JPH11231927A - Monitor and control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitor and control system capable of flexibly corresponding to a change in the connection of equipments including an I/O device and a peripheral device connected to a controller by a master monitoring device and reducing working load. SOLUTION: The monitor and control system has equipments including an engineering device 4 for constructing a system construction program on an off line, monitoring devices 1, controllers 2 and peripheral devices 12 and each monitoring device 1 loads down the system construction program obtained from the device 4 to the controllers 2, executes the monitor and control of a plant based on the system construction program and monitors/controls a change in the connection of equipments including the controllers 2. Each controller 2 detects an equipment to be additionally loaded or deleted, prepares a constitution changing equipment information profile related to the equipment to be added/deleted and informs the monitoring device 1 of the prepared profile.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a supervisory control system for supervising and controlling the device configuration of a system so as to appropriately deal with the addition and deletion of devices in the system.
More specifically, an engineering device for constructing a system construction program offline, a monitoring device connected to the engineering device, a controller connected to the monitoring device via a data transmission path, an input / output device connected to the controller, and The monitoring device has a device including a peripheral device, the monitoring device receives the system construction program from the engineering device, downloads the system construction program to the controller, performs plant monitoring control on the controller based on the downloaded system construction program, and connects to the controller. The present invention relates to a monitoring control system capable of monitoring and controlling a change in connection of a connected device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A process control system, which is a general monitoring control system of this kind, has a plurality of monitoring apparatuses 1 as shown in FIG. Each of the monitoring devices 1 includes a display device such as a CRT, captures data from the controller 2 and the input / output device 3 via the transmission device 5 as a transmission path, and grasps the state of the plant or the like based on the data. In addition to monitoring, commands and the like from an operator are transmitted to the plant equipment via the controller 2, the input / output device 3, and the remote input / output device 14, and the operation thereof is controlled.

The monitoring device 1, the controller 2 and the remote input / output device 14 are installed at a distance from each other,
Each of them is often configured in plurals. In constructing the monitoring and control system, before starting the operation, software for constructing the plant system such as the controller 2, the input / output device 3 and the control program to be executed is created by the engineering device 4 in advance. The downloaded software is downloaded from the engineering device 4 to the lower-level controller 2 and other devices via the monitoring device 1.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the controller 2 used in the monitoring control system shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.
PU 2a, memory 2b, arithmetic chip 2c, transmission controller 2d, peripheral controller 2e, IO controller 2
f, an input / output interface 11, a peripheral device interface 12a, and a network interface 13.
The network interface 13 is an interface for connecting to the transmission device 5, the input / output interface 11 is an interface for connecting to the input / output device 3, and the peripheral device interface 12a is a peripheral device including a measuring device, a camera, and a microphone. This is an interface for connecting to the H.12.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a system engineering process in the engineering device 4. In the processing shown in FIG.
The processing up to 4 is usually performed offline, and after a system is constructed with a plurality of devices including the input / output device 3 in the engineering device 4 and it is confirmed that there is no problem,
The program and the control information are downloaded to the lower controller 2 and the like. When the download is completed normally, the controller 2 shifts to the online mode, and the control of the plant is started.

That is, in the processing shown in FIG. 3, when the system engineering is started, the engineering device 4 determines the system configuration including the number of controllers 2 and the like, and further determines the configuration and list of input / output devices (IO). (Steps S10, S11, S12). then,
The engineering device 4 creates a sequence loop flow (step S13) and performs a debug simulation (step S14).

After the above processing is performed by the engineering apparatus 4 offline, it is checked whether or not the controller is in a state of waiting for offline download (step S15). The control information created as described above is downloaded to the controller 2 (step S1).
6). Upon receiving the control information, the controller 2 starts operating online, thereby ending the system engineering process (steps S17, S18).

Although the engineering device 4 is functionally separated from the monitoring device 1, it is not always necessary to separate the engineering device 4 from hardware, and the engineering device 4 can be implemented as software in the monitoring device 1.

In the above-described conventional monitoring and control system, the number of the monitoring devices 1, the number of controllers 2 and the number of input / output devices 3 connected to the controllers, their types, applications, etc. are all detailed before the system starts operating. Designed to
It is constructed as system software by the engineering device 4, and when a change in the plant system, particularly a change in the configuration of hardware devices such as the input / output device 3, occurs, it is necessary to reconstruct the system software again.

[0010]

As described above, in the conventional processing, the input / output device 3 and the controller 2
The configuration etc. is designed in advance, and the higher level engineering equipment 4
Is sent to the lower-level controller 2 via the monitoring device 1 to set the I / O device 3 of the controller 2 or adding or disconnecting the peripheral device 12 at the site. It is difficult to confirm the functional operation of the added device, and if it is disconnected, it may be recognized as a system failure. Therefore, in order to avoid such a situation, it is conventionally necessary to take a precautionary measure such as changing the configuration in advance and re-setting the host device.
Usually, the site where the controller or input / output device is installed and the monitoring room where the monitoring device is installed are far apart, and it is inefficient to move for resetting and confirming system information, Also, flexibly add equipment on site,
There is a problem that it is difficult to separate and move.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above,
The purpose of this monitoring is to enable a higher-level monitoring device to flexibly respond to changes in the connection of devices including input / output devices and peripheral devices connected to the controller, and to reduce the workload. It is to provide a control system.

