JP4563255B2 - Programmable display, control program, and recording medium recording the program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a programmable display having a function of displaying the state of a device, a control program, and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  In a control system centered on a host controller such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), data stored in the PLC memory is acquired or rewritten in association with the memory address.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that database management is performed by associating comments with data output from a PLC. By referring to the comments regarding the data, it is possible to easily understand the semantic content of the data as compared to referring to the address.
JP 2004-213345 A (published July 29, 2004)

  As a scene for confirming the state of the target system (more specifically, the state of a specific device in the target system), there are a trial operation, a test, and a trouble such as a failure when the target system is installed. However, in the system disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since data is once collected in a database for confirmation, the state of the device cannot be confirmed immediately at the site where the target system is installed.

  On the other hand, the programmable display device has a connection interface with the PLC, displays the operating status of the target system connected to the PLC, and accepts an operation input for giving a control instruction to the target system from the screen. This is an operation-type display with a function. If such a programmable display is used, the state of the device can be displayed as the contents of the address in the memory at the site where the target system is installed (address monitor function).

  The programmable monitor's address monitor function allows the programmable display to acquire data from the address specified by the PLC and display it on the address monitor screen together with the address name when the user inputs the address to check the device status. That's it.

  However, the display screen provided by the address monitor function has a predetermined display format, and displays only the address name and the corresponding data. For this reason, such an address monitor function is not inconvenient for a user who can understand what an address name means like a system designer, but what an address name does like a worker in the field. For a user who cannot understand what is meant, there is an inconvenience that it is difficult to handle because it does not know which address to input. Further, if the content of the address corresponding to the comment is displayed based on the comment as in Patent Document 1, it is considered that the content of the device can be easily confirmed by the comment.

  However, in the conventional address monitor function, the format for displaying the address contents is fixed, and the address contents cannot be displayed in various expressions. For this reason, the address contents cannot be displayed in an optimum display format corresponding to the address contents or a display format according to the preference of the operator of the programmable display.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an address content display function that is easier to understand by displaying a variety of address contents.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the programmable display device according to the present invention displays the address and the address in the programmable display device that displays the device state obtained by designating the address from the storage unit that stores the device state. The extraction means for extracting the address or the comment from the address information file that records the combination of comments given to the device, and the state of the device acquired based on the extracted address or the address corresponding to the extracted comment And a display processing means for performing a process of displaying on a predetermined screen in accordance with a preset expression.

  In the above configuration, when the address is extracted from the address information file by the extraction unit, and the device state is acquired based on the address, the acquired device state is preset by the display processing unit. Displayed according to the expression. Alternatively, when the comment is extracted from the address information file by the extraction unit, and the device state is acquired based on the address corresponding to the comment, the acquired device state is preset by the display processing unit. It is displayed according to the expression.

  The above expression can be set in various ways, such as designation of the display color of characters, display of comments in other languages, and display of the status of the bit device with a lamp component or the like. Therefore, it is possible to provide a device status display function that is easier to understand. In addition, since the address information file is referred to, it is possible to save the trouble of inputting the addresses one by one in the programmable display as in the conventional address monitor function. In addition, if different address information files having different address combinations are prepared, a variety of address information can be provided.

  In the programmable display device, it is preferable that the address information file classifies and records combinations of the addresses and the comments into groups, and the extraction unit extracts the combinations for each group. As a result, a desired group of address contents can be easily displayed. Therefore, the address map information can be displayed efficiently.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said programmable display is provided with the memory | storage means to preserve | save the said screen by which the state of the said device was displayed on the screen memory. Thus, if the desired address content when a trouble occurs is stored, it can be used for later trouble verification.

  The control program of the present invention is a control program for operating any of the aforementioned programmable displays, and is a program that causes a computer to function as each of the means. The control program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. As described above, various device state display functions by the programmable display device can be realized by causing the computer to read and execute the control program.

