JPH1097310A - Programmable controller and its system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a programmable controller which can eliminate the time and labor needed for design of a new device type and also can shorten the time needed for decision of a device type. SOLUTION: When a tool part 3 transmits a device type confirmation command, a programmable controller main body 2 turns on the bit showing its own device type and the bits showing the device types having compatibility of almost lower orders among those bits included in the device type information and answers the part 3. These bits are arranged in such a way where the higher bits and the newer devices types are set in higher ranks. The part 3 decides in order the ON/OFF sates from the bit showing the latest main body 2 through the lower bits which are grasped by the part 3 itself out of the device type information. Then the part 3 decide the device type of the main body 2 based on the position of the bit that detected first its ON state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a programmable controller system comprising a programmable controller and a tool unit which can be connected to a plurality of types of programmable controllers so that the type of the programmable controller can be easily confirmed, and to the programmable controller. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Programmable controller systems have been widely used as a core of various controls including sequence control. These systems are often divided into, for example, a programmable controller main body (hereinafter, abbreviated as a PC main body) that controls each device to be controlled, such as a relay, and a tool unit that handles a man-machine interface. The tool unit is realized by, for example, a personal computer or a dedicated peripheral device, and is used for creating a program of the PC main body or for monitoring an operation state.

[0003] With the advancement and diversification of production methods and technological advances in the PC main body, new models have been developed and specifications have been improved one after another, or versions of installed software have been upgraded. In the following, models that are different from the old model, such as models with added functions or models with improved or upgraded software specifications, will be collectively referred to as new models. This is simply referred to as version upgrade.

Many of these new models are designed to improve the processing speed, add functions, or increase the control scale, but have compatibility with the conventional models in terms of basic functions. Or similar.

On the other hand, in order to utilize all the functions of the PC body of the new model, it is desired that the specifications of the tool section have a necessary and sufficient relationship with the specifications of the PC body. Therefore, P
When a new model of the C body is developed, the tool unit also needs to develop a new model in response. Only when both are new models, all functions of the new model PC body can be used. Therefore, it is ideal that both the PC body and the tool unit simultaneously shift to a new model.

Although the fields of use are different, as a method for making the two models uniform, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
No. 5 discloses, for example, POS used in department stores and the like.
(Point Of Sale) In a data processing device such as a terminal, data for all slave units is stored in the master unit in advance,
A method of downloading the data to the slave according to the position used by the slave is disclosed. In this method, data is transmitted from the parent device to the child device as needed, so that there is no mismatch in specifications between the two.

However, when the above method is applied to a programmable controller, the following problems occur. That is, as described above, in the programmable controller, the PC body and the tool section are frequently upgraded, and the data of each version is larger than that in the case of product management. As a result, when storing all data, the storage area required by the master unit is
It will be huge. Further, when using the slave, it is necessary to download data corresponding to the slave from the master. Therefore, when there is a possibility that connection / disconnection between the PC body and the tool unit frequently occurs, such as when a portable tool unit is used, download frequently occurs. As a result, the overhead due to the download increases, and the practicality is not sufficient in the field of factory automation (FA).

As a result, it is difficult to apply the method to a programmable controller, and in a transitional market, it is inevitable that a new model and an old model are mixed in the PC body and the tool section.

In this situation, in order to cope with a case where the tool section is newer, it is desirable that the new tool section can be used in both a new model and an old model of the PC main body. On the other hand, in case the PC itself is newer, the tool part is required to be able to use the functions compatible with the old model, even if the functions added in the new model of the PC cannot be used. ing.

In order to respond to the above demand, the conventional tool unit is provided with a function for confirming the connected PC main body as described below. Here, a conventional model checking method will be described by taking as an example a case where three models are prepared for the PC body and the tool unit, respectively. When each model is particularly distinguished, for example, P
As in the case of the C main body a, the reference numbers a to c are attached in order from the oldest one and referred to.

In the conventional model checking method, a new model checking command for a new model is prepared every time a PC is developed. The tool section and the PC main body store all model confirmation commands that can be grasped at the time of development.

When instructing the PC, the tool unit issues a model confirmation command for inquiring about the model before issuing a command corresponding to the instruction. Each model confirmation command is issued in order from the new one. On the other hand, P
The C main body can normally respond to the model confirmation command for the own model and the older model.

For example, when the tool part b is developed, the PC main bodies a and b exist. Therefore, the tool part b
Model confirmation commands a and b for both PC bodies a and b are stored. At this point, since the PC main body c has not been developed, the tool unit b cannot identify the model confirmation command c. On the other hand, the PC main body b executes the model confirmation command a
A normal response can be made to b, but an abnormal response is made to the model confirmation command c. In addition, the PC main body c executes a model confirmation command a.
Or c can be normally answered.

When confirming the model, the tool section b first issues a model confirmation command b. Tool part b
When a newer model, that is, the PC main body c is connected, the PC main body c normally responds to the model confirmation command b to the effect that it is the PC main body b. Thereby, the tool part b determines that the PC main body b is connected. As a result, the tool unit b can use the PC main body c, which is a newer model, within the range of the specifications of the PC main body b. Note that the PC body c can normally respond to the model confirmation command c to the effect that the PC body c is the PC body c. Therefore, when the PC body c is connected to the tool unit c, it is recognized as the PC body c.
All functions are used.

