JP2010160582A - Plc system construction support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a mistake in arrangement of units without largely causing negative effects on user's flexibility. <P>SOLUTION: A PLC (Programmable controller) system construction support device 10 performs selection of configuration units and simulation of their combinations on a screen prior to actually constructing a PLC system. The PLC system includes a display screen creating section 26 which creates: a unit component information display screen which displays various unit lists selectable in constructing the PLC system; a unit configuration information display screen which displays a status wherein the units selected from the unit list are arranged to a base unit of the PLC system; and a prediction object candidate list display screen which displays a next operation object unit which selection from the unit list is predicted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a PLC system construction support apparatus for designing a programmable controller (hereinafter referred to as a unit “PLC”) system. In particular, before actually constructing a PLC system, a configuration unit is selected and its rationality is selected. The present invention relates to a PLC system construction support apparatus that examines a layout.

  A PLC used as a control device for industrial machines or the like is, for example, via a power supply unit of a power supply source, a CPU unit that controls the entire PLC, or a servo amplifier attached to a drive unit of a production device or facility device. Motion CPU unit for controlling servo motors, input unit for inputting signals from switches and sensors installed at appropriate locations in production equipment and equipment, output unit for sending control signals to actuators, etc., and communication for connection to a communication network It is configured by combining various units such as units in a timely manner.

  In the control of the CPU unit built in the PLC, the signal input from the input unit is taken into the I / O memory of the CPU unit, and the logical operation is performed based on the user program incorporated in the ladder language registered in advance. The execution result is written in the I / O memory, sent to the output unit, and then the so-called peripheral processing is cyclically repeated.

  Also, the control in the motion CPU unit generates a motion command based on a user program incorporated in a motion program language registered in advance, sends the command result to the servo amplifier, controls the servo motor via the servo amplifier, A predetermined operation is processed by repeatedly returning the state of the servo motor such as speed and position to the motion CPU unit.

  By the way, the motion CPU unit is controlled by the CPU unit. In other words, an execution command command (call command) for the motion CPU unit is described in the user program incorporated in the CPU unit, and when the call command is processed, the motion is transmitted from the PLC CPU unit to the motion CPU unit. The program execution command is sent out, and the motion CPU unit that receives the execution command repeats processing the specified motion program.

  The above-described user program is usually a ladder program or motion program generated using a PLC system program construction support apparatus, and is downloaded to a PLC CPU unit or motion CPU unit via a communication line. In addition, when a failure occurs in the created ladder program or motion program, the user displays and verifies the ladder program or motion program on the display screen of the PLC system program construction support device, and finds and corrects the defective portion. Do work. The modified ladder program or motion program is downloaded to the CPU unit or motion CPU unit.

  Before a user program is created using such a PLC system program construction support apparatus, how to construct a PLC system becomes a problem. That is, it is reasonable to select a desired unit from various available units, and in what layout to combine the selected units, and how to set the relay relationship. It is necessary to consider sufficiently in the stage before actually constructing a PLC system.

  Conventionally, when a PLC system construction support tool shown in Patent Document 1 below constructs a PLC system, a user arbitrarily selects a unit constituting the PLC system from a unit list window displayed on the screen, and a system configuration An operation of creating a PLC system configuration diagram by arranging each unit by dragging and dropping a PLC system base unit or power supply unit on the window has been performed.

  However, since the prior art shown in Patent Document 1 below is performed by the user selecting each unit in the unit placement work, a plurality of units are appropriately selected from the unit list window in the work of building a complex and large-scale PLC system. There was a problem that it took time and effort. In addition, unit misplacement may occur due to lack of user knowledge and experience. The prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 below includes means for forcibly arranging a specific unit at a predetermined slot position of the base unit as means for solving such a problem. That is, a unit that has no room for selecting a slot position because the slot position of the base unit is determined is arranged at a predetermined position even if another slot position is selected. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the unit in which the slot position is determined from being placed at a position that cannot be permitted by the PLC system due to a user's misrecognition / operation mistake or the like.

JP 2002-108421 A

  However, the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem of detrimental to the user's degree of freedom because the unit placement position is forcibly determined.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and does not greatly impair the degree of freedom of the user, prevents unit misplacement, and accumulates and shares user operation procedures as a history. Therefore, it aims at obtaining the PLC system construction | assembly assistance apparatus which can construct | assemble a PLC system efficiently.

