JP2023034569A - Controller and file structure of program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a controller capable of simply performing transfer of local variables between a plurality of programs.SOLUTION: A controller 20 of a robot control system 110 is connected with one or a plurality of devices. A plurality of programs 200 for performing transfer of data or commands between the one or plurality of devices are stored in the controller 20. In the plurality of programs 200, a program A for executing prescribed functions by referring to local variables LA and a program B for executing prescribed functions by referring to local variables LB are at least contained. The controller 20 is constituted so as to be capable of directly substituting values of local variables LA stored in the program A into the local variables LB stored in the program B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present disclosure relates to controller and program file structures.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various computer programs (hereinafter simply referred to as programs) are used in controlling systems (hereinafter simply referred to as robot systems) including industrial robots (hereinafter simply referred to as robots). A program is usually written in a high-level programming language such as C language, and after being converted by a compiler in the system, can be used in various devices in the system. Further, in robot systems, a method of specifying a file in which a program to be executed is described and starting execution of the program is generally adopted.

Also, when executing a plurality of programs, common variables (for example, global variables) are defined outside the programs and used in the plurality of programs. On the other hand, variables uniquely defined inside each program (for example, local variables) can only be used inside the function of the defined program. Note that the global variables are usually stored in a storage area provided in the controller of the robot system.

However, as the number of programs used in the robot system increases, the number of programs using common variables also increases. In this case, since the number of global variables increases, the work of editing and managing them, that is, changing or deleting contents or numerical ranges, or adding global variables themselves increases.

To address this problem, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which storage areas are provided for each of a variable name, a variable value that is the range of the variable value, and a storage destination address of the variable value. . When registering the specified variable name and variable value, if the same variable name already exists, the variable value corresponding to the variable name is searched from the storage area of the save destination address, and the variable value is the specified value rewrite to If the same variable name does not exist, a new variable name, variable value, and address are written and saved in each of the storage areas described above.

Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses a program editing device in which local variable worksheets and global variable worksheets used in a program are created and stored in advance. When dividing a program, local variables shared by a plurality of program components are added to the global variable worksheet, and the local variables are registered as external reference variables in the local variable worksheet. Also, when combining programs, change the global variables that were shared as external reference variables only by the program components before combining to local variables and register them in the local variable worksheet after combining, and also from the global variable worksheet. delete.

JP-A-05-035476 JP 2010-049484 A

By the way, in recent years, the number of devices connected to robot systems, such as sensors and PCs (Personal Computers), has increased significantly. Along with this, the number of programs used in robot systems and the exchange of data between program files have increased significantly. Therefore, the types and number of variables that are commonly used in multiple programs are increasing.

On the other hand, for example, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to once redefine variables that are commonly used in a plurality of programs from local variables to global variables before use.

However, it is complicated to edit and manage commonly used variables and multiple programs using only the global variables stored in the controller, and it is difficult to pass variable values between programs. There was a possibility that

The present disclosure has been made in view of this point, and an object thereof is to provide a controller and a program file structure that can easily transfer values of local variables between a plurality of programs.

In order to achieve the above object, a controller according to the present disclosure is a controller included in a control system, wherein one or more devices are connected to the controller, and data exchange with the one or more devices is performed. Alternatively, a plurality of programs are stored for transferring instructions, the plurality of programs include at least a first program and a second program that refer to local variables and execute a predetermined function, and the controller directly assigns the value of the local variable held in the first program to the local variable held in the second program, or assigns the value of the local variable held in the second program to the first program It is characterized by being configured so that it can be directly assigned to a local variable held in .

A file structure according to the present disclosure is a file structure of a program executed in a control system in which one or more devices are connected to a controller, the program including a variable table section, the variable table section , at least one local variable defined inside a function described in the program, and the local variable is stored in the variable table section in a form in which a variable name and variable information are associated with each other. and the variable information includes at least type information of the local variables.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to easily pass the values of local variables between a plurality of programs. This makes it possible to speed up the program editing management work and improve the convenience for the operator.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a robot system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a robot system; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the file structure of a program; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing passing of values of local variables between programs; 4 is a flow chart showing a procedure for passing values of local variables between programs; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing passing of values of local variables between programs for comparison; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an outline of a variable table part of the first program according to the second embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline|summary of the variable table part of a 2nd program. 4 is a flow chart showing a procedure for passing values of local variables between programs;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of preferred embodiments is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its applications or uses.

