JP4390079B2 - Control system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control system in which a control device and a control program creation support device that creates a control program executed by the control device are connected via communication.

  In order to perform desired control using a control device (typically a programmable controller, hereinafter referred to as PLC), a user uses a control language (for example, a ladder language) suitable for the control device using a programming device. It is necessary to create a control program (called a user program in the sense of a program created by a user).

  When creating a user program, a user can add a comment to an instruction in the program or a group of programs so that the contents of the user program can be easily understood. Various techniques for storing a user program in a PLC together with a comment when the user program is stored in the PLC have been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The comment is displayed together with the user program when the user program is displayed on the programming device, but is not necessary when the user program is executed on the PLC. Therefore, whether the user program is stored in the PLC together with the comment depends on whether a comment storage memory is provided on the PLC.

  As described above, the comment is information that is not necessary for executing the user program on the PLC. However, in order to maintain consistency with the user program on the PLC, it is desirable that the comment is also stored on the PLC.

  There are various types of additional information that are not necessary for executing the user program on the PLC, such as comments, but are preferably stored on the PLC depending on the language in which the user program is written.

For example, in a language suitable for process control description, a plurality of blocks, which are specific functions, are created, and the flow of control may be expressed by connecting the blocks. The connection information on how to connect the blocks with lines is not necessary for the execution of the user program on the PLC. This connection information is also desirable additional information that is preferably stored on the PLC.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-110651

  However, since it is difficult to secure a sufficient memory on the PLC, it is possible that a situation may occur in which these additional information that can be stored on the PLC cannot be stored on the PLC when the user program is changed. is there.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a conventional problem, and the object of the present invention is to read out a control program including additional information from the memory of the control device, and use this as a master for the control program. In the control program modification work such as modifying the version, etc., and then storing the modified new control program in the memory of the control device, additional information is stored according to the size of the memory capacity on the control device side. It is to provide a control system that can be handled as effectively as possible.

  Still other objects and operational effects of the present invention should be easily understood by those skilled in the art by referring to the following description of the specification.

  In order to achieve the above object, the control system of the present invention employs the following configuration.

  That is, the control system of the present invention is premised on a control system in which a control device and a program creation support device that creates a control program to be executed by the control device are connected via communication.

  The program creation support device includes a means for creating a control program for performing control by being executed by the control device, a means for creating additional information attached to the control program, and a storage of the created control program in the control device. Means for determining whether additional information of the created control program can be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity. In addition, when it is determined that the additional information cannot be stored in the control device in terms of the memory capacity, the additional information is processed so as to fit in the memory capacity and then stored in the control device.

  According to such a configuration, when it is determined that the additional information cannot be stored in the control device in terms of the memory capacity, the additional information is processed so as to be stored in the memory capacity and then stored in the control device. The user can concentrate on the modification of the control program and the arbitrary creation of additional information without worrying about whether it fits.

  In other words, when the created additional information can be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, the additional information is stored in the control device together with the control program. In the program development support apparatus, the additional information can be read from the control apparatus together with the control program, and used effectively.

  On the other hand, when the created additional information cannot be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, the additional information is automatically processed so as to fit in the memory capacity and then stored in the control device. Therefore, it is possible to concentrate on the creation of the control program and the additional information without being conscious of whether or not it falls within the range.

In the system of the present invention, the means for creating a control program has a function of arranging a plurality of functional blocks that perform a predetermined function and generating a control program and display connection information through an operation of connecting the functional blocks. However, if it is determined that the additional information includes display connection information and the additional information cannot be stored in the control device, the display connection information is deleted from the additional information and stored in the control device. Features.

  According to such a configuration, when it is determined that the additional information cannot be stored in the control device, the display connection information is deleted from the additional information and stored in the control device. The data amount of the additional information is reduced, and the other additional information can be stored in the control device while remaining alive.