  In order to achieve the above object, a PLC system construction support apparatus according to the present invention is a PLC system construction support apparatus that simulates selection and combination of constituent units on a screen before actually constructing a PLC system. A first screen that displays a list of various units that can be selected to construct a PLC system; a second screen that displays a unit selected from the unit list in a state of being arranged in a base unit of the PLC system; A third screen for displaying a next operation target unit predicted to be selected from the unit list as a prediction target candidate list based on the arrangement history information of the units arranged on the second screen. A screen generation unit is provided.

  According to the PLC system construction support apparatus of the present invention, means for displaying a list of units predicted as the next operation target in unit selection as a prediction target candidate unit list from the unit configuration state displayed on the unit configuration information display screen Thus, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent a unit arrangement error without greatly deteriorating the degree of freedom of the user.

  Embodiments of a PLC system construction support apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment (Configuration of PLC system construction support device)
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration of a PLC system construction support apparatus according to the present embodiment. A PLC system construction support device (hereinafter simply referred to as “support device”) 10 includes, as main components, an input device 11 such as a keyboard and a pointing device, a display device 12, a central processing unit 13, a storage device 14, and a communication line 16. The communication I / F device 15 is connected to the PLC 17 via the. The storage device 14 includes a nonvolatile storage device and a volatile storage device, and a ladder program, a motion program, unit configuration information, and the like are stored in the nonvolatile storage device. In general, a volatile storage device is appropriately used as a work memory when the central processing unit 13 is executed. The support device 10 can execute each of these functions by starting software installed in the personal computer in advance.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing functional blocks of a PLC system construction support device realized by the central processing unit and the storage device of FIG. The support device 10 includes, as main components, an input processing unit 21 that processes input from the input device 11, a display processing unit 22 that creates display data output to the display device 12, and communication processing that performs communication processing with the PLC 17. The unit 25 and the display screen generation unit 26 are included.

  The display screen generation unit 26 includes a calculation unit 23 that executes each function and a storage unit 24 that stores each data. The display screen generation unit 26 generates a unit component information display screen (hereinafter simply referred to as “unit screen”) 4b, which is a first screen that displays a list of various units that can be selected to construct a PLC system. Further, a unit configuration information display screen (hereinafter simply referred to as “configuration screen”) 4a, which is a second screen for displaying a unit selected from the unit list in a state of being arranged in the actually constructed PLC system, is generated. . Further, the display screen generation unit 26 displays a next operation target unit predicted to be selected from the unit list as a prediction target candidate list based on the arrangement history information of the units arranged on the configuration screen 4a. A prediction target candidate list display screen (hereinafter simply referred to as “prediction screen”) 130 is generated. Details of the unit screen 4b, the configuration screen 4a, the prediction screen 130, and the arrangement history information will be described later.

  The calculation unit 23 includes a unit configuration information editing unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “editing unit”) 23a, a prediction correspondence processing unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “processing unit”) 23b, and a prediction condition setting management unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “management unit”). 23c) 23c. The storage unit 24 includes a unit configuration information storage unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “configuration storage unit”) 24 a and a unit component information storage unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “component storage unit”) 24 b. Furthermore, a prediction candidate management table (hereinafter simply referred to as “candidate table”) 24d as a first table, a prediction setting management table (hereinafter simply referred to as “setting table”) 24c as a second table, and a third table A detailed setting table 24e, which is a table, is stored.

(Unit configuration information table)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data structure recorded in the unit configuration information storage unit of FIG. FIG. 3 shows a plurality of unit configuration information tables (hereinafter simply referred to as “configuration tables”) 31. Each configuration table 31 corresponds to the configuration of one PLC, and an example for “PLC1” is shown. The items (unit configuration information) of each configuration table 31 are configured to have a PLC configuration name 31a, a slot number 31b, a unit name 31c, attribute information 31d, and an object ID 31e.

  The PLC configuration name 31a indicates a name for distinguishing the configurations of a plurality of PLCs. In the slot number 31b, a number for distinguishing the slot of the base unit is shown, and a serial number starting from 0 is given to units other than the base unit A, for example. The number of slot numbers 31b is determined by the type of base unit. The unit name 31c stores a unit name constituting the PLC such as a base unit or a power supply unit. The attribute information 31d is a part for recording attribute information unique to each unit such as the number of slots of the base unit A and the number of CPU units that can be mounted. Details will be described later. The object ID 31 e stores a value uniquely determined for all pieces of information of the unit configuration information (hereinafter simply referred to as “configuration information”) 30.

