JPH09128022A - Sequence controller and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use both of teaching type control and circuit diagram type control for sequence control. SOLUTION: A control part 6 is constituted of a storage part 1 for storing various controlling data and control programs, a central processing part 2 capable of logic operation by software, an I/O part 3 for executing I/O signal processing, and an operation part 4 having an operation equipment necessary for control or independently driving a controlled part 5 and a display equipment necessary for operator's monitoring or the like and executes sequence control for one or more controlled parts 5. Software for attaining teaching type control on a circuit diagram is stored in the storage part 1 and the software has a function for automatically converting data into output instruction data when the controlled part 5 is operated through the operation part 4 and a function for switching a control system or changing the address of the output instruction data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sequence controller used for controlling various machine tools, automatic machines such as vending machines, and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a software-dependent sequence control system is roughly classified into a circuit diagram system represented by a relay symbol system, a logic symbol system, etc., a flow chart system represented by a flowchart, etc.
-109907, without designing a circuit diagram type sequence circuit, based on a time chart or the like, an output port and a signal input port for condition setting are designated by manual switches to form a one-step program, There is a teaching method and the like in which a series of sequence programs is formed by sequentially stacking the one-step programs.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the flow of work until the control system is completed in the case of the circuit diagram method and FIG. 11 in the case of the teaching method. In the normal schematic method shown in FIG. 10, first, an operation diagram of the system is created.
(Step 910), a notation diagram and a circuit diagram of complicated control including simple or repeated, condition judgment, numerical control, etc. are created based on the operation diagram (step 920). Then, the program is created by substituting with a dedicated command word and coded (step 930), and this program is input to the control device (step 940). After the program is input, the control device is tested (step 950), and if there is a problem, the circuit diagram is corrected (step 970). If there is no problem, the control system is completed. As described above, the circuit diagram method is a notation method that can cope with repeated output control for input conditions and complicated condition determination and numerical control.

Further, as shown in FIG.
In the teaching method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 109907, first, an operation diagram of the system is created by a flowchart or the like (step 110), and one step operation is executed using a dedicated input device based on the operation diagram (step 110). 120).
Then, the transition condition to the next step is set using a dedicated input device (step 140), and the operation is executed until all the operations are completed. After performing all the operations, perform a trial run of the control system (step 150), and if the result shows that the control system is not yet completed, return to the first step (step 170) until the control system is completed. The above operation is repeated. In this way, in the teaching method, the necessary conditions are automatically read at the time of creating the program, and by reproducing them, the circuit design performed by the circuit diagram method becomes unnecessary, and the designer and the sequence program are adjusted. This has the effect of significantly reducing the workload of workers.

[0005]