(Embodiment 1)
[Configuration of robot system]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a robot system according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of the robot system.

As shown in FIG. 1, the robot system 100 includes a robot 10, a robot control system 110, and a welding control section 40. As shown in FIG.

The robot 10 is a welding robot used for arc welding. A welding torch 13 and a wire feeding device (not shown) are attached to the tip of the robot arm 11 . The number of joint axes and the configuration of the robot 10, such as a horizontal multi-joint type and a vertical multi-joint type, may be appropriately selected according to the application. Further, the robot 10 is not limited to a welding robot, and may be, for example, an article transport robot.

In the example shown in FIG. 1 , there is one robot 10 , but the robot system 100 may have multiple robots 10 . In that case, the robot control system 110 and the welding control section 40 may be common to all the robots 10 . Also, the robot control system 110 and the welding control unit 40 may be provided individually for each robot 10 .

A robot control system 110 has a controller 20 and a teaching pendant 30 . Note that the robot control system 110 may include a server 70 (see FIG. 2) provided outside the robot control system 110 . Also, if the robot 10 is other than a welding robot, the welding controller 40 may be omitted from the robot system 100 .

The controller 20 is connected to the robot 10 and controls the operation of the robot 10, specifically, the operation of the servomotor 12 that drives the joint axes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 20 is connected to a teaching pendant 30, a welding control section 40, an external device 60, a server 70, an external robot 80 and an external axis 90, respectively. The controller 20 exchanges data or commands with various connected devices. Here, the external device 60 is, for example, various sensors, alarm lamps, and the like. Also, the external device 60 may be a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or a PC.

The external robot 80 is a robot connected to a controller (not shown) different from the controller 20 shown in FIG. 2, and its operation is controlled by the separate controller. The controller 20 may be connected to the external robot 80 when a plurality of robots 20 are operated intensively.

The external shaft 90 is a drive mechanism other than the robot 10 in the robot system 100 . For example, a stage (not shown) that holds a workpiece (not shown) to be welded and moves it in a predetermined direction. By controlling the operation of the stage, which is the external shaft 90, by the controller 20, the relative positional relationship between the torch 13 and the workpiece can be accurately determined.

The teaching pendant 30 is a device for an operator to define the operation of the robot 10 and welding conditions, and to display information about the robot 10 transmitted from the controller 20 . The teaching pendant 30 and the controller 20 are connected by either wired communication or wireless communication.

The teaching pendant 30 has an input unit 31 for the operator to input the operation details of the robot 10, and a display unit 32 for displaying the input details, information about the robot 10 transmitted from the controller 20, and the like. are doing. As shown in FIG. 2, the input unit 31 may be hard keys such as a keyboard. Also, the display unit 32 may be a liquid crystal display. Note that the input unit 31 may be incorporated in the display unit 32 when the display unit 32 is a touch panel. A processor (not shown) may be mounted on the teaching pendant 30 as an information processing section.

The welding control unit 40 outputs a control signal corresponding to the processing of the controller 20 and controls the operation of the welding torch 13 attached to the robot 10 and the wire feeding device (not shown). Note that the welding control unit 40 may be configured integrally with the controller 20 .

The controller 20 is connected to the server 70 either by wired communication or wireless communication. The server 70 backs up and stores data transmitted to the controller 20 and data generated inside the controller 20 . The server 70 may back up and store programs stored in the program storage area 25 of the controller 20 and data stored in the storage area 24, for example, a table of global variables. Also, the server 70 may be configured to be able to display part of the data.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the controller 20 has a CPU (information processing section) 21 , an input/output control section 22 , a power control section 23 , a storage area 24 , a program storage area 25 and a communication interface section 26 . That is, the controller 20 is a kind of computer system. The controller 20 operates by power supplied from the power supply 50 to the power supply control section 23 .

A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21 is a processor that controls the entire robot control system 110 in response to commands input from the teaching pendant 30, teaching programs, or predetermined control sequences. Note that the teaching program is stored in the program storage area 25 .