  At this time, if there is no display connection information in the additional information read from the control device, the connection display is made according to certain rules based on the control program and other additional information (coordinates of the instrument block, specifications of the instrument block, etc.) By doing so, the control program can be displayed to some extent even if the display connection information is still missing.

The system of the present invention includes means for designating a range on the screen, and stores connection information in which a connection other than those included in the range designated is deleted is stored in the control device.

  According to such a configuration, especially for a connection part that has been devised in the wiring layout, by specifying the range in advance, even when all the connection information according to the user-created wiring cannot be stored in the control device, Since the connection information of the connection portion designated in the range can be stored, the wiring system diagram desired by the user can be reproduced even in the subsequent automatic wiring restoration work, and the user's efforts are not wasted.

  The present invention viewed from another aspect can also be grasped as a control method of the program creation support apparatus in the control system.

That is, in this method, in a control system in which a control device and a control program creation support device that creates a control program to be executed by the control device are connected via communication, the program creation support device creates the control program When storing additional information in the control device, if it is determined that the additional information of the created control program cannot be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, a part of the additional information is deleted so as to fit in the memory capacity. stored in the control device from that it is an one of it said.

Further, the Oite the present invention how the functional blocks that perform a predetermined function by arranging a plurality through the operation for connecting between these functional blocks has a function of generating a display connection information and control program, The additional information includes display connection information, and when it is determined that the additional information cannot be stored in the control device, the display connection information is deleted from the additional information and stored in the control device. Is.

Further, Oite the present invention how, when the display connection information in the additional information read out from the control unit does not exist, performs connection display based on the control program, it is characterized in.

Furthermore, Oite the present invention how stores connection information deleted except connection included in a range that is a range specified in the control device, it is characterized in.

According to the present invention, when it is determined that the additional information cannot be stored in the control device in terms of the memory capacity, the additional information is partially deleted so as to be stored in the memory capacity and then stored in the control device. The user can concentrate on modifying the control program and arbitrarily creating additional information without worrying about whether it fits.

  In other words, when the created additional information can be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, the additional information is stored in the control device together with the control program. In the program development support apparatus, the additional information can be read from the control apparatus together with the control program, and used effectively.

  On the other hand, when the created additional information cannot be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, the additional information is automatically processed to fit in the memory capacity and then stored in the control device. Therefore, it is possible to concentrate on the creation of the control program and the additional information without being conscious of whether or not it falls within the range.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a control system and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As described above, in the control system of the present invention, a control device and a program creation support device that creates a control program to be executed by the control device are connected via communication. Then, the program creation support device stores means for creating a control program that performs control by being executed by the control device, means for creating additional information attached to the control program, and stores the created control program in the control device. In this case, there is provided means for determining whether or not the additional information of the created control program can be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity. When it is determined that the additional information cannot be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, the additional information is partially deleted so as to fit in the memory capacity and then stored in the control device. .

  In the illustrated embodiment, a process controller is shown as an example of the control device, and a development support device is shown as an example of the program creation support device.

  As is well known to those skilled in the art, the process controller controls a process quantity such as temperature, pressure, and speed to be controlled to a target value through, for example, PID control calculation. Is a device that controls creation and modification of control programs for the process controller, various setting processes, monitor processing during operation, and the like, and is generally configured mainly by a personal computer.

  An explanatory diagram of the system and elements to which the present invention is applied is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1A, the control system according to the present invention includes a development support apparatus 1, a process controller 2, an input unit 3, and an output unit 4. As is apparent from the figure, the development support apparatus 1 and the process controller 2 are connected via communication, and the process controller 2, the input unit 3 and the output unit 4 are connected via an internal bus line. The input unit 3 is for capturing various input signals necessary for process control from the outside, and the output unit 4 is for transmitting various output signals necessary for process control to the outside.

