JPH11237986A - Object preparation supporting device and object managing method for programmable controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify setting operation at the time of download when generating an object. SOLUTION: This supporting device sets at an object definition table 11 an object name and an object attribute, namely, information showing whether that object is an object for designating object generation data number, an object for designating download data number or an object having no designation of data and the maximum data number in the case data number is designated. When generating an object, an object generating head NO and a final number are set while referring to the object definition table 11. Besides, at the time of download, a download head NO and a final number are set as well while referring to the object definition table 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an object creation support apparatus for creating an object for operating a programmable controller and an object management method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to perform sequence control using a programmable controller, a user creates a sequence program using a program creating device or the like and downloads the sequence program to the programmable controller. When a sequence program is created, there is a method in which the program is composed of a plurality of objects and the program is created in units of objects. An object creation support device that supports creation of objects is used.

Here, a method of managing objects in a conventional object creation support apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In a conventional object creation support device, a table is provided for each of an object creation function, a download function, and a history display function. The user performs an object creation operation and obtains the object name and the maximum data number.
(Number) is set in the object generation table 21. Then, the object generation head data NO and the object generation final data NO are set from the object name and the maximum data NO of the object generation table 21, and the object is generated by the object setting function.

Next, in order to download the generated object to the programmable controller, the user sets the object name and the maximum data number in the download table 22. Then, the download start data NO and the final data NO are set from the object name and the maximum data NO, and the object is downloaded to the programmable controller by the download function.

At this time, in the history table 23, the object name, the object generation start data NO and the end data NO at the time of object generation, and the download start data NO and the end data NO at the time of download are set. Then, the contents of the history table 23 are displayed by the history display function.

[0006]

In the conventional management method as described above, a table is provided for each of the functions of the object generation function, the download function, and the history display function. It was necessary to set the object name, maximum data, etc., and the setting operation was troublesome. Further, when an object is added, deleted, changed, or the like, the same operation has to be performed for all related functions.

Furthermore, since the user setting information such as the object generation top data NO and the download top data NO at the time of the previous operation is managed in the dedicated history table 23, it cannot be associated with the user setting information of the next operation. .

[0008] An object of the present invention is to generate an object,
The purpose of the present invention is to enable a user to easily perform a setting operation at the time of downloading or the like.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an object creation supporting apparatus for creating an object for operating a programmable controller, and at least a processing range of an object creation function and a download function of downloading the created object to the programmable controller. Storage means for collectively storing information indicating the object as an attribute of the object, and execution means for generating and downloading the object based on the attribute information of the object stored in the storage means.

According to the present invention, information indicating the processing range in the object generation function and information indicating the processing range in the download function can be collectively managed for the same object. The setting operation of the user can be simplified.

Further, for example, by storing the head number and the last number of the object set at the time of object generation and the head number and the last number of the object set at the time of download in the storage means, the same processing range can be obtained. When a change occurs, the user does not need to input the same processing range, so that the setting operation at the time of object generation and download is simplified.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment relates to an object creation support device that supports creation of an object constituting a sequence program that determines the operation of a programmable controller.

Although the hardware configuration of the object creation support device is not shown, it is composed of, for example, a personal computer or the like, and a user can create an arbitrary object by executing an object creation program.

FIG. 1 shows an object definition table 11, an object relation table 12, and an object management memory 13 used when creating an object and downloading an object to a programmable controller.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of FIG.

The object definition table 11 contains an object name and an object attribute, that is, whether the object specifies an object generation data number (number), an object specifying a download data number, or an object for which no data is specified. Is set, and the maximum data NO when data NO is specified is set.

The object relation table 12 holds an object name, a creation start number and an end number of the object set by the user when the object is created, and a download start number and an end number when downloading.

In the object relation table 12, the object creation head NO and the end N at the time of object creation are stored.
O, top NO of object at download, last NO
Is stored, the next time an object is added, changed, deleted, etc., to the same object, the first NO and the last NO at the time of the previous download can be known, so which part of the object is changed Can be identified.

The object management memory 13 stores the top NO and the last NO of the object set by the user based on the object attribute and the maximum data NO of the object definition table 11. Also, the top NO and the last NO at the time of downloading the object are stored. At this time, the object generation NO and the download N are determined by the object attributes of the object definition table 11.
The initial value of O is determined regularly.

Here, "Object 1" is the object name of the object definition table 11, "AD" is the object attribute, and "1" is the maximum data NO.
The case where “0” is set will be described.

In this case, the object definition table 11
Is set to "AD", that is, an object attribute that designates both the object generation data NO and the download data NO is set. . For example, “1” is set as the initial value of the object generation head NO at the time of object generation, and “10” is set as the initial value of the object generation final NO. At the time of downloading, “1” is set as an initial value of the download head NO and “10” is set as the final NO. If the object attribute is "A", that is, only the range of the object generation data NO is specified, the object management NO is set in the object management memory 13. At this time, for example, “1” is set in the object management memory 13 as an initial value of the object creation head NO,
"10" is set as the initial value of the object generation final NO, and nothing is set for the download start NO and the final NO.

Next, when only "D" is designated as the object attribute, that is, when only the download NO range is designated,
Only the download number is expanded in the object management memory 13. For example, in the object management memory 13, "1" is set as an initial value of the download head NO, and "10" is set as an initial value of the final NO.