The CPU 21 also determines the characteristics of the servomotor 12 and the arm length of the robot 10 stored in the program storage area 25 based on the detected angle transmitted from the driver (not shown) of the servomotor 12 of the robot 10 . Using the values and forward kinematics calculations, the tip position of the torch 13 of the robot 10 in the Cartesian coordinate system is calculated.

Note that a plurality of CPUs 21 may be mounted on the controller 20 . The plurality of CPUs 21 includes, for example, a main CPU that performs overall management of the robot control system 110 and a servo CPU that performs drive management of the servo motors 12 . A welding CPU that controls the welding control unit 40 and an input/output CPU that controls the input/output control unit 22 may also be included.

If one CPU 21 malfunctions, the remaining CPU 21 can perform a backup operation. Alternatively, the CPU 21 that controls the entire robot control system 110 and the CPU 21 that calculates the tip position of the torch 13 may be provided separately.

The input/output control unit 22 performs information acquisition and transmission processing of various devices connected to the controller 20 in correspondence with the processing of the CPU 21 .

The storage area 24 stores data commonly used by various programs used in the robot control system 110 . For example, the storage area 24 stores the characteristic values of the servo motors 12 and the values related to the operation of the robot 10 such as the arm length of the robot 10 . Global variables, which will be described later, are also stored in the storage area 24 . Note that the storage area 24 may store other data. The storage area 24 is composed of an internal memory of the controller 20, such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage area 24 may be composed of, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like.

The program storage area 25 stores various programs used in the robot control system 110 including the teaching program described above. The program storage area 25 may consist of the internal memory of the controller 20 described above. Also, the program storage area 25 may be an external memory such as an SD card connected to the controller 20 . Note that the storage area 24 and the program storage area 25 may exist in the same memory inside the controller 20 .

After the power supply 50 is turned on and the connection with the server 70 is established, the communication interface unit 26 transmits data transmitted to the controller 20 and data generated inside the controller 20 to the server 70 at a certain timing. to send. The communication interface section 26 may be connected to the teaching pendant 30 by either wired communication or wireless communication.

[Procedure for passing values of local variables between programs]
FIG. 3 schematically shows the file structure of the program. FIG. 4 schematically shows the passing of values of local variables between programs. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a procedure for passing values of local variables between programs. FIG. 6 schematically shows the passing of values of local variables between programs for comparison.

Various programs used in the robot control system 110 are written in a predetermined programming language such as C language, C++ language, Java (registered trademark), or the like. Also, by assigning or referencing declared variables to each program, data can be identified and managed on the program. Also, in the program, a function associated with the variable can be executed.

Variables are classified into local variables and global variables according to the difference in scope (range of application). A local variable is a variable defined inside a program and can normally be used only inside the program. A global variable is a variable defined outside a program and can be commonly used by different programs. Strictly speaking, the definition of local variables differs depending on the programming language, but in this specification, local variables are defined as described above.

Generally, in a drive control system for an industrial robot, for example, a robot control system 110 as shown in FIG. 1, global variables stored in the storage area 24 of the controller 20 are commonly applied to different programs to simplify data management. is becoming Also in this case, the definition and use of local variables in each program is not prevented.

However, as the robot system 100 becomes more complicated, the number of devices connected to the controller 20 is increasing. Along with this, the number of programs used in the robot control system 110 is increasing. In addition, exchange of data used between programs is increasing. Therefore, it is becoming difficult to edit and manage each program using only global variables.

Therefore, the inventors set the file structure of the program 200 used in the robot control system 110 as shown in FIG. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the values of local variables defined in one program can be used directly in another program. These will be further explained.

The program 200 shown in the specification of the present application has a structure including at least a header section 210, an instruction record section 220, and a variable table section 230 in one program file, as shown in FIG. However, the number and types of data included in the program 200 are not particularly limited to this.

The header section 210 is a storage area for a text file or a binary file that describes declarations of variables, constants, functions, and other data and instructions that must be declared in advance to be used in the program 200 .

The instruction record part 220 is a text file or binary file describing the execution contents of the program 200, and is described as source code, for example.

The variable table portion 230 is data in which local variables used in the program 200 are held in a table format. The table format will be described in the second embodiment.