On the other hand, when a model older than the tool section b, that is, the PC main body a is connected, the PC main body a
Cannot recognize the model confirmation command b and responds abnormally.
In this case, the tool unit b issues the next new model confirmation command a among the stored model confirmation commands.
Since the PC body a can recognize the model confirmation command a, the tool part b receives a normal response. This allows
The tool part b recognizes that the PC main body a is connected, and can use the PC main body a within the range of the specification.

[0016]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the tool section sends out the model confirmation commands sequentially from the new one until a normal response is received from the PC body. Therefore, in the worst case, it is necessary to issue all the model confirmation commands recognized by the tool unit.

As a result, there is a problem that the model confirmation process becomes complicated and takes a lot of time. P
Since the number of model confirmation commands increases as the number of models of the C main body increases, the time required for model confirmation further increases. Furthermore, when designing the tool part and the PC body,
It is necessary to grasp all the model confirmation commands, and there is also a problem that it becomes complicated.

The PC body must respond normally to commands recognized by itself (model confirmation command and operation command), and respond abnormally to commands it does not recognize. Therefore, when developing a new model of the PC main body, it is necessary to consider the connection with the old tool part, and there is also a problem that the design is troublesome.

More specifically, the PC body must correctly respond to the model confirmation command, but the model confirmation command is prepared every time a new model is designed. Therefore, the PC body needs to support all communication protocols used when the tool unit sends out the model confirmation command so that any type confirmation command can be correctly answered.

Further, in the case where the tool unit is connected to all the old model tool units, the function of the tool unit and the ladder instruction newly added to the PC body are displayed in consideration of the manner in which the tool unit is displayed. It is necessary to determine the basic design and memory map. As a result, as the number of older models of the tool unit increases, the trouble in designing the PC main body increases. Further, since a change in the design is restricted, it is difficult to improve the performance of the PC main body by adding a new function or improving the storage capacity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a programmable controller and a programmable controller system capable of easily confirming the model of the programmable controller and reducing the design time. Is to do.

[0022]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a programmable controller which can be connected to a programmable controller and a plurality of types of programmable controllers. A programmable controller of a programmable controller system having a tool unit capable of issuing a model confirmation command to be inquired is provided with the following means.

That is, when the model confirmation command is received, the model information indicating the combination of a plurality of models of the own model and the models having substantially backward compatibility with the model is transmitted to the tool unit. An information notification unit is provided.

When the programmable controller and the tool section are connected, and the tool section controls the programmable controller in the same manner as when the above-mentioned model is connected, if there is no problem, the programmable controller is It is said that the above model has substantially backward compatibility. That is, models having substantially backward compatibility include models similar to the programmable controller.
Further, the model information notifying means is, for example, a ROM (Read-On
This can be easily realized by storing the combination in advance in a storage device such as ly Memory). When stored in the storage device, the combination is read out in response to the model confirmation command.

In the above configuration, once the tool unit issues the model confirmation command, the model information notifying unit notifies the tool unit of a combination of a plurality of models. The tool section
From the received model information, for example, a model having the highest function is selected from models that can be controlled by itself, and the connected programmable controller determines which model to determine.

Since the programmable controller can simultaneously notify a plurality of models to the tool unit, the number of times the tool unit issues a model confirmation command can be reduced as compared with the related art when determining the model of the connected programmable controller. This simplifies the model confirmation process and shortens the time required for confirmation.

Further, unlike the related art, it is not necessary to prepare a model confirmation command for each programmable controller individually. Therefore, when designing a tool section or a programmable controller,
There is no need to know many model confirmation commands,
Reduces design time.

Further, in the programmable controller according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the model information notifying means is configured to execute all of the model of the own model and the model of the model having substantially backward compatibility. It is characterized by transmitting model information indicating the model of the device.

Thus, the model can be confirmed by a single model confirmation command. Therefore, the time required to confirm the model of the programmable controller can be further reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, the model information issued by the model information notifying means corresponds to each model of the programmable controller. In addition, an area indicating whether or not the model is included in the combination is provided.

In the above configuration, each area of the model information corresponds to each model. Therefore, when determining the model of the programmable controller, the tool unit can easily determine the model within the range of models that can be connected to itself by selecting an area to be used. As a result, the time required for model confirmation can be further reduced.

Further, a programmable controller according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect of the present invention, the areas are arranged in a new order of the models.

In the above configuration, since the areas are arranged in the new order, the tool unit determines the latest model within the range of models connectable to itself by judging in order from the area corresponding to the new model. Easy to choose. As a result, the time required for model confirmation can be further reduced.

The direction in which each area is determined is constant regardless of the model of the tool unit. Further, since each area indicates whether or not a model corresponding to the area is included in the model of the connected programmable controller and the model of substantially lower compatibility, the determination method is also constant. . Therefore, when developing a new model tool section,
According to the type of the programmable controller that can be grasped at the time when the tool unit is being developed, simply set an area for starting the determination and a process corresponding to the area,
A model confirmation process can be designed. As a result, the model confirmation process can be designed with the same design concept in the future, so that the design time can be reduced.