  As described above, the programmable display according to the present invention extracts an address or a comment from the address information file, and displays the state of the device acquired based on the extracted address or the address corresponding to the extracted comment. By performing the process of displaying on a predetermined screen according to a preset expression, the contents of the address can be displayed in various ways, so that a more easily understood address content display function can be provided. Therefore, it is possible to realize a device status display function that is easy to handle not only for system administrators and system designers familiar with the system, but also for field workers and maintenance personnel.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 1 according to this embodiment includes a programmable display 2, a PLC 3, a device 4, and a serial cable 5.

  The programmable display 2 is connected to a personal computer 7 via a screen transfer cable 6. The screen transfer cable 6 is a cable for transferring screen data created by the personal computer 7 to the programmable display device 2 as will be described later, and a USB cable or the like is used. The personal computer 7 has screen design software installed and is connected to the programmable display 2 via the screen transfer cable 6 when transferring screen data created as described later. 2 and PLC 3 are disconnected from the programmable display device 2 during operation of the control system 1.

  On the other hand, the programmable display 2 and the PLC 3 are connected via a serial cable 5. The serial cable 5 is a cable that can perform communication using a communication protocol unique to the PLC 3. The communication protocol is often different for each PLC 3 model, such as for each manufacturing company, or for each product even if it is the same company, because the PLC 3 has been developed from a sequencer.

  The PLC 3 captures output data output from the input device 4 via the input unit according to a sequence program (such as a ladder program) created by the user, and gives control data to the output device 4. As the input device 4, devices such as sensors (temperature sensors, optical sensors, etc.) and switches (push button switches, limit switches, pressure switches, etc.) are used. As the output device 4, an actuator, a relay, a solenoid valve, a display, or the like is used. These devices 4... Are arranged in required parts of various target systems such as a production line. The device 4 may be a specific area in the memory unit 22 to be described later for storing data manually input from an input device such as a touch panel 24 to be described later. The device 4 may be a specific area in the PLC 3.

  The memory (device memory, storage means) in the PLC 3 stores data (word data and bit data) such as the state of the device 4 and the setting value of the device 4 in an area specified by the device address. In the memory, a word device is set as an area for storing word data such as numerical values as input / output data, and is designated by a word address (device address). The bit device is set as an area for storing bit data such as an on / off state, and is set by a bit address (device address). With such a setting, it is possible to control the devices 4... Simply by accessing any word device or bit device in the PLC 3 or to individually retrieve information relating to the state thereof.

  In the following description, the device address is appropriately referred to as an address.

  The programmable display 2 is provided with an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU, and is a dedicated computer that realizes an operation function and a display function unique to the programmable display by displaying input operation and display screen data created by the user. is there. The programmable display 2 that is preferably used as the HMI of the control system 1 is based on screen data determined by combining processing instructions (tags) to be described later. The operation for controlling the state of the device 4 according to the operation on the screen is specified. This programmable display 2 acquires the state of each device 4 that displays the state on the display screen via the PLC 3 by communicating with the PLC 3 via the serial cable 5. For example, the programmable display 2 displays the state of each device 4 on the display 34 described later. It has a function to display the status. The programmable display 2 has a function of instructing the device 4 to control the state of the device in response to an operation on the touch panel 24 described later.

  The acquisition / change of the state of the device 4 may be instructed each time, or a cache is prepared in the programmable display 2 and the cache is accessed at the time of acquisition / change, and at predetermined time intervals or at predetermined intervals. Communication may be performed for each event to synchronize with the actual device address.

  In order to realize the above functions, the programmable display 2 includes an HMI processing unit 21, a memory unit 22, a memory card interface unit (memory card I / F in the figure) 23, a touch panel 24, a display 25, and an interface unit. (I / F in the figure) 26 and 27 are provided. Hereinafter, each main part of the programmable display 3 will be described in detail.

  The memory card interface unit 23 is a reader / writer that writes and reads data to and from the memory card 8. As the memory card 8, a small and large-capacity CF (registered trademark) card is suitable.