Also, in this embodiment, the case where the variable table section 230 includes one local variable will be described as an example, but normally, one program 200 defines a plurality of local variables. . In that case, there are often multiple types of local variables such as variables related to the position information of the robot 10 and the like. Also, the types of local variables are diverse, such as integer type, floating point decimal type, character string type, and logical type, depending on the purpose. When stored in the variable table section 230, the local variables are stored in a format in which the variable name, its range, and further variable information (local variable type, type, etc.) are associated with each other. In the following description, "local variable value" refers to the range of data assigned to the specified local variable. For example, if the target local variable is given one or more numerical values, the value of the local variable is the given one or more numerical values. If a character string is assigned to the target local variable, the value of the local variable is the assigned character string.

When the file structure of the programs 200 is defined in this way, it becomes possible to directly transfer the values of local variables among the plurality of programs 200 .

Conventionally, when it is desired to use the values of local variables in common between different programs, it is necessary to use the global variables stored in the controller 20 or to rewrite the values of the local variables via the global variables.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the value (=1) of local variable LA held by program A (first program) is substituted for global variable GA held by controller 20 . In the instruction record section 220 of program A, this assignment is executed after being described as instruction execution information. Next, the value of global variable GA is substituted for local variable LB of program B (second program). In the instruction record section 220 of program B, this assignment is executed after being described as instruction execution information.

By rewriting the value of the global variable GA in this manner, the value of the local variable LB of the program B can be made the same as the value of the local variable LA of the program A. In other words, the values of local variables can be shared between different programs. The processing shown in FIG. 6 is performed by executing programs A and B on the CPU 21 of the controller 20, respectively.

However, the processing shown in FIG. 6 increases the load on the CPU 21 and takes time. Also, if there is no global variable to which a numerical value can be assigned, a new global variable must be defined. In either case, it was inconvenient for the user of the robot control system 110 . In addition, by using global variables, there is a risk of misdesignation of variables between different programs.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the program 200 is provided with a variable table section 230. FIG. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the value of local variable LA in program A is directly assigned to local variable LB in program B. In other words, no manipulation is required for the global variable GA saved in the storage area 24 . The processing shown in FIG. 4 is performed by executing the program A on the CPU 21 of the controller 20. FIG. Also, in this case, the type and type of the local variable LA, that is, the variable information and the variable information of the local variable LB must match.

Note that the processing shown in FIG. 4 is actually performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. Moreover, as described above, each step of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is executed by the CPU 21 of the controller 20 .

First, program A is started to execute a predetermined command (step S1). Here, the specific content of the instruction is to "directly assign the value of local variable LA in program A to local variable LB in program B".

Next, it is determined whether or not the program B exists in the program storage area 25 (step S2). If the determination result in step S2 is negative, that is, if the program B does not exist in the program storage area 25, the controller 20 notifies the worker or the operator of the robot control system 110 of an error, and the robot control system 110 is once stopped (step S3).

In the specification of the present application, "error", "warning" and "alarm" are set as abnormalities of the robot system. An error refers to a certain degree of abnormality that requires the robot control system 110 to be temporarily stopped. Warnings are warnings that do not stop the robot control system 110 . Therefore, the warning is only issued to alert the operator that the controller 20 or the device is in a different state than normal.

Alarms, on the other hand, refer to abnormalities that require the entire robot control system 110 to stop. Therefore, when an alarm occurs, the power supply that supplies power to the controller 20 and each device is shut down. Further, after shutdown, the robot control system 110 and, in turn, the robot system 100 do not operate until the operator restarts.

If the determination result in step S2 is affirmative, that is, if program B exists in program storage area 25, then controller 20 determines whether local variable LA is defined and exists in program A. (Step S4). If the determination result in step S4 is negative, that is, if the local variable LA does not exist in program A, the controller 20 notifies an error and temporarily stops the robot control system 110 (step S5), as in step S3.

If the determination result in step S4 is affirmative, that is, if the local variable LA exists in the program A, then the controller 20 determines whether the local variable LB is defined and exists in the program B ( step S6). If the determination result in step S6 is negative, that is, if the local variable LB does not exist in program B, the controller 20 notifies an error and temporarily stops the robot control system 110 as in step S3 (step S7).

If the determination result in step S6 is affirmative, that is, if the local variable LB exists in the program B, the controller 20 directly assigns the value of the local variable LA in the program A to the local variable LB in the program B (step S8 ), a series of processing is completed. After step S8 is completed, the value assigned to the local variable LB is held as it is.

