JP2015053022A - Programming tool for plc - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a programming tool for a PLC capable of promoting efficient programming by automatically generating a link program that links between variables of the PLC.SOLUTION: A reference variable is a variable that refers to the variable of other sequence program having a different objective PLC among variables used in a sequence program, and has an identification code showing the PLC that is the object of the referenced sequence program. A programming tool 20 includes a link program generation unit 22 that generates a link program for specifying a referenced variable on the basis of the name of the reference variable to link the reference variable with the referenced variable.

Description

  The present invention relates to a programming tool for editing a sequence program intended for a programmable logic controller (hereinafter referred to as PLC).

  In a control device such as a machine tool, a plurality of PLCs that perform sequence control in cooperation with each other may be used. In each PLC, for example, a sequence circuit generated in units of modules and an interface circuit for performing communication between the PLCs are written. Further, in the control device as described above, the number of PLCs may be increased or decreased as functions are expanded. Then, it is necessary to move the sequence circuit between the PLCs and modify the interface circuit.

  The PLC programming tool compiles a sequence program (source program) or the like described in a predetermined programming language, and generates an execution program such as a sequence circuit or an interface circuit that can be written to the target PLC. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a programming tool that can be described by a name that arbitrarily selects a device that outputs a signal. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a programming tool for converting local variables and global variables for the purpose of simplifying work related to division and aggregation of sequence programs.

JP 2003-67013 A JP 2010-49484 A

  By the way, in a configuration in which a plurality of PLCs cooperate to perform sequence control, there is a case where a counterpart variable is used as a condition between sequence programs having different target PLCs. Then, even if a variable is described with an arbitrary name as in Patent Document 1, programming for generating an interface circuit based on name registration information or the like is required. Further, as in Patent Document 2, when a sequence program is divided, communication between PLCs can be established by using a global variable. However, with such a configuration, other sequence programs are also constrained by global variables, and there is a risk of errors in conversion to local variables.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a programming tool for a PLC that can improve the efficiency of programming by automatically generating a link program for linking PLC variables. For the purpose.

  (Claim 1) A programming tool for PLC according to this means is a programming tool for editing a sequence program for a plurality of programmable logic controllers (hereinafter referred to as PLCs) that perform sequence control in cooperation with each other. Among the variables used in the sequence program, the variable that refers to the variable of the other sequence program that is different from the target PLC is used as a reference variable, and the reference variable includes the reference destination The sequence program has an identification code indicating the target PLC, and the programming tool identifies the reference destination variable based on the variable name of the reference variable, and the reference variable and the reference destination variable A link program generator for generating a link program for linking Obtain.

  According to such a configuration, the link program that links the reference variable and the reference destination variable can be automatically generated by the link program generation unit. As a result, when the reference variable is included in the sequence program, it is not necessary to program the interface circuit as in the conventional case, so that the programming efficiency can be improved. Further, the link program can establish communication between PLCs without using global variables. Therefore, this means makes it possible to program a sequence program without being restricted by the use of global variables. Further, by displaying the variable name of the reference variable, it is possible to recognize which PLC of the sequence program the reference variable refers to, so that the workability of programming can be improved.

Below, the suitable aspect of the programming tool for PLC which concerns on this means is demonstrated.
(Claim 2) Preferably, when the calculation result is input to the reference destination variable, the link program generation unit inputs the calculation result to the reference variable, so that the reference variable and the reference destination An interface circuit that links the variables is generated as the link program.

  According to such a configuration, programming of an interface circuit for performing communication between PLCs is conventionally required, but this programming operation can be automated and omitted. Thereby, it becomes easy to divert the existing sequence program to other PLCs, and the versatility of the sequence program can be improved. The interface circuit is automatically generated based on the variable name of the reference variable, and can be confirmed by an operator who performs programming. Therefore, the workability of programming can be improved by the above configuration.

  (Claim 3) Preferably, the plurality of PLCs communicate via communication devices that mutually convert unique data in the PLCs, and the link program generation unit is a conversion program written to the communication devices. And the said conversion program which converts the input value of the said reference variable into the input value to the said reference variable is produced | generated as the said link program.