However, as shown in FIG.
In the circuit diagram method shown in, when creating a sequence program, in order to configure notation diagrams such as circuit diagrams and operation diagrams, the notation method for handling various symbols and symbol systems and the notation diagrams are replaced with dedicated instruction words. It is necessary to acquire specialized knowledge such as coding methods to do so. Further, there is a problem that the coordinator of the sequence program needs trial and error adjustment to achieve proper control after the circuit diagram design is completed. Also, JP-A-59-10990
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7 cannot cope with complicated control such as repetition, condition judgment, numerical calculation, etc., and has a drawback that it can cope only with relatively simple control. In addition, the operation at the time of teaching requires a dedicated operation method, and unlike the ordinary single operation method, it is necessary to learn the operation method. Furthermore, in any case of the circuit diagram method and the teaching method, it is necessary to prepare a dedicated control device suitable for the method, and in order to take advantage of each method, each method can be switched and used, If you try to use each method together, there is a problem that you cannot do it. Therefore, in view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a sequence control device capable of creating a sequence program by using either a circuit diagram method, a teaching method, or both methods when creating a sequence program. And a control method thereof.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above-mentioned problems, the means described in claim 1 can be adopted.
According to this means, the second control means controls the controlled body by a method other than the teaching such as numerical calculation, and the first control means automatically generates the control program of the controlled body according to the teaching. The output instruction data is stored in the storage means in correspondence with the address. Then, by outputting the output instruction data corresponding to the address instructed by the instructing means to the controlled object by the reproducing means, the teaching data is reproduced and the controlled object is controlled. Thus, it is possible to realize a sequence control device capable of performing complicated control by a method other than teaching such as numerical calculation and relatively simple control by teaching. Further, by adopting the means according to claim 2, three types of control, that is, control by only the first control means, control by only the second control means, and control by using the first and second control means in combination Is possible. By adopting the means described in claim 3, it is possible to easily switch the control by the first control means and the control by the second control means. By adopting the means described in claim 4, it is possible to designate an arbitrary address of the output instruction data,
It is possible to perform more complicated control such as repetition at the time of reproduction and condition determination. By adopting the means described in claim 5, the controlled object can be operated at the time of teaching without using a dedicated device for teaching. By adopting the means described in claim 6, it is possible to provide a sequence control method including control by teaching and control by a method other than teaching such as numerical calculation.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below based on specific embodiments. FIG. 1 shows a hardware configuration of a first embodiment according to the present invention. The control unit 6 (corresponding to a sequence control device) includes a storage unit 1 in which various control data and control programs are stored, a central processing unit 2 which can be logic by software, and an input / output unit for input / output signal processing. 3. It is composed of an operation unit 4 (corresponding to an operation panel) having an operation device necessary for operating the control unit or the controlled unit 5 independently and a display device required for monitoring by an operator, and is a sequence control target. Sequence control of one or more types of controlled units 5 (corresponding to controlled bodies) is executed.
The storage unit 1 in the control unit 6 is an operation system unit for realizing a teaching method, an output information table accumulated by teaching, a pointer for output instruction, a circuit diagram sequence program or a flowchart type program,
It includes a memory for temporary storage of data used for numerical calculations. The input / output unit 3 includes an input unit that inputs a detection signal from a detector such as a position provided in the controlled unit 5 and an output unit that outputs a control signal to the loads of the controlled unit 5. . Regarding the operation when the sequence control is executed in the control method in the control unit 6, the central processing unit 2 outputs the same information as the output state given from the operation unit 4 to the controlled unit 5 via the input / output unit 3. It is stored in the storage unit 1. Also, an operation system for realizing control by the teaching method,
The circuit schematic sequence circuit is stored in the storage unit 1 using a program writer or the like not shown here.

Next, the operation of the storage unit 1 will be outlined below. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the storage unit 1. The storage unit 1 includes a parameter setting unit 11, an operation system unit 12 (corresponding to a first control unit, a reproducing unit, and a switching unit), a circuit diagram sequence circuit unit 13 (corresponding to a second control unit), and an output information table 14. (Corresponding to storage means), memory 15 for temporary storage of data for numerical calculation, etc.
(Corresponding to storage means) and the like. The parameter setting unit 11 sets the number of each control unit of the controlled unit 5, the availability of each of them, the relationship between them (for example, the presence or absence of interference), and the like. The operation system unit 12 stores software for realizing the teaching method on the circuit diagram method, and the controlled unit 5 shown in FIG.
Has a function of automatically converting into a teaching instruction by operating through the operation unit 4, and determines whether to execute playback or transfer from the teaching method to the circuit diagram method. The circuit diagram type sequence circuit unit 13 performs sequence control of the controlled unit 5 by a circuit diagram method. Output information table 14
Stores teaching information and delivery information. The memory 15 for temporarily storing data for numerical calculation etc. stores data necessary for controlling the controlled unit 5 by a circuit diagram method.

When controlling the controlled unit 5 by the teaching method alone, the information taught by the operation system unit 12 is stored in the output information table 14 based on the information of the controlled unit 5 set in the parameter setting unit 11. Remember. Then, based on the stored information, the operation system unit 12 performs playback (reproduction) to control the controlled unit 5.
When controlling the controlled unit 5 by the circuit diagram method alone, based on the information of the controlled unit 5 set in the parameter setting unit 11,
The circuit schematic sequence circuit unit 13 controls the controlled unit 5 while using the memory 15 for temporary storage of data for numerical calculation and the like as necessary.

When controlling the controlled unit 5 by using both the teaching method and the circuit diagram method, the operation system unit 12 first uses the circuit diagram method based on the information of the controlled unit 5 set in the parameter setting unit 11. The output information table 14 stores the teaching information added with the information as to whether or not it needs to be delivered to the sequence circuit unit 13. Then, based on the information stored in the output information table 14, the operation system unit 12
Plays back and controls the controlled unit 5. At that time, the operation system unit 12 judges whether or not the transfer to the schematic diagram sequence circuit unit 13 is necessary, and when it is necessary, the control is transferred to the schematic diagram sequence circuit unit 13, and the schematic diagram sequence circuit unit 13 determines whether or not it is necessary. The controlled unit 5 is controlled while using the memory 15 for temporarily storing data for numerical calculation and the like. When the instructed control is completed, the teaching method is resumed.