When a PC is connected as the external device 60, the command shown in step S1 may be written from the PC to the program A and executed. Input contents from the PC are executed via the CPU 21 of the controller 20 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the existence of the program B, the existence of the local variable LA in the program A, and the existence of the local variable LB in the program B are sequentially confirmed while proceeding with the processing. By doing so, the value of the local variable can be reliably transferred from program A to program B. Therefore, the program B after the value of the local variable LB has been rewritten will not malfunction and cause an error or an alarm in the robot control system 110 or the robot system 100 . In other words, the robot system 100 and the robot control system 110 can be safely operated even after the program B is rewritten.

In this embodiment, an example of directly assigning the value of the local variable LA in the program A to the local variable LB in the program B is shown, but the reverse process is also possible. That is, the controller 20, specifically the CPU 21, may be configured to be able to directly substitute the value of the local variable LB in the program B into the local variable LA in the program A.

[Effects, etc.]
As described above, the controller 20 according to this embodiment is provided in the robot control system 110 .

A plurality of devices are connected to the controller 20 . A program storage area 25 of the controller 20 stores a plurality of programs 200 for exchanging data or commands with a plurality of devices. Note that the number of devices connected to the controller 20 may be one.

The plurality of programs 200 includes a program A (first program) that references a local variable LA and executes a predetermined function, and a program B (second program) that references a local variable LB and executes a predetermined function. included at least.

The controller 20 is configured to be able to directly substitute the value of the local variable LA held in the program A into the local variable LB held in the program B. Also, the controller 20 is configured to be able to directly substitute the value of the local variable LB held in the program B into the local variable LA held in the program A.

According to this embodiment, the value of the local variable LA used in program A is directly received by the local variable LB used in program B without going through the global variable GA saved in the storage area 24 of the controller 20. can pass. That is, the values of local variables LA and LB defined by different programs 200 can be shared. This makes it possible to speed up the editing management work of the program 200 . Also, the convenience of the robot control system 110 for the operator is improved.

Further, according to this embodiment, there is no need to secure a buffer memory for rewriting the value of the local variable LB, and the load on the controller 20 can be reduced.

Moreover, since the global variable GA is not passed, the influence on other programs 200 used in the robot control system 110 can be minimized. That is, the robot control system 110 and the robot system 100 can be operated safely. Also, downtime of the robot control system 110 and the robot system 100 can be reduced.

When the program 200 used in the robot control system 110 is switched from the program A to the program B, the value of the local variable LB can be rewritten at the switching timing. Even when program A and program B are executed at the same time, it is possible to rewrite the value of local variable LB at the timing before execution.

When assigning the value of the local variable LA to the local variable LB, the variable information of the local variable LA held in program A and the variable information of the local variable LB held in program B must match. necessary.

The program 200 according to this embodiment has a file structure including at least the variable table section 230 .

The variable table section 230 contains at least one local variable defined inside the function described in the program 200 .

Local variables are stored in the variable table section 230 in a format in which variable names and variable information are associated with each other.

The variable information includes at least type information of local variables.

By defining the file structure of the program 200 in this way, the values of local variables can be directly passed between different programs 200, and the respective values can be shared. This makes it possible to speed up the editing management work of the program 200 . Also, the convenience of the robot control system 110 for the operator is improved.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 7A shows an overview of the variable table portion of the first program according to this embodiment, and FIG. 7B shows an overview of the variable table portion of the second program. FIG. 8 shows a flow chart of a procedure for passing values of local variables between programs.

As described above, there are usually a plurality of local variables held in the variable table section 230 . In managing these, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when it is preferable to hold in advance a plurality of local variables that may be shared with other programs in the form of a table in the variable table section 230. There is The table format referred to here means that a plurality of local variables are stored in the variable table section 230 in the form of a single table (hereinafter also referred to as a variable table).

For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, each variable table (Table01 to Table03) included in the variable table section 230 of the parent program (first program) holds three local variables. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7B, the variable tables (Table01 to Table03) included in the variable table section 230 of the child program (second program) also hold three local variables. Note that the number of local variables held in each table is not particularly limited. However, it is preferable that the number of local variables be the same between tables to which data is to be transferred.

