JP2017129957A - Interface test device and interface test system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an interface test device capable of automatically testing a communication interface between an HMI (human machine interface) screen and PLC (programmable logic controller).SOLUTION: An interface test device in an embodiment tests a communication interface with a PLC including a controller which executes a series of processing according to a ladder program. The interface test device includes: a pseudo signal generator that generates a first signal to be input to a contact of the ladder program; and a screen output unit that inputs a second signal which is generated by the ladder program input with the first signal and outputs a state of the second signal. The screen output unit outputs whether the second signal changes responding to the first signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an interface test apparatus and an interface test system that automate a test of a communication interface between an HMI screen and a PLC.

  HMI (Human Machine Interface) refers to means for a human to operate a machine, and the machine informs the human of the current state and processing results, and includes devices, software, and the like. For example, there are switches, buttons, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like as means for a human to operate a machine. Means for the machine to convey information to humans include a display device such as a liquid crystal screen of a display and a meter, a lamp, and a speaker. In plants such as steelworks, a programmable logic controller (hereinafter referred to as “PLC”), which is a control device, is used to control various machines. The PLC automatically controls these various machines by inputting a signal from a sensor or the like and outputting a signal to an actuator or the like according to a ladder program. Since the PLC can be connected to a computer via a communication network, the HMI can be performed on the display screen of the computer by performing a communication interface between the computer and the PLC. On the display screen of the computer, information such as the state of the machine to be controlled can be obtained and the machine can be operated. The display screen at this time is called an HMI screen.

  In performing a communication interface between the HMI screen and the PLC, it is necessary to test whether communication is being performed appropriately. When conducting a connection test of the communication interface between the HMI screen and the PLC, using the engineering tool for the PLC, humans manually extract signals for operating the display products on the HMI screen by analyzing the ladder program. Then, the signal is input to the contact point of the ladder program, and the display of the display article on the HMI screen is confirmed. Manual ladder program analysis has problems such as low productivity and human error.

JP 2009-290852 A

  Embodiments provide an interface test device that automatically generates a pseudo output signal to automatically test a communication interface between an HMI screen and a PLC, improve productivity, and reduce human error. To do.

  The interface test apparatus according to the embodiment tests a communication interface with a programmable logic controller including a controller that performs processing according to a ladder program. The interface test apparatus receives a pseudo signal generation unit that generates a first signal input to a contact point of the ladder program, and a second signal generated by the ladder program that receives the first signal, A screen output unit for outputting the state of the second signal. The screen output unit outputs whether the second signal changes in response to the first signal.

  In the present embodiment, a pseudo output signal generation unit that generates a first signal input to a contact that changes an output signal of the ladder program, and a screen output that displays the state of the second signal output from the ladder program. Since the second signal is provided, it can be confirmed on the HMI screen whether or not the second signal output from the ladder program changes in accordance with the change in the first signal. Therefore, it is possible to automatically test whether the communication interface between the HMI screen and the PLC is properly performed.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an interface automatic test apparatus according to a first embodiment and an automatic test system using the same. It is an example of the ladder program in an interface automatic test system. It is an example of a screen display in the interface automatic test device of this embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the interface automatic test device of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the interface automatic test device concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is an example of the ladder program in the interface automatic test system of this embodiment. It is an example of a screen display in the interface automatic test device of this embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the interface automatic test device of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the interface automatic test device concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the interface automatic test device of this embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the interface automatic test device of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the interface automatic test system concerning a 4th embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the size ratio between the parts, and the like are not necessarily the same as actual ones. Further, even when the same part is represented, the dimensions and ratios may be represented differently depending on the drawings.
In the present specification and drawings, the same elements as those described above with reference to the previous drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an interface automatic test apparatus and an automatic test system using the same according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the interface automatic test system 1 of this embodiment includes an interface automatic test apparatus 10 and a programmable logic controller 20. The interface automatic test apparatus 10 is connected to the gateway server 50 via the communication network 40. A programmable logic controller (PLC) 20 is connected to the gateway server 50 via a dedicated communication network 42. That is, the interface automatic test apparatus 10 and the PLC 20 are connected to each other via the communication networks 40 and 42. The communication network 40 is, for example, general-purpose Ethernet (registered trademark). The dedicated communication network 42 is, for example, industrial Ethernet (registered trademark). The gateway server is, for example, an HMI server that allows nodes on different communication networks to be connected to each other. Note that the communication networks 40 and 42 may be wired, wireless, or a mixture of these. Further, the communication network 40 or the communication network 42 is not limited to a single communication network, and may be a network constituted by a plurality of networks.