Next, the teaching and playback method at the time of sequence control by the teaching method will be described below. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the configuration of the output information table 14 in the storage unit 1 and the pointer 30 (corresponding to the instruction means). The output information table 14 has a plurality (n in the figure) of output instruction units 1 to n (corresponding to output instruction data), and addresses 0000 to (n-1) are provided corresponding to each. The pointer 30 is an arbitrary address of the output instruction units 1 to n
Specify 0000 to (n-1). FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the output instructing units 1 to n in the output information table 14 and the flow of information during teaching or playback. Each of the output instruction units 1 to n includes an output instruction flag 40 configured by combining a plurality of 1 or 0 and attached information 41. The output instruction flag 40 includes an output signal output from the output unit of the input / output unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 to the loads of the controlled unit 5, and a detector such as a position provided in the controlled unit 5 from a detector. The input signal is stored. Further, the attached information 41 is a circuit diagram type sequence circuit transfer storage unit 42 in which transfer instruction data (corresponding to switching instruction data) for switching the control of the controlled unit 5 from the teaching method to the circuit diagram method is stored.
And a jump destination address storage section 43 for storing jump destination change instruction data (corresponding to jump destination instruction data) for skipping the address of the pointer 30. Further, 1001 constituting the circuit schematic sequence circuit group in FIG. 4 indicates a relay input, and 1002 indicates an output. The circuit diagram type sequence circuit group includes a plurality of such circuits.

The teaching or playback method in the teaching method will be described below with reference to FIG. First, a specific teaching method will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Initialize the pointer 30 and address 0000
Is designated and the output instruction unit 1 is set to be instructed (step 510). Next, the above-mentioned controlled unit 5 is independently operated by the operation unit 4, and a signal is output from the output unit of the input / output unit 3 so that the required loads of the controlled unit 5 are turned on and off.
(Step 520). Then, the operator turns on a predetermined operation button in order to start storing the teaching data on the operation unit 4.
(Step 530), the ON / OFF state of the output unit connected to the load of the controlled unit 5 is used for the output instruction flag 40 in the output instructing unit 1 when the normal controlled unit 5 is operated alone. It is stored in the device, that is, the operation unit 4 (step 540).
Next, the pointer 30 increments the address by 1
Specify 0001 and set to instruct the output instructing unit 2.
(Step 550). If the teaching is not completed (when NO is determined in step 560), the process returns to step 520, and the output is changed by the operation unit 4 according to the operator's wish, and the ON / OFF state at that time is output. The output is stored in the output instructing unit 2 similarly to the instructing unit 1. By sequentially performing these, the output instructing units 1 to n are created, and after the teaching is finished, the final position of the pointer 30 is stored (step 570), and the teaching is finished.

In the preparation of these, a special setting method or a special writing device for teaching is not required unlike the prior art, so that it is not necessary for the operator to learn the setting method and the use method. Erroneous teaching information due to mistakes in usage can be eliminated. Also, the time required for setting can be significantly reduced. Further, if necessary, the teaching operation can be completed by writing the data in the circuit diagram sequence circuit unit transfer storage unit 42 and the jump destination address storage unit 43 which are the additional information 41.

Next, the playback of the teaching information will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, the pointer 30 is initialized, the address 0000 is designated, and the output instructing section 1 is set to be instructed (step 610). Next, the information of the output instruction flag 40 of the output instruction unit 1 designated by the address 0000 designated by the pointer 30 is set in the output unit. As a result, the loads of the controlled unit 5 can be restored to the same states as at the time of teaching (step 620). After this,
The input signal input from the detector such as the position provided in the controlled unit 5 and the output instruction flag 40 of the output instructing unit 1 described above.
Are compared (step 630), and if they are the same, it is confirmed whether or not there is the information of the transfer instruction in the circuit diagram sequence circuit transfer storage section 42 (step 640), and the input signal and the output instruction flag 40 are not the same. If so, go back. If there is delivery information in step 640, an execution command is output to the corresponding circuit diagram sequence circuit to operate the circuit diagram sequence circuit (step 650). If there is no delivery information, the process proceeds to step 660.

