JPH11119810A - Control device using personal computer and sequencer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem on an interface by executing an input/output from a controlling object with a computer by way of a sequencer, to make the processing speed higher by simplifying the processing performed by the sequencer, to make the communication speed higher by making communications between the sequencer and the computer a parallel transmission, to make it possible to use a software even if manufacturers are different by expressing the software used by the sequencer and the computer with a structured language, and to turn the software and standardize the software. SOLUTION: This device is a control device that connects an input part 2 of either of a personal computer 1 and a sequencer 7 to an output part 8 of the other, connects an output part of either of them to an input part 10 of the other, furthermore, inputs the amount of condition for indicating condition of control objects 15 and 16 to an input part 11 of the sequencer 7 and an output part 9 uses the personal computer 1 and the sequencer 7 connected to control objects 15 and 16, the amount of condition inputted to the sequencer 7 is transmitted to the personal computer 1 and a control command from the personal computer is transmitted to the control objects 15 and 16 through the output part 9 of the sequencer 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for controlling a control target using a personal computer and a sequencer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A sequencer is a device for realizing a sequence circuit (ladder circuit) by software. The processing of the ladder diagram is performed by a program written in the internal memory instead of the conventional circuit using relays and wiring. Because of no need to change wiring when changing circuits, it can be easily dealt with only by changing the program by key operation, and is rapidly spreading for controlling production equipment. For example, input / output, control, calculation, and the like in automatic operation control of a crane are also performed by ladder software of a sequencer.

[0003] Automatic operation control of the crane is also performed by a computer, and all of input / output, control, calculation, and the like are performed by software such as a computer assembler and C language. As the computer, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer), a one board, or the like is used. Note that a combination of a sequencer and a computer is also performed, and the control of the crane is performed by the sequencer, and inventory management, image processing, and the like are processed by a personal computer. Communication between the sequencer and the personal computer is performed by serial transmission using RS-232C.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

(1) In the case of using only a sequencer, a ladder program has a large capacity to perform advanced arithmetic processing, and the program amount is limited. In addition, when the number of arithmetic processes is increased, the processing speed becomes extremely slow, and there are many arithmetic operations without instruction words. Image processing and AI (Artificial Intelligence) processing are almost impossible. Ladder software differs depending on the manufacturer, and the transmission system also has different software.
In addition, since it is not a structured language such as C language, it is difficult to block and standardize. (2) In the case of using only a computer, there are few dedicated interfaces, and software for real-time high-speed processing is more difficult and time-consuming to produce than ladder software for a sequencer. (3) In the case of a combination of a sequencer and a computer, transmission between the sequencer and the personal computer is required.
In the serial transmission by -232C, the communication speed is slow, real-time processing is difficult, and communication software differs depending on the manufacturer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and solves an interface problem by performing input / output from a control target by a computer via a sequencer, thereby simplifying processing performed by the sequencer. The processing speed was increased, the communication between the sequencer and the computer was made parallel, the communication speed was increased, and the software used in the sequencer and the computer was expressed in a structured language so that it could be used by different manufacturers. The goal is to block and standardize software.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, one input section of a personal computer and a sequencer is connected to the other output section, and one output section is connected to the other input section. Connected to the input unit of the sequencer and a state quantity representing the state of the control target. The output unit is a control device using a personal computer and a sequencer connected to the control target, and the state quantity input to the sequencer. Is transmitted to the personal computer, and the control command is transmitted from the personal computer to the control target through the output unit of the sequencer.

By connecting the output section of the sequencer to the input section of the personal computer, connecting the input section of the sequencer to the output section, and connecting the input / output from the control target to the sequencer, the sequencer can function as an interface of the personal computer. It will also work and solve the personal computer interface problem.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the personal computer instructs the sequencer with one count value of the state quantity to be controlled as a target count value, and the sequencer counts the input count data of the state quantity and outputs the target count value. When the report is made to the personal computer, the personal computer transmits a control command to the control target through the output unit of the sequencer based on the report.

In many cases, the number of pulses is detected by counting the number of pulses as a state quantity such as a speed or a moving amount of a control object. Such a simple process is performed by a sequencer, and a more sophisticated arithmetic process or determination process is performed by a personal computer, so that the overall process can be speeded up. In this way, by performing each of the special processes, the unit configuration of the sequencer and the personal computer can be minimized. That is, the sequencer has only the main body and the input / output unit, and the personal computer has only the main body and the input / output unit.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the personal computer and the sequencer communicate using parallel data.

By making the communication between the personal computer and the sequencer parallel transmission, high-speed communication becomes possible and real-time high-speed processing becomes possible.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control device using a personal computer and a sequencer according to the present embodiment.
An example of an electric motor controlled by inverter control will be described as a control target, but the present invention is not limited to this. The input unit 2 and the output unit 3 are attached to the expansion slot in the main body of the personal computer 1. Further, a keyboard 4 and a mouse 5 are provided as ordinary components, and a monitor display 6 is provided. The sequencer 7 has a CPU and a memory, and performs processing according to a ladder program.
1, output units 8 and 9 are provided. The input unit 2 and the output unit 8 communicate with each other, and the output unit 3 and the input unit 10 communicate with each other by parallel transmission. When the personal computer 1 and the sequencer 7 need to perform optical transmission due to the arrangement, it is necessary to provide parallel input / output optical transmission devices 17 to 20.