[0012]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an engineering apparatus for constructing a system construction program offline, a monitoring apparatus connected to the engineering apparatus, and a monitoring apparatus connected to the engineering apparatus. A controller connected via a data transmission path, and devices including input / output devices and peripheral devices connected to the controller, wherein the monitoring device receives the system construction program from an engineering device and downloads the program to the controller A monitoring control system that performs plant monitoring control based on the downloaded system construction program and monitors and controls connection changes of devices connected to the controller, wherein the controller is newly added to the devices. Device to be deleted and And a detecting creating means for creating a change of the device configuration information profile for the added and removed equipment, and summarized in that and a notifying means for notifying the change of the device configuration information profile This created the monitoring device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the controller detects a device to be additionally mounted, the controller acquires device profile information from the added device to create a configuration-changed device information profile. When detecting that has been deleted, create a configuration change device information profile based on the held device profile information,
Since the created configuration-changed device information profile is notified to the higher-level monitoring device, the monitoring device can know the configuration change in the controller and can monitor the configuration in consideration of the device of the detached controller.

[0014] The present invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1.
In the invention described in the above, the monitoring device has an address assigned in advance, and has address setting means for setting this address in the configuration-changed device information profile, and the controller sets the address set in the configuration-changed device information profile. And a means for notifying the monitoring device corresponding to the address of the configuration-changed device information profile based on the address.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an address is assigned to the monitoring device, and this address is set in the configuration change device information profile, and the controller sets the address to the address set in the configuration change device information profile. Since the configuration change device information profile is notified to the monitoring device based on the configuration change device information profile, the controller can directly know the address of the monitoring device from the configuration change device information profile, thereby reducing the load on the controller and using the monitoring device itself. A configuration change device information profile can be created in an easy format.

Further, the present invention according to claim 3 provides the invention according to claim 1.
In the invention according to the second aspect, the configuration change device information profile is a prototype configuration change device information profile having a function of concealing a fixed function unit and a function of appending an individual variable unit, and the controller includes the configuration change device information profile. The derivation means for deriving a profile for each device individually from and a designation means for designating a hierarchy for an additional recordable area of the derived configuration-changed device information profile.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the configuration change device information profile is not a simple data file, but the original configuration change in which data concealment, access restriction, and operation functions are embedded in the file for each item. As a device information profile, the controller uses a derived configuration change device information profile that inherits basic functions and information.
The configuration change device information profile is composed of many layers such as software near the hardware level, intermediate application software, software near the upper level monitoring, etc. inside the controller, and includes items related to many of these software. There is a possibility that an update mistake or data corruption may occur by mistake, and the task of the software that is written to the configuration change device information profile and referred to is naturally determined by its contents, and its task hierarchy, and hence its name, is also determined. By not displaying the configuration-changed device information profile itself or unrelated items to tasks that do not correspond to this, the reliability of the configuration-changed device information profile and, by extension, the system can be improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the controller has means for deriving a configuration-change device information profile for each client.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the configuration-changed device information profile is derived for each client, it is not necessary to newly generate the configuration-changed device information for each server task. Processing can be continued.

The present invention described in claim 5 is the same as the claim 2.
In the invention according to the third aspect, in the case where the controller updates the configuration-changed device information profile by the detection creating unit, when the category of the device category and the category of the original configuration-changed device information profile are different, the controller notifies the monitoring device, The gist of the present invention is to have means for receiving an original configuration change device information profile of a category to be changed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the category of the device category is different from the category of the original configuration changed device information profile, the monitoring device is notified and the original configuration changed device information profile of the corresponding category is received. In addition, unnecessary processing can be avoided, and overall throughput can be improved.

Further, the present invention according to claim 6 provides the present invention according to claim 1.
In the invention according to any one of (1) to (4), a change / update of the device configuration on the controller side is incorporated into the controller side, and before executing online, simulation data is extracted from a configuration change device information profile of the corresponding updated device, The point is to provide an operation simulation function before linkage with a related server task.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, simulation data is extracted from a configuration-changed device information profile of an updated device before the change / update of the device configuration on the controller side is incorporated into the controller and executed online. In addition, it provides a function of simulating operation before linkage with a related server task, so that the safety of the system can be confirmed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fourth or sixth aspect, the connection confirmation with the requesting client is performed while the device driver is incorporated in the server task.
The gist of the present invention is to have an update adjusting means for incorporating the update device driver into the server task after confirming that the update has been accepted.

According to the present invention, while incorporating the device driver into the server task, the connection confirmation with the requesting client is performed, and after confirming that the device driver has been accepted, the updated device driver is added to the server task. To incorporate
It is not necessary for the monitoring device to perform access coordination management for devices between clients, and it is only necessary to process confirmation and return of processing results from the server for each client task, and perform multitask processing reliably. Can be.

The present invention described in claim 8 provides the present invention according to claim 7.
In the described invention, when arbitrating access to a device belonging to a server task by a plurality of clients, a common path in which a device identification number, a device port, and a request priority for each client can be set as arbitration elements is provided in the server. The gist is that

According to the present invention, an access coordination list (access list) called a common path is provided for arbitration of client requests, and all clients requesting device access are included in the access list. On the other hand, since the request priority and the port number of the device actually used are registered, the overall performance can be improved.