After the operation of the schematic sequence circuit is completed,
Completion information is stored in the circuit diagram sequence circuit transfer storage unit 42.
To the destination address storage unit 4 in the attached information 41
It is determined whether or not there is jump destination information in step 3 (step 66).
0). If there is no jump destination information in the circuit diagram sequence circuit delivery / storage section 42, the address of the pointer 30 is incremented by 1 (step 675) and the output instructing section 2 is instructed (step 680). If the jump destination information is present in the jump destination address storage unit 43, the information is taken out, the information is set as the address value of the pointer 30 (step 670), and the output instructing unit corresponding to the address is instructed. These are sequentially repeated until the pointer 30 reaches the final position.
(Step 690). As a result, the pointer 30 can be moved to an arbitrary output instruction section, and operations such as repetition and condition judgment can be performed.

7 and 8 are flowcharts in which the control by the teaching method shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and the control by the circuit diagram method are combined. First, it is determined whether or not the control by the teaching method is performed (step 210), and when the control by the teaching method is not performed, the use of the teaching method is set to be disabled (step 490). Then, the sequence circuit created by the circuit diagram method is executed (step 500), and the control ends. Here, in this embodiment, whether or not the teaching method can be used is set in advance on the control program, and is not set by the operator on the operation unit 4 described above.

When the control by the teaching method is performed, it is set that the teaching method can be used (step 220), and it is then determined whether the teaching or the playback is performed (step 23).
0). In this embodiment, the operator specifies whether to perform teaching or playback from the operation unit 4.
In the case of teaching, first, the output instructing units 1 to n are set as the output instructing unit 1 (step 240), and the operation unit 4 is used to give an operation instruction to execute a predetermined operation. (See FIG. 1) (step 250). The operation instruction output to the controlled unit 5 is temporarily stored (step 260), and it is determined whether or not the circuit diagram method is used (step 270). Whether or not to use this circuit diagram method is set in advance in the control program. When using the circuit diagram method, a transfer instruction to the circuit diagram method is given to the above temporarily stored operation instruction (step 280). Here, the transfer instruction to the circuit diagram system means information in the circuit diagram type sequence circuit transfer storage unit 42 in the auxiliary information 41 in FIG.

Thereafter, a pointer 30 for designating an output instruction
It is determined whether or not the address has changed, that is, whether or not there is an address jump destination (step 290). If there is a change in the address, change the address to the jump destination,
It is given to the temporarily stored operation instruction (step 30).
0). The jump destination of this address means the jump destination address storage unit 43 in the auxiliary information 41 in FIG. Then, the temporarily stored operation instruction is stored in the output information table 14 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) as the output instruction units 1 to n (step 310). When the control according to the circuit diagram system is not performed in step 270 and when there is no address jump destination in step 290, it is determined to be NO and the process proceeds to step 310.

Then, it is judged whether or not the teaching is completed (step 320). If the teaching is not completed yet, the number of the output instruction section is incremented by 1 (step 330) and the process returns to step 250. When the teaching is completed in step 320, the process ends. At this time, in this embodiment, the operator sets on the operation unit 4 whether or not the teaching is completed.

On the other hand, when the playback is performed in the determination in step 230, the output instructing units 1 to n are first set in the output instructing unit 1 as in the case of teaching as shown in FIG. 8 (step 340). The output instruction unit 1 is taken out from the output information table 14 and set as temporary storage data (step 350). Then, the operation instruction is extracted from the output and output to the controlled unit 5 (step 360). After this, the controlled part 5
The input state is extracted (step 370), and only the related input is extracted (step 380). Then, it is determined whether the operation instruction to the controlled unit 5 and the input state from the controlled unit 5 are the same (step 390). This means comparing the data of the output section and the data of the input section in FIG.
If the operation instruction and the input state are not the same, the process returns to step 370.

When the operation instruction and the input state are the same in step 390, the circuit diagram method transfer data and the circuit diagram block number to be executed are extracted (step 400), and the jump destination change instruction data is extracted (step 400). 410). After this, it is judged whether there is a circuit diagram method transfer instruction (step
420), if there is such an instruction, selects a schematic block to be executed (step 430). Then, the sequence circuit of the circuit diagram block is executed (step 440) and it is determined whether or not there is an instruction to change the jump destination (step 450). If there is an instruction to change the jump destination, change the value of the number in the output instruction section to the number of the jump destination change data (step 460), and
Return to 350. If there is no instruction to transfer to the circuit diagram system in step 420, the process proceeds to step 450. Step 450
If there is no change in the jump destination, it is judged whether or not the playback is finished (step 470), and if it is not finished, the number of the output instructing section is incremented by 1 (step 480) and it is finished. In that case, the control is completed. It should be noted that whether or not the playback has ended can be determined by checking whether or not the number of the output instruction unit used during teaching is equal to the number of the output instruction unit during playing back. By performing the flow shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 in this way, control can be performed in three modes, that is, the teaching method only, the circuit diagram method only, or the teaching method and the circuit diagram method in combination. Is possible.