On the other hand, a programmable controller system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a programmable controller system including a programmable controller and a tool unit which can be connected to a plurality of types of programmable controllers and gives instructions to the connected programmable controllers. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the following features are provided.

That is, the tool unit includes tool model information notifying means for notifying the programmable controller of tool model information indicating its model before giving an instruction to the connected programmable controller. And determining means for determining whether or not connection with the tool unit is possible based on the received tool model information and transmitting the result to the tool unit.

In the above configuration, the programmable controller receiving the instruction can specify whether or not to connect to the tool unit. Therefore, for example, an undesired tool part such as a tool part whose specification changes widely compared to a tool part which can be normally connected to the programmable controller, or a tool part of an old model having a very low possibility of use, Connection with the programmable controller can be refused.

As a result, the programmable controller does not need to consider connection with an undesired tool part, and can improve the degree of freedom in designing a basic design or a memory map, for example. Further, when communicating between the tool unit and the programmable controller, it is sufficient that only the notification of the tool model information and the connection availability can be transmitted and received. Therefore, the types of communication protocols to be supported can be reduced as compared with the related art. As a result, it is possible to reduce the trouble in designing the programmable controller, and to improve the function without being restricted by the conventional model.

[0039]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[Embodiment 1] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The programmable controller system according to the present embodiment is used to control devices to be controlled such as motors and relays in the field of factory automation (FA), for example. As shown in FIG. The apparatus includes a programmable controller main body 2 (hereinafter, abbreviated as a PC main body 2) that controls the target device 1 and a tool unit 3 that is in charge of a man-machine interface.

The PC main body 2 is, for example, a DSP (Digi
tal Signal Processor) and CPU (Central Processing)
An arithmetic processing unit (model information notification means) 21 such as
RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read-On
ly Memory) and interface units 23 and 2 for communicating with the control target device 1 and the tool unit 3.
3 is provided. In the PC main body 2, the arithmetic processing unit 2
1 controls the interface units 23 in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 22 and
Can be monitored and controlled.

The tool unit 3 includes, for example, a personal computer,
Or it is realized by dedicated peripherals, etc.
An input unit 31 such as a keyboard and a display unit 32 such as a monitor
And an arithmetic processing unit 33 for controlling the entire tool unit 3 such as a CPU, a storage unit 34 such as a ROM, a RAM, or a disk device, and an interface unit 35 for communicating with the PC main body 2. I have. Tool part 3
In the above, the arithmetic processing unit 33 operates according to the program stored in the storage unit 34, and sends a command to the PC main unit 2 based on an instruction of the operator recognized by the input unit 31, or executes an operation from the PC main unit 2. The status can be received and displayed on the display unit 32. Thereby, the operator can monitor the operation status of the PC main body 2. Also, the creation of a program for the PC body 2 is performed by the tool unit 3.
This is performed using

The PC body 2 and the tool unit 3 are connected via a cable 4 and a converter 5. When the tool unit 3 is not connected, the PC body 2 can monitor and control each control target device 1 according to a situation according to a program stored in advance. On the other hand, when the tool unit 3 is connected, the PC main body 2 can respond to an instruction from the tool unit 3.

The two members 2 and 3 are connected via the cable 4 and the converter 5 so that they can be easily attached and detached, and the tool unit 3 has a PC different from the previously connected model.
The main body 2 is often connected. Therefore, before transmitting the operator's instruction to the PC main body 2, the tool unit 3 issues a model confirmation command to confirm the model of the PC main body 2.

Here, the operation of the PC main body 2 and the tool section 3 in response to an operator's instruction will be described step by step based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In step 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as S1), when an operator's key operation is received,
In step S2, the tool unit 3 determines a key operation, and determines whether communication with the PC main body 2 is necessary for processing the operation. If communication is not required, the tool unit 3 performs processing according to the operation alone,
Wait for the next operation.

On the other hand, when communication is necessary, in S3,
The tool unit 3 sends a model confirmation command 11 in the format shown in FIG. The model confirmation command 11 includes a header STX and a terminator ETX for normal communication, and a command code KC indicating that the command is a model confirmation command. The command code KC is common to the tool units 3 having different versions.

When the model confirmation command 11 is received,
As shown in FIG. 4, the PC body 2 sends a response 12 including the model information K to the tool unit 3 (S4). As shown in FIG. 5, the model information K indicates a combination of its own model and a model having substantially backward compatibility such as a model having backward compatibility or a similar model. In addition to the model information K, the response 12 includes a header STX and a terminator ETX for performing normal communication, and a result flag ACK indicating that the PC body 2 has normally responded. This model information K is stored in the storage unit 22 of each PC main body 2, and is stored in the arithmetic processing unit 21
Reads the model information K from the storage unit 22 and reads the tool unit 3
Send to On the other hand, the tool unit 3 determines the model of the PC main body 2 at a time based on the model information K included in the response (S5).

Further, the tool unit 3 sends a command according to the instruction of the operator within the range of the specification of the determined model.
It is sent to the C body 2 (S6). The PC main body 2 performs the operation specified by the command (S7), and returns the result to the tool unit 3 (S8). The tool unit 3 posts information to the operator based on a response from the PC main body 2 by, for example, updating the display (S9).

