WO2011125280A1

WO2011125280A1 - Debugging support device, debugging support method and debugging support program

Info

Publication number: WO2011125280A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/001103
Authority: WO
Inventors: 覚大浦
Original assignee: 株式会社ベイビッグ
Priority date: 2010-04-08
Filing date: 2011-02-25
Publication date: 2011-10-13
Also published as: JP4600601B1; JP2011221772A

Abstract

Disclosed is a debugging support device capable of debugging into which is taken into consideration up to the transmission and reception of a control signal without connecting to an external apparatus to be controlled at development time of a control application. The disclosed debugging support device (300) is provided with a signal conveyance unit (310) having a normal operation mode and a debugging operation mode; wherein in the normal operation mode, the signal conveyance unit (310) conveys as a control command to the external apparatus (280) an operation instruction for an external apparatus (280) which is transmitted from a management process (224) to the external apparatus (280), and conveys to the management process (224) a response signal that has been transmitted from the external apparatus (280) to the management process (224). Furthermore, in the debugging operation mode, the signal conveyance unit (310) transmits a response signal indicating the result of the external apparatus (280) having operated to the management process (224) upon receiving an operation instruction for the external apparatus (280) that has been transmitted from the management process (224) to the external apparatus (280).

Description

Debug support device, debug support method, and debug support program

The present invention relates to a debugging support device, a debugging support method, and a debugging support program, and more particularly to a debugging support device that supports debugging of a control application that controls an external device.

Many control applications that control manufacturing equipment, inspection equipment, etc. are made-to-order products. Therefore, a programmer who has received an order develops a control application in accordance with the apparatus constituting the customer's production line.

In that case, it is often difficult to stop the customer's line. For this reason, it is difficult for a programmer to verify the control application under development using a device to be controlled.

In addition, even if a problem occurs after installing the control application at the customer, it is necessary to resolve the problem as soon as possible because it is a loss to stop the production line. Furthermore, since the operation of a control application in which many devices and applications are combined becomes nondeterministic, it is difficult to isolate the cause of the failure.

Conventionally, attempts have been made to improve the efficiency of debugging work by using a debugging device for non-deterministic programs.

For example, in Patent Document 1, an attempt is made to reproduce the order of occurrence of “events” that occurred in a program to be debugged when a failure occurs.

JP-A-9-212385

However, the debugging device described in Patent Document 1 can only confirm that an event occurs in a task generated in the computer according to a predetermined generation order in each task.

Also, in debugging of a machine control system in which an application transmits / receives control signals to / from an external device to be controlled, the behavior of the application changes depending on the contents and time of the transmitted / received control signals. In such a case, the debugging device of Patent Document 1 has a problem that debugging cannot be made efficient.

Furthermore, as described above, there is generally a customer only as an external device to be controlled by the control application, and there is a problem that it is difficult to perform long-term debugging by connecting the application and the external device.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. In developing a control application for controlling an external device, transmission / reception of a control signal is considered without connecting to the external device to be controlled. An object is to provide a debugging support device capable of debugging.

In order to solve the above problems, a debugging support apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a debugging support apparatus that supports debugging of a control application that controls an external device, and the control application is an operation of the external device. And a plurality of first processes including a screen processing process for a user to perform an input operation on the external device, and the debugging support apparatus includes: (1) the management process In response to the first control signal transmitted from the external device to the management process, the first control signal transmitted to the external device is transmitted to the external device to instruct the operation of the external device. A normal operation mode in which a first response signal indicating a result of the operation of the external device is transmitted to the management process; and (2) receiving the first control signal. In this case, by generating the first response signal and transmitting the generated first response signal to the management process, the same operation as when the external device is connected is simulated to the management process. A signal transmission unit having a debug operation mode, wherein the plurality of first processes transmit and receive signals to and from each other via the signal transmission unit, and the signal transmission unit is in a normal operation mode. Sometimes, (i) the third process is transmitted from a second process that is one of the management process and the screen processing process to a third process that is the other of the management process and the screen processing process. A second control signal instructing processing is transmitted to the third process; and (ii) the second control signal transmitted from the third process to the second process. A second response signal indicating a result of processing by the third process in response to the second process is transmitted to the second process, and in a debug operation mode, (iii) when the second control signal is received, Even if the third process is stopped by generating the second response signal and transmitting the generated second response signal to the second process, the third response signal The second process is simulated to perform the same operation as when the process is being executed.