  The interface automatic test apparatus 10 includes a pseudo output signal generation unit 11, a pseudo output signal output unit 12, and an HMI screen output unit 13. The pseudo output signal generation unit 11 is connected to the product list storage unit 18. The article list storage unit 18 is, for example, an external storage device of the interface automatic test apparatus 10. The article list storage unit 18 may be a storage device of a database server connected to the communication network 40. The product list 18a stored in the product list storage unit 18 is a database including tags such as display products registered for use on the HMI screen, connection information of the tags, and the like. The pseudo output signal generation unit 11 generates a pseudo output signal based on the product list 18 a stored in the product list storage unit 18. The generated pseudo output signal is supplied to the PLC 20 via the communication network 40 by the pseudo output signal output unit 12 connected to the pseudo output signal generation unit 11.

  The HMI screen output unit 13 is connected to the pseudo output signal output unit 12. The HMI screen output unit 13 receives the output signal of the ladder program 24 via the communication networks 40 and 42. The HMI screen output unit 13 supplies the pseudo output signal output from the pseudo output signal output unit 12 and the output signal of the ladder program to, for example, the output interface unit 14, and these signals are displayed on the display or the like via the output interface unit 14. To display.

  The interface automatic test apparatus 10 is an information processing apparatus such as a computer terminal. Although not shown, the interface automatic test apparatus 10 includes an input interface unit for an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. For example, the pseudo output signal generation unit 11, the pseudo output signal output unit 12, and the HMI screen output unit 13 may be programs executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the information processing apparatus. In this case, the program is stored in a storage device (not shown), and processing is executed according to each step of the program.

  The PLC 20 includes a controller 22, input modules 26a and 26b, and output modules 28a and 28b. The controller 22, the input modules 26a and 26b, and the output modules 28a and 28b are connected to a dedicated communication network 42, for example. The controller 22 is connected to the storage unit 23. The storage unit 23 stores a ladder program 24. The controller 22 processes the data of the input modules 26a and 26b according to the procedure of the ladder program 24, and outputs the result to the output modules 28a and 28b. Note that the storage unit 23 may be connected to the controller 22 via the communication network 42.

  Input devices 32a and 32b are connected to the input modules 26a and 26b, respectively. Input devices 32a and 32b include, for example, a temperature sensor and a proximity sensor. The input modules 26 a and 26 b acquire data from the input devices 32 a and 32 b such as these various sensors, convert the data into a predetermined format, and transmit the converted data to the controller 22. In the input modules 26a and 26b, for example, analog data acquired by a sensor is converted into digital data, and “1” is output when the digital data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. When it is small, “0” is output.

  Output devices 34a and 34b are connected to the output modules 28a and 28b, respectively. The output devices 34a and 34b include, for example, lamps, relays, various actuators, and the like. The output modules 28a and 28b supply an appropriate current to these output devices 34a and 34b or apply an appropriate voltage to obtain a desired result.

  In the interface automatic test system 1 of this embodiment, the input modules 26a and 26b and the output modules 28a and 28b operate in a state disconnected from the controller 22, and therefore are indicated by broken lines in FIG.

The operation of the interface automatic test apparatus of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is an example of a ladder program in the interface automatic test system.
FIG. 3 is a screen display example in the interface automatic test apparatus of the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the interface automatic test apparatus of this embodiment.
In the interface automatic test apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, a pseudo output signal is generated according to a test ladder program 24 operated by the controller 22 of the PLC 20. The interface automatic test apparatus 10 inputs the generated pseudo output signal to each contact of the test ladder program 24 and detects the response of the ladder program 24 as a test signal output from the controller 22. The test ladder program 24 may be created separately from the operation ladder program of the PLC 1 and stored in the storage unit 23. The test ladder program 24 may be integrated with the operation ladder program or the operation ladder program. It may be created as part of a module.

  In the example of the test ladder program 24 shown in FIG. 2, the ladder program 24 includes the contact A, and the state of the output signal X is determined by the state of the contact A. The contact A is, for example, a switch (input device) 32a. X is, for example, a lamp (output device) 34a. In the interface automatic test apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, whether or not the lamp 34a is turned on is simulated by the operation of the ladder program 24 in accordance with the state of the switch 32a.