  According to such a configuration, programming of the conversion program is conventionally required, but this programming work can be automated and omitted. Thereby, it becomes easy to divert the existing sequence program to other PLCs, and the versatility of the sequence program can be improved. Here, when a plurality of PLCs perform sequence control in cooperation, a configuration in which a communication device is interposed between the PLCs is conceivable in addition to a configuration in which PLCs directly communicate with each other. With this configuration, for example, even if there is a change in the configuration of some PLCs, communication can be established by rewriting the conversion program in the communication device without rewriting the sequence circuit and interface circuit in the PLC.

  (Claim 4) Preferably, when the PLC to which at least a part of the sequence program is moved is moved, the existing reference variable whose reference destination is changed with the movement, or with the movement A variable name setting unit that sets the variable name so that the variable code includes the identification code that is matched with the movement, and the link program generation unit Then, the variable of the reference destination is specified based on the variable name of the set variable, and the link program is generated again.

  According to such a configuration, the link program is generated based on the variable name changed by the link program generation unit, so that a link program corresponding to the movement of the sequence program is generated. Therefore, the programming operator has conventionally been required to confirm whether the consistency is achieved with the moved sequence program or the like, but easily moves the sequence program with the above configuration. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to more easily perform sequence program division and aggregation programming in accordance with the configuration of a plurality of linked PLCs.

  (Claim 5) Preferably, when the programming tool displays the sequence program in an editable manner, at least one of the variable name of the reference variable and the corresponding display symbol is targeted for the sequence program to be referred to. Display based on the display attribute set corresponding to the PLC.

  When the programming tool displays the sequence program in an editable manner, depending on the programming language to be used, for each variable, the variable name is displayed as text or a display symbol corresponding to the variable is displayed. Therefore, according to the configuration as described above, it is possible to visually check whether each variable is a reference variable in the displayed sequence program. Further, since the link destination of the reference variable can be recognized by the display attribute, the programming efficiency can be improved.

  (Claim 6) Preferably, when the sequence program is displayed in an editable manner, the programming tool links at least one of the variable name of the reference destination variable and the corresponding display symbol to the reference destination variable. The sequence program using the reference variable is displayed based on the display attribute set corresponding to the PLC targeted.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to visually check whether each variable is a reference destination variable in the displayed sequence program. Furthermore, since the sequence program in which the reference variable is used can be recognized by the display attribute, the programming efficiency can be improved.

  (Claim 7) Preferably, the display attribute includes at least one of a shape, a pattern, a color, and a typeface to be displayed.

  According to such a configuration, the programming tool can display variable names and display symbols based on display attributes set as appropriate. As a result, colors and the like can be assigned to each PLC targeted by the sequence program, and the operator can easily determine whether the sequence program includes a reference variable or a reference destination variable without decoding the variable name. Can be recognized.

It is a block diagram which shows the edit apparatus of the sequence program in embodiment. It is a figure which shows the display state of a sequence program. It is a flowchart which shows the production | generation process of a link program. It is a figure which shows the display state of the sequence program before a division | segmentation. It is a flowchart which shows the setting process of a variable name. It is a figure which shows the display state of the sequence program in a deformation | transformation aspect.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a programming tool for PLC of the present invention is embodied will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, the programming tool is software that edits a sequence program for a plurality of PLCs that perform sequence control in cooperation with each other. In the present embodiment, an example in which the programming tool is installed in a sequence program editing apparatus constituted by a personal computer or the like to configure a programming environment is illustrated.

<Embodiment>
(Configuration of sequence program editing device)
The overall configuration of the sequence program editing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The editing apparatus 1 is a general-purpose personal computer, and as shown in FIG. 1, a CPU (central processing unit) 11 that executes various arithmetic processes, a storage device 12, a display 13, an input device 14, And a communication interface 15. The editing apparatus 1 has a configuration in which various software including a PLC programming tool 20 is installed and has a sequence program editing function.

  The storage device 12 includes a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk drive, and the like (not shown), and reads and writes each program. The display 13 is a display device, and is an output device used for screen output of a ladder diagram of a sequence program. The input device 14 is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, and is used for inputting information in editing work such as a ladder diagram of a sequence program. The communication interface 15 is a device that inputs and outputs various data when communicating with the PLC via a communication cable (not shown).