Further, the present invention described in claim 9 provides the present invention in claim 8.
In the described invention, in a control system in which a monitoring device and a controller are physically mounted on a plurality of devices, and the plurality of devices are coupled via a data transmission device, all of the monitoring devices and all controllers in the system are The gist is to have an intermediate server capable of collecting information, and to provide the common path and the adjustment function in the intermediate server.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the monitoring device and the controller, an intermediate server for managing information in common is provided, and the intermediate server has a common path and an arbitration function. Since the arbitration is provided, arbitration can be performed over the entirety, and the performance of the system can be improved.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, the request priority of the client which is the monitoring device and the task execution state of the server which is the controller are grasped, and when an urgent request occurs, the server which is being executed is determined. The gist of the present invention is to provide an emergency request processing unit that generates a suspend request for a task and implements an emergency request process.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the request priority of the client and the server task execution information are grasped, and when an urgent request occurs, a suspend request is issued to the server task being executed, and the urgent request processing is performed. Therefore, the emergency processing can be executed with the highest priority.

Further, the present invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that in the invention according to claim 8 or 9, there is provided load monitoring and adjusting means for preventing JOB expiration due to an excessive load on the controller.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since there is provided load monitoring and adjusting means for preventing processing expiration due to excessive load on the controller, a client task executes a job on a server which is a controller with a high load. By making a request, a situation in which a job is invalidated can be avoided.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the first or ninth aspect, the controller has a wireless transmitting / receiving means, and the intermediate server communicates with and exchanges with the controller and the monitoring device. The main point is to have a wireless exchange means for performing the above-mentioned, and enabling the controller to enter and leave the system.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the controller has wireless transmission / reception means, the intermediate server can communicate and exchange with the controller and the monitoring device by wireless, and the controller enters the system. And withdrawal can be performed.

[0036]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring and control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, particularly a hardware information routine in a controller (hereinafter, also referred to as a server). The embodiment shown in FIG.
And a monitoring and control system having the same hardware configuration as that shown in FIG. 2, but only in the software, that is, in the operation. In addition, the routine shown in FIG. 4 is executed periodically when the device is attached or detached in the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or when the input / output interface 11 or the peripheral device interface 12a (FIG.
Is interrupted by the controller 2 and is started.

That is, when the mounted device is disconnected or a new device is added, an interrupt is applied to the controller 2 from the corresponding input / output interface 11 or peripheral device interface 12a, and FIG.
The server hardware information routine shown in (1) is started, and it is first checked whether the transmission mode is available, that is, whether the mode is a mode for creating a hardware configuration changed device information profile (step S21). Ends, but in the case of this mode, it is checked whether or not the device configuration of the peripheral device 12, the input / output device 3, etc. has been changed (steps S22, S23).
If there is no change, this process ends. If there is a change, profile information on the device hardware that has been changed, such as addition or deletion, is extracted (step S).
24). When a device is added, as a method for extracting profile information, the profile information is directly read from the device added in this step, basic device information is collected, and the connected device is connected from the viewpoint of the controller 2 itself. It is possible to check system management information such as the IO address on the assigned path and the assigned memory address on the controller 2.

Then, a configuration-change device information profile is created by combining the system information with the basic hardware information (step S25). Conversely, when the device is deleted (leaved), the system management information of the device that has left in step S22 can be known. A configuration change device information profile of the device is obtained, and a latest configuration change device information profile to which information that the device has been removed is added can be created.

Next, the configuration change device information profile created in this manner is transmitted to the monitoring device 1 (hereinafter, also referred to as a client) together with the hardware configuration change state and hardware information relating to the state (step S).
26, S27).

The configuration change device information profile described above includes, as an example, a device introduction 21a and a device-specific hardware resource 21 as shown by reference numeral 21 in FIG.
b, server management information 21c, client information 21d,
It is composed of a device profile original 21e, a device profile change history 21f, and a device change profile 21g.

The device introduction 21a and the device-specific hardware resource 21b mainly construct information read from the hardware in step S24 when the hardware is connected to the controller 2. The server management information 21c is also set in the controller 2 (server) using information obtained by adding the server identifier of the controller 2 (server) itself given from the monitoring device 1 (client) in addition to the system management information described in step S24. Is done. The server identifier is given a name that does not duplicate at least other controllers (servers) in the system.

When sending the client (monitoring device 1) information recognized by the controller 2 (server) side, that is, the configuration change device information profile, the client information 21d is recognized by the controller 2 (server).
Client information of the monitoring device 1
This is also set in the controller 2 (server).

The device profile original 21e is an area for storing a pointer indicating an area for storing a configuration-changed device information profile generated first by the server when the device is connected, and a device profile change history 21f.
Is an area for storing a pointer indicating an area for storing a change history of the device profile original 21e rewritten when there is a change due to device attachment / detachment, etc. The device change profile 21g is an active region related to the device whose change is detected. Information such as added or deleted, its function, for example, digital input or output, analog, audio, video data, etc., and the format for actually reading / writing. This is a profile for storing a mode (bit, word, block) or the like, and the information is based on information read from the device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of creating and transmitting a configuration changed device information profile in the controller 2.

In FIG. 6, a path 11 to a path n1 and a path nm are logical paths from the time when the monitoring apparatus 1 as a client accesses the hardware 29a of the controller 2 as a server to the time when data is read and written. Is shown. The path requested by the client is defined by the path trace areas 22b, 25b,
26b, and the path traces between the layers can be traced to each other by the links 26c and 28b (see FIG. 8).