According to this configuration, the debugging support apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention can simulate transmission / reception of signals between the management process in the control application and the external device by using the debug operation mode. Therefore, the debugging support apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention can perform debugging in consideration of control signal transmission / reception processing performed by the control application without connecting the control application to an external device.

Also, independent program development can be performed for each process constituting the control application. As a result, there is an advantage that even if development and maintenance work is performed over a long period of time, the control application is unlikely to be a “spaghetti program” having a complicated structure in the program.

Furthermore, even if some processes of the control application are not implemented as a program, there is an advantage that the control application can be debugged as the program is completed.

In addition to this, even when the control application implements the operation GUI screen in a separate process, it is possible to simulate signals transmitted and received between the control application and an external device in the debug operation mode. This produces the advantage.

The debug support apparatus further includes a first type of any of the first control signal and the second control signal, the first response signal corresponding to the first type, and the second type. A verification condition holding unit that holds a verification condition indicating any second type of the response signal and an execution type that designates one of the normal operation mode and the debug operation mode for the first type. And (1) the execution type corresponding to the first type when the first control signal of the first type indicated by the verification condition is received from the management process. When the debug operation mode is specified in the first type, the first response signal of the second type corresponding to the first type is generated, and the generated first response signal is transmitted to the management process. You (2) the execution type corresponding to the first type when operating as the debug operation mode and (2) receiving the second control signal of the first type indicated by the verification condition from the second process When the debug operation mode is designated in the above, the second response signal of the second type corresponding to the first type is generated, and the generated second response signal is sent to the second process. (3) when the first control signal of the first type indicated in the verification condition is received from the management process, the execution corresponding to the first type When the normal operation mode is designated as the type, the normal operation mode is transmitted as the normal control mode for transmitting the first control signal to the external device, and (4) the first type indicated in the verification condition When the second control signal is received from the second process and the normal operation mode is specified for the execution type corresponding to the first type, the second control signal is You may operate | move as the said normal operation mode transmitted to a said 3rd process.

According to this configuration, by providing a verification condition in advance, the debugging support apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention simulates transmission / reception of a specific signal among signals transmitted / received between the control application and the external device. Can do. Therefore, for example, when debugging is performed by actually connecting an external device and a control application, it is possible to easily separate a signal that causes a failure from a signal that does not occur among a plurality of signals.

The verification condition includes a waiting time, and the signal transmission unit receives the first control signal of the first type indicated by the verification condition from the management process in the debug operation mode. Generating the first response signal of the second type corresponding to the type, waiting for the waiting time after receiving the first control signal of the first type, and then generating the second type of the generated second type A first response signal may be sent to the management process.

According to this configuration, the debugging support apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention changes the transmission timing of the simulation signal when simulating transmission / reception of a specific signal among signals transmitted / received between the control application and the external device. can do.

The debugging support apparatus further includes a transmission history recording unit that records the history of the first control signal and the first response signal transmitted by the signal transmission unit, and the recording history recording unit that records the transmission history recording unit. A verification condition generation unit that generates the verification condition so as to reproduce the transmission / reception pattern of the first control signal and the first response signal included in the history from the history may be provided.

According to this configuration, the debugging support apparatus can simulate signals transmitted and received in the past between the control application and the external device. Therefore, for example, when a control application or an external device is changed, an operation test based on a past operation state can be performed.

In addition, the verification condition generation unit transmits and receives the first control signal and the first response signal included in the history from the history of the first period according to the time when the execution of the control application has failed. The verification condition may be generated so as to reproduce the pattern.

According to this configuration, the debugging support apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is selected according to the time at which a failure occurs in execution of the control application among signals transmitted and received in the past between the control application and the external device. Only the received signal can be simulated.