  The programming tool 20 edits a sequence program corresponding to an execution program written in a plurality of PLCs. The programming tool 20 includes a program editing unit 21, a link program generation unit 22, and a variable name setting unit 23. In the present embodiment, the program editing unit 21 has a function of editing a ladder diagram that is a program language of a sequence program. The program editing unit 21 displays the ladder diagram on the display 13 so as to be editable, and accepts editing by the input device 14. The existing sequence program is read from the storage device 12, and the edited sequence program is written and stored in the storage device 12.

  The link program generation unit 22 generates a link program that links a reference variable and a reference destination variable. Here, the above-mentioned “reference variable” refers to a variable that refers to a variable of another sequence program having a different target PLC among variables used in the sequence program. The sequence program is a source program of an execution program written in the PLC and targets the PLC in which the execution program is written. The sequence program uses variables assigned to a plurality of input / output devices in the PLC.

  Here, the sequence program corresponding to the execution program of each PLC may refer to variables of other sequence programs having different target PLCs because a plurality of PLCs perform sequence control in cooperation with each other. In the present embodiment, the plurality of PLCs are communicably connected via a network, and are configured to be able to input / output the unique data of the PLC by communication. That is, among the variables of the sequence program, the variable in which the PLC in which the execution program corresponding to the sequence program is written needs to acquire unique data through communication via the network is referred to as “reference variable”. Further, the “unique data” of the PLC corresponds to the calculation result in the sequence control, and is data input to the local variable of the PCL, for example.

  Further, when data is exchanged between the PLCs, a link program for linking the local variables of the PLCs is required. This link program is included in an execution program written in the PLC, and can be an interface circuit that is programmed by being represented by a ladder diagram, for example. In this interface circuit, since local variables themselves cannot be exchanged by communication between PLCs, signal name conversion is performed and variables to be communicated are assigned. The interface circuit performs an operation (communication) to input the calculation result to the reference variable when the calculation result (input / output device signal) is input to the local variable of the reference destination. And the referenced variable are linked.

  In the present embodiment, the link program generation unit 22 is configured to generate the interface circuit as a link program. The variable name of the reference variable is set according to a predetermined rule, and the link program generation unit 22 is configured to automatically generate a link program based on the variable name of the reference variable. Details of link program generation processing by the link program generation unit 22 will be described later. Further, the reference variable has an identification code indicating the PLC targeted by the reference sequence program in its variable name. The setting of the variable name of the reference variable may be directly input by an operator who performs programming, or may be automatic input by a variable name setting unit 23 described later.

  Here, the reference variable Vr1 of the sequence program Ps1 targeted for the first PLC (PLC1) inputs the calculation result in the fourth step (M4) in the sequence program Ps2 targeted for the second PLC (PLC2). It is assumed that the variable (D10X) to be referred to is referred to. In this case, the variable name of the reference variable Vr1 has a character string “PLC2” as an identification code indicating the second PLC. Specifically, the variable name of the reference variable Vr1 is represented as “PLC2_D10X” as shown in FIG. As described above, the reference variable is set with a variable name according to a predetermined rule so as to include the identification code “PLC2”.

  The variable name setting unit 23 automatically sets the variable name for the reference variable in the sequence program. For example, when the variable specified by the input device 14 refers to a variable of another sequence program, the variable name setting unit 23 generates an identification code indicating the target PLC and adds it to the variable name of the variable. . Further, the variable name setting unit 23 is configured so that when at least a part of the sequence program is moved to the target PLC, an existing reference variable whose reference destination is changed along with the movement, or along with the movement. The variable name is set so that an identification code matched to the movement is included in the variable name for the variable to be a new reference variable. Details of the variable name setting process by the variable name setting unit 23 accompanying the movement of the sequence program will be described later.

(Link program generation processing)
A link program generation process performed by the sequence program editing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. For example, when the editing apparatus 1 receives a link program generation request from the input device 14, the editing apparatus 1 executes the program as shown in FIG. 3.