(Display screen)
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example of the PLC system construction support apparatus. As shown in FIG. 4, the display device 4 displays a configuration screen 4a for editing unit configuration information and a unit screen 4b for displaying a list of unit part information necessary for PLC configuration. The unit component information displayed on the unit screen 4b is stored in advance in the component storage unit 24b. Then, the display processing unit 22 reads the unit component information from the component storage unit 24b and displays it on the unit screen 4b. In this embodiment, unit part information is stored in advance, but it may be configured to be added and stored later.

(Unit parts information storage unit)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data structure recorded in the unit component information storage unit shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the data in the component storage unit 24b is composed of a plurality of unit groups. Each unit group includes a plurality of unit information, and each unit information includes a unit name and attribute information.

  More specifically, the unit group is for collecting the same type of unit information, and includes a base unit group 50, a CPU unit group 51, an input unit group 52, an output unit group 53, and the like. The base unit group 50 includes unit information such as base unit A (50a) and attribute information 1 (50aa), base unit B (50b) and attribute information 2 (50ba). Similarly, the CPU unit group 51 includes unit information such as CPU unit A (51a) and attribute information 3 (51aa), CPU unit B (51b) and attribute information 4 (51ba). The input unit group 52 includes unit information such as input unit A (52a) and attribute information (52aa), input unit B (52b), and attribute information 6 (52ba). The output unit group 53 includes unit information such as output unit A (53a) and attribute information 7 (53aa), output unit B (53b) and attribute information 8 (53ba). In addition, a unit group and unit information necessary for configuring the PLC are stored in the same configuration. Each attribute information 50aa to 53ba stores unit size, power consumption, unit image data, and other unit-specific information.

(Attribute information)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data structure example of the attribute information 1 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the attribute information 1 (50aa) of the base unit A (50a) includes 61 slots that can be mounted in the base unit A (50a), 61a slot number, and CPUs that can be mounted in the slots. CPU unit mountable number 62 which is the number of units, CPU unit mountable number value 62a, unit image data 63 for displaying base unit A (50a) on configuration screen 4a, and slots of base unit A (50a) And a corresponding unit type 64 indicating a unit corresponding to (attaching to) each slot, and a corresponding unit type value (hereinafter simply referred to as “unit value”) 64a are stored.

  The corresponding unit type 64 is based on predetermined information, for example, that a power supply unit is usually mounted in the head slot of the base unit. The attribute information corresponding to the corresponding unit type 64, in the case of a unit other than the base unit, conversely, the corresponding slot type 65 and slot type indicating which slot in the base unit the unit corresponds to (installs). (Hereinafter simply referred to as “slot value”) 65a. Similarly, for example, the CPU unit and the power supply unit are based on information that a slot to be attached to the base unit is determined in advance. In the present embodiment, the information stored in the attribute information is not limited.

(PLC configuration diagram)
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PLC configuration diagram. The PLC configuration diagram 70 shown in FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram displayed on the configuration screen 4a based on the configuration table 31 of FIG. The display process of the PLC configuration diagram 70 is as follows. The editing unit 23a creates the configuration information 30 of FIG. 3, and the created configuration information 30 is stored in the configuration storage unit 24a. The display processing unit 22 reads the configuration information 30 from the configuration storage unit 24a, and the configuration information 30 is displayed graphically on the configuration screen 4a. As a specific display example, as shown in FIG. 7, on the slot of the base unit A (71), a power supply unit A (72), a CPU unit A (73), an input unit A (74), and an output unit. A (75) is displayed as each unit image data 63. When it is not arranged in the slot, it is displayed as empty (76).

(Prediction setting management table)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a data structure of the prediction setting management table recorded in the storage unit of FIG. A plurality of setting tables 80 shown in FIG. 8 includes, as constituent elements (prediction condition management information), a base unit ID 82, a prior unit ID 83, a prior unit slot number (hereinafter simply referred to as “pre-slot number”) 84, a prediction factor unit. It has an ID 85 and a prediction factor unit slot number (hereinafter simply referred to as “prediction slot number”) 86.

