JP4240262B2 - Process control device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process control device such as a control station and a process I / O, and more particularly to a field bus compatible process control device that converts a conventional I / O device or control device to a field bus type.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 8 shows an internal configuration of a process control device (also referred to as an I / O device or a control device). In this figure, reference numeral 5 denotes a process control device, which includes a plurality of I / O modules 51, an I / O bus 52, and a controller 53.
[0003]
The I / O module 51 is connected to the I / O bus 52 and takes in a signal from a sensor or the like and processes it or outputs a control signal to a controlled device. The controller 53 accesses the data in the I / O module 51 via the I / O bus 52 and executes a control function. The controller 53 may be made redundant. Reference numeral 531 denotes a controller added for redundancy.
[0004]
The controller 53 is connected to the system bus 6, and communicates with a host device (not shown) such as a human machine interface or a process controller via the system bus 6. These host devices access the data of the I / O module 51 and the control data in the controller 53 via the system bus 6 to read / write.
[0005]
FIG. 9 is a table showing the relationship between I / O module addresses and process I / O data. The I / O bus interface of the I / O module 51 generally has a logical structure as shown in FIG. That is, there is an address space including module main data such as process I / O data and various setting / environment data, and data is read and written by designating an address for each data. The address structure, the data name and structure, and the access means of the I / O bus 52 differ depending on the device.
[0006]
At present, the communication protocol and data structure of the system bus 6 used for communication with the host device are different for each system, which is problematic in use. Therefore, recently, the Fieldbus Foundation is trying to unify the communication model when the process control device is viewed from the system bus using the function block model. The system bus is assumed to be high speed Ethernet, but the logical model of the device is defined in a manner that does not depend on the communication protocol of the system bus.
[0007]
FIG. 10 shows a logical model of the Fieldbus Association. An HSE field device 71, a foreign I / O gateway 72, and a linking device 73 are connected to a host application 9 via a high-speed Ethernet (HSE) 8. Has been. Devices connected to these high-speed Ethernet (HSE) are called HSE devices.
[0008]
Each of these HSE devices includes FDAs (Field Device Access Agents) 711, 721, and 731 and communicates with function blocks and system management functions via these FDAs. A device hardware 712 is connected to the lower side of the HSE field device 71, and an H1 field device 732 is connected to the lower side of the linking device 73.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the conventional process control apparatus has a completely different logical structure from that of the HSE device, it cannot be used as it is as an HSE device. When trying to develop a process control apparatus compatible with HSE equipment, there were the following problems.
[0010]
First, in order to make a process control device into a field bus, a device having a completely different logical structure has to be newly developed, and there is a problem that a development period becomes long.
[0011]
Secondly, the process control devices that have been widely used in the past, especially I / O modules, cannot be used as they are. When the I / O module is newly developed, more development investment is required than the control device itself, and there is a problem that a failure may be incorporated. Furthermore, when the external interface of the I / O module conforms to the field bus, there is a problem that a separate facility is required for manufacturing and adjustment.
[0012]
Third, although the function block VFD and the system management VFD are functions common to many fieldbus devices, there is a problem that they must be designed for each I / O module.
[0013]
Fourth, when the I / O device and the control device are collected as the HSE field device 71 of FIG. 10, a device including many I / O modules appears to be a different device for each configuration of the I / O module. There was a problem that the design was difficult.
[0014]
Fifth, when I / O devices and control devices are combined as the foreign I / O gateway 72 in FIG. 10, the I / O module settings are out of the range of the HSE device. A separate device was required, and there was a problem that system design could not be unified.
[0015]
Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a process controller for fieldbus that can easily convert a conventional I / O module into a process controller for fieldbus.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve such a problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention,
At least one I / O module that captures a signal from a sensor or the like or outputs a control signal to a controlled device;
An I / O bus to which the I / O module is connected;
Connected to the I / O bus and a system bus to which a host device is connected;
An FDA connected to the system bus and communicating with a host device;
A function block that communicates with the FDA;
When communicating with the function block and accessing the I / O module, and when there is an access request for data in the I / O module via the system bus, the access request is handled by the I / O module. A transducer block for accessing the I / O module by converting it into an access request for data to be transmitted;
An FDA adapter that reads the type of the connected I / O module and generates the information required by the I / O module from the design information of the held I / O module;
Is provided. A conventional I / O module can be used as it is, and a process control device compatible with a fieldbus can be configured using an arbitrary I / O module.