Also, in each table, serial numbers (hereinafter simply referred to as numbers) are assigned to local variables. It is preferable that the local variables assigned the same numbers among the plurality of programs 200 have the same types and the types and types of the local variables in common. By doing so, the values of a plurality of local variables can be collectively transferred between different programs 200 . Further explanation is given below.

When one program 200 is modified and newly saved, or when a plurality of different programs 200 are created based on one program 200, many local variables are often common. In addition to this, there are cases where it is desired to commonly use the values of a plurality of local variables among different programs 200 .

However, normally, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it is preferable that the values of local variables can be transferred between different programs 200 only when the types and types of the local variables, that is, the variable information match. . This is because the program 200 that receives local variables with different variable information does not operate correctly.

Therefore, when passing the values of a plurality of local variables, it is necessary to confirm the matching of variable information for each target local variable. As the number of local variables to be passed increases, this task can become cumbersome and time consuming.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of local variables are grouped into a variable table in a table format and stored in the variable table unit 230, so that the values of the plurality of local variables can be delivered collectively. Further description will be made with reference to FIG. Note that the flow shown in FIG. 8 relates to the transfer of the variable table from the parent program to the child program, more specifically, the value of the local variable. However, it goes without saying that the delivery of the variable table (values of local variables) from the child program to the parent program is also processed according to the same flow.

Steps S11 to S13 shown in FIG. 8 are the same as steps S1 to S3 shown in FIG. 5, so description thereof will be omitted.

In step S14, it is determined whether or not its own variable table, in this case, the variable table of the parent program is normal. The determination of step S<b>14 is executed by the CPU 21 of the controller 20 .

If the determination result in step S14 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S14 is negative, the controller 20 notifies an error and temporarily stops the robot control system 110 (step S15). The determination in step S14 is based on whether or not the target variable table contains a local variable, and whether or not the variable information of the local variable corresponds to the table number. It is judged to be negative when either is negative.

In step S16, it is determined whether or not the variable table of the other party, in this case, the variable table of the child program is normal. The determination of step S16 is also executed by the CPU 21 of the controller 20. FIG.

If the determination result in step S16 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S16 is negative, the controller 20 notifies an error and temporarily stops the robot control system 110 (step S17). The criteria for determination in step S16 are the same as the criteria for determination in step S14.

At step S18, the controller 20 directly substitutes the values of the table in the parent program into the table in the child program, completing a series of processes.

For example, when substituting the variable table (Table02) shown in FIG. 7A into the variable table (Table01) shown in FIG. 7B, the following processing is collectively performed. The value of the local variable LR:011 held in Table02 is assigned to the local variable LL:001 of Table01. At the same time, the value of the local variable LR:012 held in Table02 is assigned to the local variable LL:002 of Table01. Similarly, the value of the local variable LR:013 held in Table02 is assigned to the local variable LL:003 of Table01.

On the other hand, passing the value of a local variable from a child program to a parent program is performed as follows, for example. The variable table (Table02) shown in FIG. 7B is collectively directly substituted into the variable table (Table03) shown in FIG. 7A. The value of the local variable LL:004 held in Table02 is assigned to the local variable LL:021 of Table03. At the same time, the value of the local variable LL:005 held in Table02 is assigned to the local variable LL:022 of Table03. Similarly, the value of the local variable LL:006 held in Table02 is assigned to the local variable LL:023 of Table03.

After step S18 is completed, each value of the local variables assigned to the variable table is held as it is. Further, when a PC is connected as the external device 60, the PC may write the command shown in step S11 to the parent program and execute it. Input contents from the PC are executed via the CPU 21 of the controller 20 .

As described above, in this embodiment, the parent program (first program) and child program (second program) each have a variable table in which a plurality of local variables are held in a table format.

The controller 20 is configured to be able to directly substitute the values of multiple local variables contained in the variable table held in the parent program into multiple local variables contained in the variable table held in the child program. Also, the controller 20 is configured to be able to directly substitute values of multiple local variables included in the variable table held in the child program into multiple local variables included in the variable table held in the parent program.