  First, the link program generation unit 22 of the programming tool 20 extracts reference variables from each sequence program for all sequence programs (S11). For example, in the sequence program Ps1 targeted for the first PLC, a variable having an identification code other than the first PLC is extracted as a reference variable. In the sequence program shown in FIG. 2, reference variables Vr1 and Vr2 are extracted from the sequence program Ps1 targeted for PLC1, and reference variables Vr3, Vr4 and Vr5 are extracted from the sequence program targeted for PLC2.

  Next, the link program generation unit 22 analyzes the variable names of the extracted reference variables in order, and specifies the reference destination variable (S12). For example, since the variable name of the reference variable Vr1 is “PLC2_D10X”, the local variable D10X to which the operation result is input in the fourth step (M4) of the sequence program Ps2 targeted for the second PLC (PLC2). Is specified as a reference destination variable.

  Subsequently, the link program generating unit 22 generates a step of linking the reference variable and the reference destination variable (S13). This link corresponds to signal name conversion for assigning a variable to be communicated. Specifically, in the above example, as shown in FIG. 2, when an operation result is input to the local variable D10X, the local variable D10X is communicated to input the operation result to the reference variable Vr1. A link L2 to be converted into the work variable B2 [1] is generated. The link program generation unit 22 determines whether or not corresponding interface circuit steps have been generated for all the reference variables extracted in S11 (S14), and if not completed (S14: No), S12, The process of S13 is repeated.

  When the interface circuit steps corresponding to the reference variables of all the sequence programs are generated (S14: Yes), they correspond to the reference variables Vr1 and Vr2 of the sequence program Ps1, as shown in the range surrounded by the broken line in FIG. Links L1, L2 are generated on the PLC2 side, and links L1, L2, L3 corresponding to the reference variables Vr3, Vr4, Vr5 of the sequence program Ps2 are generated on the PLC1 side. In each link, each local variable is converted into a communication variable B1 [*] used in PLC1 and a communication variable B2 [*] used in PLC2 ([*] corresponds to 0 to 2). The same value).

  In this way, the link program generation unit 22 generates link programs Pn1 and Pn2 corresponding to the sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2 for the PLCs 1 and 2, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the link programs Pn1 and Pn2 are represented in a ladder diagram in the same manner as the sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2, and can be viewed and edited as necessary by an operator who performs programming. ing.

  Further, the sequence programs Ps1, Ps2 and the link programs Pn1, Pn2 are converted into execution programs (sequence circuit, interface circuit) written in each PLC by compilation by the programming tool 20 (S15). At this time, the reference variables Vr1 to Vr5 of the sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2 are replaced with corresponding communication variables B1 [*] and B2 [*] as shown in parentheses in FIG.

  When each program is compiled by the programming tool 20, a memory address is automatically assigned to each variable included in the sequence program. At this time, in this embodiment, the programming tool 20 performs allocation so that communication variables corresponding to a plurality of reference variables have consecutive addresses. Specifically, the programming tool 20 assigns the communication variables B1 [0] to B1 [2] used in the PLC1 and the communication variables B2 [0] to B2 [1] used in the PLC2 to continuous addresses, respectively. .

  As described above, the programming tool 20 assigns consecutive addresses to communication variables corresponding to reference variables included in the same sequence program because the amount of communication when a plurality of PLCs perform sequence control in cooperation with each other. This is for the purpose of reduction. Communication between PLCs is performed based on link parameters generated when the programming tool 20 compiles each program. This link parameter describes the address range of the memory that is output as data by the PLC requested for communication in response to a communication request between PLCs. At this time, if the address to be referred to is discontinuous, it is necessary to make a communication request individually, so that the number of communication increases.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the reference variable extraction (S11) and the link generation process (S13) are performed in the generation process of the link programs Pn1 and Pn2, address allocation using the information acquired thereby is performed. The link parameter is generated. Thereby, as compared with the conventional case, it is possible to assign addresses more efficiently, and it is possible to generate link parameters that can suppress an increase in the number of communications between PLCs in sequence control.

(Variable name setting process)
The variable name setting process of the reference variable by the sequence program editing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a case where an existing sequence program Ps0 (see FIG. 4) programmed for one PLC is divided into sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2 targeted for two PLCs is illustrated. Specifically, a part of the existing sequence program Ps0 (steps M4, M6 to M8) is moved to become the sequence program Ps2 targeted for PLC2, and the rest of the sequence program Ps0 is targeted for PLC1. Editing is performed so that the sequence program Ps1 is obtained.