[0020]
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1 , wherein the conventional I / O module and the transducer block constitute a first function block VFD and a second function block VFD including a function block separately from the first function block VFD. The function block in the second function block VFD accesses the conventional I / O module via the transducer block in the first function block VFD. The scale of the function block can be reduced.
[0021]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the FDA adapter includes a function block VFD having a control function. An I / O device can be used as a controller.
[0022]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the communication module according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the communication module is connected to the I / O bus and a field bus to which a segment number is assigned and includes a field bus interface And at least one fieldbus device that is connected to the fieldbus and assigned an address, and the field device is accessed using the segment number and the address. Expansion is easy and all field devices can be accessed from the host device.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a process control device compatible with HSE (High-Speed Ethernet), which comprises a plurality of I / O module blocks 11, an I / O bus 12, and FDA adapters 131 and 132. The I / O module block 11 and the FDA adapters 131 and 132 are connected by the I / O bus 12, and the FDA adapters 131 and 132 are connected to the high-speed Ethernet system bus 2. Note that the FDA adapter 132 is for duplication and may be omitted.
[0024]
In such a configuration, the FDA adapter 131 (132) is configured so that it looks like a virtual field bus when the I / O bus 12 is viewed from the system bus 2. Further, the I / O module block 11 connected to the I / O bus 12 is configured so that it can be seen from the system bus 2 as a virtual fieldbus device.
[0025]
The address of this virtual field bus is calculated from the address of the I / O bus 12. The table in FIG. 2 shows an example of the relationship between the I / O bus address and the virtual field bus address. For example, if the I / O module 11 has an address every 0x0000 to 0x100 bytes, the virtual fieldbus address is converted as shown in the table of FIG.
[0026]
FIG. 3 shows a logical structure of the process control apparatus of FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element as FIG. 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted. In this figure, 111 and 112 are a function block VFD and a system management VFD included in the I / O module block 11, respectively. The function block VFD 111 includes a resource block RB, a transducer block TB, a function block FB, and an I / O unit 113. The I / O unit 113 functions in the same manner as the conventional I / O module 51 described with reference to FIG. 7, and exchanges information via the transducer block TB. The FDA adapter 131 (132) operates as the linking device 73 in FIG.
[0027]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the configuration of FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, since the function block VFD 111 and the system management VFD 112 must be configured inside the I / O module block 11, the conventional I / O module cannot be used as it is and needs to be modified. Become. A configuration for eliminating this drawback is shown in FIG. In this figure, the redundant FDA adapter 132 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is omitted in order to avoid complexity. The same elements as those in FIGS. 3 and 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0028]
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 3 denotes a process control device compatible with HSE, which includes an FDA adapter 31 and an I / O module 51. The FDA adapter 31 includes an FDA 311, a system management VFD 312, a transducer block TB, a resource block RB, and a function block FB.
[0029]
The transducer block TB exchanges information with the I / O portion 511 of the I / O module 51, and the FDA 311 exchanges information with the resource block RB, the function block FB, and the system management VFD 312. The FDA 311 communicates with the transducer block TB via the function block FB, and communicates with the host device via the system bus 2. The I / O module 51 is the same as the conventional I / O module described with reference to FIG. 8, and the FDA 311 has substantially the same function as the FDA adapter 131. The system management VFD 312 has the same function as the system management VFD 112 of FIG.
[0030]
In such a configuration, the I / O module 51, the resource block RB, the transducer block TB, and the function block FB constitute the function block VFD321, and the function block VFD321 and the system management VFD312 constitute the I / O module block 32. Can be considered.
[0031]
This I / O module block 32 corresponds to the I / O module block 11 of FIG. That is, in this embodiment, a system management VFD, a resource block RB, a transducer block TB, and a function block FB are configured in the FDA adapter 4 for each I / O module, and the I / O bus (not shown) is used for the I / O bus. The O module 51 is accessed. The two VFDs perform data conversion or equalization between the I / O data in the I / O module 51 and the transducer block TB. Therefore, the conventional IO module can be used as it is.