  The base unit ID 82, the prior unit ID 83, and the prediction factor unit ID 85 correspond to the object IDs included in the configuration table 31 of FIG. Similarly, the prior slot number 84 and the predicted slot number 86 correspond to the slot number 31b included in the configuration table 31 of FIG. The base unit ID 82 stores the base unit object ID.

  “Pre-unit” refers to a unit already installed on the base unit (for example, unit XX (for example, unit XX)) before placing a unit (for example, unit YY (not shown)) that causes the prediction candidate display to be activated. It is not shown)). The advance unit ID 83 stores the object ID of the unit XX. However, this unit XX may not be installed. The advance slot number 84 stores the slot number on the base unit in which the advance unit is mounted. Like the prior unit ID 83, this number may not be present. The advance unit ID 83 and the advance slot ID 84 may be referred to as arrangement history information of units selected and arranged in the past.

  The “prediction factor unit” is a unit (unit YY) that causes the prediction candidate display to be activated, and the prediction factor unit ID 85 stores the object ID of the unit YY. Specifically, the prediction factor unit ID 85 indicates a unit ID assigned to a unit that causes a next unit ID 92 to be described later. The prediction slot number 86 stores the slot number on the base unit in which the prediction factor unit is mounted. Thus, the setting table 80 stores at least the prediction factor unit ID 85 and the arrangement history information in association with each other.

(Prediction candidate management table)
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of the prediction candidate management table recorded in the storage unit of FIG. The candidate table 90 shown in FIG. 9 includes a pattern model 91, a next unit ID 92, a next unit slot number 93, a unit selection count 94, an activation condition 95, and a priority 96 as components. .

  The pattern model 91 stores combination patterns of the unit IDs (object IDs) 82, 83, 85 and the slot numbers 84, 86 of the setting table 80 of FIG. This combination pattern is regarded as one pattern model (here, “P”) by the management unit 23c in FIG.

  The next unit ID 92 stores the object ID of the next operation target unit (for example, unit ZZ (not shown)) that is predicted to be highly likely to be selected next from the state of the pattern model P. The next unit ID 92 corresponds to the object ID included in the configuration table 31 of FIG. The next unit slot number 93 stores the slot number on the base unit in which the unit (unit ZZ (not shown)) of the next unit ID 92 is arranged.

  The number of times 94 stores the number of times the next operation target unit has been selected from the unit list in the past, and the activation condition 95 stores a setting value of a detailed setting table (see FIG. 10) 210 described later. The activation condition 95 is a value corresponding to the number of times 94, and indicates a determination criterion when the unit prediction display is activated. The activation condition 95 can be freely set by the user using the detailed setting table 210. The priority 96 stores a flag indicating that the unit is preferentially displayed according to the setting of the detailed setting table 210.

  Counting to the number of times 94 is performed by the processing unit 23b of FIG. 2 by determining from the relationship between the corresponding unit type value 64a and the slot value 65a of FIG. The corresponding unit type value 64a and the slot value 65a are represented by a relationship of match or mismatch.

  When the unit value 64a matches the slot value 65a, the number of times 94 is counted up. That is, when the relationship between the slot and the unit is allowed in the system, it is determined as a prediction target candidate unit, and the number of times 94 is accumulated. Then, when the value of the number of times 94 exceeds the value of the activation condition 95 (for example, “number of times” ≧ N), the processing unit 23b of FIG. 2 displays an image of one or a plurality of prediction target candidate units as a prediction target candidate list. Is displayed on the prediction screen 130.

  If the prediction screen 130 is displayed on the operation target base unit of the configuration screen 4a, the correspondence between the selected unit and the base unit becomes clear, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration screen 4a You may comprise so that the prediction screen 130 may be displayed in arbitrary places. A display example of the prediction target candidate list will be described later.

  On the other hand, when the unit value 64a and the slot value 65a do not match, the number of times 94 is not counted up. That is, when the relationship between the slot and the unit is not allowed as a system, a unit that is not allowed as a system is not predicted and displayed as a candidate for prediction. Therefore, as long as the prediction display is followed, the user does not select a unit that is not allowed as a system.