Next, when "none" is set as the object attribute, that is, when the range of both the object creation NO and the download NO is not specified,
Nothing is set in the object management memory 13 for the object creation top NO, the last NO, the download top NO, and the last NO.

When the generation of the object and the downloading of the generated object to the programmable controller are completed, the object generation top NO, the final NO, the download top NO, the final NO, and the maximum number of data in the object management memory 13 are stored in the object relation table 12. Is stored in

Next, identification of a changed portion when an object is changed will be described. Now, it is assumed that “AD” is set as the object attribute and “10” is set as the maximum data NO in the object definition table 11 by the user. In this state, an object creation operation is performed, and when the user sets “1” as the object creation start NO and “10” as the object creation end NO from the object attribute and the maximum data NO of the object definition table 11, those values are changed. It is set in the object management memory 13. In the present embodiment, the data structure is such that the object number is determined when the maximum data number of the object is determined. For example, if the maximum data number is “10”, the object generation start number is “1”. The final NO is “10”.

When the creation of the object is completed, the object creation head NO “1” and the final NO “10” in the object management memory 13 are stored in the object association table 12.

Next, the download function is activated, and from the maximum data number in the object definition table 11, "1" is set in the object management memory 13 by the user as the download start number and "10" as the download end number. Then, when the download is executed, the corresponding object is downloaded to the programmable controller, and the object management memory 13
Is stored in the object association table 12.

Next, an object generating operation is performed.
It is assumed that NO5 of the same object is changed. In this case, since only the change is NO5, the user sets “5” as the object generation start NO and “5” as the object generation final NO in the object management memory 13. When the object creation operation is completed, the object creation start number “5” and the creation end number “5” in the object management memory 13 are stored in the object association table 12.

Next, when a download operation is performed,
Object related table 12 by download function
Is compared with the download top NO and the final NO at the time of the previous download and the generation top NO and the final NO in the current object generation, and it is identified whether or not a changed portion exists. Then, it is determined that the changed NO data has not been downloaded yet, and the data is downloaded.

According to the present embodiment, information indicating whether an object specifies a processing range at the time of object generation, an object specifying a processing range at the time of downloading, or an object specifying both processing ranges. (A, D, AD...) And information indicating the processing range of the object, such as the maximum data number, are collectively managed as attribute information of the object. It is not necessary to set such information every time the operation is performed, and the setting operation is simplified. Further, by storing the object creation start NO and final NO at the time of object creation and the download start NO and final NO at the time of download as attribute information of the object, generation or download of the object for the same processing range can be performed. This can be performed without the user inputting the processing range, and the input operation can be simplified.

Further, by comparing the previous download range held in the object relation table 12 with the generation range of the currently changed object, the changed portion can be identified, so that the user does not need to specify the download range. You can download the changed part.

Further, when an object of a programmable controller of another model is created, even when the maximum data number is changed, the maximum data number to be set in the object definition table 11 can be changed by changing the maximum data number. The processing range at the time of object generation and the processing range at the time of downloading can be set by the operation.

Even when a function is added, for example, when an upload function is added, the processing range can be similarly determined using the object definition table 11.
In the above-described embodiment, the information indicating the object generation data NO designated object, the download data NO designated object, and the like, and the maximum data NO are stored in the object definition table 11 as the attributes of the object. Instead, for example, information indicating a processing range for each function may be held as an attribute of an object. Further, although the object definition table 11 and the object relation table 12 are different tables, both may be constituted by one table.

[0033]

According to the present invention, the information indicating the processing range of the object generation function and the download function is collectively managed as the attribute of the object, so that the operation of setting the information indicating the processing range for each function can be performed. This is unnecessary and the setting operation is simplified. Further, since the processing range at the time of the previous operation is stored, the same processing range can be changed without specifying the processing range. Furthermore, by comparing the processing range at the time of generating the current object with the processing range at the time of the previous download, it is possible to identify a changed portion and download only a necessary portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an object definition table 11 according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an object relation table 12 and an object management memory 13.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional object management method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Object definition table 12 Object relation table 13 Object management memory

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An object creation supporting apparatus for creating an object for operating a programmable controller, wherein at least information indicating a processing range of an object creation function and a download function of downloading the created object to the programmable controller is attributed to the object. An object creation support device for a programmable controller, comprising: a storage unit that collectively stores the objects; and an execution unit that generates and downloads the object based on the attribute information of the object stored in the storage unit. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information of the object stored in said storage means includes at least an object specifying a processing range at the time of object generation, an object specifying a processing range at the time of download, and both at the time of object generation and at the time of download. , Which indicates which of the objects specify the processing range, and information that determines the processing range. The object generation start number and the last number set at the time of object generation, and the download start number set at the time of download. 2. The object creation support device for a programmable controller according to claim 1, wherein the last number and the last number are stored in the storage unit. 3. When the object is changed, the processing range of the same object stored in the storage means at the time of the previous download is compared with the processing range set by the current object generation. 3. The object creation support device for a programmable controller according to claim 1, further comprising identification means for identifying a portion changed by the current object creation. 4. An object management method for managing an object for operating a programmable controller, wherein information indicating a processing range of an object generation function and a download function of downloading the generated object to the programmable controller is attribute information of the object. An object management method, wherein the object is generated and downloaded based on the attribute information of the object.