The verification condition generation unit acquires the first period specified by the user, and from the acquired history of the first period, the first control signal and the first response signal included in the history The verification condition may be generated so as to reproduce the transmission / reception pattern.

According to this configuration, the debugging support apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention can easily simulate a signal transmitted and received in the past between the control application and the external device at a time specified by the user. Can do.

The verification condition further includes an abnormal condition indicating a transmission / reception pattern of the first control signal and the first response signal, and the signal transmission unit includes the first control signal and the first control signal. If the pattern in which the response signal is transmitted and received matches the abnormal condition, the user may be notified that an abnormality has occurred.

According to this configuration, the debugging support apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention can notify the user when a signal matching a specific abnormality pattern is transmitted and received between the control application and the external device. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the generation pattern of abnormal signals and improve the elucidation of the cause of the failure.

The verification condition further includes a third type of the first control signal or the first response signal and the number of receptions corresponding to the third type, and the signal transmission unit includes the verification condition. When the third type of the first control signal or the first response signal included in the number of times of reception is received, the user may be notified that an abnormality has occurred.

According to this configuration, the debug support apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention can notify the user when a control signal is received from a control application a specified number of times or more.

The verification condition further includes a normal condition indicating a transmission / reception pattern of the first control signal and the first response signal, and the signal transmission unit includes the first control signal and the first response signal. If the pattern in which the response signal is transmitted and received does not match the normal condition, the user may be notified that an abnormality has occurred.

According to this configuration, the debugging support apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention allows a user to perform transmission / reception of signals that deviate from predetermined control signal transmission and response signal reception patterns. Can be notified.

The plurality of first processes include a communication process that communicates with the external device, and in the normal operation mode, the signal transmission unit communicates the first control signal transmitted from the management process with the communication. The communication process converts the transmitted first control signal into a format interpretable by the external device, and transmits the converted first control signal to the external device; In the communication process, a first response signal indicating a result of operation of the external device in response to the converted first control signal transmitted from the external device is converted into a format that can be interpreted by the management process. Converting, and transmitting the converted first response signal to the signal transmission unit, wherein the signal transmission unit transmits the converted first response signal transmitted from the communication process to the management process. It may be transmitted.

According to this configuration, the debugging support apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is configured so that, even when the control application implements a communication function with an external device in a separate process, A signal transmitted / received to / from an external device can be simulated.

The present invention can be realized not only as such a debugging support apparatus, but also as a debugging support method using characteristic means included in the debugging support apparatus as a step, or such characteristic steps in a computer. It can also be realized as a program to be executed. It goes without saying that such a program can be distributed via a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) and a transmission medium such as the Internet.

Furthermore, the present invention can be realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit (LSI) that realizes part or all of the functions of such a debugging support device, or can be realized as a debugging support system including such a debugging support device.

The present invention can provide a debugging support device capable of efficient debugging in consideration of transmission / reception of control signals without being connected to an external device to be controlled when developing a control application for controlling the external device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a machine control system in

Embodiments

1 and 2 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the hardware configuration of the control device according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functions of the control application and the debugging support apparatus in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing of the machine control system in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of control signals during normal operation in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an API for transmitting a transmission-required signal in

Embodiments

1 and 2 of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an API for transmitting a received signal in

Embodiments

1 and 2 of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of control signals during the debugging operation in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the transmission mode file in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the verification condition file in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the data structure of the verification condition file in the first and second embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing of the signal transmission unit corresponding to the verification condition file shown in FIG. 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in another embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a history file according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a verification condition file template according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a GUI screen for correcting the template of the verification condition file in the second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an appearance of a machine control system 100 having a debugging support apparatus according to the present invention.

The machine control system 100 includes a control device 200 and an external device 280.

For example, the machine control system 100 is a system for producing a semiconductor substrate by controlling an external device 280 that performs assembly work in a semiconductor substrate production line by the control device 200 according to a predetermined work target.

The control device 200 is a computer, such as a general-purpose PC (Personal Computer) or a dedicated control device for the control device.

Further, the control device 200 includes a control application 220 and a debugging support device 300.

