JP4332879B2 - Visual program generator for controllers that control autonomous distributed servo equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for creating an autonomous distributed servo control device control program.

  In the past, a description type programming language such as a ladder language, an assembly language, a Fortran, a new language, or a C language has been generally used for creating servo control software. However, these languages require specialized skills that are familiar to the language in order to use them, and on top of that, only engineers with servo control technology can produce servo control software. It was an area that only special engineers could produce. Also, in order to complete the servo control software, the visibility of the entire program was poor because of the use of a descriptive language, and it took a lot of time to create the program and fix bugs in the created program. As a result, the price of the servo control software has to be expensive, and the overall price of the mechanical device using it is expensive. As a result, the production of mechanical devices using servo technology is also limited to applications where the production volume is relatively large and repeated production is normally performed (NC machine tools, robots, semiconductor-related assembly machines, etc.). As a result, in general industrial machinery field, from about 1970 to the present, the solenoid valve of pneumatic equipment is turned on and off using sequence control using ladder language. There was a major technical restriction that only those having a controllability as low as control could be used.

The problem to be solved is that when a general industrial machinery designer tries to operate a mechanical device that uses a servo device that he / she designed and manufactured, in many cases, he / she has a purpose control program for controlling the servo control device. There was no other means than to request production from specialists in other fields, programmers and control engineers. However, the purpose control program that controls the servo control equipment until now is only a collaborative work by a control engineer who is familiar with a programming language that can master a description language such as a ladder language or a new C language, or a programmer and a control engineer. Was a special specialty area that can handle. For this reason, the production cost of the objective control program for controlling the servo control device becomes expensive, and at the same time, the production takes a lot of time. Therefore, the servo equipment cannot be used for all mechanical devices, and is applicable only to relatively limited fields, that is, only to mass-produced models such as NC machine tools, robots, and semiconductor-related assembly machines. There was a tendency to In other words, since the production cost of the program is high, it can be said that the software production cost is divided by the total production quantity of the machine, and the program production cost is limited to that which can be reduced at a low burden cost per machine.
Here, when considering the production quantity of the same model in the general industrial machine field, most of them are dedicated machines for single production, and the production quantity of several units at most is common. It is clear that the cost division effect is not expected from the beginning because of such a quantity level. As a result, in the field of general industrial machinery, the state where the servo equipment is extremely rarely used continues from 30 years ago to the present.

  For this reason, device designers of general industrial machines have no choice but to give up from the beginning to construct a mechanical device with good controllability using servo equipment, and turn on / off solenoid valves with low controllability. It can be said that only pneumatic equipment using sequence control using ladder language, which is relatively inexpensive compared with servo equipment control, has a room for selection in terms of cost. General industrial machinery has the fate of technology and performance limitations due to this cost constraint, and has reached the present.

  A purpose control program that eliminates this inconvenience and allows the general industrial machinery designers to control the servo control equipment they need easily and inexpensively without the assistance of engineers in other specialized fields. By building a technical environment that makes it possible to complete the system, it is possible to remove barriers to the use of servo control equipment. It is possible to make a machine with high function, low price, energy saving performance, and energy consumption of 1/3 to 1/10 when the pneumatic pressure is electrified.

  The general industrial machinery designers themselves had two main points in creating a purpose control program for controlling the servo control device. The first bottleneck is the long development time required to complete the objective control program, including the acquisition of a descriptive programming language and bug fix time. The second bottleneck was to master the control technology of the servo motor used in the servo equipment used.

In order to solve the first bottleneck, the operation of general industrial machinery is defined as a combination of processes that are the minimum unit of operation, but always include a stop operation, and this process is defined as a matrix. We have invented a two-dimensional matrix space where one element is used and the other element is the number of operating axes of the servo device used in the process. By using the two-dimensional matrix space created in this way, it is possible to represent all operations of a general industrial machine in the matrix space. In addition, the present invention has invented a graphical process diagram in which this two-dimensional matrix space is constructed using a visual language, and functions necessary for control are displayed as macros around the matrix space and represented by icons. .
By avoiding the use of a descriptive programming language and adopting a graphical process diagram using a visual language according to the present invention, learning of a descriptive programming language is made unnecessary. In addition, the graphical process diagram using the visual language has the main screen as a two-dimensional matrix space with the number of servo axes used as the X-axis and the finite number of processes and steps required for control as the Y-axis. Various macro functions necessary for control, completion, timer, input conditions, output conditions, etc. are represented by icons and buttons, and are constructed on the CRT screen of the computer on which the software of the arranged visual method program generator is operating.