  The touch panel 24 is an input device provided for performing input on the display screen of the display 25. The display 25 is preferably a flat display such as a liquid crystal display or an EL display in order to configure the programmable display 2 to be thin.

  The interface unit 26 is a communication control unit for the programmable display device 2 to communicate with the personal computer 7, and is connected to the screen transfer cable 6. On the other hand, the interface unit 27 is a communication control unit for the programmable display 2 to perform serial communication with the PLC 3, and is connected to the serial cable 5.

  The HMI processing unit 21 performs various types of data processing in order to perform display control processing of the user screen described later. The display control process (display control function) will be described in detail later.

  The memory unit 22 includes memories such as a DRAM 22a, a FEPROM (Flash Erasable and Programmable ROM) 22b, and an SRAM 22c.

  The DRAM 22a is mainly used for work during arithmetic processing such as display control, and is also used for temporary storage of data exchanged with the PLC 3. In particular, the DRAM 22a has a state memory area for transferring the state (device address content) of the device 4 stored in the input / output memory of the PLC 3 to / from the input / output memory.

  The SRAM 22c is used for logging data obtained from the PLC 3, and for storing setting value data (recipe data) to be given to the PLC 3.

  The FEPROM 22b is a rewritable read-only flash memory, and plays the role of a hard disk drive in a general personal computer. A flash memory does not have a movable part and is resistant to impacts, and thus operates stably even in a poor ambient environment.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the FEPROM 22b has areas for storing an HMI processing program, a communication protocol, and screen data, respectively.

  The HMI processing program (control program) is a program for realizing basic functions for operating the programmable display device 2 such as image display control, input operation control, and communication control. Functions realized by the HMI processing program in the HMI processing unit 21 will be described in detail later.

  The communication protocol (dedicated communication protocol) is a protocol used in communication processing with the PLC 3, and is uniquely determined according to the model (manufacturer) of the PLC 3. This communication protocol includes a command code that instructs reading of data to the PLC 3. By combining this command code with an address associated with the control function of the PLC 3, data regarding a desired control function can be transmitted to the PLC 3.

  The screen data is data of a screen displayed on the programmable display 2 and includes a base screen to be displayed on the display 25, component data, a processing instruction word W assigned to each component, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the processing instruction word (tag) W included in the screen data is created for each event to be executed on the base screen. The processing instruction word W basically includes the file number F of the base screen on which the display control operation is to be executed, the event name T for specifying the operation content to be executed on the base screen, and the execution event for each execution event. A set of reference information I including one or a plurality of data to be referred to is provided.

  In the programmable display device 2 according to the present embodiment, as the above-described tag, a display tag indicating the correspondence between the area (display range) on the base screen and the device address of the device corresponding to the display in the area, and the on-screen An input tag indicating the correspondence between an area (input range) and an address corresponding to a touch input to the area is defined. Furthermore, in this embodiment, each tag can be associated with at least one of a plurality of unit screens.

  The display tag can display a predetermined graphic at a corresponding position on the base screen in conjunction with the operation of the touch panel 24. That is, the display tag includes the file number of the base screen as the file number F, includes the event name that specifies the display of the display target such as a graphic as the event name, and specifies the display coordinate range of the display target and the display target to be called It includes a number and an address for referencing the display target when displaying.

  The input tag enables the bit device set at a predetermined address position in the state memory area provided in the DRAM 22a to be reversed in conjunction with, for example, a touch operation on the touch panel 24. That is, the input tag includes the file number of the unit screen as the file number F, the event name specifying the operation of the touch panel 24 as the event name T, and the input coordinates that validate the input operation from the touch panel 24 as the reference information I A range and an address to which data should be rewritten in conjunction with a touch operation on the touch panel 24 are included.

  The screen data is created by the drawing editor unit 73 described later, transferred to the programmable display device 2, and stored in the FEPROM 22b in the file format in the FEPROM 22b. This screen file includes graphic data and address data. The graphic data includes graphic data such as circles and rectangles, component data, character strings, processing instruction words W, and the like. The address data includes comments corresponding to the addresses and addresses set in the drawing editor unit 73 for data associated with addresses such as part data and processing instruction word W in the graphic data.