The hardware 29 includes not only the controller 2 itself but also the connected input / output device 3 and the peripheral device 1.
2 etc. are also included. Software for executing the basic operation of these hardware is provided by the device driver 29.
If there are devices to be inserted / extracted, input / output devices, boards, etc., those units are necessary. For example, if there is addition / deletion hardware 29b, the hardware management layer 29d
Detects the change, and the device driver 29c corresponding to the change is incorporated into the system of the controller 2, so that at least the CPU of the controller 2 can access the hardware.

The data manager 27a normalizes the read / write procedure from the upper level for each data unit accessing the hardware, and standardizes the access procedure which is usually greatly different for each hardware to some extent, and In order to be able to read and write in the procedure,
This corresponds to a software interface or layer created according to a predetermined standard or a predetermined specification.

The device manager 28 mediates a request for a device device from a client via each path and the data manager 27b, and bundles or separates the related data managers from each other.
By rearranging the delivery order in consideration of the request priority from the client and taking in addition / deletion hardware detection information from the hardware management layer 29d, management such as reliability check of the data manager itself is performed.

When the data manager 28 obtains addition / deletion hardware detection information from the hardware management layer 29, the device manager 28
As described above, d is requested to execute processing, such as reading profile information from the device, at the time of addition, as described above. Based on this result, a primary version 28a of the configuration changed device information profile is created.
The created primary version 28a of the configuration-changed device information profile includes server-related information (21 in FIG. 5) in addition to device and device information via links 28b, 26c, and 25c.
By adding information such as d), the configuration change device information profile 21 in the final form is obtained and sent to the transmission profile creation task 24. Transmission profile creation task 24
If the transmission enable / disable switch (SW1) 23 is on,
The transmission device profile 21e is generated based on the information provided by the configuration change device information profile 21. This generated transmission device profile 2
1e obtains client information that has accessed itself from information in the path trace areas 22b, 25b, and 26b, obtains a destination address and the like, and is transmitted to the client by a data transmission task (see FIG. 8) separately implemented by the server. You.

The transmission enable / disable switch (SW1) 23 is used when temporarily suspending this function, and should be executed at any time when it is desired to interrupt the request from a client or when transmission or server load is excessive. Can be.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the contents and operation of the path trace table at the level nm and the reception table generated by the controller transmission / reception task in FIG. In the figure, processing from step S40 to step S44 is performed in advance through processing such as initialization before processing such as a device configuration change detection process, creation of a configuration changed device information profile, and a notification process is started. This is a process that needs to be performed.

That is, step S40 is a transmission / reception task of the controller 2, and when this routine is started,
The reception table 40a is created, and the client ID (client identification number) and the transmission address of the monitoring device 1 can be extracted. At step S41, a server task is generated in the controller 2 in response to a request from the client. At this point, a server task table 41b is generated, and the reception table pointer 41c is set therein. Similarly, every time the process proceeds to each level process, a level n (one higher than the device manager) trace table is generated, and a pointer of a trace table corresponding to the next higher hierarchy is set in each table. By providing these tables in advance, if the device manager wants to send the configuration-changed device information profile to the monitoring device 1, the transmission address can be changed by sequentially tracing the pointers of these tables upward. You can ask.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing client-side profile processing for receiving the transmission device profile 21e transmitted by the server. In FIG. 7, when the client task 30 executes this function, the reception profile analysis task 31 can be executed by turning on the transmission / reception switch 30a (SW2),
It starts periodically or when the transmission / reception connection path 32 receives the transmission device profile 21e described above and saves it in the reception profile area 32a. The reception profile analysis task 31 reads the information of the reception profile and executes the analysis. As a result of the analysis, if hardware is added on the server side, the read data is additionally written in the new hardware configuration file 33, the old profile 30b is created, and information on the added hardware is stored. The format itself of the new system configuration file 34 is
0 can be read and executed, so that the engineering tool is started manually or automatically, taking into account the hardware added on the server side as it is, and furthermore, management-specific information (eg, tag) in the plant system. Information, etc.), and a relation with other device input / output, etc., to construct a system file, and a debug / simulation step (step S1 in FIG. 3).
Through 1-S18), the operation as the update system can be confirmed. The unique information added by the engineering tool 10 after the operation is confirmed is stored in the new system configuration file 34, and is associated with the old profile 30b (although it is still an original profile at this stage) by a link 34b. Things. In this way, the client side can almost automatically grasp the state of the equipment addition on the server side, and construct and confirm a system incorporating the state.

Similarly, as a result of the analysis, when hardware is deleted on the server side, information on the deleted device can be obtained from the reception profile. Then, the user can retrieve the profile of the corresponding device, and can retrieve the information of the device deleted from the profile and the related new system configuration file 34 via the link 34B. To the engineering tool 10 to rebuild the system taking into account the hardware deleted by the engineering tool,
A simulation can be performed. Therefore, as in the case of the above-described device addition, even when the device is disconnected, the client side can almost automatically grasp the state and construct / confirm a system incorporating the status.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a configuration change device information profile shown in FIG. The configuration change device information profile shown in FIG. 9 of the present embodiment sets the transmission address of the monitor device 1 itself in the plant system, that is, the client address 45d, when the monitoring device 1 creates a prototype of the configuration change device information profile. 5 is different from the configuration changed device information profile 21 of FIG. 5 in that a device category 45a is newly provided.