Here, FIG. 9 shows a work flow until completion of the control system according to the present embodiment. First, it is judged whether or not the control by the teaching method is performed (step 810), and if the teaching method is used, an operation diagram is created by a flowchart or the like.
(Step 820), step if not using teaching method
Continue to 850. Then, the controlled part 5 is operated step by step using the operation part 4 (step 830). After this, it is judged whether or not all the teaching operations have been completed.
If the operation is not completed (step 840), the transition condition to the next step is set using the operation part 4 of the controlled part 5 (step 845), and the process returns to step 830. When all the operations are completed in step 840, and step 81
When the teaching method is not used in 0, it is determined in step 850 whether the circuit diagram method is used. When the circuit diagram method is used, a circuit diagram is created (step 860) and the control program is input to the control unit 6 based on the circuit diagram.
(Step 870). After entering the control program, and when the schematic method is not used in step 850, step 88
Proceed to 0 to perform a trial run of the control unit 6. If there is a problem in step 890, step 830 or step 860
Return to and restart the teaching operation or correct the circuit diagram.
(Step 895). If there is no problem in step 890, the control unit 6 is completed and the work is completed. By such an operation, the sequence control device having the teaching method and the circuit diagram method can be configured.

As indicated above, according to the present invention,
By providing the control method switching means and the address jump destination instruction data in the output instruction data, the teaching method and the circuit diagram method can be used together, and the switching can be easily performed, so that the control is relatively simple. In this case, the control by the teaching method is performed, and when the control is required to be complicated, the control can be easily switched to the circuit diagram method, and highly versatile sequence control can be realized according to the use environment.
Further, since the same control device can be used, it is not necessary to learn a setting method and a designing method for a plurality of control devices, and it is possible to reduce a learning time for a designer and a maker. Further, at the time of teaching, since a device used for a normal single operation of the controlled part can be used, it is not necessary to manufacture an operating device dedicated to teaching, and a simpler device can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a sequence control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a memory configuration of a storage unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a memory configuration of an output information table.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a flow of information in the case of teaching or reproduction, including a detailed diagram of an output instruction unit in the output information table.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow at the time of teaching.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow during playback.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an algorithm of the first embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an algorithm of the first embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of work until the completion of the control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a work flow until the control system is completed by a circuit diagram method.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of work until the control system is completed by the teaching method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 storage unit 2 central processing unit 3 input / output unit 4 operation unit 5 controlled unit 6 control unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A first control means for automatically generating a control program for controlling a controlled body according to a teaching, and a second control means for controlling the controlled body by a method other than the teaching such as numerical calculation. A storage unit for storing the output instruction data corresponding to the address obtained by the first control unit and the data used by the second control unit; and the output instruction data stored in the storage unit. It is characterized by further comprising: an instructing means for instructing an arbitrary address, and a reproducing means for controlling the controlled object by outputting the output instructing data corresponding to the address instructed by the instructing means. Sequence control device. 2. The sequence control device according to claim 1, further comprising switching means for switching between control by the first control means and control by the second control means. 3. The output instruction data includes switching instruction data for instructing switching between control by the first control means and control by the second control means, and the switching means is included in the output instruction data. 3. The sequence control device according to claim 2, wherein the control by the first control unit and the control by the second control unit are switched by reading the switching instruction data. 4. The output instruction data includes jump destination instruction data for designating a jump destination of the address, and the instructing means designates the arbitrary address by reading the jump destination instruction data. The sequence control device according to claim 1. 5. The sequence control device according to claim 1, wherein the output instruction data is obtained by operating the controlled object from an operation panel of the sequence control device. 6. A control program for automatically controlling a controlled object according to the teaching is automatically generated, and switching instruction data for switching the control method is included in the output instruction data to the controlled object obtained by the teaching. No, the output instruction data is stored in association with an address, the arbitrary address is designated, and the output instruction data corresponding to the designated address is output to the controlled object. While controlling the body, by controlling the controlled body by a method other than teaching such as numerical calculation and reading the switching instruction data in the output instruction data, the control by teaching and the control other than teaching can be performed. A sequence control method characterized by switching.