  The comment includes an event name such as the operating state of the device 4, a code corresponding to the device 4 such as SW corresponding to the switch and the lamp, and an operation instruction.

  The HMI (Human Machine Interface) function of the HMI processing unit 21 displays screen data, sets various data on the user screen, transmits the set data to the PLC 3, and displays the data received from the PLC 3 on the user screen. Etc. Such a function is realized as the control unit 21a shown in FIG. 4 by causing an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU provided in the programmable display 2 to execute the above-described HMI processing program.

  The control unit 21a extracts display tags related to the unit screen currently being displayed from the screen data, and reads the contents of the device address related to each display tag from the PLC 3 for each display tag at predetermined intervals. The parts of the expression format designated by the display tag are displayed in the designated area on the screen in a form corresponding to the read value. On the other hand, when receiving an input operation to the touch panel 24, the control unit 21a searches the screen data for an input tag corresponding to the currently displayed unit screen and matches the input operation, and the contents of the device address indicated by the input tag (Data stored in the memory area specified by the device address) is rewritten according to the input result. As a result, the programmable display 2 displays the state of the device 4 indicated by the screen data at the display position (parts etc.) indicated by the screen data in the expression format indicated by the screen data. Display device, a graph display device, etc.), and the state of the device 4 can be changed in response to an input operation via a component on the displayed screen.

  The HMI processing unit 21 includes an address content display processing unit 21b.

  The address content display processing unit 21b (extraction means, display processing means) performs processing for displaying the information of the address map data file AMDF stored in the memory card 8 in a designated expression.

  The memory card 8 stores an address map data file AMDF, for example, as shown in FIG. The address map data file AMDF records data in which an address, the above-mentioned comment corresponding to the address, and a group are associated with each other. That is, the address map data file AMDF records combinations of addresses and comments classified into groups.

  The address map data file AMDF is formed, for example, in a CSV (Comma Separated Value) format in general-purpose spreadsheet software. The address map data file AMDF may be formed in a different format of other software.

  The address content display processing unit 21b performs processing for displaying information of the address map data file AMDF on the address map display screen 101 shown in FIG. The address map display screen 101 includes an address map data file display unit 102, an address map display unit 103, a detailed setting unit 104, and a screen capture button 105.

  The address content display processing unit 21b changes the address contents (data, the state of the device 4) to the address based on the address or comment acquired from the address map data file display unit 102 in accordance with the expression set by the detail setting unit 104. Displayed on the map display unit 103. Further, the address content display processing unit 21b as a storage unit displays the address map display screen 101 when the screen capture button 105 is touched by the user while the address content is displayed on the address map display screen 101. The data is stored in a memory card 8 (functioning as a screen memory).

  The address map data file display unit 102 is provided for displaying the contents of the address map data file AMDF. The address map display unit 103 is provided for displaying the contents of the address in the expression set by the detail setting unit 104. The detail setting unit 104 displays items for setting various expressions for displaying the contents of the address in a pull-down menu format or the like.

  Scroll display, color setting, lamp display, localization, and the like are prepared as details of the expression set in the detail setting unit 104. Scroll display is a setting that enables scroll display when full screen display is not possible. The color setting is a setting that enables display contents to be displayed in a desired color.

  The lamp display is a setting that expresses an item (bit device) reflecting the contents of the address by the lighting state of the lamp. For example, when the content of the bit device address is “1”, a lamp provided near the address or the comment is turned on, and when the content of the bit device address is “0”, the lamp is turned off. .

  In the localized display, when a comment is displayed on the address map display unit 103, when an address map data file AMDF includes a comment of another language (such as English) corresponding to the comment (Japanese), the comment is not a Japanese comment. This is a setting that allows language comments to be displayed.