In the first embodiment described above, the information of the monitoring device 1 as a client is written in the access path area in the controller 2 and the address of the monitoring device 1 is shown in FIG. As described above, it is necessary to trace the trace table of each path, but in the present embodiment, the address of the monitoring device 1 can be directly known from the configuration change device information profile shown in FIG. Can be reduced.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the monitoring device 1 creates a prototype 45 (FIG. 9) of the configuration-changed device information profile and transmits it to the controller 2, and the controller 2 changes from this original configuration-changed device information profile such as attachment / detachment and detachment. For the devices that had the above, select the original form of the configuration change device information profile according to the category, derive this, individually save the device change information and create the configuration change device information profile, This is different from the first embodiment in which the controller 2 generates the configuration-change device information profile.

It should be noted that the terms “form” and “derivation” here refer to class in the field of object-oriented software.
A class data object corresponding to a data object and its derivative data object can have a plurality of data members and member functions therein, and another class that can refer to each data member and member function.
s object can be specified. Also, by deriving, it is possible to similarly take over the function and modify it to such an extent that the essence is not lost. It is naturally possible to apply a structure having such properties to the configuration change device information profile.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration change device information profile to which such a structure is applied. FIG.
In the configuration change device information profile shown in FIG. 7, the setting right 45b indicates each software having the right to set data for each item. For example, device introduction 21a
For, only the device manager can describe the data, and other software does not know its existence,
Can't see or write. Only the client registered in the reference right 45c can see the data. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, there is no fear that the data of the device is erroneously destroyed by software existing for each path, and higher reliability can be secured. It should be noted that such setting right and reference right need to be set in advance in the original configuration changing device information profile at the design stage.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the profile derivation applying process for each client.

In FIG. 11, the transmission / reception task 53 corresponds to FIG.
Has the same function as the transmission / reception task 40 shown in FIG. 1, but can receive requests from a plurality of clients 30 and 30a in the monitoring device 1 and acquire a client ID (identifier). The obtained client ID is sent to the client-specific profile derivation processing routine 59, and
From the original configuration changed device information profile 54, the waveform configuration changed device information profiles 55a, 55 for each client
Generates Na. Subsequent processing is described in the configuration change device information profiles 57 and 57N for each client in the configuration change processing 56 as in the normal configuration change processing.

In the present embodiment, the configuration change device information profile is derived for each client. However, the software configuration in the monitoring apparatus 1 usually performs multitask processing in which a plurality of application programs execute simultaneously. Each application program is a client task for requesting a service from a controller, and it is common for a client to simultaneously request processing from one controller. On the other hand, the software in the controller is composed of a plurality of server tasks for processing the client's request and reporting the results, and a server as its execution environment. The server task is a separate program generated by the client in the server and executed in an independent process space. The number of server tasks that exist in the server at the same time at a certain time depends on the processing of the client.

Each client task has an obligation to manage and execute all the server requests and transmit the results. The server, which can be said to be the common part of the server task or the execution environment part, also performs attachment / detachment change management for devices connected to itself, and when a change occurs, derives the configuration change device information profile from the type of the corresponding device and describes the information, It must be sent to the monitoring device. At this time, if there is a request from a plurality of clients at the same time, it is possible to know whether or not the configuration change device information profile of the device is of the same type with respect to the requested client. In such a situation, the original configuration-changed device information profile of the controller is derived for each client and applied, so that it is not necessary to newly generate each server task. There is a merit that processing relating to the changed device can be continued independently for each client in the server.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the content item of the device category 45a of the configuration change device information profile shown in FIG. 9, DI, DO, AI, AO, RIO, and the like are described as an example. However, since all access methods are basically different,
Become a separate category. The category code described in the device category 45a is checked by a category check routine (not shown) that operates at a level close to the device manager or the configuration change detection processing routine 56 at a relatively short cycle, so that the processing step is performed. Waste can be prevented.

If there is no desired category in the device category processing as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the monitoring device 1 is requested to continue the process of creating the configuration changed device information profile. Can be.

The device category processing shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B will be described. First, in FIG. 10A, a change in the device configuration is detected (step S51), an introduction of the configuration-changed device is detected, and data / category is extracted (step S52). Then, a configuration change device information profile of the same category is detected (step S53), and it is checked whether or not the categories match (step S5).
4). If they match, normal processing is performed (step S
55), if they do not match, the transmission address of the monitoring device 1 is extracted (step S56), and the monitoring device 1 requests a configuration change device information profile of the missing category (step S58). If they do not match in step S54, the data category of the introduction of the configuration change device is saved in the buffer (step S57).

In the process shown in FIG. 10B, when the profile of the requested category is received from the monitoring device 1 (step S59), the original profile is derived (step S60), and data is extracted from the buffer. A configuration change device information profile is created (step S61).

As described above, in the present embodiment, a classification code called a category is provided for each type of device whose access method is largely different, and this category (code) is included in the configuration-change device information profile in the controller (server).
And the server detects this category code embedded in the device profile, and when a device configuration change occurs, first checks whether the corresponding category exists and determines that it does not exist In such a case, the monitoring device is notified.

