JPH023802A - Sequence controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the maintenance of control design and program by providing a control logic decision means for generating control logic from inputted information and a sequence control means for controlling a control object in accordance with generated control logic. CONSTITUTION:An equipment action specification input means 1 and an equipment operation specification input means 2, with which a control designer can easily designate the specification of an equipment for control 6 are provided, and the control logic decision means 3 is constituted in such a way that it automatically generates control logic from inputted specification and knowledge stored in a control knowledge storage means 4. Consequently, the control designer does not need to consider to the minute content of control logic in the control design of an automatic machine, and logic to be generated comes to standardized constitution without depending on the ability of the control designer. Thus, control design can easily be executed and the maintenance of the control program is facilitated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a sequence control device for automated equipment.
The present invention relates to a sequence control device that is particularly suitable for controlling equipment that performs complex operations because it includes means for automatically generating control logic.

2. Description of the Related Art A programmable controller (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) has been used as this type of control device. PC
So, when the user programs the control logic,
Coding is done based on a chart called a ladder diagram.

However, in recent years, in response to the low productivity, poor readability, and low maintainability of programming using ladder diagrams, various programming methods have been proposed (for example, Automation Magazine Vol.
29 Death 5). Among them, a system based on the basic concept of using Petri net theory, which has attracted attention in recent years as a method for representing and analyzing discrete events, has been proposed.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in order to apply the above-mentioned method to actual large-scale and complex equipment, there are many issues such as the memory capacity of the PC, the method of describing abnormality processing, maintainability at the control site, etc. , many problems remain to be resolved.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a sequence control device that allows easy programming of control logic for large-scale and complicated automatic equipment, and also has excellent program maintainability.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the sequence control device of the present invention includes an equipment operation specification input means for easily inputting the operation specifications of the equipment to be controlled, and a method for starting, stopping, etc. of the equipment to be controlled. equipment operation specification input means for interactively inputting the operation specifications of the controller with a control designer; and control logic determining means for generating control logic from the information input from the input means;
control knowledge storage means for storing information necessary when the determining means has determined the control logic; the operational specification input means has asked a question to the control designer; and the control logic generated by the determining means. and sequence control means for controlling the controlled object according to the sequence control means.

Effects of the Invention The present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and provides a device operation specification input means that allows a designer to easily describe the operation specifications of a controlled object, and a device operation specification input means that allows a designer to easily describe the operation specifications of a controlled object, and a device that allows the designer to control the object simply by answering questions stored in the control knowledge storage means. The control logic determining means selects the optimal control method from among the control methods stored in the control knowledge storage means, based on information input by the designer using the equipment operation specification input means that can define the target operation method. The sequence control means generates a control logic converted into a form corresponding to the controlled object, and controls the controlled object according to the content, making it possible to control automatic equipment with simple input.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a device operation specification input means for a control designer to easily input the movement of a controlled object, and 2 is a control knowledge storage means 4 that stores the information. This is an equipment operation specification input means that allows a control designer to interactively input the operation method of a controlled object in a question-and-answer format using the information contained in the system. 3 collates the information input using the above means with the information stored in the control knowledge storage means 4, generates control logic in a form corresponding to the control object, and then transmits the control logic to the sequence control means 6. Communicate content.

The sequence control means 6 controls the controlled device 6 according to the above control logic.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the hardware that realizes the present invention, in which the functions 1 to 4 shown in FIG. 1 are realized by the microcomputer 7, and the function shown by 6 in FIG. There is. In Fig. 2, data is transmitted between the microcomputer 7 and the programmable controller 8 using R8232C, but the functions of the microcomputer 7 can be made into a microchip and built into the programmable controller 8, or the data can be converted into a ROM. It is also possible to communicate. Reference numeral 9 denotes a controlled object, which exchanges signals from sensors and actuators (exercise equipment) with the programmable controller 8 via signal lines.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, we will explain how to define the movement of a controlled object using the equipment operation specification input means 1. First, the designer divides the operation of the equipment into several stages and designs each We will proceed with this. In each step, the conditions that trigger the start of the step are described in the place indicated by 10. Then, the sequence number of the series of operations constituting that stage is written in 11. A description of specific operations within the sequence is described in 12. If the content of 12 is not a simple ON/OFF of one contact, it is also possible to develop the content into a timing chart as shown in 16. At that time, turn on/off each contact in that sequence.
Enter the off timing in the sequence registration list. Next, if necessary, the state of the controlled object at the time when the operation is completed is checked at 13, and depending on whether the condition is correct or not, the sequence of operations to be executed next is described at 14.

This function is realized using the graphic function on the screen of the microcomputer 7, and the data in the computer that can be easily input includes the device name, its attributes, and its chronological on/off value. Information about the sequence is stored for each code.