  The expression set in the detailed setting unit 104 includes other settings such as a grouping of the display as a sort so that the display in the address map display unit 103 is arranged in the order of the group, and the display in the current address map display unit 103. It may also be provided to switch to display of the address contents of a group different from the existing group, or to switch display information for shifting the addresses one by one and displaying the address contents. Further, instead of the lamp display, when the address content is “1”, “1” is displayed as it is, while when the address content is “0”, the character is displayed as “0” as it is. The expression to be displayed may also be set by the detail setting unit 104.

  When the address displayed on the address map data file display unit 102 is dragged and dropped on the address map display unit 103 by the user, the address content display processing unit 21b displays the address on the address map display unit 103, and the address is displayed. Is acquired from the PLC 3 via the control unit 21 a and displayed on the address map display unit 103. Further, when the comment displayed on the address map data file display unit 102 is dragged and dropped on the address map display unit 103 by the user, the address content display processing unit 21b displays the comment on the address map display unit 103, Data of the address corresponding to the comment is acquired from the PLC 3 via the control unit 21 a and displayed on the address map display unit 103. Further, when the group displayed on the address map data file display unit 102 is dragged and dropped onto the address map display unit 103 by the user, the address content display processing unit 21b displays all addresses and comments of the group in the address map display. The data is displayed on the unit 103, and the data of those addresses is acquired from the PLC 3 via the control unit 21a and displayed on the address map display unit 103.

  The HMI control unit 21 is a functional block part realized by an HMI processing program (control program) stored in the FEPROM 22b being executed by an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU. The HMI processing program can be recorded on a recording medium configured to be separable from the programmable display 2 and may be installed in the programmable display 2 from the recording medium.

  The above recording media include tape systems such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disk systems such as flexible disks and hard disks, optical disk systems such as CD-ROM, MO, MD, and DVD, IC cards (including memory cards), optical A card system such as a card is preferred. In addition, the program medium may be a medium that carries a fixed program including a semiconductor memory such as a mask ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash ROM, or the like.

  Further, if the control system 1 is configured to be connectable to a communication network including the Internet, the control system 1 may be a medium that dynamically carries the program so as to download the program from the communication network.

  Next, the personal computer 7 will be described. The personal computer 7 includes a CPU, a memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), an external storage device (hard disk drive, MO drive, etc.), a display device and an input device (keyboard, mouse, etc.). As shown in FIG. 1, the personal computer 7 includes a control unit 71, an interface unit (I / F in the figure) 72, a drawing editor unit 73, and a data storage unit 74.

  The interface unit 72 is a communication control unit for performing communication with the programmable display device 2, and is connected to the screen transfer cable 6.

  The control unit 71 is a part that performs arithmetic processing realized by hardware (CPU, memory, etc.) and software (operating system, etc.). Further, the control unit 71 implements a drawing editor unit 73 by executing drawing software that is an application program.

  The drawing editor unit 73 is capable of creating a user screen, which is a user's own screen, such as switches, lamps, numeric keys, various displays (for example, numerical display, meter display, and graph display), It has a tag setting function, a drawing function, a text input function, and the like. As components, not only components having a single function but also components having a plurality of functions such as a composite switch, a counter, and a timer are prepared. Parts as display elements are registered in a library format so that the user can easily select them, and input tags, display tags, and the like corresponding to the functions of the parts are assigned in advance. The drawing function is used to draw line and curved line figures (display elements), to draw basic figures (display elements) such as circles, rectangles, and triangles, and to fill them with specified colors and patterns in the figure. It is a function.

  The drawing editor unit 73 prepares the address map display screen 101 described above as a standard screen in advance, and prepares various display expressions that can be set by the detailed setting unit 104 in advance. A user interface (for example, a setting window) that can be selected and set is provided.

  The data storage unit 74 is a storage device that stores the user screen (screen data) created by the drawing editor unit 73 including the address map display screen 101 described above. The data storage unit 74 is configured by a mass storage device such as a hard disk device. The screen data stored in the data storage unit 74 is transferred to the programmable display 2 and stored in the FEPROM 22b for downloading to the execution environment. The data storage unit 74 may store the address map data file AMDF described above.