Next, detailed functions of the X axis and Y axis of the two-dimensional matrix space that is the center of the present invention will be described. The two-dimensional matrix space is composed of a matrix of n rows and m columns, where n rows represent each step of the objective control program and m columns represent the number of operating axes of the servo axes used in the objective control program. The number of rows of n lines is determined by the number of processes used in the objective control program, and the number of columns of m columns is the maximum number of servo axes that can be used simultaneously in one process of the objective control program, according to the specifications of the visual program generator. It is predetermined. Next, the relationship between the number of m columns, the maximum number of servo axes (Mmax) that can be handled by the visual method program generator of the present invention, and the number of servo axes (Muse) used in the objective control program will be described. The number of m columns and the maximum number of servo axes (Mmax) are determined in advance by the specifications of the visual method program generator body, and the following relational expression is established between them.
Mmax ≧ m ≧ Muse

By adopting the graphical process diagram as described above, based on the operation diagram of the device that is always created by the general industrial machine device designer himself when the device design is completed, the graphical process diagram on the CRT screen is used as a work area. Servo axes required in each process of the machine machine are moved to the two-dimensional matrix space (4) by dragging and dropping the mouse using the servo axis icons located on the operation axis toolbar (1). Specializing in descriptive languages by creating a sequence control program for the desired servo purpose control program by arranging and placing icons with various macro functions as needed by dragging and dropping the mouse within the same screen. It is possible to create a purpose control program for general industrial machinery without requiring special programming That.
Further, it is obvious that the above-mentioned effect can be obtained even in a graphical process diagram having a two-dimensional matrix space in which the X axis and the Y axis which are elements of the two-dimensional matrix space (4) are exchanged.

Regarding the acquisition of servo control technology, which is the second bottleneck, autonomous distributed servo equipment that can be pre-installed with servo control functions built into the servo itself and read servo data such as position and speed in advance. The point number label (3) according to the present invention is arranged in the servo data, and one point number label (3) corresponds to the Y axis of the graphical process diagram for each process. The point number has the meaning of labeling, and even if the point number label of each servo axis has the same number, the data can store different numerical values. Thus, by specifying the point number (3) representing the label in each step, the servo device can be moved to a desired point and stopped. Therefore, it is not necessary to learn the servo control technology, and the servo equipment can be easily used, and the bottleneck is eliminated.
As described above, a purpose control program for operating a general industrial machine device can be easily produced in a very short time by only dragging and dropping the mouse from the operation diagram of the device. In addition, because the visual control language is used, the produced objective control program has excellent visibility, and changes such as modification and addition of the program are also easy to copy, paste, and delete operations unique to the visual language. Can be used for These changes and modifications can be performed in an instant when compared to the time required to modify and modify a program using a descriptive language. That is, the generation time of the objective control program, bug correction, and program change can be performed in a very short time.

By using this device, many machine design engineers who are not computer program experts and not servo control technology experts can quickly and easily generate servo purpose control programs. Become. Up to now, the servo purpose control program is a technology that can only be requested by requesting an expert having the above-mentioned technology. Therefore, in the industry, a servo device purpose control program for operating a servo system used in a mechanical device. Since a high production cost and a great amount of time are required for the production of the servo system, the servo system has been used only for mass-produced products that are repeatedly produced, such as NC machine tools, robots, and semiconductor-related assembly machines.
As a result, in the general industrial machinery field where single-shot production accounts for the majority, the proportion of machinery using servo control is extremely small, and pneumatic equipment that has almost no controllability in controlling machinery must be used. As I said before, there was a big technical constraint that had to be done.

  By using the present invention, it is easy to handle all the servo equipment applied machinery by the mechanical design engineer himself, and the design and production of servo-controlled high-performance machines can be easily performed for single-generation products. Since it can be applied at low cost, it is possible to significantly change the ratio of air pressure to electric servo used as a power source in general industrial machines, and currently air pressure: electric servo = 100: 1. It has the potential to be a great weapon for the general industrial machinery industry in Japan, whose presence is inferior to low-priced and low-function machines.In other words, it will revolutionize technology in the general industrial machinery industry. It has the potential to happen and its effects in industry are immeasurable.

  In order to use the present invention, the visual type program generator of the present invention is operated using a Windows type computer, the control conditions are input interactively, and the visual screen which is the main screen of the present apparatus is displayed. An operation diagram of the machine is input on the graphical process diagram, and a desired servo purpose control program is created.