  In the interface automatic test apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the HMI screen 60 is displayed on a display, for example, according to the output of the HMI screen output unit 13. As shown in FIG. 3, in this example, display articles 61, 62, and 63 are displayed on the HMI screen 60. Display goods 61, 62, and 63 are lamps, for example. In these display articles 61, 62, and 63, the states of the output signals X, Y, and Z output from the ladder program 24 are displayed according to the pseudo output signal generated by the pseudo output signal generation unit 11. In addition to the display article, other parts can be displayed as icons, for example, on the HMI screen.

  In the case of the ladder program of FIG. 2, the switch 32 a that is the contact A may be closed in order to turn on the lamp that is the display product 61. That is, the display article 61 can be turned on and off by generating an on / off signal for the contact A as a pseudo output signal. When the lamp which is the display product 61 is turned on when the contact A is turned on, it can be determined that the communication interface between the HMI screen 60 and the PLC 20 is taken.

A series of operations of the interface automatic test apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
In step S1, the pseudo output signal generation unit 11 generates a pseudo output signal. The pseudo output signal is generated by extracting tag information such as a display product from the product list 18a. In the example of FIG. 2, the tag of the output signal representing the lamp 34a is extracted, and the pseudo output signal is a signal for turning it on / off.

  In step S <b> 2, the pseudo output signal output unit 12 outputs the pseudo output signal generated by the pseudo output signal generation unit 11 to the communication network 40 for transmission to the PLC 20.

  In step S <b> 3, the pseudo output signal output unit 12 supplies the pseudo output signal to the controller 22 via the communication networks 40 and 42. The controller 22 receives the pseudo output signal.

  In step S4, the controller 22 inputs a pseudo output signal to the contact of the test ladder program 24. In the example of FIG. 2, the pseudo output signal is input to the contact A.

  In step S <b> 5, the controller 22 outputs an output signal from the ladder program 24. In the example of FIG. 2, the output signal to be output is X.

  In step S <b> 6, the HMI screen output unit 13 receives the output signal X output from the controller 22.

  In step S7, the HMI screen output unit 13 displays the state of the display article 61 according to the output signal X (FIG. 3).

  In step S8, the state of the display article 61 displayed on the display via the output interface unit 14 is confirmed with human eyes. When the state of the display product 61 is changed (lit or extinguished) due to the change of the pseudo output signal, the communication interface test is determined to be acceptable, and when the display product 61 is not changed due to the change of the pseudo output signal, the test is determined to be unacceptable. Is done.

  In this way, the interface automatic test apparatus 10 extracts tag data related to the output signal of the PLC 20 from the product list 18a, generates a pseudo output signal to be input to the contact point, and whether or not the response is appropriate. Is displayed. The extracted tag data is that the output signal is “1” when the pseudo output signal input to the contact of the tag is “1”, and the output signal is “0” when the pseudo output signal is “0”. Of course, it is not limited to “0” and vice versa.

The operation and effect of the interface automatic test apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described.
In the interface automatic test apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, tag data related to the output signal of the PLC 20 is extracted to generate a pseudo output signal to be input to the contact of the tag, and the PLC 20 changes in response to the pseudo output signal. Thus, it is possible to determine whether or not the operation of the communication interface is possible. That is, generation of the pseudo output signal and transmission to the PLC 20 can be automatically performed. Therefore, the work can be performed more efficiently than manually searching for a contact to be input while analyzing the ladder program 24. Therefore, productivity can be improved by automating the test of the communication interface between the HMI screen 60 and the PLC 20. Appropriate contact extraction can be performed automatically, so that human error is less likely to occur and the reliability of the system can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an interface automatic test apparatus according to this embodiment.
In the case of the above-described embodiment, it is possible to check on the HMI screen 60 whether or not all the display products operate normally. However, it is determined which display product is operated by which pseudo output signal. It is desirable to be able to inspect together. In the interface automatic test apparatus 10a of this embodiment, the correlation between the signal and the display is clarified by associating the pseudo output signal, the display product, and the output signal for operating the display product.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the interface automatic test apparatus 10 a of this embodiment further includes a variable name setting unit 15. The variable name setting unit 15 is connected to the product list storage unit 18. In the variable name setting unit 15, variable names of all tags used in the ladder program operating on the PLC 1, including the test ladder program, are set. In the interface automatic test apparatus 10a of this embodiment, the variable names of the switches 32a and 32b of the test ladder program 24 are set to be associated with the variable names 10X and 11X of the lamps 34a and 34b, respectively. In this example, the variable names of the switches 32a and 32b are set to 10A and 11A, respectively. That is, the variable name setting unit 15 associates the variable name of the pseudo output signal and the variable name of the contact with the variable name of the output signal. In this way, by associating the variable name of the pseudo output signal and the variable name of the contact with the variable name of the output signal, it is determined which output signal is responding by the pseudo output signal input to which contact. be able to.