For example, the control device 200 transmits a control signal to the robot arm 260 that is a part of the external device 280. Further, the control device 200 receives a response signal from the robot arm 260. As described above, the control device 200 realizes the function of the machine control system 100 by repeatedly transmitting and receiving signals to and from the external device 280.

The external device 280 is, for example, one or more production apparatuses constituting a semiconductor production line or a board mounting line. The external device 280 has a function of transmitting and receiving control signals to and from the control device 200 such as the robot arm 260 and the belt compare 270.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of the control device 200. As shown in FIG.

The control device 200 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a display device 203, a storage 204, an input device 205, and a communication I / F 206.

The CPU 201 is a numerical arithmetic unit used for normal computer processing. The CPU 201 performs calculations necessary for the execution of the control application 220 and the debug support apparatus 300.

The memory 202 is a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 202 is used as a work area for the CPU. Specifically, in addition to being used by the CPU 201 when executing the control application 220 and the debug support apparatus 300, the CPU 201 is used in inter-process communication performed between the control application 220 and the debug support apparatus 300 as described later.

Note that the memory 202 may include a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing data that does not need to be rewritten, such as a program of the control application 220 or the debug support apparatus 300.

The display device 203 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and the CPU 201 outputs the operation status of the control application 220 and the debug support device 300 to the user. In addition, the CPU 201 uses the GUI screen for operating the control application 220 and the debugging support apparatus 300.

The storage 204 is an external storage device, such as a hard disk or a CD-ROM drive. In the storage 204, for example, programs used by the control application 220 and the debug support apparatus 300 are recorded. When the CPU 201 executes a program that realizes the functions of the control application 220 and the debugging support apparatus 300, the CPU 201 reads the program from the storage 204, writes the program in the RAM area in the memory 202, and loads the program from the RAM area. Can be executed. In addition, the CPU 201 uses the storage 204 as a place to read and write files generated by the control application 220 and the debug support apparatus 300.

The input device 205 is an input device for a user to give an instruction to the control application 220 and the debug support device 300, and is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or the like.

The communication I / F 206 is a communication interface for transmitting a control signal and receiving a response signal between the control application 220 and the external device 280. The communication I / F 206 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or a serial port.

When the number of CPUs 201 included in the control device 200 is 1, the control application 220 and the debug support device 300 operate by multitask processing performed by dividing the calculation time of the CPU 201 in a time-sharing manner. Further, when there are a plurality of CPUs 201, each CPU may be assigned to the control application 220 and the debug support apparatus 300, respectively.

Note that the debugging support apparatus 300 according to the present invention may be executed by a computer different from the control apparatus 200. In that case, the control application 220 operating on the control apparatus 200 is debugged by connecting the control apparatus 200 and the debug support apparatus 300 according to the present invention via a communication interface such as a LAN.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the functions of the control application 220 and the debug support apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment.

The control application 220 includes a screen processing process 222, a management process 224, and a communication process 226. The debug support apparatus 300 includes a signal transmission unit 310, a transmission mode switching unit 320, a transmission history recording unit 340, a verification condition generation unit 360, and a verification condition holding unit 380.

The screen processing process 222 displays an operation screen for operating the control application 220 by the user, such as GUI (Graphical User Interface), on the display device 203 and receives the user input from the input device 205. For example, a “origin return button” for returning the arm position of the robot arm 260 to the origin is displayed on the display device 203, and when the user clicks the origin return button with the mouse, the click signal is received and managed. Notify process 224.

Management process 224 processes the operation logic of control application 220. For example, when a signal notifying that the origin return button has been clicked is received from the screen processing process 222, a process necessary for returning the arm position of the robot arm 260 to the origin is performed via a communication process. An origin return command is transmitted to the robot arm 260.

The communication process 226 transmits a control signal from the control application 220 to the external device 280 and receives a response signal from the external device 280 to the control application 220. Note that the contents of the control signal from the control application 220 to the external device 280 and the response signal from the external device 280 to the control application 220 are different for each external device 280 to be controlled. Therefore, the communication process 226 holds information regarding the control signal and the response signal for each external device 280.

Therefore, the communication process 226 converts the reception required signal 3200, which is a control signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 310, into a control command that can be interpreted by the external device 280 as necessary, and converts the converted control command to the external device 280. Send to.