  For example, when the editing apparatus 1 divides a sequence program from the input device 14 and receives an editing request so that a part of the sequence program targets another PLC, the editing apparatus 1 executes the program as shown in FIG. The program editing unit 21 first acquires partial sequence program movement information (S21). The movement information includes, for example, information such as a range of a sequence program designated as a movement target (here, steps M4 and M6 to M8), a PLC targeted by the sequence program after movement (here, PLC2), and the like. .

  Next, in each variable of the sequence program Ps1 and the sequence program Ps2 to be moved, the variable name setting unit 23 is an existing reference variable whose reference destination is changed with this movement, or a new reference with the movement. A variable to be a variable is extracted (S22). In the existing sequence program Ps0, since one PLC is targeted before the sequence program is moved, the existing reference variables are not extracted. On the other hand, in a plurality of steps included in each divided sequence program Ps1, Ps2, a variable that refers to a source variable is extracted. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the variable D1X of step M1, the variable D2X of step M4, the variable D4X of step M5, the variable D3X of step M6, and the variable D1X of step M7 in the sequence program Ps0 before division are extracted. Is done.

  Subsequently, the variable name setting unit 23 generates an identification code matched to the movement of the extracted variable based on the movement information acquired in S21. Specifically, for example, the variable D10X in step M1 is identified by moving the partial sequence program Ps2 so that the PLC targeted by the sequence program Ps2 becomes the second PLC (PLC2). A character string “PLC2” is generated as a code (S23).

  And the variable name setting part 23 sets a variable name about each extracted variable so that the identification code matched with the movement may be included in the variable name (S24). Specifically, for the variable D10X in step M1 of the sequence program Ps1, an identification code is added to the head part, and the variable name is changed to “PLC2_D10X”. The variable name setting unit 23 determines whether or not all the reference variables extracted in S22 have been set to the matched variable names (S25), and if not completed (S25: No), S23, The process of S24 is repeated.

  When all extracted reference variables are set to matched variable names (S25: Yes), as shown in the right column of FIG. 4, the references in the sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2 for the PLCs 1 and 2 are used. The variable becomes the variable name that is consistent with the move. Thereby, the programming tool 20 ends the variable name setting process. In addition, after the variable name of the reference variable is automatically matched with the movement of the sequence program by the above processing, each sequence program after the movement is executed by executing the link program generation process by the link program generation unit 22 It becomes possible to generate a link program corresponding to Ps1 and Ps2.

  In the present embodiment, the mode in which the sequence program is divided into the sequence programs for two PLCs has been exemplified. However, it is possible to cope with the aggregation by integrating the sequence programs into one. It is. Specifically, when a plurality of sequence programs as shown in FIG. 2 are consolidated into a sequence program Ps0 as shown in the left column of FIG. 4, acquisition of movement information (S21) is performed in the same manner as division. It is possible to recognize which step has moved to where. Then, the variable name setting unit 23 extracts an existing reference variable based on the movement information (S22), generates an identification code matched with the movement (S23), and sets the variable name (S24). ).

  As a result of the aggregation of the sequence programs in this way, the reference variable may use the variable of the own sequence program as the reference destination. In such a case, the variable name may be set so as to delete the identification code. Further, in order to improve the applicability of the sequence program, all variables may be set to variable names having identification codes as with reference variables, assuming division and aggregation. In such a configuration, the operator can visually recognize the variable name during programming, and thus has an advantage that the reference destination can be easily recognized.

(Effects of the configuration of the embodiment)
According to the programming tool 20 for PLC described above, the link program generation unit 22 can automatically generate link programs Pn1 and Pn2 for linking a reference variable and a reference destination variable. As a result, when the reference variable is included in the sequence program, it is not necessary to program the interface circuit as in the conventional case, so that the programming efficiency can be improved. The link programs Pn1 and Pn2 can establish communication between PLCs without using global variables. Therefore, the configuration of the present embodiment makes it possible to program a sequence program without being restricted by the use of global variables.