The processing of S1 to S9 is repeated every time the operator operates the tool section 3. Thus, the tool unit 3 can transmit an operator's instruction to the PC main body 2 irrespective of whether the model of the PC main body 2 is new or old. In the above S4, since the PC body 2 sends the model information including the model having the backward compatibility to the tool unit 3,
The model of the PC main body 2 can be specified by issuing the model confirmation command 11 only once. As a result, unlike the related art, it is not necessary to repeatedly issue the model confirmation command, and the process at the time of model confirmation is greatly simplified.

Here, the model information K and the S
The operation of the tool unit 3 when determining the model at 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the following, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that there are five types of models in the PC main body 2 and the tool section 3, and the PC main bodies 2a to 2f or the tool sections 3a to 3f are expressed in order from the old model. Each of the tool units 3 is developed at the same time as the PC main unit 2 with the same lower case letter, and can use all the functions of the PC main unit 2.

In the model information K issued by the PC main body 2 according to the present embodiment, areas corresponding to the PC main bodies 2a to 2f are set in advance like bits b0 to b5 shown in FIG. When notifying the model information K, the main body 2 turns on a bit indicating itself and a bit corresponding to a model that is backward compatible with itself. For example, PC body 2
The latest models that have upward compatibility with a and 2c, P
The C body 2f sets the bits b0, b2, and b5 to on, and sets the remaining bits to off.

On the other hand, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the tool unit 3 sends the response 12 in the format shown in FIG.
Is received, the format is confirmed in S11. If an error is found in the header STX, the terminator ETX, the normal response flag ACK, and the like (YES in S12), the tool unit 3 performs a format error process without checking the model information K. (S13).

If the formats are all normal, the tool unit 3 acquires the model information K in S14, and sequentially proceeds from S15 to S20 in order from the latest model which it knows to the old model. Examine and determine the model.

For example, the tool section 3f is the latest model, and grasps all models of the PC main bodies 2f to 2a. In this case, the tool unit 3f first performs the processing of S15, and determines whether the bit b5 is on or off. As described above, the PC main body 2f sets the bits of the model information K
b0, b2, and b5 are set to ON. Therefore,
The tool unit 3f determines that the connected model is the PC main body 2f, and ends the check (S21).

If bit b5 of model information K is off (NO in S15), on / off of bit b4 is determined in S16.
e is determined (S22). Hereinafter, similarly, the model of the PC main body 2 is determined in steps S23 to S26 according to the bit that is determined to be ON first among the bits b3 to b0. If any of the bits are off (NO in S20), the tool unit 3 performs an error process such as notifying the operator of an abnormality by display (S27).

On the other hand, the tool unit 3, for example, the tool unit 3e before the development of the PC main unit 2f supports the PC main units 2e to 2a, but does not support the PC main unit 2f. The newly added function cannot be used. In this case, the tool unit 3e performs processing other than S15 and S21 among the above S15 to S27, and checks in the order of bits b4 to b0. Therefore, when the connected model is the PC main unit 2f, the tool unit 3e first detects b2 as an ON bit, and determines that the PC main unit 2c. In this case, the tool section 3e is provided within the range of the specification of the PC main body 2c.
Use f.

Similarly, in the case of the tool section 3a, S2
The process of 0 and S26 is performed, and only the bit b0 is checked. In this case, the tool unit 3a determines that the PC main body 2a is connected, and sets the P within the range of the specification of the PC main body 2a.
The C body 2f is used.

As described above, the PC main body 2 according to the present embodiment includes the arithmetic processing unit 21 that communicates with the tool unit 3 via the interface unit 23, and when the model confirmation command 11 is received once, A response is made of model information K indicating a combination of a plurality of models of the own model and models having substantially backward compatibility with the own model.

In general, after the tool unit 3 issues a model confirmation command, it takes time for the PC body 2 to recognize and respond to the command. In particular, when communicating with the tool unit 3 only during a period in which data exchange with the control target device 1 is not performed in order to constantly monitor and control the control target device 1, the PC main unit 2
Cannot always respond immediately to the model confirmation command. Therefore, the time required for the response is relatively long. Further, at the time of communication, a header and a terminator are added, so that overhead occurs. Therefore, when a large number of model confirmation commands are issued to confirm the model as in the related art, the required time tends to be long.

However, the PC body 2 according to the present embodiment
Can simultaneously return model information K indicating a plurality of models.
Thereby, when the tool unit 3 determines the model of the connected PC main body 2, the number of times of issuing the model confirmation command can be reduced. As a result, the model confirmation process is simplified, and the time required for confirmation can be significantly reduced. Therefore, the PC main body 2 is particularly suitable for an FA site where responsiveness is required.

Further, unlike the related art, it is not necessary to separately prepare a model confirmation command for each PC main body 2, and a common model confirmation command 11 can be used. Therefore, when designing the tool section 3 or the PC main body 2, it is not necessary to grasp a large number of model confirmation commands as in the related art, so that the design time can be reduced.