(Detailed setting table)
FIG. 10 shows a detailed setting table. The detailed setting table 210 shown in FIG. 10 can arbitrarily set the value of the activation condition 95 in FIG. The detailed setting table 210 includes, as components, an activation condition 211, a priority unit 212, a priority table date and time 213, a factor unit 214, a numerical value input unit 215, a priority unit selection list display unit 216, a table date and time selection list display unit 217, and a factor unit A selection list display unit 218 is included. The detailed setting table 210 is displayed on the configuration screen 4a by the management unit 23c of FIG. The settings selected or input by the user are reflected in the setting table 24c and the candidate table 24d by the management unit 23c. Note that the user can freely switch whether or not to display the detailed setting table 210.

  Hereinafter, as an example of the detailed setting, the setting of the activation condition 211, the priority unit 212, the priority table date 213, and the factor unit 214 will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Activation conditions)
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting the activation condition. In the detailed setting table 210 displayed on the configuration screen 220, the user can input an arbitrary value to the numerical value input unit 222 that is an input unit of the activation condition 211. It is up to the user to set this item. When the user does not input a value into the numerical value input unit 222, a default value is set.

(Priority unit)
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting a priority unit. The “priority unit” refers to a unit that is preferentially displayed as a prediction target candidate during prediction display. In the detailed setting table 210 displayed on the configuration screen 230, the user displays a pull-down menu (priority unit selection list 233) of the priority unit selection list display unit 232 that is an input unit of the priority unit 231, and sets the type of each unit. select. In response to this setting, the management unit 23c sets the selected unit type as a priority unit for prediction display in the priority 96 of the candidate table 90 in FIG. 9 (for example, sets a flag). In addition, the processing unit 23b preferentially displays the unit to be prioritized on the configuration screen 4a as a prediction candidate target from the setting of the priority 96. If the user does not select a unit, a default unit is set.

(Priority table date and time)
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting the priority table date and time. The priority table date / time 241 is the date / time when the setting table 80 of FIG. 8 was created, and sets which setting table 80 out of a plurality of generated setting tables 80 is used as a condition for predictive display. Is. In the detailed setting table 210 displayed on the configuration screen 240, the user displays a pull-down menu (table date / time selection list 243) of the table date / time selection list display unit 242 that is an input unit of the priority table date / time 241. Select the creation date and time. In response to this setting, the management unit 23c sets to perform prediction display based on the selected setting table 80. When the user does not select the table creation date and time, the default table creation date and time is set.

(Cause unit)
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting a factor unit. The factor unit 251 corresponds to the prediction factor unit in the setting table 80 of FIG. The user displays a pull-down menu (cause unit selection list 253) of the factor unit selection list display unit 252 which is an input unit of the factor unit 251 in the detailed setting table 210 displayed on the configuration screen 250, and becomes a unit that becomes a prediction factor Select. Thereby, when a user actually constructs a PLC system, when a unit set as a prediction factor is selected, a prediction display process is performed based on the unit. When the user does not select a predictor unit, a predictor unit as a default is set.

  Hereinafter, an example until the prediction target candidate list is displayed on the configuration screen 4a will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the object IDs shown in FIGS. 15 to 18 are not object IDs that are actually used, but are for explaining the present embodiment. Further, the embodiments of FIGS. 15 to 18 are based on the assumption that the setting by the above-described detailed setting table is not performed.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the prior unit ID and the prior unit slot number are stored in the prediction setting management table. The figure shown on the upper side of FIG. 15 is the base unit 101 on which the output unit 102 is already mounted. In this case, “B1” is stored in the base unit ID 104, “01” is stored in the advance unit ID 105, and “3” is stored in the advance slot number 106 in the setting table 103 illustrated in the lower part of FIG. The

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the prediction factor unit ID and the prediction factor unit slot number are stored in the prediction setting management table. 15 shows a state when the CPU unit 111 is mounted in the empty slot “1” of the base unit 101 in FIG. In this case, in the setting table 112 shown on the lower side of FIG. 16, “C1” is stored in the prediction factor unit ID 116, and “1” is stored in the prediction slot number 117.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the correspondence between the prediction setting management table and the prediction candidate management table. The figure shown at the bottom of FIG. 17 is a candidate table 127 based on a combination pattern 126 (here, pattern model P) of the object IDs 121, 122, and 124 of the setting table 120 and the slot numbers 123 and 125. is there. What is indicated by an ellipse symbol is that the number of times 129-1 exceeds a certain condition (here, “N times” or more) on the basis of the value of times 129-1 among the units converted into the pattern model (123). Prediction target candidate units (unit of next unit ID “D1” and unit of “I1”).