In an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a first screen of a graphical process diagram on a computer screen forming the core of the present invention.
Figure 2 is the second screen of the same graphical process diagram.
Figure 3 is the third screen of the graphical process diagram.
Fig. 4 is the fourth screen of the same graphical process diagram.
Figure 5 is the fifth screen of the same graphical process diagram.
Fig. 6 is the sixth screen of the graphical process diagram.
Fig. 7 is the seventh screen of the graphical process diagram.
Fig. 8 is the eighth screen of the same graphical process diagram.
FIG. 9 is the ninth screen of the same graphical process diagram.
FIG. 10 shows how the number of servo devices used is asked to the user of the present invention, that is, the operator of the visual program generator, and the result is reflected in the operation axis toolbar (1) of the graphical process diagram. What you see
FIG. 11 is a screen for changing the servo axis data set for the servo axis to be used in the objective control program generated on the graphical process diagram.
The operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a first screen of a graphical process diagram which is a basic screen of the present invention. Number servo axis in the working shaft toolbar (1) during interactive condition setting after starting the program software of the present invention, which displays only servo Jikua icon equal to the number of servo axes number designated by the operator. In the operation axis toolbar (1), four types of icons having various macro functions are arranged. The macro function icon respectively input condition setting icon (7), the timer setting icon (8), the output condition setting icon (9) is constituted by a sequence complete icon (10), contact its function following bets It is.
Input condition setting: A condition for advancing to the next process is set in the created objective control program.
Timer setting: In the created purpose control program, the waiting time for transition to the next process is set.
Output condition setting: In the created purpose control program, an output condition after completion of each process is set.
Sequence completion: In the created objective control program, the program is terminated and the objective control program is set to the initial state.

Next, functions of the two-dimensional matrix space (4) will be described. The vertical axis of the matrix represents a finite process number (2) with 1 to N rows, the horizontal axis represents the point number label (3) insertion column, the number of operating axes that can be driven simultaneously in each process, and this In this case, a column in which an input condition setting icon (7) is inserted, a column in which a timer setting icon (8) is inserted, and a column in which an output condition icon (9) is inserted are shown. And a column into which the sequence completion icon (10) is inserted. Each icon in the operation axis toolbar (1) is dragged and moved to each column of the lower two-dimensional matrix for each step number (2) based on the operation diagram conditions required by the target control program. By dropping and inserting, a desired purpose control program is created.

  Fig. 2 Graphical process diagram The second screen is a screen representing the initial production process when creating the objective control program, and operates as follows. The servo axis 1 in the operation axis toolbar (1) is selected and placed at a desired position in the two-dimensional matrix space (4) which is a programming work space by a drag and drop operation. When the placement is completed, how do you want to operate this servo axis in the placed process? The point number label setting dialog (14) for inquiring the operator is automatically displayed. Here, the operator selects a desired point label number in the dialog, clicks the OK button, and proceeds to the next operation.

  Fig. 3 Graphical process diagram The third screen is the process number 00, the simultaneous operation servo axes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are selected and the input condition (7) "IN" column is not selected. This indicates that the step to the next step is executed after the operation of the condition in which the axis is set to the point label number 0, the stop position, the maximum speed, the acceleration, and the like is completed. This represents an operation of specifying an input condition for proceeding to the 02 process after the operation of the device specified in the next process 01 row. When an input condition setting (7) icon is inserted in the IN column, an input condition setting dialog is displayed. (15) is automatically opened. In the dialog, select the desired terminal number from the input condition setting terminal number, which consists of 6 terminals of 0 to 5 in this example, and then select each terminal. Set the desired state and click the OK button. With this operation, the condition for stepping from the step 01 to the next step 02 is set.

  FIG. 4 Graphical process diagram The fourth screen shows a screen in which a timer for setting a waiting time is set after the process 02 is completed. Drag and drop the timer setting icon (8) in the operation axis toolbar (1) onto the intersection of the 02 process row and the timer column. When the drop is completed, a timer dialog (17) is automatically opened. A desired time is input in a delay time setting frame in the dialog and an “OK” button is clicked. The desired delay timer time was set at 02 steps.

  FIG. 5 Graphical process diagram The fifth screen shows the operation of setting the output condition after the process 04 is completed. Drag and drop the output condition setting icon (9) in the operation axis toolbar (1) to the intersection of the row of step 04 and the column of the output condition setting (9) “OUT”. When the drop is completed, an “output condition setting / dialog” (18) is automatically opened. Select a desired terminal from the output terminals OUT0 to OUT5 in the dialog, set the desired condition, and then click the “OK” button. Click to close the dialog, and the objective control program will send the signal set in advance to the output terminal when step 04 is completed.As a specific operation on the servo controller, it is connected to the output terminal. A certain signal is output to an external device such as turning on a signal lamp, sounding a buzzer, or starting operation of another mechanical device.