By doing so, it is possible to reliably transfer the values of the local variables from the parent program to the child program or from the child program to the parent program for each predetermined variable table. As a result, the values of a plurality of types of local variables can be transferred collectively between different programs 200, so that the processing speed for transferring the values of the local variables and the editing management work of the programs 200 can be further accelerated. In addition, convenience for workers is improved.

When assigning the parent program's variable table (local variable values) to the child program's variable table (local variable values), the variable information of multiple local variables contained in each variable table must match each other. is preferred. In addition, in order to easily organize this, in each of the parent program and the child program, the variable table section 230 has at least one variable table in which a plurality of local variables are arranged in a predetermined order. is preferred.

By sharing the variable information of the local variables included in each of the variable tables to be transferred in advance, it becomes easy to transfer the values of the local variables for each variable table. Also, for example, the local variables to be passed can be freely selected regardless of the type of the local variables.

Also, the program 200 in which the values of the local variables have been rewritten will not malfunction, causing the robot control system 110 or the robot system 100 to generate an error or alarm. That is, even after rewriting the program 200, the robot system 100 and the robot control system 110 can be operated safely. Also, downtime of the robot control system 110 and the robot system 100 can be reduced.

Note that the file structure of the controller 20 and the program 200 of the present disclosure, and the method of transferring the values of local variables and the variable table are not particularly limited to application to the robot system 100 and the robot control system 110 . It may be applied in another control system in which a plurality of devices are connected to the controller 20 and used. In that case, it goes without saying that a plurality of programs 200 are used in the separate control system.

The controller of the present disclosure is useful because it allows convenient passing of values of local variables between different programs.

10 robot 11 robot arm 12 servo motor 13 torch 20 controller 21 CPU (information processing unit)
24 storage area 25 program storage area 30 teaching pendant 40 welding control unit 50 power supply 60 external device 70 server 80 external robot 90 external axis 100 robot system 110 robot control system

Claims (8)

A controller included in a control system,
The controller is connected to one or more devices and stores a plurality of programs for exchanging data or instructions with the one or more devices,
the plurality of programs include at least a first program and a second program that refer to local variables and execute a predetermined function;
The controller directly assigns the value of the local variable held in the first program to the local variable held in the second program, or assigns the value of the local variable held in the second program to the A controller characterized in that it is configured so that it can be directly assigned to a local variable held in one program. 2. The controller of claim 1, wherein
when the variable information of the local variables held in the first program matches the variable information of the local variables held in the second program,
The controller directly assigns the value of the local variable held in the first program to the local variable held in the second program, or the value of the local variable held in the second program. can be directly substituted into the local variable held in the first program. 2. The controller of claim 1, wherein
The first program and the second program each have a variable table in which a plurality of the local variables are held in a table format,
The controller can directly substitute the values of the plurality of local variables included in the variable table held in the first program into the plurality of local variables included in the variable table held in the second program. Alternatively, the values of the plurality of local variables contained in the variable table held in the second program can be directly substituted into the plurality of local variables contained in the variable table held in the first program. A controller characterized by comprising: 4. The controller of claim 3, wherein
The variable information of the plurality of local variables contained in the variable table held in the first program and the variable information of the plurality of local variables contained in the variable table held in the second program, respectively. if they match
The controller can directly substitute the values of the plurality of local variables included in the variable table held in the first program into the plurality of local variables included in the variable table held in the second program. Alternatively, the values of the plurality of local variables contained in the variable table held in the second program can be directly substituted into the plurality of local variables contained in the variable table held in the first program. A controller characterized by comprising: A file structure of a program executed in a control system in which one or more devices are connected to a controller,
The program includes a variable table section,
the variable table section includes at least one local variable defined inside a function described in the program;
the local variables are stored in the variable table section in a form in which variable names and variable information are associated with each other;
A file structure of a program, wherein the variable information includes at least type information of the local variables. The file structure of claim 5, wherein
A file structure, wherein the variable table section has at least one variable table in which the plurality of local variables are arranged in a predetermined order. The file structure of claim 6, wherein
When there are a plurality of the programs used in the control system, the variable information of the local variables arranged in the same order must match each other in the variable table included in each of the plurality of programs. Characterized file structure. In the file structure according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
The program further includes a header section and an instruction record section,
The header part describes declarations of data and instructions used in the program,
The file structure, wherein the execution contents of the program are described in the instruction record section.

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