TWI709908B - Method, program product, and computer readable medium for operating software in plc editing environment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, a program product, and a computer readable medium for operating a software in a PLC editing environment. A PLC graphical user interface is displayed by an editor, allowing users to select a data object in the PLC graphical user interface. The PLC graphical user interface is provided with a conversion unit for converting the selected data object into a control instruction of a specific software. The editor is switchable to an editing interface of the specific software, thereby adding the control instruction to the editing interface of the specific software through the PLC graphical user interface.

Description

Collaboration methods, program products, computers in PLC editing environment with other software Readable media

The present invention relates to a method for cooperating with other software in a PLC editing environment, program products, and computer-readable media, and particularly refers to a conversion unit provided on the PLC graphic user interface, which converts the PLC graphic user interface The selected data objects are converted into control commands of the specific software, and can be directly added to the editing interface of the specific software, completing the invention of the cooperative operation of the two.

In machines built for industrial automation purposes, the central control system usually consists of a pair of PLC and HMI devices. The PLC contains the control logic program of the machine, and is responsible for collecting and processing sensing data, and controlling the output of the driver to perform the expected function of the machine, and the user monitors the status of the program execution in the PLC through the HMI. In addition to the emergency stop button, HMI is usually the only control and monitoring channel for users.

The HMI engineer sets up a virtual control panel in the HMI. This virtual control panel usually imitates a real control panel. For example, the virtual control panel contains graphics or text corresponding to PLC data objects. These graphics and text are for example TRUE/FALSE lights, Switch or button symbols, etc., used to output on/off instructions or dial instructions.

The collaborative operation process of PLC and HMI is:

1. The PLC engineer defines data objects to operate the machine, such as opening/closing or the feed of the drive, etc., and the algorithm of the PLC control program is written by using the graphical user interface (GUI) provided by the PLC supplier.

2. The HMI engineer adds graphical elements, such as light numbers or buttons, to the programming GUI of the HMI, and manually defines the correspondence between the HMI graphical elements and the PLC data objects. These correspondences can use the correspondence or memory of the data name Correspondence of address.

However, the cooperative operation of conventional PLC and HMI has the following problems:

1. The PLC program does not recognize the data objects that HMI uses. When the PLC engineer deletes or renames the data objects, and the HMI engineer does not redefine the correspondence between the HMI graphic components and the PLC data objects, the HMI graphic components and the PLC data The correspondence between the objects will be lost and will cause errors in machine control.

2. In order to overcome the aforementioned problems, any data objects used by the HMI are listed as a list. When the PLC engineer wants to modify the data objects of the PLC, the HMI engineer is also immediately notified to modify the new correspondence. But when there are more than a thousand data objects on the list, manually maintaining this list will become very cumbersome, and it is also prone to errors due to personnel proofreading.

To this end, there is the Republic of China Patent No. I420389 "Human-Machine Interface Device and Its Interface Integration Method". The human-machine interface device is used to work with a programmable logic controller. The programmable logic controller includes a first program unit and a second program unit. Program unit. The human-machine interface device includes a processor and a memory. The memory includes a first location for storing operation variables and a second location for storing the first common variable. The operation variable corresponds to the first formula unit through the first common variable. When the input/output parameters of the first formula unit and the second formula unit have the same type and quantity, the processor can update the second common variable by changing the first common variable in the second position of the memory to the operating variable Correspond to the second formula unit.

Different from the previous proposal, the present invention proposes a method for collaboration with other software in a PLC editing environment, including the following steps: An editor displays a PLC graphical user interface, and selects a data object in the PLC graphical user interface. A conversion unit is arranged on the PLC graphical user interface, and the conversion unit converts the selected data object into a control command of a specific software. The editor switches to the editing interface of the specific software, and adds the control command from the PLC graphical user interface to the editing interface of the specific software.

Further, the specific software is man-machine interface software, and the control commands are presented as graphic symbols or text symbols.

Further, adding the control command to the editing interface of the man-machine interface software adopts a hierarchical menu selection mode.

Furthermore, the control command ID is added to the PLC data object reference table to store the link between the data object of the PLC graphical user interface and the control command of the man-machine interface software. When the PLC graphical user interface is used to modify or delete When the data object is selected, the PLC graphical user interface displays a warning message.

Further, when the data object is modified through the PLC graphical user interface, the corresponding link of the man-machine interface software is modified at the same time to maintain the validity of the link.

Furthermore, the control command is presented as a graphic symbol or a text symbol which is selected by artificial intelligence according to the type of the data object.

Furthermore, when the control command corresponding to the data object is an on/off, correct/error or similar command, the control command is displayed as a graphic symbol.

Further, when the control command corresponding to the data object is data or a similar command, the control command is displayed as a text symbol.

The present invention further provides a program product for executing the method of cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment, which is used to install on a computer to execute the aforementioned method of cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment.

The present invention further proposes a computer-readable medium for executing the method of cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment, which is used to install a program on a computer to execute the aforementioned method of cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment. method.

According to the above technical features, the following effects can be achieved:

1. The editing of PLC and HMI can be completed on the same editor at the same time, without the need for PLC engineer and HMI engineer to edit PLC data objects and HMI control instructions separately, which can avoid the situation of machine control errors caused by the two unsynchronized editing.

2. When the data object is modified or deleted through the PLC graphical user interface, the PLC graphical user interface displays a warning message to remind the user to modify the corresponding link of the man-machine interface software at the same time to maintain the validity of the link Sex.