  FIG. 6 Graphical process diagram The sixth screen shows an operation for setting the sequence completion icon (10) for terminating the sequence program after the completion of the process 05. FIG. Drag and drop the STOP icon (10) in the operation axis setting tool bar (1) to the intersection of the row of the step 05 and the column of the sequence completion icon (10) “STOP”. When the drop is completed, the sequence ends on the target control program, the program returns to step 00, and the function in the standby state is programmed.

  Fig. 7 Graphical process diagram The seventh screen shows the work of assigning a file name to the created objective control program and registering / storing it in the memory of the computer. Click the "File" button in the standard toolbar (11) to open the "File" dialog, select the "Save As" function, and save the created program.

8 and 9 Graphical process diagrams The eighth and ninth screens represent the work of adding a new process in the created purpose control program. Click on step 03 in the eighth screen to select the line of step 03 and click on the process insertion icon (5) in the standard toolbar (11), the screen will change to the ninth screen, The line of the process 03 is moved down by one line as a whole, and becomes the process 04. The process 03 before the insertion became a blank new process 03, and the new process was easily inserted. Further, the process can be deleted by operating the process deletion icon (6) in the same manner as the insertion work.
As described above, the purpose control program for the special technical area can be easily realized by using the two-dimensional matrix space (4) of the graphical process diagram as the work area and only dragging and dropping the mouse.

FIG. 10 shows how the number of servo axes used in the objective control program is set.
Fig. 10-1 is an interactive dialog for setting the number of servo axes.
FIG. 10-2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 10-1. FIG. 10-3 is a graphical process diagram for explaining the situation.
In the initial stage of creating the objective control program, the program generator of the present invention asks the operator, that is, the operator, an interactive question in preparation for creating the objective control program. One of the questions is about the servo axis used. For that work, an interactive dialog for setting the number of servo axes (FIG. 10-1) opens, and it is required to select the number of servo axes to be used. In this embodiment, a maximum of eight axes are prepared, and one of these is selected. FIG. 10-2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 10-1, and shows that the “8” axis is selected and displayed. When selection of the number of axes is completed, a graphical process diagram (FIG. 1) of the main screen of the present invention is displayed on the computer screen. Servo axis icons representing the 8-axis servos selected up to the previous item appear in the operation axis toolbar of this graphical process diagram. Needless to say, the number of servo axis icons is controlled by the program generator software so as to match the number selected in the dialog for setting the number of servo axes in an interactive format.

FIG. 11 shows a screen on which servo data, stop position, speed, acceleration, and thrust set for each servo axis used in the target control program arranged in the two-dimensional matrix space are changed. It is necessary to change the servo data of each servo axis in accordance with the mechanical device at a considerable frequency during the joint adjustment test operation of the created objective control program and the mechanical device in which it is used. When the servo device icon in the two-dimensional matrix space (4) is clicked, the point data editing dialog (21) is opened. In FIG. 11, the seventh axis and the point number label 9 are selected. Necessary numerical changes are made in the point data editing dialog (21), and the editing operation is executed.
In such a case, the usability of the program generator varies greatly depending on whether or not the change operation is possible on the program generator. In other words, if it is not possible, launch another axis data setting software from the program generator software, change the servo axis data on the launched software, and after completing the change, exit the axis data change software and generate the program It is necessary to return to the software of the vessel. This requires a great amount of wasted time for the program creator, which greatly impairs efficiency. As a software function of this program generator, servo axis data is changed seamlessly without shifting to other software. That is, since the servo axis data changing function is incorporated in the software, the program generator of the present invention is easier to use.

In the field of general industrial machinery, pneumatic cylinders have been used throughout the past 20 to 30 years, so that the pneumatic cylinder can be said to be the only element as a basic functional element for operating the machine. On the other hand, the usage ratio of the servo system in this industry has a surprising statistic of less than 1% when the humanoid robot using the servo is taken up by the media. In other words, in the field of general industrial machinery, it can be said that machines with extremely low controllability using technology prior to servo technology dominate.
The biggest factor that created such a distorted composition was that software development costs for operating servo equipment accounted for a large percentage of the price of the entire machine, and the cost of industrial machinery with many single productions could not be borne. there were.

By utilizing the present invention, any general industrial machine device designer can use a servo device with excellent control performance for his designed machine. In other words, it can be said that the conditions under which high-functional general industrial machines can be easily produced without increasing the cost are in place.
Furthermore, since the production cost and development time of ladder sequence programs that have been mainly used in the general industrial machine field are not required, the cost increases even if servo equipment is used in the machine device of the general industrial machine field. On the contrary, a significant cost reduction is possible, and the results of two birds with one stone can be expected. Therefore, the present invention, which was made for the purpose of reducing the production cost of the software for operating the servo equipment to substantially zero, will greatly change the general industrial machine industry in Japan in the future, and its effect on the general industrial machine industry will be measured. It can be said that there is something unknown.

