop signal (system B partial stop signal) to the system B that it performs overall control, and outputs a full stop signal (system C total stop signal) to the system C. Here, the “system B partial stop signal” cuts off the power of the manufacturing equipment including the rotationally-driven movable arm provided in the control system B via the output terminal provided in itself (PLC2). At the same time, the “system C all stop signal” is sent to the output device (FIGS. 1 and 3) as a system C all stop signal on the control bus (FIGS. 1 and 4).

  Further, the PLC 2 (FIGS. 1 and 1b) has a “system A all stop signal” input caused by the PLC 1 (FIGS. 1 and 1a) sent on the control bus (FIGS. 1 and 4) and the self (PLC 2) “System C restart” for returning to normal operation after recovering from abnormalities in the system C by the calculation processing of the control program B (1) from the “system B restart signal” input wired through the input terminal provided The “permission signal” is generated and sent to the output device (FIGS. 1 and 3) on the control bus (FIGS. 1 and 4).

  For each control program (A, B (1), B (2)) having the logic circuit configuration as described above, a program execution code, input memory information, and output memory information included in the corresponding program data are used. Processing for displaying a circuit diagram on the screen 13a (display screen) of the setting tool device is processing in steps 201 to 205 in FIG.

  Returning to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, when the acquisition of the program data is completed for all the PLCs included in the target distributed control system, the linkage generated by the processing of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. Based on the table (see FIG. 12), the operation inputs / outputs of the independent control programs (FIG. 13, A, B (1), B (2)) included in each PLC are combined and displayed as a single connection diagram. Processing (steps 207 to 208) is executed.

  That is, in the explanatory diagram shown in FIG. 13, the output signal (FIG. 13, (a)) of “system A all stop signal 2”, which is the calculation result of the control program A, and the calculation of the control program B (1) The input signal (FIG. 13, (b)) with the input “System A all stop signal” is connected to create one connection diagram (processing circuit diagram). The connection display result is shown in FIG. 14, and “System A all stop signal” surrounded by a double line frame in the figure is an input / output signal linked between PLCs having different identification IDs.

  The above processing is executed via a predetermined storage area on the working memory 14 of the system setting tool device. For example, the input / output address information included in the restored data information stored / saved in steps 202 to 204 In addition, by associating the input / output address information for each PLC included in the association table that has already been generated and stored / stored, the association of input / output signals between different PLCs can be realized.

  In this way, the connection diagram created by the program information connection application is effective particularly when the calculation output by the PLC is used as the calculation input of another PLC, and the connection diagram for confirming the control operation of the entire control system. Very effective during adjustment. In such a control system, particularly a distributed control system, it is easy to check the control process through the entire system based on the created connection diagram. Since individual debugging work is possible, the work cost can be greatly reduced. Furthermore, for example, when acquiring safety standard certification, a circuit diagram representing a connection process across a plurality of machines (safety PLC) can be easily created, so that there is an advantage that the work cost spent for certification acquisition work can be greatly reduced.

  According to the present invention, connection adjustment through the entire control system of a distributed control system that requires connection processing executed across a plurality of PLCs is facilitated, and in particular by connection display assembled from program information of individual PLCs. Since the connection diagram reflects the program information incorporated in the actual machine (the control program that actually operates), not to mention individual debugging work for each PLC, when adjusting the connection through the entire system This is also effective for debugging work, and the work time required to start system operation can be greatly shortened. Furthermore, in the safety control system, a circuit diagram representing a connection process across a plurality of machines (safety PLCs) can be easily created, so that the work cost for obtaining the safety standard certification can be greatly reduced.

It is the schematic which shows a multi PLC and a distributed control system. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the internal hardware constitutions of a system setting tool apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the typical internal structure of general purpose PLC. It is a flowchart (the 1) which shows the tied table production | generation process of a program information connection application. It is a flowchart (the 2) which shows the tied table production | generation process of a program information connection application. It is a flowchart (the 3) which shows the tied table production | generation process of a program information connection application. It is a flowchart which shows the program integrated display process of a program information connection application. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the calculation control program in PLC, and the predetermined storage area provided in the input / output memory. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure contained in the table for system settings. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure with respect to PLC contained in a system setting required table. It is an example of the data structure between PLC for demonstrating a link process. It is an example of the linking table generated by the linking table generation process. It is explanatory drawing (the 1) which shows preparation of the connection diagram by a program integrated display process. It is explanatory drawing (the 2) which shows preparation of the connection diagram by a program integrated display process.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1a, 1b General-purpose PLC
2 Input device 3 Output device 4 Control bus 10 System setting tool device 11 CPU
12 Input operation unit 13 Image display unit 13a Screen (image display)
14 Working memory (RAM)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Storage device 16 Communication part 17 Internal bus 20 Communication I / F part 21 Central processing part 21a Work RAM
21b Input / output memory 21c Program memory 22a Input terminal unit 22b Output terminal unit 150 Program information linked application storage area 150a Linkage table generation program storage area 150b System setting data table storage area 150c Program integrated display program storage area 300 Device setting information ( PLC)
301 Device Information 302 Device Setting Information 303 PLC Data 304 Input Memory Information 304a Device Information 304b Device Information 305 Program Execution Code 306 Output Memory Information 306a Device Information 306b Device Information 400 Linkage Information Area 1a-300 Device Information (PLC1)
1a-300 Device information (PLC2)
1a-306 Output memory information 1b-304 Input memory information 2-300 Device information (input device)
2-300 Device information (output device)
21b-1 Input memory area 21b-2 Output memory area

Claims (2)

A plurality of devices are connected by a network, at least two of these devices are PLCs, and each of those PLCs is assigned a controlled system that is directly controlled by the PLC. And
Each of the PLCs that make up the device
A device using as an input signal a signal output from an input device included in the controlled system assigned to the PLC and / or a signal output to the own device from another device connected via the network An input memory for storing information in association with the information;
A device that uses a signal to be output to an output device included in the controlled system assigned to the PLC and / or a signal to be output to another device connected via a network as an output signal An output memory for storing information in association with the information;
A program memory for storing a control program for defining a correlation between an input signal stored in the input memory and an output signal stored in the output memory;
The input devices that make up the device include
An input memory is provided for storing a signal output from an input device assigned to the input device in association with device information as an input signal,
The output devices that make up the device include
An output memory for storing a signal to be output to the output device assigned to the output device in association with device information as an output signal is provided,
Thereby, each of a plurality of controlled systems arranged in a distributed manner can be controlled by being organically coupled to each other by considering not only the state of the own system but also the state of other systems. Assuming the system,
A tool device applied to the distributed control system,
A device in which a pair of input and output signals corresponding to the same signal between different devices is attached to each signal based on the contents of the input memory and / or output memory acquired from each device Extracting based on the information, and a linking processing means for performing a linking process between the pair of input signals and output signals;
Based on the contents of the input memory, output memory, and / or program memory acquired from each device, and the result of linking, restoration is performed from the control program incorporated in each PLC on the screen of a predetermined display device. Multi-PLC / distribution characterized by comprising circuit diagram display means for displaying a pair of input and output signals corresponding to the same signal in a lump in a connected state in a lump for the logic symbol diagrams obtained Tool device in the control system.   The PLC is a safety PLC, the input device is a safety input device such as an emergency stop switch, a door switch, or a limit switch, and the output device is a safety output device such as a safety relay or a safety contactor. The tool apparatus in the multi PLC / distributed control system according to claim 1.

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