  The value of the number of times 129-1 is shown in descending order from the top as an example, but is not limited to this, and only the designated number of units are displayed or the number of times within a certain range. It may be configured to display only. The setting table 127 shown in FIG. 17 displays the next unit on the basis of the “activation condition” or “priority”, although the next unit is displayed based on the value of the number of times 129-1. May be. Further, the number of pattern models displayed in the candidate table 127 is not limited to this, and more pattern models may be displayed.

(Prediction candidate list)
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a prediction target candidate list display screen displayed on the unit configuration information display screen. In the prediction screen 130, the power unit 131 corresponding to the next unit “D1” indicated by the ellipse symbol in the candidate table 127 of FIG. 17 and the input unit 132 corresponding to “I1” have the value of 129-1. It is displayed in the order of (descending order).

  A power supply unit is shown on the upper side of the prediction screen 130, and an input unit is shown on the lower side. A prediction target candidate list is displayed on the left side of the prediction screen 130, and a preview is displayed on the right side of the prediction screen 130 as a state where the units displayed in the prediction target candidate list are arranged in the base unit of the PLC system. In FIG. 18, the prediction screen 130 simultaneously displays the prediction target candidate list and the preview, but it may be configured to display only one of them.

  In FIG. 18, the prediction screen 130 is displayed so as to be blown out from the CPU unit of the configuration screen 4 a, but is not limited thereto, and may be configured to be displayed in a place other than each slot. Moreover, the structure displayed so that it may blow out from the slot in which a next unit is mounted may be sufficient, and the aspect which displays two or more next unit candidates in each slot may be sufficient in that case.

  Further, in FIG. 18, the power supply unit and the input unit are listed as prediction target candidates, but the actual application is not limited to them. In addition, when the unit considered as the next operation target is not displayed on the prediction screen 130, the user can select the unit considered as the next operation target from the unit screen 4b. In addition, the user can freely turn ON / OFF the display of the prediction screen 130.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a state of the base unit when an input unit is selected from the prediction target candidate list display screen of FIG. When the input unit 132 is selected and confirmed from the prediction screen 130 in FIG. 18, the input unit 140 is attached to the predicted arrangement position of the base unit 101. In this way, the user can efficiently perform the selection of the constituent units of the PLC system and the rational overall layout examination / construction while referring to each prediction unit and the preview of the prediction unit mounting state. Note that the unit of the prediction screen 130 can be selected from either the prediction target candidate list or the preview. The selection / confirmation of the unit on the prediction screen 130 may be configured to be confirmed when the unit on the prediction screen 130 is clicked, or a button or the like for determining selection / confirmation is displayed on the screen. You may do it.

  Next, the operation of the support apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 20 is a flowchart for displaying the unit configuration information table on the unit configuration information display screen. When the user selects a unit part displayed on the unit screen 4b on the tree using the input device 11 (step S11) and drops the selected unit part on the configuration screen 4a (step S12), the configuration information 30 Is stored in the configuration table 31 (step S13). Hereinafter, the processing in steps S11 to S13 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the dropped unit part is the base unit A, the base unit A is stored in the first unit name 31c of the configuration table 31, the attribute information 1 is stored in the attribute information 31d, and a uniquely determined number is stored in the object ID 31e. Is done. Further, the slot number 61a is read from the attribute information 1 (50aa) of the base unit A, and numbers corresponding to the number of slots starting from 0 are assigned to the slot number 31b column. When the dropped unit component is the power supply unit A, the unit name of the power supply unit A and the attribute information 2 are stored in the row where the slot number is 0, and the object ID is assigned. When the dropped unit part is the CPU unit A, the unit name of the CPU unit A and the attribute information 3 are stored in the row where the slot number 3 is 1, and the object ID is assigned. When the dropped unit part is the input unit A, the unit name of the input unit A and the attribute information 4 are stored in the row with the slot number 2, and the object ID is assigned. When the dropped unit part is the output unit A, the unit name of the output unit A and the attribute information 4 are stored in the row with the slot number 3, and the object ID is assigned. The configuration information 30 is created as described above. The display processing unit 22 displays the created configuration information 30 on the configuration screen 4a as the PLC configuration diagram 70 shown in FIG. 7 (step S14). Note that the processing in steps S11 to S13 is performed by the editing unit 23a.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart for displaying a prediction target candidate list display screen on the unit configuration information display screen. The management unit 23c acquires the pattern model P from the created setting table 120 (step S21). When the number 94 of the next unit 92 is greater than or equal to the activation condition 95 (N times) in the pattern model P (91) of the candidate table 127 (step S22, Yes), the processing unit 23b displays the prediction screen 130 on the configuration screen 4a. (Step S23). When the number of times 94 of the next unit 92 is less than the activation condition 95 (N times) (No at Step S22), the processing unit 23b ends the process without displaying the prediction screen 130.