  The development support apparatus 1 has a function for creating a control program, a function for storing the created control program in a memory in the process controller 2, a function for reading out a control program stored in the memory in the process controller 2, and a function in the process controller 2 A function for setting various parameters for the control program stored in the memory of the process controller, a function for online monitoring of input / output states related to the operation of the control program stored in the memory in the process controller 2, and the like. Yes. Note that details of this type of development support apparatus 1 are well known to those skilled in the art, and a detailed description of these operations will be omitted.

  Next, a detailed block diagram inside the process controller is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the process controller 2 includes a CPU unit 21 and a process control unit 22. The CPU unit 21 mainly controls sequence control and input / output update control of the process controller 2, and includes a communication interface 21a, MPU 21b, system memory 21c, data memory 21d, user program memory 21e, I / O. A memory 21f and an auxiliary storage device (A) 21g are included.

  The communication interface 21 a is responsible for control for communication between the development support apparatus (such as a personal computer) 1 and the CPU unit 21. The MPU 21b performs overall control of the entire CPU unit 21. The system memory 21 c is a memory that stores various system programs for realizing the function as the CPU unit 21. The data memory 21d is a memory for storing various data necessary for control on the CPU unit 21 side. The user program memory 21e is a memory for storing a user program (for example, a ladder diagram program for sequence control) arbitrarily created by the user. The I / O memory 21f is a memory for storing input data and output data necessary for executing the user program. The auxiliary storage device (A) 21g is a storage device that is configured by a FROM or the like and stores information (for example, data corresponding to a comment) that is not directly related to the execution of the user program. The MPU 21b implements sequence control by executing a user program stored in the user program memory 21e.

  On the other hand, the process control unit 22 is a part for realizing process control, and includes an MPU 22a, a system memory 22b, an auxiliary storage device (B) 22c, and the like. The MPU 22a performs overall control of the entire process control unit 22. The system memory 22b is a memory for storing various system programs for realizing a PID calculation function that is a function necessary for the process control unit. The auxiliary storage device (B) 22c is a memory for storing a process control program arbitrarily created by the user. Further, as will be described later in detail, the auxiliary storage device (B) 22c displays the display blocks (not shown) of the instrument blocks constituting the process control program and the connections indicating the input / output relationship between the instrument blocks. This is a memory for storing various kinds of additional information necessary for display on the screen. This additional information includes at least “tag” and “connection information for display”. The MPU 22a implements process control by executing a process control program stored in the auxiliary storage device (B) 22c.

  Next, a block connection diagram used for programming a process control program will be described with reference to the screen explanatory diagrams of FIGS.

  FIG. 5 shows a screen explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the workspace tree and the connection diagram. The block connection diagram illustrates connection information between instrument blocks. For the block diagram, paste the instrument block registered in the workspace tree (existing in the left window of the screen) to the desired position in the right window (connection diagram display area), and part of the figure of the instrument block. Can be created by connecting the lines with lines. In this example, two instrument blocks named Tag001 and Tag002 registered in the “medium item” on the workspace tree are pasted in the connection diagram display area.

  Next, details of the configuration information of the block connection diagram will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 show the same block connection diagram with different display modes. The block diagram is composed of the following elements.

(1) Block address of an instrument block Block address information (see (1) of FIG. 6) of an instrument block registered in the process control program. The block address is a storage address of the instrument block and is uniquely determined in the process controller.

(2) Block format of the instrument block The block format of the instrument block to be pasted on the block connection diagram (see (2) in FIG. 6). The block format is defined in the process controller.

(3) Representative tag of an instrument block Tag information added to a registered instrument block (see (3) in FIG. 3). The tag name is set by the user on the development support apparatus.

(4) Line information of connection between instrument blocks It is drawing information of connection between blocks, and corresponds to display connection information. The coordinates of the corner (see (4) in FIG. 7, [x1, y1] to [xn, yn]) are recorded. The line is set by the user on the development support apparatus.

(5) Position information of the instrument block Position information of the instrument block to be pasted on the block connection diagram (see (5), [x001, y001], [x002, y002] in FIG. 7).