The rotary encoder 12 outputs the number of revolutions of the object to be controlled in pulses to detect a position, a speed, and the like. The limit switch 13 is described as a representative of various sensors. The switch 14 is described as a representative of various switches and controllers. The rotary encoder 12, the limit switch 13, and the switch 14 represent state quantities to be controlled.

The inverter 15 is an induction motor 1 to be controlled.
A DC converter (converter) for temporarily converting AC at a commercial frequency (50 or 50 Hz) to DC, and converting the DC into an AC at a frequency that provides the induction motor 16 with a desired rotational speed. And an AC converter (inverter) for conversion. Since a plurality of motions are performed in a normal device, 12 to 16 devices are provided by the number of motions.

Next, the operation of the above device will be described. The induction motor 16 will be described as driving a crane. (1) The deceleration position and the stop position are sent as parallel signals from the output unit 3 incorporated in the personal computer 1 to the input unit 10 of the sequencer 7. In this example, the induction motor 16 is 1
Although only one is displayed, if there are a plurality of motions, this procedure is divided and sent. (2) The data received by the input unit 10 is stored in an internal register (memory) of the sequencer 7. (3) The sequencer 7 performs a process of moving the crane according to the content of the stored data. Details will be described later. (4) The sequencer 7 outputs an output for moving the crane from the output unit 9 to the inverter 15 to drive the induction motor 16. (5) The movement of the crane is input to the input unit 11 by the rotary encoder 12, the sensor, and the limit switch 1.
Although the content of 3 is determined by the sequencer 7 and predetermined simple processing is performed, complicated determination and processing are sent from the output unit 8 to the input unit 2 of the personal computer 1 and determined and processed by the personal computer 1.

(6) The operation of the crane is performed by the controller 1
4, input to the input unit 11, sent from the output unit 8 to the input unit 2, judged by the personal computer 1, and sent from the output unit 3 to the input unit 10, and output this signal from the output unit 9 to the inverter 15, so that the induction motor 1
6 is driven. In this case, a signal from the controller 14 is input to the input unit 10 through the sequencer 7, and the sequencer 7 functions as an interface of the personal computer 1. (7) Input to the personal computer 1 is performed by the keyboard 4 or mouse 5, and output to the screen is performed by the display 6. When optical transmission is performed between the crane and the ground due to the configuration of the system, transmission is performed by the parallel optical transmission devices 17 to 20. In this case, since it is parallel, a transmission procedure is unnecessary.

Next, the operation of the induction motor 16 will be described in detail assuming that the induction motor 16 is used for lifting and lowering a crane. A typical process when the crane goes up and down to the destination is shown below. (1) A 64-bit (or more) signal is output to the output unit 3 of the personal computer 1. FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the output signal 20 of the personal computer 1. The signal is composed of 16 words of 4 words and 64 bits of 4 words, and is composed of commands for the motor for raising and lowering and the motor for traveling. The first word 21 describes a destination count value 1 indicating a count value up to a destination of elevation, and the second word 22 describes a destination count value 2 indicating a count value to a destination of travel. The third word 23 is a command bit 1 for instructing the elevating speed.
, The first bit 25 indicates a winding command, and the third bit 25
Bit 26 indicates a speed increase command. The fourth word 24 is a command indicating the traveling speed. In this way, a command bit is set together with the target count value, and a command for the operation direction (rotation direction) and speed (frequency) is issued to the inverter 15. In this case, it is assumed that a hoisting and speed increasing command is issued.

(2) When the crane starts operating, a pulse from the rotary encoder 12 is sent to the sequencer 7, and the sequencer 7 starts counting. When the target count value is reached (when the crane reaches the destination), the sequencer 7 starts counting. 7
Transmits a signal to the personal computer 1. FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the output signal 30 of the sequencer 7. The signal is 4 words 64 words of 16 bits per word as in the case of the personal computer 1.
Input data from various sensors configured with bits and measuring the state quantity of the control target is described. First word 3
1 indicates a comparison between the count value from the ascending and descending rotary encoder 12 and the target count value 1. When they match, a match flag in the first bit 35 is set. The second word 32 indicates a comparison between the count value from the traveling rotary encoder 12 and the target count value 2, and when they match, sets a match flag of the first bit 36. The third word 33 indicates a comparison with a target count value indicating the movement of a fork for moving a package in and out of a warehouse shelf.
7 is set. The fourth word 34 indicates input bits of other sensors and operation switches, and the first bit 3
8 indicates a flag bit. Note that sensor inputs other than the counter comparison bit are used by the personal computer 1 to make the ultimate deceleration, stop determination, and backup determination.

(3) When the personal computer 1 receives the above data, it sets the count value of the next destination and a command bit from the coincidence flag of the counter comparison bit, and sets the inverter 15
To the next operation. In this case, winding and a constant high speed command are issued. If two motions are moving at the same time, the next signal is output by masking only the bit that has changed. In this case, the other bits are the same as the current state. (4) By repeating the above procedure, the crane reaches the final destination.