  The link program generation unit 22 is configured to automatically generate interface circuits as the link programs Pn1 and Pn2. Thereby, in the past, programming of an interface circuit for performing communication between PLCs was required, but this programming operation can be automated and omitted. Thereby, it becomes easy to divert the existing sequence program to other PLCs, and the versatility of the sequence program can be improved. In addition, the interface circuit can be represented by a ladder diagram and the like, and can be confirmed by an operator who performs programming, so that the programming workability can be improved.

  In addition, when the PLC targeted for at least a part of the sequence program is moved by dividing or consolidating the sequence program, the variable name setting unit 23 matches the movement of the sequence program variable to the variable name. The variable name is set so that the identification code is included. As a result, the operator who performs programming was previously required to check whether the consistency was achieved with the sequence program to be moved, etc., whereas the variable name setting operation was automated and omitted. can do. Therefore, it is possible to more easily perform sequence program division and aggregation programming in accordance with the configuration of a plurality of linked PLCs.

<Modification of Embodiment>
(Display sequence program)
In the embodiment, the programming tool 20 displays the sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2 in a ladder diagram as shown in FIG. In this ladder diagram, a logic circuit is described using a display symbol corresponding to each variable, and a variable name is written together with the display symbol as in the embodiment.

  Here, when displaying the sequence program in an editable manner, the programming tool 20 sets at least one of the variable name of the reference variable and the corresponding display symbol corresponding to the PLC targeted by the reference sequence program. The display may be based on the display attributes. The PLC targeted by the reference sequence program is equal to the PLC indicated by the reference sign included in the variable name of the reference variable.

  In the present embodiment, the display attribute includes at least one of the shape, pattern, color, and typeface to be displayed. Therefore, when the display target is the variable name of the reference variable, as shown in FIG. 6, the variable names of the reference variables Vr1 and Vr2 used in the PLC1 are set in correspondence with the PLC2 indicated by the reference symbol. It is displayed with the attributes “bold” and “italic”. The display symbols corresponding to the reference variables Vr1 and Vr2 are displayed by “thick line” and “rectangular shape” which are display attributes set corresponding to the PLC2.

  On the other hand, the variable names of the reference variables Vr3 to Vr5 used in the PLC2 are displayed by “white characters” which are display attributes set corresponding to the PLC1 indicated by the reference numerals. Further, the display symbols of the reference variables Vr3 to Vr5 are displayed by “rectangular shape” and “hatching” which are display attributes set corresponding to the PLC1.

  Furthermore, when the programming tool 20 displays the sequence program in an editable manner, the programming tool 20 uses at least one of the variable name of the reference destination variable and the corresponding display symbol as a reference variable linked to the reference destination variable. It is good also as a structure displayed based on the display attribute set corresponding to PLC which the program makes object. The display attributes are the same as those used for the variable name and display symbol of the reference variable.

  Specifically, when the display target is the variable name of the reference destination variable, as shown in FIG. 6, reference symbols of the reference destination variables (D4X, D10X) of the reference variables Vr1 and Vr2 used in the PLC 1 Is displayed by a “double line” which is a display attribute set corresponding to the PLC 1. On the other hand, the display symbols of the reference destination variables (D1X, D2X, D3X) of the reference variables Vr3 to Vr5 used in the PLC2 are “thick lines” and “hatching” which are display attributes set in correspondence with the PLC2. Is displayed.

  Here, the variable names of the reference destination variables are displayed based on the normal display attributes. However, as with the reference characters Vr1 to Vr5, the variable names may be displayed using a predetermined typeface. . In addition to the above, the display attributes include colors, frame lines, underlines, and the like, and are appropriately set by combining them. Different unique display attributes may be set for a plurality of PLCs, or some common or similar display attributes may be set depending on functions and control contents.

  As described above, with respect to the reference variable and the reference destination variable, the variable name and the display symbol are displayed with the predetermined display attributes, so that each variable is a reference variable in the displayed sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2. Whether or not there is can be visually confirmed. If the visually recognized variable is a reference variable, the link destination of the reference variable can be recognized by the display attribute. Further, in the displayed sequence programs Ps1, Ps2, it is possible to visually check whether each variable is a reference destination variable. Further, when the visually recognized variable is a reference destination variable, the sequence program in which the reference variable linked to the reference destination variable is used can be recognized by the display attribute. In this way, programming can be performed while recognizing the presence or absence of reference variables or reference destination variables in the sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2, thus preventing erroneous operations such as erroneously moving linked variables, Programming efficiency can be improved.