(6) Source block specified address of the instrument block This is the source specified address information of the connection (see (6) in FIG. 7). It is information storing which item (ITEM) of which instrument block is connected. In the example of FIG. 7, the source designation address of ITEM “PV” of Tag002 is “SP” of Tag001. .

  Each information (1) to (6) described above is compressed into one file and then transferred to the process controller. The above is the details of the configuration information of the block connection diagram.

  A user data table showing an example of user data as additional information constituting the process control program is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, there are various data attributes such as “tag”, “comment”, “apparatus information”, “connection information for display”, etc., and indexes “1” to “5” respectively. "Is attached. Also, priorities “1” to “5” are set in correspondence with the respective indexes. Further, each of the data attributes includes information “0” or “1” indicating whether the data can be restored from the program data. When the program data cannot be restored, “0” is stored, and when the program data can be restored, “1” is stored.

  “Restorable from program data” means that user data as additional information can be restored from program data. Here, the program data is one of data constituting the process control program, and is one of the data essential for executing the process control program on the process controller.

  In the processing of the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 3 to be described later, each piece of information in FIG. 4 is referred to as appropriate.

  Next, user data transfer processing from the development support apparatus to the process controller will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the case of newly developing a control program in this type of process controller system, a desired process control program is created by creating the block connection diagram described above in the development support apparatus 1, and tag information And additional information including display connection information. Thereafter, the newly created control program and additional information are stored in a memory (for example, the auxiliary storage device (A) 21g and the auxiliary storage device (B) 22c) in the process controller 2.

  On the other hand, if the control target line is changed or added, the process control program must be modified. In this case, the development support apparatus 1 reads the control program and additional information from the memory in the process controller 2. After that, by operating the program creation function for the read old program and additional information, by adding a new instrument block and connection, modification work accompanying version upgrade or expansion, etc., As a result, a new modified process control program is completed.

  A problem arises when the process control program newly created in this way is stored in the memory of the process controller 2. That is, the memory (such as the auxiliary storage device (A) 21g and the auxiliary storage device (B) 22c) existing in the process controller 2 does not have a large memory capacity in the first place. For this reason, when the amount of data increase associated with the program modification work exceeds a specified value, the memory capacity for storing additional information associated with the newly created process control program will no longer be exceeded. However, according to the present invention, even in such a case, additional information including newly added connection information is appropriately processed without causing the user to be particularly conscious.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2, in the development support device, when download processing (processing for transferring user data from the development support device to the process controller) is started, first the status check of the auxiliary storage device on the process controller side is performed. The auxiliary storage device capacity on the process controller side is stored in a predetermined register i (step 201).

  Subsequently, the number of pieces of user data shown in FIG. 4 is obtained, and the number of pieces of data thus obtained is stored in a predetermined register m (step 202). The number of user data may be a predetermined value.

  Subsequently, after all user data has been copied to the transfer entry (user data transfer memory) (step 203), the size of the data to be transferred is obtained by obtaining the total size of the user data in the transfer entry, The size of the data thus obtained is stored in a predetermined register j (step 204).

  Subsequently, the size comparison between the auxiliary storage device capacity i and the data size j to be transferred is performed (step 205). Here, if it is determined that the data size j to be transferred is smaller than the auxiliary storage device capacity i (step 205 NO), the data transfer process is executed, and the transfer entry data is stored in the auxiliary storage in the process controller 2. Transferred to the device (step 210).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the data size j to be transferred is larger than the auxiliary storage device capacity i (step 205 YES), the attributes that can be restored from the program data from the user data table are set to those having the lowest priority. If one is detected (step 206), the process of deleting the data corresponding to the attribute detected from the transfer entry (step 207) is repeated by subtracting one register m (step 208). Thus, when the value of the register m becomes 0 (step 209 YES), the download process is terminated.