Further, the communication process 226 converts a response command indicating a result of the operation of the external device 280 in response to the transmitted control command into a response signal that can be interpreted by the management process 224 as necessary, and converts the converted response signal. It transmits to the signal transmission part 310 as the transmission required signal 3100.

Further, the signal transmission unit 310 transmits the response signal transmitted from the communication process 226 to the management process 224 as the reception required signal 3200.

Note that the screen processing process 222, the management process 224, and the communication process 226 do not necessarily have to be separate processes, and may be executed as a plurality of threads processed in one process. In addition, the screen processing process 222, the management process 224, and the communication process 226 do not have to be executed in one control device 200, and may be executed in a distributed manner in a plurality of control devices 200 connected to the network.

The signal transmission unit 310 transmits and receives signals between a plurality of processes included in the control application 220. When each process included in the control application 220 communicates with another process, communication is always performed via the signal transmission unit 310.

The signal transmission unit 310 includes a control signal transmission unit 311 and a control signal reception unit 312.

The control signal receiver 312 receives the transmission required signal 3100 from one process of the control application 220. The transmission-required signal 3100 includes the name of another process designated as the destination and the content of the control signal to be transmitted.

The control signal transmission unit 311 transmits a reception required signal 3200 to the another process designated as the destination. The reception required signal 3200 includes the contents of the control signal included in the transmission required signal 3100.

For example, when the screen processing process 222 receives a click signal for the origin return button, the screen processing process 222 sends a transmission request signal 3100 with the management process 224 as a destination and a content indicating that the origin return button has been pressed. The signal is sent to the signal transmission unit 310. The signal transmission unit 310 that has received the transmission required signal 3100 sends a reception required signal 3200 that indicates that the origin return button has been pressed to the management process 224 designated as the destination.

As is clear from the above description, when the control application 220 is executed, the debug support apparatus 300 is also executed. This is because the signal transmission unit 310 is indispensable for the execution of the control application 220.

The control signal receiving unit 312 and the control signal transmitting unit 311 can be realized by, for example, a shared memory or a remote function call via a network.

The transmission mode switching unit 320 reads the transmission mode file 322 and sets the transmission mode of the debug support apparatus 300 according to the contents.

There are two types of transmission modes, a normal operation mode and a debug operation mode. The operation of the signal transmission unit 310 differs depending on the mode. Details will be described later.

The transmission history recording unit 340 records the processing performed by the signal transmission unit 310 in the history file 342. The processing performed by the signal transmission unit 310 includes, for example, the time when the transmission required signal 3100 is received, the time when the reception required signal 3200 is transmitted, and the contents thereof. In addition, when the signal transmission unit 310 transmits a command to the external device 280 without passing through the communication process 226 or receives the execution result of the command, the signal transmission unit 310 also indicates the transmission / reception time and content of the command. Is included in the processing performed.

Based on the history file 342 acquired from the transmission history recording unit 340, the verification condition generation unit 360 generates a verification condition file 382 so as to reproduce the signal transmission / reception performed by the signal transmission unit 310 included in the history. Write to the condition holding unit 380. The signal transmission / reception performed by the signal transmission unit 310 includes, for example, reception of a transmission request signal 3100, transmission of a reception signal 3200 corresponding to the transmission signal 3100 required, transmission of a command to the external device 280, For example, command processing result notification from the external device 280 corresponding to command transmission.

Although details will be described later, for example, when a problem occurs while using the control application 220, the verification condition file 382 generated by the verification condition generation unit 360 can be used to clarify the cause of the problem.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of processing of the debug support apparatus 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

After the start, the transmission mode switching unit 320 determines either the normal operation mode or the debug operation mode as the operation mode of the debug support device 300 (S312).

If the determination result of the transmission mode switching unit 320 is the normal operation mode (Yes in S314), the signal transmission unit 310 performs the normal operation (S316). On the other hand, if it is the debug operation mode (No in S314), the signal transmission unit 310 reads the corresponding verification condition file 382 (S317), and performs the debug operation according to the verification condition file 382 (S318).