[0032]
FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the I / O module 51 and the transducer block TB and FDA 311. In the transducer block TB, there are a block tag TB1, a mode TB2, a primary parameter TB3, a secondary parameter TB4, a primary scale TB5, and a calibration. Various information of TB6 is included.
[0033]
Among these pieces of information, the block tag TB1 and the mode TB2 are built in the FDA adapter 31 including the transducer block TB, but the other information exists in the I / O module 51. In the I / O module 51, there are input data IN, input range RANGE, configuration data CALIB, and ambient temperature TEMP setting data described in Table 1 above. The input data IN is the primary parameter TB3, and the input range RANGE is In the primary scale TB5, the configuration data CALIB corresponds to the calibration TB6, and the ambient temperature TEMP corresponds to the secondary parameter TB4. When the transducer block TB reads / writes these values, the corresponding data of the I / O module 51 is referred to.
[0034]
That is, when there is a request from the system bus 2, the setting data of the I / O module 51 is also accessed. When there is an access request to the setting information of the transducer block TB from the system bus 2, the transducer block TB converts it into an access request to the corresponding data in the I / O module 51, and the I / O module 51 To communicate. Conversely, when the access request is read, the transducer block TB reads the corresponding data from the I / O module 51, converts it, and transmits it to the system bus 2. When there is a request for access to data in the FDA adapter 31, the processing is completed within the FDA adapter 31.
[0035]
The embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 is based on the premise that the FDA adapter has the type of installed I / O module and the information required by the I / O module. However, the FDA adapter has only design information of each I / O module (information for generating information required by the I / O module), and reads the type of the connected I / O module. Further, information required by the I / O module may be generated from the stored design information. In this way, an arbitrary I / O module can be connected.
[0036]
Usually, a procedure for knowing the type of I / O module connected to the FDA adapter is established. For example, when data at a specific address is read via the I / O bus, the ID of the I / O module can be known. By using this function, it is possible to know the type of connected I / O module. In this way, there is an effect that an I / O module to be connected to the FDA adapter 31 can be arbitrarily selected.
[0037]
FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 32 denotes an FDA adapter, which includes a part of a function block VFD 322, a function block VFD 323, a system management VFD 312, and an FDA 311.
[0038]
The function block VFD 322 has the same configuration as the function block VFD 321 of FIG. That is, it is composed of a conventional I / O module 51, a resource block RB, and a transducer block TB. However, the function block FB is not included. The function block VFD 323 includes a resource block RB1 and a function block FB1. The function block FB1 accesses the I / O module 51 via the transducer block TB. The operation is almost the same as that in the embodiment of FIG.
[0039]
With such a configuration, the scale of the function block can be reduced. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, since there are the I / O module 51 and the function block FB in one function block VFD, for example, if the number of analog input points of the I / O module 51 is 16, regardless of whether it is used or not. Sixteen analog input function blocks are required. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the function block FB does not exist in the function block VFD 322 in which the I / O module 51 is located. Therefore, the function block VFD 323 that uses the I / O module 51 via the transducer block TB suffices to create analog input function blocks for the number of points that are actually used. Therefore, the size of the function block FB1 can be reduced.
[0040]
In addition, since a plurality of function blocks VFD can be created in the FDA adapter, for example, by creating a PID block in the function block VFD, it can also be used as a control device. That is, the I / O device can be used as a controller.
[0041]
If the I / O module is a fieldbus interface, the module is represented as a bridge to the fieldbus. The configuration of such a system is shown in FIG. The same elements as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 41 denotes an I / O bus, to which an FDA adapter 31, communication modules 421 and 422, and a plurality of I / O modules 51 are connected. The communication modules 421 and 422 are I / O modules having a fieldbus interface. A fieldbus 431 is connected to the communication module 421, and a plurality of fieldbus devices 44 are connected to the communication module 421. In addition, a field bus 432 is connected to the communication module 422, and a plurality of field bus devices 44 are connected to the communication module 422.
[0042]
In such a configuration, a segment number is assigned to each bus, and an address is assigned to a device (module) connected to the bus. For example, segment number 100 is assigned to I / O bus 41, and segment numbers 101 and 104 are assigned to field buses 431 and 432, respectively. An address 14 is assigned to the FDA adapter 31 connected to the I / O module 41, and addresses 20 to 24 are assigned to the other modules. Similarly, devices shown in FIG. 7 are assigned to devices connected to the field buses 431 and 432. In this way, by designating the segment and the address, all I / O modules and field devices can be recognized from the host device connected via the system bus 2.