  Thus, in the download process described above, when the data size j to be transferred is smaller than the auxiliary storage device capacity i, the data transfer process is performed as usual (step 210), whereas the data to be transferred is If the size j is larger than the auxiliary storage capacity i (YES in step 205), one of the user data (additional information) that can be restored from the program data is detected from the lower priority (step 206) and transferred. Data processing such as deleting data corresponding to the detected attribute from the entry (step 207) is performed.

  Therefore, as a result of this processing, the data size to be transferred is smaller than the auxiliary storage device capacity i on the process controller 2 side. Therefore, the data capacity is reduced by itself without making the user aware of it, and the process is performed from the development support device. Data transfer to the controller is performed.

  Next, a flowchart showing user data transfer processing (upload processing) from the process controller to the development support apparatus is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, when the upload process is started, the number of data to be uploaded is obtained, and the obtained data number is stored in a predetermined register m (step 301).

  Thereafter, after setting the number of data in the register m to the number of loops, a predetermined loop process (steps 302 to 306) is repeatedly executed.

  In this loop processing (steps 302 to 306), first, whether or not the data of index m exists is executed with reference to the user data table shown in FIG. 4 (step 303).

  As described above with reference to FIG. 4, each data attribute “tag”, “comment”, “device information”, “connection information for display”,. , “3”, “4”, “5”. Therefore, only when an index is specified one by one based on the contents of the register m and such an index does not exist (NO in step 303), the restoration process of the user data of the index m is performed from the associated program data ( Step 304), a process of storing the user data of the index m thus obtained in the development support apparatus is executed (step 305).

  More specifically, for example, if the index m is “4”, there is no display connection information, and at this time, the display connection information is restored from the program data associated therewith (step 304). The restoration of the “display connection information” can be performed using a known block automatic connection algorithm.

Next, an automatic block connection algorithm will be described with reference to FIGS. The connection between blocks is classified into the following four patterns. Here, the ITEM coordinates of the connection source instrument block A are I ₁ (X ₁ , Y ₁ ), and the ITEM coordinates of the connection destination instrument block B are I ₂ (X ₂ , Y ₂ ).

The connection pattern 1 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in the connection pattern 1, when X ₁ <X ₂ and Y ₁ = Y ₂ , a straight line is drawn from the coordinate I _{1 to the} coordinate I ₂ .

The connection pattern 2 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in the connection pattern 2 _is X 1 _{<X 2,} and the case of _{Y 1} ≠ _{Y 2,} coordinates _{I 1} → route to _{I 2} is the point _{L 1} and the point L ₂ through. Here, the X coordinates of L ₁ and L ₂ are arbitrary values such that the connection is a straight line.

The connection pattern 3 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), In the wiring pattern 3-1, the case of X _1> X _2, paths to coordinate I ₁ → I ₂ becomes connection that bypasses the upper part of the function block. However, as shown in FIG. 5B, when there is a certain interval between the Y coordinates of the instrument block A and the instrument block B, the upper part of the instrument block is not bypassed, but the instrument block A and the instrument block B Connect through the gap.

The connection pattern 4 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, when an instrument block that becomes an obstacle exists in the middle of the connection, the path from the coordinates I _{1 to} I ₂ is a connection that bypasses the instrument block that becomes an obstacle.

  As described above, by using the rules composed of the connection patterns 1 to 4 described above, even if there is no connection information in the downloaded process control program, the connection information can be restored from the program data associated therewith. It can be done.

  Therefore, according to the development support apparatus incorporating the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the connection information is allowed to be downloaded only when there is a margin in the memory of the process controller 2, while when there is no margin. While deleting the connection information and reducing the data capacity and downloading it, the data on the process controller 2 side is used as a master for further improvement, and when this is uploaded to the development support apparatus 1 and used, Since the connection information is reproduced each time, there is an advantage that there is no inconvenience in understanding the block connection diagram.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 2, one of the attributes that can be restored from the program data is detected from the low-priority attribute from the user data table (step 206), and the data corresponding to the attribute detected from the transfer entry is deleted (step 206). In step 207), the additional information is processed (specifically, the connection information is deleted). However, according to such a method, there is a possibility that the connection route designed to be easy to see is deleted. is there.