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of control signal transmission in the normal operation (S316).

The flow of control signals in the normal operation mode among the screen processing process 222, the signal transmission unit 310, the management process 224, the communication process 226, and the external device 280 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, it is assumed that the screen processing process 222 detects that the “origin return button” has been pressed by the user. The screen processing process 222 sends a “return button request” indicating that the origin return button has been pressed to the signal transmission unit 310 as a transmission required signal 3100 (S511). The signal transmission unit 310 that has received the transmission required signal 3100 sends a “return button request” as the reception required signal 3200 to the management process 224 (S512). Thereby, the management process 224 knows that the origin return button has been pressed.

Next, the management process 224 transmits an “origin return request” for instructing the origin return of the external device to the signal transmission unit 310 as a transmission required signal 3100 (S513). The signal transmission unit 310 that has received the transmission required signal 3100 sends an “origin return request” as the reception required signal 3200 to the communication process 226 (S514). As a result, the communication process 226 knows that the external device must be returned to the origin.

Next, the communication process 226 sends an “origin return command request” corresponding to the origin return command to the external device 280 (S515). The external device 280 that has received the “origin return command request” performs an origin return operation (S516). After completing the origin return operation, the external device 280 transmits a “origin return command response” for notifying that the origin return command is completed to the communication process 226 (S517).

Next, the communication process 226 sends an “origin return response” for notifying completion of the origin return to the signal transmission unit 310 as a transmission required signal 3100 (S520). The signal transmission unit 310 that has received the transmission-required signal 3100 sends a “return-to-origin response” for notifying completion of the return to origin to the management process 224 as a required reception signal 3200 (S521). As a result, the management process 224 knows that the external device has returned to the origin.

Next, the management process 224 sends a “return button response” for notifying the completion of the origin return button process to the signal transmission unit 310 as a transmission required signal 3100 (S522). The signal transmission unit 310 that has received the transmission required signal 3100 sends a “return button response” for notifying the completion of the origin return button processing to the screen processing process 222 as a reception required signal 3200 (S523). As a result, the screen processing process 222 knows that the processing corresponding to the pressing of the origin return button has been completed, and displays, for example, on the display device 203 to that effect.

The above is the transmission processing of the signal transmission unit 310 in the normal operation mode.

Actually, the management process 224 may issue a plurality of origin return requests (S513). For example, there may be a case where an X-axis origin return request, a Y-axis origin return request, a Z-axis origin return request, or the like is issued.

In addition, as a method of easily incorporating the above-described inter-process communication mechanism of the control signal via the signal transmission unit 310 into the control application 220, for example, a mechanism for transmitting and receiving a message as an API (Application Programming Interface) is provided. Conceivable.

FIG. 6A shows ReqApi 3101, which is an example of a “return button request” and “origin return request” API, which implements the transmission required signal 3100 and the reception required signal 3200 in the present embodiment.

This ReqApi 3101 takes an event type 3102, an issuer ID 3104, a final issuer ID 3106, and an argument 3108 (variable length) according to the event type as arguments.

The event type 3102 indicates contents to be transmitted using a control signal such as “button pressed” or “issue command to external device”.

Issuer ID 3104 is the source of the control signal. The issuer ID 3104 is an ID indicating one process in the control application 220.

The final issue destination ID 3106 is the final destination of the control signal. The final issue destination ID 3106 is an ID indicating another process in the control application 220.

Argument 3108 by event type specifies an argument specific to event type 3102 as necessary. For example, it is used to specify that the button is an origin return button for the event type 3102 “button pressed”.

FIG. 6B shows AnsApi 3201, which is an example of “return button response” and “origin return response” APIs that implement the transmission required signal 3100 and the reception required signal 3200.

This AnsApi 3201 takes an event type 3202, an issuer ID 3204, a final issue destination ID 3206, and an argument 3208 according to the event type as arguments. The event type 3202, the issuer ID 3204, the final issue destination ID 3206, and the event type argument 3208 have the same meaning as the event type 3102, the issuer ID 3104, the final issue destination ID 3106, and the event type argument 3108 in the ReqApi 3101, respectively.

FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of control signals during the debugging operation (S318 in FIG. 4) when the external device 280 is not present.

7 does not exist in the operation sequence of FIG. Therefore, when the normal operation mode is used, the signal transmission unit 310 cannot issue an origin return command to the external device 280 via the communication process 226. Therefore, the developer of the control application 220 as a user performs debugging using the debug operation mode.

First, as in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the screen processing process 222 detects that the “origin return button” has been pressed by the user.

The screen processing process 222 sends a “return button request” for notifying that the origin return button has been pressed to the signal transmission unit 310 as a transmission required signal 3100 (S511). The signal transmission unit 310 that has received the transmission required signal 3100 transmits a “return button request” for notifying that the origin return button has been pressed to the management process 224 as a reception required signal 3200 (S512). Thereby, the management process 224 knows that the origin return button has been pressed.

Next, the management process 224 transmits an “origin return request” for instructing the origin return of the external device to the signal transmission unit 310 as a transmission required signal 3100 (S513). Up to this point, the processing is the same as the normal operation mode shown in FIG.

However, the subsequent communication process 226 and communication with the external device 280 are skipped (S514a, S515a, S517a, S520a), and therefore the external device 280 does not perform the origin return operation (S516).

Thereafter, the signal transmission unit 310 sends a “origin return response” for notifying the completion of the origin return to the management process 224 as a reception required signal 3200 (S521). Thereafter, the debug support apparatus 300 performs the same process as in the normal operation mode again (S522, S523).

As described above, in the debug operation mode, by skipping the transmission / reception of the control signal between the external device 280 and the management process 224, the developer of the control application 220 can execute the control application 220 without the external device 280 at hand. The program can be executed. If necessary, the developer of the control application 220 can debug the control application 220 by a normal debugging method using a general-purpose debugger.

The debug support apparatus 300 refers to the transmission mode file 322 and switches between the normal operation mode and the debug operation mode.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the transmission mode file 322 in the present embodiment. In the first column of the transmission mode file 322, the file name of the verification condition file 382 is described. The second column of the transmission mode file 322 specifies whether or not to use the verification condition file 382 in which the file name is described in the debug operation mode.

In this embodiment, the debug operation mode is designated as “1” for the verification condition file name “first file”. Therefore, the debug support apparatus 300 uses the “first file” as a file for determining the operation in the debug operation mode. Specifically, the signal transmission unit 310 reads the “first file” (S317) and uses it as the verification condition file. If all the columns of “debug operation mode” are set to 0, the debug support apparatus 300 operates in the normal operation mode.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the verification condition file 382. Each row of the verification condition file 382 describes a pattern corresponding to one of the transmission required signal 3100 and the reception required signal 3200.

Note that the signal transmission unit 310 may communicate with the external device 280 without going through the communication process 226, but in that case, each row of the verification condition file 382 includes a transmission required signal 3100 and a reception required signal 3200. In addition, a pattern corresponding to any one of a control signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit 310 to the external device 280 and a control signal received by the signal transmission unit 310 from the external device 280 is described.

Trigger 3822 indicates whether the corresponding line is a “trigger message” in the debug operation mode. If “1” is designated for the trigger 3822, the corresponding line indicates the pattern of the trigger message.

On the other hand, the response 3823 specifies whether or not the corresponding line is a “response message” in the debug operation mode. Specifically, if “1” is set in the response 3823, the corresponding line indicates a response message pattern.

In the debug operation mode, when the signal transmission unit 310 receives the transmission required signal 3100 from the management process 224, the received transmission required signal 3100 matches one of the trigger message patterns described in the verification condition file 382. Check whether or not.

If they match, the signal transmission unit 310 generates a required reception signal 3200 corresponding to the response message pattern corresponding to the trigger message, and transmits the generated required reception signal 3200 to the management process 224. If they do not match, the signal transmission unit 310 performs the same normal operation as the normal operation mode.

The response message corresponding to the trigger message is, for example, a continuous response message of one or more lines described immediately after the description of the continuous trigger message of one or more lines in the verification condition file 382.

That is, the trigger message is a transmission required signal 3100, and the response message is a reception required signal 3200.