[0043]
In the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, since the FDA adapter satisfies the HSE specification, the process control device can be set in the same manner as other HSE devices and fieldbus devices using commercially available setting software. It has a feature that no special setting software is required. In addition, the system design can be performed with a commercially available fieldbus engineering tool.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, the following effects can be expected according to the present invention. According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one I / O module that takes in a signal from a sensor or the like or outputs a control signal to a controlled device, and an I / O bus to which the I / O module is connected The FDA is connected to the I / O bus and the system bus to which the host device is connected, and is connected to the system bus and communicates with the host device, the function block that communicates with the FDA, and the function block. When the I / O module is accessed and there is an access request for data in the I / O module via the system bus, the access request is converted into an access request to the corresponding data of the I / O module. A transducer block that converts and accesses the I / O module and is connected Reads the type of I / O modules, their I / O module from the design information of the I / O module that holds has and a FDA adapter to generate the information needed. Since it can be realized by attaching an FDA adapter to a conventional I / O module, there is an effect that the conventional I / O module can be easily converted into a fieldbus device. Furthermore, there is an effect that a process control device compatible with a fieldbus can be configured using an arbitrary I / O module.
[0047]
In addition, since only the FDA adapter is attached, the development period is shortened and the development cost can be kept low. Moreover, there is little possibility of incorporating a failure. Furthermore, there is no need to change existing manufacturing equipment, and there is an effect that it is possible to cope with HSE equipment by adding an FDA adapter to an operating process control apparatus.
[0049]
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1 , wherein the conventional I / O module and the transducer block constitute a first function block VFD and a second function block VFD including a function block separately from the first function block VFD. The function block in the second function block VFD accesses the conventional I / O module via the transducer block in the first function block VFD. There is an effect that the scale of the function block can be reduced.
[0050]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a function block VFD having a control function is provided in the FDA adapter. There is an effect that a control function can be added to the conventional I / O device.
[0051]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or third aspect of the present invention, the I / O bus and a field bus assigned with a segment number are connected, and a field bus interface is provided. The communication module includes at least one fieldbus device connected to the fieldbus and assigned an address, and the field device is accessed using the segment number and the address. The fieldbus communication module can be connected in a natural manner, and all the field devices can be accessed from the host device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a table showing an example of correspondence between I / O bus addresses and virtual fieldbus addresses.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing details of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the correspondence between an I / O module and a transducer block;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a conventional process control device.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a logical structure of an I / O module.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a logical model of the fieldbus association.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 3 HES compatible process control device 11, 32 I / O module block 111 Function block VFD
112 System Management VFD
113 I / O section 12 I / O bus 131 FDA adapter 2 System bus 322, 323 Function block VFD
431, 432 Fieldbus 51 I / O module TB Transducer block FB, FB1 Function block

Claims (4)

At least one I / O module that captures a signal from a sensor or the like or outputs a control signal to a controlled device;
An I / O bus to which the I / O module is connected;
Connected to the I / O bus and a system bus to which a host device is connected;
An FDA connected to the system bus and communicating with a host device;
A function block that communicates with the FDA;
When communicating with the function block and accessing the I / O module, and when there is an access request for data in the I / O module via the system bus, the access request is handled by the I / O module. A transducer block for accessing the I / O module by converting it into an access request for data to be transmitted;
An FDA adapter that reads the type of the connected I / O module and generates the information required by the I / O module from the design information of the held I / O module;
A process control apparatus comprising: The transducer block in the FDA adapter and the I / O module outside the FDA adapter constitute a first function block VFD, and a block including at least the function block is defined as a second function block VFD. 2. The process control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a function block in the second function block VFD accesses the I / O module via a transducer block in the first function block VFD . 3. The process control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a function block VFD having a control function is provided in the FDA adapter. A communication module connected to the I / O bus and a field bus to which a segment number is assigned and having a field bus interface;
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one fieldbus device connected to the fieldbus and assigned an address, wherein the field device is accessed using the segment number and the address. The process control apparatus according to claim 3.

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