1: editor

11: PLC graphical user interface

111: Data Object

112: Conversion unit

12: Human-machine interface software

121: Control Instructions

122: Edit interface

[The first figure] is a flow chart of the editor of the present invention for synchronous editing of PLC and HMI.

[The second figure] is a schematic diagram of the editor of the present invention for synchronous editing of PLC and HMI.

[Figure 3A] is a schematic diagram of the control instruction ID added to the data object reference table of the PLC in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Third Figure B] is a flowchart of the corresponding link of the man-machine interface software when the PLC graphical user interface of the present invention modifies or deletes the data object.

Based on the above technical features, the main effects of the method, program products, and computer-readable media of the present invention for collaboration with other software in a PLC editing environment will be clearly presented in the following embodiments.

Referring to the first and second figures, this embodiment takes the synchronous editing of PLC and HMI as an example, including the following steps: An editor (1) displays a PLC graphical user interface (11), and the user selects a data object (111) in the PLC graphical user interface (11).

A conversion unit (112) is provided on the PLC graphical user interface (11), and the conversion unit (112) converts the selected data object (111) into a control command of a human-machine interface software [HMI] (12) (121), the control command (121) is selected by hierarchical menu, for example, the first level menu is to select the data object (111) to be added to the HMI software [HMI](12), and the second level menu is to select One of the multiple human-machine interface control panels of the human-machine interface software [HMI] (12), the third-level menu is to select the symbol of the control command (121). Among them, in the human-machine interface software [HMI] (12), the type of the control command (121) includes graphic symbols or text symbols. Wherein, the control command (121) is a graphic symbol or text symbol that can be selected by artificial intelligence according to the type of the data object (111). For example, when the control command (121) corresponding to the data object (111) is on/off, When correct/wrong or similar commands, the control command (121) is displayed as a graphic symbol, and when the control command (121) corresponding to the data object (111) is data or similar commands, the control command (121) Displayed as text symbols.

The editor (1) switches to an editing interface (122) of the human-machine interface software [HMI] (12), and adds the control command (121) to the HMI from the PLC graphical user interface (11) The editing interface (122) of the interface software [HMI] (12). In this way, by completing the editing of PLC and HMI on the editor (1) at the same time, it is not necessary for the PLC engineer and HMI engineer to edit the data objects (111) of the PLC graphical user interface (11) and the human-machine interface software [HMI ](12) Graphical symbols and text symbols and other control commands (121) can avoid the situation of machine control errors caused by not synchronized editing of the two.

Refer to Figure 3A and Figure 3B. When editing is completed, add the control command ID to the PLC data object reference table to store the data object (111) and the PLC graphical user interface (11) The link of the control command (121) of the human-machine interface software [HMI] (12), when through the PLC graphics When the user interface (11) modifies or deletes the data object (111), the PLC graphical user interface (11) will display a warning message to remind the user to modify the corresponding link of the human-machine interface software [HMI] (12) To maintain the effectiveness of the link.

It should be particularly noted that the application program to be used to execute the method of the present invention can be stored as a program product for users to download from the cloud; or can also be stored in a computer readable medium such as a CD, a flash drive, for use Download it.

Based on the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, when one can fully understand the operation and use of the present invention and the effects of the present invention, the above-mentioned embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the implementation of the present invention cannot be limited by this. The scope, that is, simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention and the description of the invention, are all within the scope of the present invention.

1: editor

11: PLC graphical user interface

111: Data Object

112: Conversion unit

12: Human-machine interface software

121: Control Instructions

122: Edit interface

Claims (10)

A method for cooperating with other software in a PLC editing environment, including the following steps: an editor connects a PLC graphical user interface and an editing interface of a specific software, the specific software is man-machine interface software, and the editor displays the PLC Graphical user interface, and select a data object on the PLC graphical user interface; set a conversion unit on the PLC graphical user interface, and the conversion unit will convert the selected data object into a control command of the specific software; the edit Switch to the editing interface of the specific software, and add the control commands to the editing interface of the specific software from the PLC graphical user interface. The method for cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment as described in claim 1, wherein the control command is presented as a graphic symbol or a text symbol. The method for cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment as described in claim 2, wherein, adding the control command to the editing interface of the man-machine interface software adopts a hierarchical menu selection mode. The method for cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment as described in claim 2, wherein the control command ID is added to the PLC data object reference table to store the data object of the PLC graphical user interface and the man-machine The control command link of the interface software, when the data object is modified or deleted through the PLC graphical user interface, the PLC graphical user interface displays a warning message. The method for cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment as described in claim 4, wherein when the data object is modified through the PLC graphical user interface, the corresponding link of the man-machine interface software is also modified to maintain the link Result effectiveness. The method for cooperating with other software in a PLC editing environment as described in claim 2, wherein the control command is to present graphical symbols or text symbols by artificial intelligence according to the type of the data object. The method for cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment as described in claim 6, wherein, when the control command corresponding to the data object is on/off, correct/error or similar commands, the control command is displayed as a graphic symbol. The method for cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment as described in claim 6, wherein, when the control command corresponding to the data object is data or a similar command, the control command is displayed as a text symbol. A program product for executing the method of cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment, which is used to install on a computer to execute any one of the request items 1 to 8 in the PLC editing environment and other software Methods of collaboration. A computer readable medium used to execute the method of cooperating with other software in the PLC editing environment, which is used to install a program on a computer to execute the PLC as described in any one of the request items 1 to 8. Collaboration with other software in the editing environment.

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