The operation of the interface automatic test apparatus 10a of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is an example of a ladder program in the interface automatic test system of this embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a screen display example in the interface automatic test apparatus of this embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the interface automatic test apparatus of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, the ladder program 24a includes a switch (input device) 32a and includes a lamp (output device) 34a output by the switch 32a. The ladder program 24a performs further processing after outputting the output signal of the lamp 34a. That is, the ladder program 24a includes a switch (input device) 32b and includes a lamp (output device) 34b controlled by the switch 32b.

  Here, the variable name setting unit 15 assigns the variable name 10X to the output signal corresponding to the lamp 34a. A variable name 10A is assigned to the switch 32a associated with the output signal 10X. The variable name setting unit 15 assigns a variable name 11X to the output signal corresponding to the lamp 34b. A variable name 11A is assigned to the switch 32b related to the output signal 11X. That is, the variable name setting unit 15 associates each contact (switch) for each output signal with the upper two digits of the variable name. Of course, other methods such as changing the number of digits may be used as the method of associating with the output signal.

  In the interface automatic test apparatus 10a of this embodiment, the pseudo output signal generated by the pseudo output signal generation unit 11 is associated with the variable name for each output signal in the variable name setting unit 15.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the interface automatic test apparatus 10a of the present embodiment, the HMI screen output unit 13 outputs a display article associated with each output signal. For example, the display article 67, which is the lamp 34a corresponding to the output signal 10X, can switch the lighting state by switching the switch 10A (display article 64) associated with the output signal 10X. The display article 69, which is the lamp 34b corresponding to the output signal 11X, can switch the lighting state by switching the switch 11A (display article 68) associated with the output signal 11X.

A series of operations of the interface automatic test apparatus 10a of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In step S1, the operation is the same as in the above-described embodiment.

  In step S1a, the variable name setting unit 15 associates the contact point and the pseudo output signal for each output signal.

  In step S2, the pseudo output signal output unit 12 outputs the pseudo output signal associated with the output signal to the communication network 40 for transmission to the PLC.

  Subsequent steps S3 to S8 operate in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

The operation and effect of the interface automatic test apparatus 10a of this embodiment will be described.
In the interface automatic test apparatus 10a of the present embodiment, the contact and the pseudo output signal are associated with each output signal, so it is determined on the HMI screen 60a which contact the pseudo output signal is converted to. Can do. Therefore, even when a more complicated ladder program is assembled, the test can be efficiently advanced. In addition, since the relationship between the pseudo output signal used in the interface test and the output signal output from the ladder program can be clearly displayed, analysis when a problem occurs can be facilitated.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an interface automatic test apparatus according to this embodiment.
In the case of the above-described embodiment, a human determines visually that the display article changes on the HMI screens 60 and 60a. Human judgment can be further automated.
As shown in FIG. 9, the interface automatic test apparatus 10 b according to the present embodiment further includes a screen determination unit 16. The screen determination unit 16 is connected to the output of the HMI screen output unit 13. The screen determination unit 16 compares the initial screen data of the HMI screen output unit 13 with the screen data after the operation of the HMI screen is performed by the pseudo output signal, and detects a difference when there is a difference. The coordinates are calculated, and the display article corresponding to the coordinates is specified. If the specified display product is a display product to be operated, the test is passed. If no difference is detected or the specified display product is not the display product to be operated, the test is rejected. .

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the interface automatic test apparatus of this embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the screen determination unit.
A series of operations of the interface automatic test apparatus 10b of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
Steps S1 to S7 are the same as those in the above-described embodiment.

  In step S8a, the screen determination unit 16 performs screen comparison between the initial screen data of the HMI screen output unit 13 and the screen data after the operation of the output signal by the pseudo output signal, and determines an appropriate difference from the difference data. The pass / fail judgment of the test is performed by detecting.

The operation of the screen determination unit 16 will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S11, the screen determination unit 16 acquires the initial screen data of the HMI screen output unit 13, and acquires the screen data after the operation of the output signal by the pseudo output signal. The screen determination unit 16 compares the acquired screen data and generates difference data. In addition, a well-known image recognition program etc. can be used about acquisition, comparison, etc. of screen data.