Next, the lifting operation will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 4 is a control diagram of the crane lifting speed. From the current position to the destination 1 the speed increases and rises, between the destination 1 and the destination 2 rises at a constant high speed, between the destination 2 and the destination 3 decelerates and then climbs at a constant speed, After further deceleration between the destination 3 and the destination 4, the vehicle rises at a constant speed and stops at the destination 4.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the lifting operation of FIG. The data of the destination 1 is output from the personal computer 1 to the sequencer 7 (S1), and then a speed increase command is issued (S2). The sequencer 7 counts the number of pulses from the rotary encoder 12, and determines that the destination 1 has been reached when the count value of the data up to the destination 1 has been reached (S3). Subsequently, a match flag is output from the sequencer 7 to the personal computer 1 (S4).

When confirming that the personal computer 1 has arrived at the destination 1, the personal computer 1 outputs the data of the destination 2 to the sequencer 7 (S5), and then outputs a constant high speed ascending command (S5).
6). The sequencer 7 counts the number of pulses from the rotary encoder 12 and determines that the destination 2 has been reached when the count value of the data up to the destination 2 has been reached (S
7). Subsequently, a match flag is output from the sequencer 7 to the personal computer 1 (S8).

When confirming that the personal computer 1 has reached the destination 2, the personal computer 1 outputs the data of the destination 3 to the sequencer 7 (S9), and then outputs a command to increase the speed after deceleration (S9).
10). The sequencer 7 counts the number of pulses from the rotary encoder 12, and determines that the destination 3 has been reached when the count value of the data up to the destination 3 has been reached (S1).
1). Subsequently, a match flag is output from the sequencer 7 to the personal computer 1 (S12).

When confirming that the personal computer 1 has reached the destination 3, the personal computer 1 outputs data of the destination 4 to the sequencer 7 (S13), and then outputs a command for increasing the constant speed after deceleration (S14). The sequencer 7 counts the number of pulses from the rotary encoder 12, and determines that the destination 4 has been reached when the count value of the data up to the destination 4 has been reached (S15). Subsequently, a match flag is output from the sequencer 7 to the personal computer 1 (S16). When confirming that the personal computer 1 has reached the destination 4, the personal computer 1 outputs a stop command to the sequencer 7 (17).

The data processing procedure between the personal computer 1 and the sequencer 7 has been described above. If the destination is represented by 32 bits, or if there are many command bits, 64 bits are transmitted twice, or 64 bits or more are transmitted. May be used. The content of the above-mentioned signal is an example, and the bit configuration and the number of bits are set according to the device.

[0026]

As is clear from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. (1) The problem of the interface of the personal computer can be solved by having the sequencer also serve as the interface of the personal computer. (2) The ladder software of the sequencer becomes simple because the sequencer is made to perform simple processing and the other is performed by a personal computer. In addition, the personal computer is released from simple operations, and can control the main body and peripheral devices in real time, and can perform processing such as image processing, artificial intelligence processing, and database processing in between the controls. (3) Even if the manufacturer of the sequencer changes, the software is the same (only the I / O number and the register number are different), and the personal computer uses a structured language, for example, the C language, so that the software can be made into blocks and black boxes. It becomes possible, and a great deal of software standardization becomes possible. (4) By performing parallel transmission between the sequencer and the personal computer, the transmission speed is increased, quick control can be performed, and transmission software is not required. (5) Since the sequencer can be configured with only four input / output units and the personal computer can be configured with only two input / output units, the apparatus is simple and inexpensive. (6) Software debugging and on-site adjustment can be processed by one person on the personal computer side, resulting in significant cost reduction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control device for a personal computer and a sequencer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an output signal of a personal computer.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an output signal of a sequencer.

FIG. 4 is a control diagram of a crane lifting speed.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of lifting and lowering the crane.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 PC (personal computer) 2 Input unit 3 Output unit 4 Keyboard 5 Mouse 6 Display 7 Sequencer 8, 9 Output unit 10, 11 Input unit 12 Rotary encoder 13 Limit switch 14 Switch, controller 15 Inverter 16 Induction motor 17-20 Parallel input Optical transmission device for output

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A personal computer and one input unit of a sequencer are connected to the other output unit, one output unit is connected to the other input unit, and an input unit of the sequencer further includes a state quantity representing a state of a control target. The output unit is a control device using a personal computer and a sequencer connected to the control target, and the state quantity input to the sequencer is transmitted to the personal computer, and a control command is transmitted from the personal computer through the output unit of the sequencer. A control device using a personal computer and a sequencer, which is transmitted to a control target. 2. The personal computer instructs a sequencer with one count value of a state quantity to be controlled as a target count value, and the sequencer counts the count data of the input state quantity, and when the count value reaches the target count value, the personal computer 2. The control device using a personal computer and a sequencer according to claim 1, wherein the personal computer transmits a control command to the control target through an output unit of the sequencer based on the report to the computer. 3. The control device using a personal computer and a sequencer according to claim 1, wherein the personal computer and the sequencer communicate using parallel data.