  Here, the operation of displaying the address contents in the control system 1 configured as described above will be described.

  First, the user is displayed on, for example, the address map data file display unit 102 in an online state (the operation state of the PLC 3) and the address map display screen 101 being displayed on the display 25 of the programmable display 2. A comment (“valve” and “tank” in the example of FIG. 5) is copied and pasted (extracted from the address map data file AMDF) by dragging and dropping it onto the address map display unit 103. Then, the comment is displayed on the address map display unit 103 by the address content display processing unit 21b, the content of the address is acquired using the communication function with the PLC 3 of the control unit 21a, and the comment is displayed on the address map display unit 103. It is displayed with.

  At this time, the display content of the address map display unit 103 is displayed by the address content display processing unit 21 b in the expression set by the detailed setting unit 104 displayed on the address map display unit 103. Thereby, for example, the display color of the comment can be displayed in red, or the comment can be displayed in English. If the comment is displayed in another language, if the comment is input in Unicode, the comment “Operation” is displayed in English as “RUN” based on the Unicode when the comment is displayed in English by the detailed settings. You may make it display by converting into description.

  As described above, in the programmable display device 2, the address content display processing unit 21 b displays the content of the address based on the content of the address map data file AMDF, and various display modes whose display forms are set by the detailed setting unit 104. Display with the expression. As a result, the contents of the address can be displayed in a variety of ways, so that a more easily understandable address contents display function can be provided. Therefore, it is possible to realize an address content display function that is easy to handle not only for system administrators and system designers familiar with the control system 1 but also for field workers and maintenance personnel. In particular, the address contents can be made easier to understand by displaying the address contents together with the comment.

  In addition, since the address map data file AMDF is referred to, it is possible to save the trouble of inputting the addresses one by one in the programmable display 2 as in the conventional address monitor function. In addition, if different address map data files AMDF having different combinations of addresses are prepared, a variety of address map information can be provided.

  In addition, a desired group of address contents can be easily displayed by the function of displaying the address contents in groups. Therefore, the address map information can be displayed efficiently.

  Furthermore, if a desired address content when a trouble occurs is saved by a function of capturing and saving the displayed address map display screen 101, it can be used for trouble verification performed later.

  The address map data file AMDF is stored in the memory card 8, but may be stored in other storage means such as the FEPROM 22b or the data storage unit 74 of the personal computer 7.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The programmable display of the present invention displays the contents of the address with reference to the address map data file AMDF prepared in advance and displays it in various expressions prepared in advance, so that the control including the programmable display is included. It can be suitably used to efficiently perform system maintenance (system installation, trial operation, testing, troubleshooting, etc.).

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the program structure stored in FEPROM of the programmable display in the said control system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the basic format of the instruction | indication processing word contained in the screen data of the user screen displayed with the said programmable display. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part containing the HMI process part which is the center part of the control of the said programmable display. It is a figure which shows the address map display screen prepared in order to display the content of an address with the said programmable display.

Explanation of symbols

2 Programmable display 3 PLC
8 Memory card (screen memory)
21 HMI processing unit 21b Address content display processing unit (extraction means, display processing means, storage means)
101 Address map display screen AMDF Address map data file AMDF (address information file)

Claims (4)

In a programmable display that displays the device status obtained by specifying an address from the memory that stores the device status,
Extraction means for extracting the combination for each group from the address information file in which the combination of the address and the comment given to the address is classified into a group and recorded;
Display processing means for performing processing for displaying a state of a device acquired based on the extracted address or an address corresponding to the extracted comment on a predetermined screen according to a preset expression; A programmable display characterized by the following. The programmable display according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit that stores the screen on which the state of the device is displayed in a screen memory. It is a control program which operates the programmable display of Claim 1 or 2 , Comprising: The control program for functioning a computer as said each means. A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 3 is recorded.

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