The first screen of the graphical process diagram that is the basis of the present invention represents an initial state in which preparations for creating a servo purpose control program are completed. On the second screen of the graphical process diagram, drag and drop the servo axis to be used from the operation axis toolbar (1) to the two-dimensional matrix space (4), which is the work area for creating the program of the present invention, and the point number The input dialog (14) is displayed. On the first screen of the graphical process diagram, drag the icon (14) having the input condition setting macro function from the operation axis toolbar (1) to the two-dimensional matrix space (4), which is the work area for creating the program of the present invention. This shows a state in which the input condition setting dialog (15) is displayed after being AND-dropped. On the fourth screen of the graphical process diagram, drag the timer icon () with the timer setting macro function from the operation axis toolbar (1) to the two-dimensional matrix space (4), which is the work area for creating the program of the present invention. This shows a state in which the timer setting dialog (15) is displayed after being AND-dropped. On the fifth screen of the graphical process diagram, drag the icon (9) with the output condition setting macro function from the operation axis toolbar (1) to the two-dimensional matrix space (4), which is the work area for creating the program of the present invention. This shows a state in which the output condition setting dialog (17) is displayed after being AND-dropped. On the fifth screen of the graphical process diagram, a macro that causes the operation axis toolbar (1) to execute the end processing of the target control program being created in the two-dimensional matrix space (4), which is the work area for creating the program of the present invention. A sequence completion / function (10) having a function is dragged and dropped. This shows the work of naming and saving the created purpose control program. This shows the work of adding a new process to the objective control program represented by the graphical process diagram. A state (19) in which a new process 03 is added on the graphical process diagram is shown. When the number of servo axes to be used in the objective control program is designated, the result is displayed as an operation axis icon on the graphical process diagram. Clicking the icon of the operation axis arranged in the two-dimensional matrix space of the graphical process diagram, the servo data editing dialog (20) where the servo data of the point represented by the point number label (3) of the operation axis can be edited Represents the state displayed on the screen.

Explanation of symbols

1 is an operation axis toolbar 2 is a process number 3 is a point number label 4 is a two-dimensional matrix space 5 is a process insertion icon 6 is a process deletion icon 7 is an input condition setting icon 8 is a timer setting icon 9 is an output condition setting icon 10 is a sequence The completion icon 11 is the standard toolbar 12 is the sequence download icon 13 is the sequence upload icon 14 is the point number input dialog 15 is the input condition setting dialog 16 is the timer time setting dialog 17 is the output condition setting dialog 18 is step 03
19 is a new process 20 is a point data editing dialog

Claims (3)

A visual program generator for creating purpose control programs for controllers that control autonomous decentralized servo equipment. The visual program generator consists of a Windows-based computer and visual program generator software for the visual program generator. When you start the software, first ask the operator of the visual system program generator for the number of servo axes of the servo device required by the objective control program of the controller in the wizard format, and respond to the specified number of servo axes. the number of servo axes icon placed on the horizontal axis of the main screen of the visual system program generator, the vertical axis is arranged step with finite number of programs, that is, the operation of the mechanical device at a minimum operating units A series of steps, however, Step always includes a stop operation servo device between the That Is as defined process combination as one element of the matrix, taking another element to actuation number of axes of the servo device to be used in the step 2 A visual program generator characterized by having a graphical process diagram having a dimensional matrix space. A two-dimensional outer matrix spatial arrangement on the screen of a graphical process diagram generated in visual mode program generator of claim 1, a sequence completion icon having a macro function to have a termination function of a program on the target control program placement and, if necessary the program on the target control program places the input condition setting icon having a macro function to set the conditions of step progression, at each completion of a step of a program on the target control program needs in response, the output condition setting icon having a macro function of outputting a signal to the control device externally disposed, that you place a timer setting icon to have a timer macro function as required by the program on the target control program Allows each macro function to be graphically processed as required. Visual system program generator which is characterized in that inside the can be incorporated in the drag-and-drop operation of the mouse. When the servo device icon corresponding to the autonomous decentralized servo device located by programming a two-dimensional matrix space in the graphical process of visual system program generator diagram of claims 2 is clicked on with a mouse, the autonomous distributed servo device itself Graphical process diagram with the function to open a separate window that can edit servo data, stop position, speed, acceleration, and generated torque. visual system program generator characterized in that it comprises a.