  For prediction display, information set in the setting table 80, candidate table 90, and detailed setting table 210 is extracted as a prediction condition setting data file and transferred to the work environment of others via the network. Is possible. The transferred data file is read by a prediction condition setting management unit in another person's work environment, thereby enabling prediction display similar to the prediction condition of the provider in the work environment.

  Further, the prediction condition setting data file can be obtained in the form of purchase from another company in addition to being obtained by someone else actually building the system. In that case, products purchased from other companies shall have a more general system configuration pattern and forecast display conditions, and the user will not only apply it as it is, but also consider the purchased product as a template, and from there It is possible to customize freely.

  Furthermore, it is possible to customize the prediction conditions freely and set the prediction range as appropriate. As a result, even in the system construction for a user-specific scene, an efficient work can be performed uniquely.

  In addition, by applying the other person's prediction setting management table file to your work environment, you can build a smooth system that uses the other person's operation procedures as know-how, and share experience (knowledge). Is possible.

  As described above, according to the PLC system construction support device of the present embodiment, the unit predicted from the unit configuration state displayed on the unit configuration information display screen 4a as the next operation target in the unit selection is predicted. Units that are displayed as a candidate list and are not allowed to be predicted as a system are not predicted and displayed as candidates for prediction, so there is no significant adverse effect on the user's freedom and prevent unit placement errors. Is possible.

  The configuration of the PLC system construction support apparatus shown in the present embodiment shows an example of the contents of the present invention, and can be combined with another known technique, and departs from the gist of the present invention. Of course, it is possible to change and configure such as omitting a part within the range.

  As described above, the PLC system construction support apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a PLC system construction support apparatus for designing a PLC system, and in particular, displayed on the display screen before actually constructing the PLC system. It is useful as an invention that can display a unit list that is predicted as the next operation target when selecting a unit from the unit configuration state as a prediction target candidate unit list, and can select a constituent unit and examine its rational overall layout. .

It is a figure which shows typically an example of a structure of the PLC system construction | assembly assistance apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the functional block of the PLC system construction | assembly assistance apparatus implement | achieved by the central processing unit and memory | storage device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure recorded on the unit structure information storage part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of a PLC system construction assistance apparatus. It is a figure which shows the data structure recorded on the unit component information storage part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of the attribute information 1 of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a PLC block diagram. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the prediction setting management table recorded on the memory | storage part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the prediction candidate management table recorded on the memory | storage part of FIG. It is a figure which shows a detailed setting table. It is a figure which shows the example which sets activation conditions. It is a figure which shows the example which sets a priority unit. It is a figure which shows the example which sets a priority table date. It is a figure which shows the example which sets a factor unit. It is a figure which shows the state in which prior unit ID and prior unit slot number are stored in a prediction setting management table. It is a figure which shows the state by which a prediction factor unit ID and a prediction factor unit slot number are stored in a prediction setting management table. It is a figure which shows a response | compatibility with a prediction setting management table and a prediction candidate management table. It is a figure which shows the prediction object candidate list display screen displayed on a unit structure information display screen. It is a figure which shows the state of a base unit when an input unit is selected from the prediction object candidate list display screen of FIG. It is a flowchart which displays a unit structure information table on a unit structure information display screen. It is a flowchart which displays a candidate list display screen for prediction on a unit composition information display screen.