  In order to avoid such inconvenience, it is possible to perform range specification processing in the block connection diagram displayed on the screen of the development support apparatus 1, and to exclude the block connection diagram in the specified range from the deletion target. If the process is adopted, such inconvenience can be avoided.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the process control unit 22 is configured to be detachable from the process controller 2, it is desirable to store the process control program only in the auxiliary storage device (B) 22c included in the process control unit 22. By doing so, the portability of the process control unit 22 is improved.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the process controller. However, the present invention is not limited to a technique that can be widely applied to controllers using various other programming languages. In a programmable controller that considers the connection between each block as additional information and executes deletion processing according to the capacity over or other various function blocks, the connection between function blocks is regarded as additional information and is selectively It goes without saying that various applications such as deletion are possible.

According to the present invention, when it is determined that the additional information cannot be stored in the control device in terms of the memory capacity, the additional information is partially deleted so as to be stored in the memory capacity and then stored in the control device. The user can concentrate on modifying the control program and arbitrarily creating additional information without worrying about whether it fits.

  In other words, when the created additional information can be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, the additional information is stored in the control device together with the control program. In the program development support apparatus, the additional information can be uploaded together with the justice program from the control apparatus, and can be used effectively.

  On the other hand, when the created additional information cannot be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, the additional information is automatically processed so as to fit in the memory capacity and then stored in the control device. Therefore, it is possible to concentrate on the creation of the control program and the additional information without being conscious of whether or not it falls within the range.

It is explanatory drawing of the system and element with which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the user data transfer process from a development assistance apparatus to a process controller. It is a flowchart which shows the user data transfer process from a process controller to a development support apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the user data table which shows an example of user data. It is screen explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between a workspace tree and a connection diagram. It is screen explanatory drawing which shows the example of a block connection diagram display in normal display mode. It is screen explanatory drawing which shows the example of a block connection diagram display in tag display mode. It is explanatory drawing of a connection pattern. It is explanatory drawing of a connection pattern. It is explanatory drawing of a connection pattern.

1 Development support device (PC etc.)
2 Process Controller 3 Input Unit 4 Output Unit 21 CPU Unit 21a Communication Interface 21b MPU
21c System memory 21d Data memory 21e User program memory 21f I / O memory 21g Auxiliary storage device (A)
22 Process controller 22a MPU
22b System memory 22c Auxiliary storage device (B)

Claims (2)

In a control system in which a control device and a program creation support device that creates a control program to be executed by the control device are connected via communication,
The program creation support device includes:
Means for creating a control program for performing control by being executed by the control device;
Means for creating additional information attached to the control program;
Means for determining whether the additional information of the created control program can be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity when storing the created control program in the control device;
The means for creating the control program includes:
It has a function to generate a control program and display connection information through an operation to connect a plurality of functional blocks that perform a predetermined function and connect these functional blocks, and additional information includes display connection information And more
There is a means to specify the range on the screen,
If it is determined that the additional information cannot be stored in the control device from the viewpoint of memory capacity, store the connection information in the control device by deleting connections other than those included in the range specified so as to fit in the memory capacity. Characteristic control system. A control device, in the control system and create to Help program creation supporting device control program to be executed is connected via a communication control device,
The program creation support apparatus has a function of generating a control program and display connection information through an operation of arranging a plurality of functional blocks performing a predetermined function and connecting the functional blocks. The additional information includes display connection information.
When the program creation support device stores the created control program in the control device, if it is determined that the additional information of the created control program cannot be stored in the control device in terms of memory capacity, a range is designated. A control method for a program creation support apparatus in a control system, characterized in that connection information in which connections other than those included in the range are deleted is stored in the control apparatus.

Images