  The display attributes include at least one of the shape, pattern, color, and typeface of the display target. According to such a configuration, the programming tool 20 can display variable names and display symbols based on display attributes set as appropriate. As a result, the color or the like is assigned to each PLC targeted by the sequence programs Ps1 and Ps2, and the operator can determine whether the sequence program includes a reference variable or a reference destination variable without decoding the variable name. Can be easily recognized.

(Other)
In the embodiment, the link program generation unit 22 is configured to generate an interface circuit that links a reference variable and a reference destination variable as the link programs Pn1 and Pn2. On the other hand, when a plurality of PLCs communicate with each other via a communication device and exchange unique data in the PLC with each other, the link program generation unit 22 is written in the communication device as a link program. The conversion program may be generated.

  More specifically, when a plurality of PLCs perform sequence control in cooperation with each other, a communication device such as a microcomputer is interposed in addition to a configuration in which PLCs directly communicate with each other via a network as in the embodiment. There is a configuration. This communication device performs communication without changing the interface circuit in the PLC according to the operating environment by mutually converting the unique data for each PLC as required by a conversion program written therein. Is possible.

  Therefore, the link program generation unit 22 may be configured to generate a conversion program written in the communication device as a link program instead of the interface circuit when the sequence program is divided or aggregated. The conversion program generated thereby converts the input value of the reference destination variable into the input value to the reference variable, and can establish communication between the PLCs. Therefore, in the past, when the communication device was used, programming of the conversion program was required, but this programming work can be omitted. Also, with the above configuration, the existing sequence program can be easily used for other PLCs, and the versatility of the sequence program can be improved.

  1: Editing device, 20: Programming tool, 22: Link program generation unit, 23: Variable name setting unit, Ps1, Ps2: Sequence program, Pn1, Pn2: Link program, Vr1 to Vr5: Reference variables

Claims (7)

A programming tool for editing a sequence program for a plurality of programmable logic controllers (hereinafter, PLCs) that perform sequence control in cooperation with each other,
Among the variables used in the sequence program, the variable that refers to the variable of the other sequence program with a different target PLC is used as a reference variable,
The reference variable has, in its variable name, an identification code indicating the PLC targeted by the sequence program of the reference destination,
The programming tool includes a link program generation unit that specifies a reference destination variable based on a variable name of the reference variable and generates a link program that links the reference variable and the reference destination variable. Programming tools.   The link program generating unit is an interface circuit that links the reference variable and the reference destination variable by inputting the calculation result to the reference variable when the operation result is input to the reference destination variable. The programming tool for PLC according to claim 1, wherein: is generated as the link program. The plurality of PLCs communicate via communication devices that mutually convert unique data in the PLC,
The link program generation unit is a conversion program written to the communication device, and generates the conversion program that converts an input value of the reference destination variable into an input value to the reference variable as the link program. The programming tool for PLC according to claim 1. When the target PLC is moved by at least a part of the sequence program, the existing reference variable whose reference destination is changed with the movement, or becomes the reference variable newly with the movement The variable further includes a variable name setting unit for setting the variable name so that the variable code includes the identification code matched to the movement.
The said link program production | generation part specifies the said variable of a reference destination based on the variable name of the set said variable, and produces | generates the said link program again, The PLC use as described in any one of Claims 1-3 Programming tool.   When displaying the sequence program in an editable manner, the programming tool sets at least one of the variable name of the reference variable and the corresponding display symbol corresponding to the PLC targeted by the sequence program to be referred to The programming tool for PLC according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein display is performed based on the displayed display attribute.   When displaying the sequence program in an editable manner, the programming tool uses at least one of the variable name of the reference destination variable and the corresponding display symbol as the reference variable linked to the reference destination variable. The programming tool for PLC according to claim 1, wherein the PLC is displayed based on a display attribute set corresponding to the PLC targeted by the sequence program.   The programming tool for PLC according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the display attribute includes at least one of a shape, a pattern, a color, and a typeface to be displayed.

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