In the case of a device configuration change targeted by the present invention,
In many cases, devices of the same type are often attached and detached.
In such a case, it is necessary to search the configuration-changed device information profile in the server each time, and to check whether the profile matches the profile of the device or not. However, if a completely new device is connected, the configuration change device information profile will not be found even if the above process is performed, and it can be seen that the process during that time is wasted. In order to avoid such a problem, first, at the stage of the device category, the relationship between the device and the profile information of the server possession is searched, and the possession status is checked first. Processing steps can be avoided, and overall throughput can be improved.

Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 12, a simulation corresponding profile derivation task 60 is a task previously sent from the monitoring apparatus 1, in which an operation simulation data program for each device category and its pointer are set, The operation simulation program and its pointer can be embedded in the client-specific waveform configuration changing device information profiles 55 and 55N.

When the simulation data program and its pointer are embedded, a simulation task 61 is executed using the simulation data 61a to perform an operation simulation. If the result of the simulation is good, the routine shifts to a normal routine via a route 62a, and if not, the monitoring device 1 is notified via a route 62b.

In this embodiment, before generating a derived configuration-changed device information profile from an original configuration-changed device information profile held by a server, it is determined whether or not operation simulation can be performed according to the device category. It is characterized in that a simulation-compatible profile derivation task for adding a pointer where a simulation data program exists to the derived configuration change device information profile and a simulation task for executing a device operation simulation are provided.

When the connected device detected by the server is used from the client that has received the notification, important signals such as those directly related to the control of the external drive device may be output before the direct output process is executed. There is a case where an operation simulation in which is masked is required. The operation simulation program and its pointer need to be given from the monitoring device 1 to the controller 2 in advance. However, by applying this embodiment, the safety of the system can be provided.

Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The present embodiment includes an update arbitration function for embedding a device driver in a server task for a client and executing a simulation when a processing request for a configuration change device is issued from a plurality of clients at the same time, and performing an arbitration when executing the server. Is provided. By providing such a function, even if a plurality of client tasks executed within the monitoring device 1 simultaneously issue requests to the controller 2 to the configuration change device, the processes are appropriately adjusted within the controller 2 and executed. I do. Therefore, it is not necessary for the monitoring device to perform access coordination management for the devices between the clients, and it is only necessary to process the confirmation and return of the processing result from the server for each client task, and the multitask processing can be reliably performed. It can be carried out.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the simplest adjustment. When a plurality of server tasks are generated in a server by a client task, the order of generation, the handler number assigned at the time of generation, the priority, etc. The order can be automatically determined for each task, and a flag is set in the client use request flag table 74 as in steps S66A and S67N according to the order.

Then, in the next step S68, the client use request flag table 74 is sequentially searched, and in the order in which the use request flags are detected, a device driver is incorporated into the server task and preparation for execution of simulation is performed in step S69. . Next step S70
Then, the connection confirmation is performed for the client that has generated the server task, and after the approval is obtained in step S71, the server task is executed (step S7).
2) The process is repeated until all the flags in the client use request table 74 have been checked (step S73).

Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a client request access arbitration process, and FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a client access table (common path).

In this embodiment, an access coordination list (access list) called a common path is provided for arbitration of client requests, and all clients requesting this device access request the access priority with respect to this access list. It is characterized by registering up to the port number actually used.

For a client, setting these pieces of information in a common path slightly increases the number of processing steps. However, another client has already accessed the same device and ends the processing. Normally, you have to wait until you have access to different ports on the same device. For example, if you are using a digital input with a different port number, you can read without any problems. In such a case, the server can execute its own request processing without waiting for the processing of another client to be completed, so that overall performance can be improved.

In FIG. 14, in the access request arbitration task (step S75), a client request is received, and a device ID (identification number) 76R3, which requests the client access table (common path) 76 in FIG. The port number 76R4 and the client ID 76R5 are set. The requested client priority 76R6 is an execution request priority requested by the client, and if specified, is also described. Further, when all the client requests have been described in the client access table (common path), the execution order is determined based on the information, and the client that receives the request is determined in step S77. In the next step S78,
This is for performing the client processing, and when the server task is generated, executed, and terminated, the corresponding item in the client access table (common path) is cleared. Thereafter, the processing is repeated until the processing is completed for all the clients (step S79).

At the stage of step S77, if there is no duplicate device port number, it is possible to receive a client request at the same time. To prepare for such a case, a flag is set in the execution state 76A. It is also possible to execute a plurality of client requests after recognizing that it is operating.

Next, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, in addition to the monitoring device 1 and the controller 2, an intermediate server 80 that manages information in common throughout is provided.
In the system having the intermediate server 80, the common path and the arbitration function are provided in the intermediate server 80.

As shown in FIG. 16, a server client access table 81 is provided on the disk 80a of the intermediate server 80. In the server client access table 81, when there is an access request to the controller (server) 2 from the client 1 in the monitoring device, as shown in FIG. 81R2 describes the name of the controller (server) making the access request, the detailed request content 81R3, and the like. The content of the detailed request content 81R3 is equivalent to the client access table (common path) in FIG.

In the intermediate server 80,
An intermediate server arbitration task (not shown) corresponding to the access arbitration task (step S75) in FIG. 14 can be provided. The difference between the intermediate server arbitration task and the access arbitration task is that the intermediate server arbitration task performs arbitration in consideration of the access frequency to the server.