  In step S12, the screen determination unit 16 extracts position coordinates from the generated difference data and converts them into text data.

  In step S13, the screen determination unit 16 compares the text data of the position coordinates extracted in step S12 with the text data of the position coordinates generated based on the initial screen data of the HMI screen. As a result of the comparison, the screen determination unit 16 determines whether the initial position coordinates match the position coordinates of the display article operated by the pseudo output signal, and outputs the result. As a result of the comparison, if it matches the position coordinates of the display article, the test is passed, and if it does not match the position coordinates of the display article, the test is rejected.

The operation and effect of the interface automatic test apparatus 10b of this embodiment will be described.
Since the interface automatic test apparatus 10b according to the present embodiment includes the screen determination unit 16, an operation result based on a pseudo output signal generated on the HMI screen can be automatically determined. Therefore, labor can be saved in the test process, productivity can be improved, and artificial judgment is not entered in the pass / fail judgment, so that a more objective result can be obtained.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an interface automatic test system according to this embodiment.
The interface automatic test apparatuses 10 to 10b and the PLC 20 described above are connected on the communication networks 40 and 42 and exchange data with each other to automatically perform an interface test. As described above, a network system such as Ethernet (registered trademark), which is generally used, can be used for the communication networks 40 and 42. Therefore, a plurality of interface automatic test apparatuses and a plurality of PLCs 20 are connected to the communication networks 40 and 42. Can be connected to.
As shown in FIG. 12, the interface automatic test system 101 of this embodiment includes a plurality of interface automatic test apparatuses 10,..., 10 and a plurality of PLCs 20,. The interface automatic test apparatuses 10,..., 10 are the interface automatic test apparatuses of the above-described embodiments, and may be the same or different apparatuses. The PLCs 20,..., 20 are the above-described PLCs, and are not limited to the same configuration, and may have various configurations.

  The interface automatic test apparatus 10 is connected to the PLC 20 via the communication networks 40 and 42, and can identify and recognize each other by, for example, the ID of a packet used for communication. Therefore, the plurality of interface automatic test apparatuses 10,..., 10 connected to the communication networks 40, 42 can be connected to different PLCs 20,. You can also connect to. Alternatively, it can be connected to one PLC by a plurality of interface automatic test devices.

  According to the embodiment described above, an interface automatic test apparatus and an interface automatic test system that can automatically test the communication interface between the HMI screen and the PLC can be realized.

  As mentioned above, although some embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof. Further, the above-described embodiments can be implemented in combination with each other.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Interface automatic test system 10, 10a, 10b Interface automatic test apparatus, 11 Pseudo output signal generation part, 12 Pseudo output signal output part, 13 HMI screen output part, 14 Output interface part, 15 Variable name setting part, 16 Screen determination 18, 18 product list storage unit, 18a product list, 20 PLC, 22 controller, 23 storage unit, 24 ladder program, 26a, 26b input module, 28a, 28b output module, 32a, 32b input device, 34a, 34b output device, 40, 42 communication network, 50 gateway server, 60, 60a HMI screen, 61-69 display article, 101 interface automatic test system

Claims (5)

An interface test apparatus for testing a communication interface with a programmable logic controller including a controller that processes according to a ladder program,
A pseudo signal generator for generating a first signal input to the contact point of the ladder program;
A screen output unit that inputs a second signal generated by the ladder program that has received the first signal and outputs a state of the second signal;
With
The interface test apparatus, wherein the screen output unit outputs whether or not the second signal changes in response to the first signal.   2. The interface test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first signal data and the contact data are associated with the second signal data.   3. The screen comparison unit according to claim 1, further comprising a screen comparison unit that compares screen data before and after outputting the state of the second signal from the screen output unit, and outputs the fact when there is a difference in the screen data. Interface test equipment. The input signal supplied from the input module that generates the input signal based on the signal from the input device is input, processed according to the ladder program, and the output signal supplied to the output module for operating the output device is generated. A programmable logic controller including a controller to
A pseudo signal generator for generating a first signal to be input to a contact point of a test ladder program for testing a communication interface, and a second signal generated by the test ladder program to which the first signal is input And a screen output unit that outputs the state of the second signal,
A communication network connecting the programmable logic controller and the interface test device;
With
The interface test system, wherein the second signal changes in response to the first signal.   The interface test system according to claim 4, comprising at least two of the programmable logic controllers and at least two of the interface test apparatuses.

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