Further, the PC main body 2 according to the present embodiment
There is no need to store a large number of model confirmation commands as in the related art. What is necessary is just to store the model information K indicating the own model and each model having substantially backward compatibility with the own model.
Therefore, the storage capacity of the storage unit 22 of the PC main body 2 can be reduced as compared with the related art.

In the present embodiment, the PC main body 2 notifies the tool section 3 of its own model and all models having substantially lower compatibility with the tool section 3 by means of the model information K. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. As long as a plurality of models can be notified at the same time, substantially the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

However, when not reporting all models at once, the tool unit 3 needs to issue a model confirmation command a plurality of times. However, in this embodiment, since the PC main body 2 notifies all the models at once, the tool unit 3
The model of the PC body 2 can be confirmed by a single model confirmation command 11. Therefore, the time required for confirmation can be further reduced.

In this embodiment, the model of the PC body 2 is associated with each bit of the model information K, and the model of the PC body 2 is transmitted by turning on / off these bits. The method is not limited to this.
For example, data indicating a model of the PC main body 2 and data indicating a model having substantially backward compatibility may be sequentially transmitted. As long as the tool unit 3 can transmit data indicating a plurality of models to the tool unit 3 every time the tool unit 3 issues the model confirmation command 11 once, substantially the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained. .

However, as shown in this embodiment, when each model of the PC main body 2 is associated with a specific area such as a bit of the model information K, the tool unit 3 determines the model of the PC main body 2. At the time of determination, by selecting an area to be used, a model can be easily determined within a range of models that can be connected to itself. As a result, the time required for model confirmation can be further reduced.

Furthermore, as shown in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the respective areas are provided in the new order of the models. Thus, the tool unit 3 can easily select the latest model within the range of models that can be connected to the tool unit 3 by sequentially determining from the area corresponding to the new model. As a result, the time required for model confirmation can be further reduced.

The direction in which each area is determined is constant regardless of the model of the tool unit 3. Furthermore, since each area indicates whether or not a model corresponding to the area is included in the model of the connected PC main body 2 and the models of substantially lower compatibility, the method of determination is constant. is there. Therefore, when developing a tool unit 3 of a new model, an area for starting determination and a process corresponding to the area are determined according to the model of the PC main body 2 that can be grasped at the time when the tool unit 3 is developed. By setting, the model confirmation process can be designed. As a result, the model confirmation process can be designed with the same design concept in the future, and the labor required when designing a new tool unit 3 can be greatly reduced.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, a programmable controller system having a method for confirming a model which can reduce the time and effort for designing the tool unit 3 and can quickly make a determination at the time of determination has been described. On the contrary,
In the present embodiment, a programmable controller system including a model checking method capable of reducing the time required for designing the PC main body 2 will be described.

In the model confirmation method according to the present embodiment, when a model confirmation command is transmitted, tool model information indicating the model of the tool section 3 is transmitted, and based on this, the PC main body 2 notifies whether connection is possible or not. It is characterized by doing.

The programmable controller system according to this embodiment has the same hardware configuration as that of the first embodiment. The operation of the PC body 2 and the tool unit 3 at the time of model confirmation, or the operation between the two members 2 and 3 Are different in the format of the communication transmitted and received between them. Therefore, members having the same configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the hardware configuration will be omitted. The operation and communication format of the PC body 2 and the tool unit 3 will be mainly described.
In the present embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 21 of the PC main body 2 corresponds to the determination unit described in the claims, and the tool unit 3
Corresponds to the tool model information notifying means.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, in the model confirmation method according to the present embodiment, similarly to FIG. 2, a step of transmitting an operation command based on an instruction of an operator (S4).
0 to S43), the tool unit 3 issues a model confirmation command (S31 to S33);
A step (S39) of determining the model of the PC main body 2 by the tool unit 3 based on the response.

However, the tool section 3 according to this embodiment is
When issuing the model confirmation command in S33, as shown in FIG. 8, a model confirmation command 13 is issued instead of the model confirmation command 11 shown in FIG. The model confirmation command 13 includes, in addition to the model confirmation command 11,
An area for storing tool model information TK indicating its own model and an area for storing version information V indicating a version are provided. KV is a command code similar to KC shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, the tool model information TK includes bits b0 to b3 as areas corresponding to the tool sections 3a to 3d, similarly to the model information K shown in FIG.
It has. As shown in FIG. 10, in the version information V, the integer part Va of the version is stored in bits b7 to b4, and the decimal part Vb is stored in bits b3 to b0. Therefore, for example, the tool unit 3
When the version of d is 2.0, “2” is stored in bits b7 to b4 of the version information V, and bit b3
"B" stores "0". In the present embodiment, the two-digit version number is represented by one byte, but it may be defined in units of bits as in the case of the tool model information TK. The tool unit 3 can notify the PC main unit 2 of its own model and version by using these pieces of information TK · V. Each information TK / V is stored in the storage unit 34 of each tool unit 3, and the arithmetic processing unit 33 reads each information TK from the storage unit 34 to create the model confirmation command 13 and Send to

Further, in the model confirmation method according to the present embodiment, the PC body 2 determines whether or not connection is possible based on the information TK / V, and notifies the tool unit 3 of whether or not connection is possible (S34 to S36). ) And a step (S37 and S38) in which the tool unit 3 performs a connection error process when the connection is not permitted.