In general, in a slightly large system, a server or the like for managing the entire system is often provided in addition to a device for only monitoring and control. By setting common information for accessing a monitoring device and a controller in a normal system in such a server (intermediate server), similar information can be prevented from being dispersed. In the case of the eighth embodiment described above, the common path and the arbitration routine need to be implemented in all controllers. The client must first connect to the desired controller, set the request on the common path, and wait for an acknowledgment to arrive.However, if you want to access another controller immediately, the access status of other monitoring devices, etc. Since it is not possible to know the access, there is no guarantee that the result will be immediately obtained even if the access is made, and in such a case, the decision whether to continuously request access should be left to the individual client task become. Therefore, total operation is difficult. Therefore, by providing the intermediate server with all client requests and server status information in an area corresponding to a common path such as a "server / client access table" and performing arbitration over the entire system, the system as a system The performance can be improved.

Next, a tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment is characterized in that an emergency processing request from a client task is received in the item of the common path used in the eighth and ninth embodiments. When the emergency processing request 76R7 shown in FIG. 15 is set by the server emergency processing request check routine, FIG.
5 is checked, and if there is a server task that is currently being executed, the server task is immediately suspended (interrupted) to generate an urgent processing request, thereby executing the client request with the highest priority. it can.

That is, in the present embodiment, the arbitration function in the server checks the urgent processing request of this access path at a relatively earlier cycle than usual, and checks only whether there is a corresponding request. If there is no corresponding request, the normal arbitration process is executed immediately, but if there is an urgent process request, the process immediately shifts to the process execution routine of the requesting client. Can be done.

Next, an eleventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the load status from the client task is received in the item of the server / client access table (common path), and based on this information, the intermediate server further executes the job to the server where the client task is in a high load state. The request is made and the intermediate server makes adjustments so as to avoid a situation that results in a job being invalidated.

In this embodiment, the server load status item 81 shown in the server / client access table of FIG.
The current load status is periodically written selectively from the controller side to R4 corresponding to the server name 81R2. This load status is expressed as a ratio of the number of server tasks that are currently unprocessed or the number of server tasks that can be processed simultaneously. The intermediate server arbitration task (not shown) in the intermediate server 80 considers this load situation and, for example, if the load state is almost 100%, performs control such as waiting for further transmission of a client request. I do.

Next, a twelfth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a wireless switchboard and a processing program for the wireless switchboard are provided in an intermediate server to enable a controller with a wireless transmission / reception function to enter and leave the system. , First
The embodiment is characterized in that a configuration change device information profile sending function is provided. Between a device with a wireless function and a controller having the interface, device departure and entry can be performed frequently. Further, by providing a wireless exchange function in the intermediate server, it is possible to perform a process of leaving and entering the controller itself.

In FIG. 18, the line (frequency) of the wireless interface 92 connected to the controller 2 can be adjusted to the frequency of the wireless transmission / reception unit 93 connected to the device 14, and the device 14 can be arbitrarily set from a distance. Data can be transmitted to or received from the controller 2.
In this case, it is possible to notify the monitoring device 1 of the system entry / exit status by the method described in the first to fourth embodiments. The same applies to infrared as a wireless medium.

The controller 2 is also provided with a wireless interface 91 so that it can communicate with a wireless switch 90 connected to the intermediate server 80. In this case, since the intermediate server 80 has the server information in the controller 2 and the information of the access request of the client, that is, the client-server access table, the ninth embodiment is not necessarily required via the transmission device 5. The processing can be executed in the same manner as in.

[0094]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the controller detects a device to be additionally mounted, the controller acquires device profile information from the added device and changes the device configuration information. Create a profile,
Further, upon detecting that the device has been deleted, a configuration-changed device information profile is created based on the held device profile information, and the created configuration-changed device information profile is notified to a higher-level monitoring device. Can know the configuration change in the controller, and can monitor with a configuration that takes into account the equipment of the detached controller.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the address assigned to the monitoring device is set in the configuration changed device information profile, and the controller sets the address based on the address set in the configuration changed device information profile. Since the configuration change device information profile is notified to the controller, the controller can directly know the address of the monitoring device from the configuration change device information profile, and the load on the controller can be reduced.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the configuration change device information profile is not a simple data file, but an original configuration in which data concealment, access restriction, and operation functions are embedded in the file for each item. Since the controller uses the derived configuration change device information profile that inherits the basic functions and information as the change device information profile, the reliability of the configuration change device information profile and, consequently, the system can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the configuration-change device information profile is derived for each client, it is not necessary to newly generate the configuration information for each server task.
Even in the server, processing relating to the changed device can be continued independently for each client.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the category of the device category and the category of the prototype configuration changed device information profile are different, the monitoring device is notified and the prototype configuration changed device information profile of the corresponding category is received. So
Useless processing can be avoided, and overall throughput can be improved.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, before the change / update of the device configuration on the controller side is incorporated into the controller side and executed online, the simulation data is converted from the configuration changed device information profile of the updated device. It provides an operation simulation function before extraction and linkage with the related server task, so that the safety of the system can be confirmed.

According to the present invention, while incorporating the device driver into the server task, the connection confirmation with the requesting client is carried out, and after confirming the acceptance, the updated device driver is incorporated into the server task. So
It is not necessary for the monitoring device to perform access coordination management for devices between clients, and it is only necessary to process confirmation and return of processing results from the server for each client task, and perform multitask processing reliably. Can be.