FIG. 4 shows the operation of the equipment operation specification input section 2. The equipment operation specification input means 2 searches the knowledge stored in the control knowledge storage means 4 regarding the operation of the internally moving equipment, and in step 16 first allows the control designer to set interlock conditions for each actuator. Next, in step 1, the control designer asks whether or not to provide a steady stop mode for the controlled object, and if the steady stop mode is set, the control designer determines the fixed position in step 18, and in step 19 restarts the control object after an emergency stop. Select the method: from a fixed position or from a stopped position. If the steady stop mode is not set, the restart method after an emergency stop is automatically set to start from the stop position. Thereafter, in step 2o, the control designer selects from among the power source candidates stored in the control knowledge storage means 4 a power source that needs to stop the controlled object when the power source goes down. Finally, in step 21, the control designer selects the control target equipment 6 from among the error detection methods stored in the control knowledge storage means 2.
choose the appropriate one.

The process by which the control logic determining means 3 generates the control logic based on the specifications given by the control designer as described above will be explained with reference to FIG. When all the specifications are given, first in step 22, all the given specifications are stored in a working memory in the computer, a storage area that stores intermediate results of logic generation. Next, the control knowledge storage means 4
In step 23, it is determined whether or not there is knowledge that can be applied to the contents of the current working memory among the knowledge stored in the memory.
Judge by.

If there is a plurality of applicable knowledge, in step 24 the priority among the applicable knowledge is checked and the one with the highest priority is selected, and in step 26 the selected knowledge is applied to the contents of the working memory, The contents of the working memory are updated and the process returns to step 23. If multiple pieces of applicable knowledge do not exist, it is determined in step 26 whether there is no applicable knowledge at all, and if only one piece of knowledge exists, the process moves to step 25; if there is none, the process ends. .

FIG. 6 shows the format of the knowledge stored in the control knowledge storage means 4. Attribute 2 indicates the category to which the knowledge is applied.
7. Priority order 28 for selecting one when there are multiple pieces of applicable knowledge; Matching conditions 29 for determining whether knowledge is applicable; and It consists of 3 processing contents that describe the actions to be performed.

The attributes 27 have a hierarchical structure, and for example, in the case of knowledge regarding operations, it is possible to detail the knowledge step by step, such as operations - abnormal processing - malfunction - time over. If the priority order 28 is not particularly defined, a higher value is set as a default setting as the matching condition 29 is more complicated. Matching condition 29 describes the state in which working memory must be in order for knowledge to be applied, and each condition is
You can create complex things using or, negation, etc.

The processing content 30 describes how to update the contents of the working memory when the knowledge is applied, and can add/delete elements of the working memory, change the contents, etc.

According to the configuration of the above embodiment, the control designer simply inputs the control specifications of the controlled device 6 using the device operation specification input means 1 and the device operation specification input means 2, and the control logic determination means 3 acquires control knowledge. Control logic is generated by automatically applying the knowledge stored in the storage means 4 to the given specifications, and the generated logic is transmitted to the sequence control means 6, and the sequence control means 6 controls according to the contents. Since the target device 6 is controlled, control design can be easily performed, and design errors can also be reduced.

Furthermore, since the generated logic is standardized and does not depend much on the personal skill of the control designer, maintenance of the control program is easy.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the present invention includes equipment operation specification input means and equipment operation specification input means that allow a control designer to easily specify the specifications of the equipment to be controlled. Since the system is configured to automatically generate control logic from the specified specifications and the knowledge stored in the control knowledge storage means, control designers can design control logic for complex automatic machines with detailed control logic. There is no need to consider everything, and it can be done easily and without error.

In addition, the generated logic does not depend on the control designer's personal skill and has a standardized configuration, so maintenance of the control program after leaving the control designer's hands is easier than with conventional equipment. It can be done easily compared to

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the hardware of the embodiment, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a method for inputting equipment operation specifications, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the equipment operation specifications. 70-chart of the input reservoir, FIG. 6 is a flowchart for determining control logic, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of control knowledge. 1... Device operation specification input means, 2...
Equipment operation specification input means, 3... Control logic determining means, 4... Control knowledge storage means, 6...
Sequence control means, 6... Equipment to be controlled. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and one other person (Figure 2)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A device operation specification input means for easily inputting the operation specifications of the device to be controlled; a device operation specification input means for interactively inputting the operation specifications of the device to be controlled with a control designer; and the device control logic determination means for automatically generating control logic from information input by the operation specification input means and the equipment operation specification input means; A control knowledge storage means for storing information necessary for the determination means to determine a control logic, and a sequence control means for controlling a device to be controlled with the control logic determined by the control logic determination means. A sequence control device characterized by: (2) The sequence control device according to claim 1, further comprising an editor capable of defining device operation specifications in a format combining a timing chart and a flowchart as the device operation specification input means.