In the present embodiment, the PC main body 2 is
As shown in FIG. 1, whether or not the connection is permitted is notified using the normal response 14. The normal response 14 is provided with an area for storing connection availability information E indicating whether or not the connection is possible, in addition to the areas of the response 12 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the connection availability information E is expressed as one ASCII code character in the serial communication in the normal response 14, "1" indicates that connection is possible, and "0" indicates that connection is not possible. . Naturally, whether or not the connection is possible may be notified by other methods such as a numerical value in 1-byte units and on / off of bits. The other areas in the normal response 14 are the same as those in the first embodiment.
Is notified. Thereby, the PC main body 2 can notify the tool unit 3 of the connection possibility and the model information K of the own model.

By the way, when the PC main body 2 detects a communication error, such as when the tool main body information TK received by the PC main body 2 has an error, the PC main body 2 issues an abnormal response 15 as shown in FIG. Is sent. The abnormal response 15 includes the abnormal response flag NAK, so that the tool unit 3 can distinguish it from the normal response 14. Also,
The error response 15 also includes an error code indicating the type of the error.

The tool section 3 executes the processing in S39 only when the normal response 14 indicating that connection is possible is received in S37.
Through the processing of S43, and the operation command is
Send to On the other hand, when the abnormal response 15 is received and when the normal response 14 indicates that connection is impossible, error processing is performed in S38, and no operation command is transmitted. Thus, in the case of the tool unit 3 supported by itself, the PC main body 2 can stop issuing the operation command to the tool unit 3.

Here, the operation when the PC main body 2 determines the model of the tool section 3 in S34 to S36 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that, for convenience of explanation, as in the first embodiment,
In the following, a description will be given of a case in which there are six types of models a to f in which the PC body 2 and the tool unit 3 are oldest.
Will be described as an example. In the PC main body 2d, connection is prohibited if all versions of the tool sections 3a and 3c and the version of the tool section 3b are less than 2.0, the connection is prohibited, the tool section 3b version 2.0 or later, and For all versions of the tool unit 3d, it is assumed that connection is permitted. Note that the PC body 2d recognizes the tool units 3a to 3d, but does not recognize a newer model.

In S51, the PC body 2 confirms the format of the received model confirmation command 13. If there is an abnormality in the header STX, the terminator ETX, etc. (in the case of YES in S52), the PC main body 2 performs error processing and returns an abnormal response 15 shown in FIG. 12 to the tool unit 3 (S53). On the other hand, if there is no abnormality in the format, the tool model information TK is extracted from the model confirmation command 13 (S54). And the PC body 2
In the tool model information TK, on / off is determined in order from the bit corresponding to the latest tool unit 3 recognized by itself, and the model indicated by the tool model information TK is determined (S55 to S58). As shown in FIG. 9, in the tool model information TK, since a new model is arranged on the MSB side, the bit determination is performed from the MSB side toward the LSB side. In the case of the PC main body 2d, since the latest model is the tool unit 3d, the PC main body 2d determines ON / OFF sequentially from the bit b3.

If the bit b3 is ON (YES in S55), the PC main body 2 determines that the model is the tool unit 3d (S59). As described above, the PC body 2d is set in advance so that the tool unit 3d can be connected. Therefore, the PC main body 2d notifies the tool section 3 of the normal response 14 indicating that connection is possible (S60). In the normal response 14, in the model information K, as in the first embodiment, a bit indicating the own model and a bit indicating a model that is backward compatible with the own model are set to ON. In addition, “1” indicating connection permission is set in the connection permission information E.

On the other hand, if the bit that was initially turned on is b2, the PC body 2 determines that the model is the tool unit 3c (S61). Since it is set that the connection with the tool unit 3c is not possible, the PC body 2d notifies the tool unit 3 of the normal response 14 indicating that the connection is not possible (S62).
The connection availability information E of the normal response 14 is set to “0”, indicating that connection is impossible. Similarly, if the bit that was initially on is b0, the PC body 2 determines that the model is the tool unit 3a (S68), and returns a normal response 14 indicating that connection is impossible (S69).

If the bit that was first turned on is b1, the PC body 2 determines that the model is the tool unit 3b (S63). However, in this case, connection availability differs depending on the version. Therefore, the PC body 2d
Further obtains version information V from the model confirmation command 13 received from the tool unit 3 (S64),
Based on this, it is determined whether connection is possible (S65).

If the version acquired in S64 is 2.0 or more, the PC main body 2 determines that connection is possible, and notifies the tool unit 3 of a normal response 14 indicating that connection is possible, as in S60. (S66). On the other hand, if the version is less than 2.0, the PC body 2 sends a normal response 14 indicating that connection is impossible to the tool unit 3 as in S62 (S67).

If none of the bits is on (No in S58), the remaining bits of the tool model information TK are checked in S70. If all the remaining bits are off (YES in S71), it is considered that there is an error in the tool model information TK. Therefore, the PC main body 2d is moved to the tool section 3 as shown in FIG.
An abnormal response 15 shown in FIG. 2 is transmitted (S72). In this case, a code indicating that all bits are off is set in the error code ER.