4,12 Display device 4a, 220, 230, 240, 250 Unit configuration information display screen (second screen)
4b Unit parts information display screen (first screen)
10 PLC system construction support device 11 Input device 13 Central processing unit 14 Storage device 15 Communication I / F device 16 Communication line 17 PLC
21 Input Processing Unit 22 Display Processing Unit 23 Calculation Unit 23a Unit Configuration Information Editing Unit 23b Prediction Corresponding Processing Unit 23c Prediction Condition Setting Management Unit 24 Storage Unit 24a Unit Configuration Information Storage Unit 24b Unit Part Information Storage Unit 24c, 80, 103, 112 , 120 Prediction setting management table (second table)
24d, 90, 127 Prediction candidate management table (first table)
24e, 210 Detailed setting table (third table)
25 Communication Processing Unit 26 Display Screen Generation Unit 31 Unit Configuration Information Table 31a PLC Configuration Name 31b Slot Number 31c Unit Name 31d Attribute Information 31e Object ID
50 Base unit group 50a Base unit A
50b Base unit B
50aa attribute information 1
50ba attribute information 2
51 CPU unit group 51a, 73 CPU unit A
51b CPU unit B
51aa attribute information 3
51ba attribute information 4
52 Input unit group 52a, 74 Input unit A
52b Input unit B
52aa Attribute information 5
52ba attribute information 6
53 Output unit group 53a Output unit A
53b Output unit B
53aa attribute information 7
53ba attribute information 8
61 Number of slots 61a Value of number of slots 62 Number of installable CPU units 62a Value of number of installable CPU units 63 Unit image data 64 Corresponding unit type 64a Corresponding unit type value 65 Corresponding slot type 65a Corresponding slot type value 70 PLC configuration diagram 71 Base unit A
72 Power supply unit A
75 Output unit A
76 Free 82, 104, 113, 121 Base unit ID
83, 105, 114, 122 Advance unit ID
84, 106, 115, 123 Pre-unit slot number 85, 116, 124 Prediction factor unit ID
86, 117, 125 Prediction factor unit slot number 90, 103, 112, 120 Prediction candidate management table 91, 126 Pattern model 92, 128 Next unit ID
93,129 Next unit slot number 94,129-1 Number of times (unit selection number)
95, 211, 221 Trigger condition 96 Priority 101 Base unit 102 Output unit 111 CPU unit 130 Prediction candidate list display screen (third screen)
131 Power unit 132,140 Input unit 212,231 Priority unit 213,241 Priority table date 214,251 Cause unit 215,222 Numerical input unit 216,232 Priority unit selection list display unit 217,242 Table date / time selection list display unit 218, 252 Factor Unit Selection List Display Unit 233 Unit Selection List 243 Table Date / Time Selection List 253 Factor Unit Selection List

Claims (6)

Prior to actually building a PLC system, a PLC system construction support device that simulates selection of a unit and its combination on a screen,
A first screen displaying a list of various units that can be selected to construct a PLC system;
A second screen for displaying a unit selected from the unit list in a state of being arranged in a base unit of the PLC system;
A third screen for displaying a next operation target unit predicted to be selected from the unit list as a prediction target candidate list based on the arrangement history information of the units arranged on the second screen;
A display screen generation unit that generates
PLC system construction support device characterized by the above. The arrangement history information is
A pre-unit ID given to a unit arranged on the second screen in advance, and a pre-slot ID indicating a slot position of the PLC system;
The display screen generation unit
The first table including the next unit ID assigned to the next operation target unit predicted to be selected from the unit list, and the prediction factor unit ID assigned to the unit that causes the next unit ID to be activated A second table stored in correspondence with the arrangement history information;
The PLC system construction support apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: The first table is:
Stores the number of selections of the unit selected from the unit list,
The display screen generation unit
3. The unit selection count is counted up when a unit selected from the unit list is arranged at an appropriate slot position of the PLC system displayed on the second screen. PLC system construction support device. The display screen generation unit
A third table including a condition for preferentially displaying the next operation target unit in the prediction target candidate list;
The first table is:
The PLC system construction support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a unit set according to the condition is stored in association with the next unit ID.   The configuration is such that at least one of the first table, the second table, and the third table is extracted as a data file and can be output to another PLC system construction support apparatus. Item 5. The PLC system construction support device according to any one of Items 1 to 4. The third screen is
A preview display is performed with the unit displayed in the prediction candidate list placed in the base unit of the PLC system,
The second screen is
The unit selected on the third screen is displayed in a state where the unit selected on the third screen is arranged on the base unit of the PLC system by the unit selection displayed on the third screen.
The PLC system construction support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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