According to the present invention, an access coordination list (access list) called a common path is provided for arbitration of client requests, and all clients requesting this device access can access the access list. , The request priority and the port number of the device actually used are registered, so that the overall performance can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, in addition to the monitoring device and the controller, an intermediate server that manages information in common as a whole is provided, and the intermediate server has a common path and an arbitration function. Is provided, arbitration can be performed over the entirety, and the performance of the system can be improved.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the request priority of the client and the server task execution state are grasped.
When an urgent request occurs, a suspend request is issued to the server task being executed, and the urgent request processing is realized.
Emergency processing can be executed with the highest priority.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention,
Since there is a load monitoring and adjusting means for preventing processing revocation due to excessive load on the controller, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a client task makes a job execution request to a server which is a controller in a high load state and the job is invalidated. be able to.

Further, according to the present invention described in claim 12,
The controller has wireless transmission / reception means, and the intermediate server communicates with the controller and the monitoring device.
The exchange can be performed wirelessly, and the controller can enter and leave the system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a process control system that is a general monitoring control system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a controller used in the monitoring control system shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a system engineering process in the engineering device of the monitoring control system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the monitoring control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a configuration change device information profile.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of creating and transmitting a configuration changed device information profile in a controller.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing client-side profile processing for receiving a transmission device profile transmitted by a server.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the contents and operation of a path trace table at a level nm and a reception table generated by a controller transmission / reception task in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a configuration-change device information profile according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating device category processing.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a profile derivation application process for each client.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a simulation application process according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a server built-in arbitration process according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a client request access arbitration process.

FIG. 15: Client access table (common path)
FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an intermediate server according to a ninth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a server-client access table.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a wireless server according to a twelfth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 monitoring device 2 controller 3 input / output device 4 engineering device 5 transmission device 12 peripheral device 14 remote input / output device

Claims (12)

[Claims] An engineering apparatus for constructing a system construction program off-line, a monitoring apparatus connected to the engineering apparatus, a controller connected to the monitoring apparatus via a data transmission path, and an input / output connected to the controller The monitoring device receives the system construction program from the engineering device, downloads the system construction program to the controller, performs plant monitoring control based on the downloaded system construction program, and connects to the controller. A monitoring and control system for monitoring and controlling a change in the connection of the added device, wherein the controller detects a device newly added and mounted to the device and a device to be deleted, and a configuration related to the added and deleted device. Change device information profile Detection creation means for creating a file,
A monitoring unit that notifies the monitoring device of the created configuration-changed device information profile. 2. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an address setting unit configured to set an address in the configuration change device information profile, wherein the controller sets the address in the configuration change device information profile based on the address set in the configuration change device information profile. 2. The monitoring control system according to claim 1, further comprising means for notifying the monitoring device corresponding to the address of the configuration change device information profile. 3. The configuration change device information profile includes:
An original configuration changed device information profile having a function of concealing a standard function unit and a function of appending an individual variable unit, wherein the controller derives a device-specific profile from the original configuration changed device information profile, 3. A monitoring control system according to claim 1, further comprising a designation unit for designating a hierarchy for an additionally recordable area of the configuration-changed device information profile. 4. The monitoring control system according to claim 3, wherein said controller has means for deriving a configuration change device information profile for each client. 5. The controller, when updating the configuration-changed device information profile by the detection creating unit, when the device category and the original configuration-changed device information profile have different categories, notifies the monitoring device of the changed category. 4. The monitoring and control system according to claim 2, further comprising means for receiving the original configuration change device information profile. 6. Incorporating a change / update of the device configuration on the controller side into the controller side, and extracting simulation data from a configuration-changed device information profile of the corresponding updated device before executing it online, and linking with a related server task and linkage. The monitoring control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an operation simulation function before the operation is provided. 7. An update adjustment means for checking connection with a requesting client while confirming that the connection has been accepted while incorporating the device driver into the server task, and incorporating the updated device driver into the server task. The monitoring control system according to claim 4 or 6, wherein 8. When arbitrating access to a device belonging to a server task by a plurality of clients, a common path in which a device identification number, a device port, and a request priority for each client can be set as arbitration elements is provided in the server. The supervisory control system according to claim 7, wherein: 9. In a control system in which a monitoring device and a controller are physically mounted on a plurality of devices, and the plurality of devices are coupled via a data transmission device, a control system for all the monitoring devices and all the controllers in the system is provided. 9. The monitoring and control system according to claim 8, further comprising an intermediate server capable of collecting information, wherein the intermediate server is provided with the common path and an adjustment function. 10. A request priority of a client which is a monitoring device and a task execution state of a server which is a controller are grasped, and when an urgent request occurs, a suspend request is issued to a server task being executed to realize an urgent request process. 9. The monitoring and control system according to claim 8, further comprising an emergency request processing unit that performs the operation. 11. Job due to controller overload
10. The monitoring control system according to claim 8, further comprising a load monitoring adjustment unit for preventing revocation. 12. The controller has a wireless transmission / reception means, the intermediate server has a wireless exchange means for communicating / exchanging with the controller and the monitoring device, and enables the controller to enter and leave the system. The monitoring control system according to claim 1 or 9, wherein