On the other hand, if there is an ON bit among the remaining bits in S71, the PC body 2d determines that the unknown model is connected as the tool unit 3 (S73). . In this case, similar to the above S60,
A normal response 14 indicating that connection is possible is sent to the tool unit 3 (S
74).

When the model of the PC main body 2 is different,
In the tool model information TK, the bit position at which the determination starts is changed. For example, in the case of the PC main body 2e that supports the tool unit 3e, the determination starts from the bit b4 of the tool model information TK to the LSB side, and in the case of the PC main body 2a that supports only the tool unit 3a, the bit b0 Only judge. However, in the tool model information TK, since the new model is allocated on the MSB side, the determination method and the order are the same regardless of the PC main body 2.

Next, in steps S37 to S39 shown in FIG. 7, the operation when the tool unit 3 which has received the responses 14 and 15 from the PC main body 2 determines whether or not the connection is possible and the model is shown in a flowchart shown in FIG. This will be described in detail.

That is, in S81, the tool unit 3
Checks the format of the received response to determine whether all are normal. When there is an error in the header STX or the terminator ETX, or when an error response 15 is received (YES in S82), the tool unit 3 performs a format error process, a process based on an error code in the error response 15, and the like. Error processing is performed (S83).

On the other hand, when receiving the normal response 14 having no abnormality in the format, the tool unit 3
4 and obtains connection permission information E (S84), and determines whether connection is possible (S85). In the present embodiment, since the connection permission / prohibition information E is represented by one ASCII code character, the tool unit 3 converts the ASCII code into a binary code and converts it into nibble (4 bits) data.
Determine whether connection is possible. If the connection availability information E indicates that the connection is not possible, the tool unit 3 notifies the operator of the connection inability at S86, for example, by display, and performs a connection error process. In this case, the tool unit 3 does not issue an operation command to the PC body 2.

If the connection possibility information E indicates that connection is possible (YES in S85), the tool unit 3
In subsequent S87 to S100, S1 shown in FIG.
4 to S27, the type of the PC main body 2 is determined. After the determination, the tool unit 3 proceeds to S4 shown in FIG.
As shown in steps 0 to S43, an operation command corresponding to the instruction of the operator is issued to the PC main body 2.

As described above, the programmable controller system according to the present embodiment includes the PC main body 2 for monitoring and controlling the control target device 1 and the tool unit 3 for giving instructions to the PC main body 2. When the command 13 is transmitted, the tool unit 3 sets the tool model information T indicating its own model.
K, and the PC body 2
It is characterized in that the connection is notified.

In the above configuration, it is possible to specify whether or not the PC main body 2 is to be connected to the tool unit 3 and reject an undesired connection to the tool unit 3. Specifically, for example, the PC main body 2
Connection with undesired tool units 3 such as the tool unit 3 whose specification changes widely and the tool unit 3 of the old model whose use possibility is extremely low compared with the tool unit 3 which can be normally connected to Can reject.

When the PC main unit 2 cannot refuse connection with the tool unit 3 as in the conventional case, it is necessary to consider the connection of the tool unit 3 with all the old models when designing the PC main unit 2. However, the time required for the design increases with the increase in the number of old models. Therefore, the tool unit 3 on the PC main body 2 side
It is better to be able to permit or prohibit the connection with.

However, when the tool unit 3 sends out the model confirmation commands recognized by itself in the new order until the desired response is received from the PC main unit 2 as in the conventional case, the PC main unit 2 is not connected. It is difficult to set permission or prohibition of the

Specifically, in the conventional method, the PC body 2
Must normally respond only to the latest model confirmation command, and return an abnormal response to other older model confirmation commands. Therefore, the tool unit 3 cannot obtain a desired response even after transmitting all of the recognized model confirmation commands. However, in order to avoid a connection failure due to a communication error or the like, if all responses are abnormal responses, the tool unit 3 is connected as the lowest model among the models recognized by the tool unit 3. Body 2
Can not refuse the connection.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the tool unit 3 sends out the model confirmation command 13, the tool unit 3 sends out tool model information TK indicating its own model, and the PC body 2 determines whether connection is possible. Reply to the tool section 3. Thus, the tool unit 3 can accurately determine whether the connection is possible. Therefore, the PC main body 2 can limit the tool units 3 that can be connected to the PC main body 2, and there is no need to consider connection with other tool units 3. As a result, for example, the degree of freedom in designing a basic design, a memory map, or the like can be improved. Further, when communicating between the tool unit 3 and the PC main body 2, it is sufficient that only the notification of the tool model information TK and the connection availability can be transmitted and received. Therefore, the types of communication protocols to be supported can be reduced as compared with the related art. As a result, it is possible to reduce the trouble of designing the PC main body 2 and to improve the functions without being restricted by the conventional model.

In the present embodiment, the tool unit 3 sends out the model confirmation command 13 including the tool model information TK, and the PC body 2 returns the normal response 14 including the model information K and the connection availability information E. Although the case has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. The response including the connection availability information E is P
With the configuration returned by the C body 2, substantially the same effects as those of the present embodiment can be obtained. However, by returning the response including the model information K at the same time, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained in addition to the effect when only the connection availability information E is included.
It is desired to return a response including both information KE.

In addition to the above configuration, in the present embodiment, when the tool unit 3 issues the model confirmation command 13, the tool unit 3 also notifies the PC body 2 of the version information V at the same time. Thus, even when the connection is different between the same model and a certain version, the PC main body 2 can reliably determine the connection.

In this embodiment, the tool model information T
K has an area corresponding to each model of the tool unit 3, but is not limited to this. For example, the model of the tool unit 3 may be notified by a numerical value corresponding to each model. However, when the above-described areas are provided in the tool model information TK, the PC main body 2 performs processing in steps S70 to S74 in FIG.
As shown in (1), it is possible to determine whether there is a communication error or whether the unknown model is connected by determining ON / OFF of an area that cannot be recognized by itself. Thereby, the PC main body 2 can determine the model of the tool unit 3 without being confused with the case where a communication error has occurred in the tool model information TK.

[0100]

As described above, when the programmable controller according to the first aspect of the present invention receives a model confirmation command for inquiring about a model from the tool unit, the programmable controller has substantially lower compatibility with itself. And a model information notifying unit for sending model information indicating a combination of a plurality of models to the tool unit.

In the above configuration, since the programmable controller can notify a plurality of models to the tool unit at the same time, the number of times the tool unit issues a model confirmation command can be reduced.
This has the effect of shortening the time required for confirmation. Further, unlike the related art, there is no need to grasp a large number of model confirmation commands, and the effect of reducing the time and effort at the time of design is also achieved.

As described above, in the programmable controller according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the model information notifying means includes a model having substantially backward compatibility with its own model. This is a configuration for transmitting model information indicating all models.

Thus, the model can be confirmed by a single model confirmation command. Therefore, the time required to confirm the model of the programmable controller can be further reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, the model information issued by the model information notifying means includes each model of the programmable controller. And an area indicating whether or not the model is included in the combination is provided.

In the above configuration, the tool section can easily determine the model within the range of models that can be connected to itself by selecting an area to be used at the time of determination. As a result, there is an effect that the time required for model confirmation can be further reduced.

As described above, the programmable controller according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is configured such that, in the third aspect of the present invention, each of the areas is arranged in a new model order.

In the above configuration, since the areas are arranged in the new order, the latest model can be easily selected, and the time required for model confirmation can be further reduced. In addition, since the direction and method for determining each area are constant regardless of the model of the tool part, the model confirmation process can be designed with the same design concept in the future, and the effect of reducing the design time can be reduced. Play.

As described above, in the programmable controller system according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the tool unit notifies the programmable controller of tool model information indicating its own model before giving an instruction to the connected programmable controller. Tool type information notifying means is provided, and the programmable controller is provided with determining means for determining whether or not connection with the tool unit is possible based on the received tool type information and transmitting the result to the tool unit.

In the above configuration, the programmable controller that receives the instruction can specify whether or not to connect to the tool section, so that connection to an undesired tool section can be rejected. As a result, it is possible to reduce the trouble in designing the programmable controller and to improve the function without being restricted by the conventional model.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a programmable controller system.

FIG. 2 shows P of the programmable controller system.
It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the operation | movement at the time of operation in C main body and a tool part.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a model confirmation command issued by the tool unit.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a response of the PC body to the model confirmation command.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing model information included in a response from the PC main body.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing in detail the operation of the tool unit at the time of model confirmation.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart schematically illustrating the operation of the programmable controller system during operation.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, and is an explanatory diagram illustrating a model confirmation command issued by a tool unit of a programmable controller system.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing model information included in the model confirmation command.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing version information included in the model confirmation command.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a normal response to the model confirmation command in the PC body of the programmable controller system.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an abnormal response to a model confirmation command in the PC main body.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing in detail the operation of the PC main body at the time of model determination.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing in detail the operation of the tool unit at the time of model determination.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Programmable controller body (programmable controller) 3 Tool part 21 Operation processing part (model information notification means, judgment means) 33 Operation processing part (tool type information notification means) K Model information TK Tool model information

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A programmable controller of a programmable controller system having a programmable controller and a tool unit connectable to a plurality of types of programmable controllers and capable of issuing a model confirmation command for inquiring a currently connected model. When receiving the command, the programmable controller includes a model information notifying unit that sends model information indicating a combination of a plurality of models among the own model and the models having substantially backward compatibility to the tool unit. . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said model information notification means includes:
2. The programmable controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller sends out model information indicating all models that have substantially backward compatibility to itself. 3. The model information issued by the model information notifying means is provided with an area corresponding to each model of the programmable controller and indicating whether or not the model is included in the combination. The programmable controller according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The programmable controller according to claim 3, wherein each of the areas is arranged in a new model order. 5. A programmable controller system comprising a programmable controller and a tool unit connectable to a plurality of types of programmable controllers and giving an instruction to the connected programmable controller, wherein the tool unit issues an instruction to the connected programmable controller. Before giving the tool type information indicating its own model to the programmable controller, the programmable controller has a connection with the tool unit based on the received tool type information. A programmable controller system comprising a determination means for determining whether or not the determination is possible and transmitting the determination result to a tool unit.