The type 3825 indicates whether the corresponding line is a request signal or a response signal.

The first argument 3824 indicates the transmission source of the control signal. The second argument 3826 indicates the transmission destination of the control signal. The final destination of the control signal is designated as the destination. The third argument 3828 indicates the content of the control signal. For example, the first line of FIG. 9 is a pattern showing a transmission-required signal 3100 that contains a request for return to origin from the management process 224 to the communication process 226. This pattern is designated as a trigger message.

Log 3830 specifies whether or not the transmission history recording unit 340 records a signal transmission / reception history.

When “1” is specified in the Log 3830, the transmission history recording unit 340 performs signal transmission for all the transmission required signals 3100 and reception required signals 3200 transmitted and received by the signal transmission unit 310 after the row in which “1” is specified. Record the transmission / reception history.

In addition, when “1” is specified in Log 3830 and after “2” is specified in Log 3830, all transmission required signals transmitted and received by the signal transmission unit 310 after “2” is specified. The transmission history recording unit 340 does not record the signal transmission / reception history for the 3100 and the reception required signal 3200.

When “3” is set in the Log 3830, when the signal transmission unit 310 receives the transmission required signal 3100 that matches the pattern described in the row in which the “3” is set, the signal transmission unit 310 The time and the like are recorded in the transmission history recording unit 340. Similarly, the signal transmission unit 310 records the time and the like in the transmission history recording unit 340 even when the reception required signal 3200 matching the pattern is transmitted.

In addition, by specifying a number of “4” or more in Log 3830, the user can specify what the transmission history recording unit 340 records among the transmission required signal 3100 and the reception required signal 3200 transmitted and received by the signal transmission unit 310. It is also possible to do.

In addition, if blank or “0” is specified for Log 3830, the transmission history recording unit 340 does not perform recording.

Execution 3832 specifies whether control signals can be transmitted in the debug operation mode. Specifically, if it is a trigger message, it is specified whether the signal transmission unit 310 performs normal processing (designates “1”) or not (designates “0”). In the case of a response message, it is specified whether to generate a reception required signal 3200 (designate “1”) or not (designate “0”).

When Wait 3834 is designated for the response message, Wait 3834 designates a waiting time from when the signal transmission unit 310 receives the required transmission signal 3100 matching the trigger message to when the corresponding response message is transmitted as the necessary reception signal 3200. To do.

On the other hand, when Wait 3834 is designated for the trigger message, if the trigger message is not received even after waiting for the designated time or longer, the signal transmission unit 310 generates a debug event.

In the example of FIG. 9, in the debug operation mode, when the signal transmission unit 310 receives the transmission-required signal 3100 that matches the trigger message from the management process 224, the signal transmission unit 310 uses the communication process 226 as the transmission source, A reception required signal 3200 with 224 as the final destination is generated. Further, the signal transmission unit 310 waits for 3 seconds after receiving the transmission required signal 3100 and then transmits the generated reception required signal 3200 to the management process 224.

From Debug 3836, the third comparison 3846 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10 shows a description example of the verification condition file 382, as in FIG. The meaning of each column in FIG. 10 is the same as that in FIG. For the sake of explanation, an identifier 3821 is added to the leftmost column.

Debug 3836 specifies whether to notify the user of the occurrence of a debug event (specify “1”) or not (specify “0”) when the pattern described in the row matches. When “2” is designated, the debug support apparatus 300 displays a dialog box for the user to correct the content of the argument.

Order 3837 specifies the order of trigger messages. There are two ways to specify the order: a method for specifying the order as a normal condition and a method for specifying the order as an abnormal condition.

When the order is specified as the normal condition, the signal transmission unit 310 informs the user that a failure has occurred as a debug event when signals are transmitted and received in an order that does not match the specified normal condition.

On the other hand, when the order is designated as the abnormal condition, the signal transmission unit 310 informs the user that a malfunction has occurred as a debug event when signals are transmitted and received in the order that matches the designated abnormal condition. When “*” is designated, the order is not considered.

The continuity 3838 designates whether transmission / reception of a signal designated as a normal condition should be continuously performed (designation of “1”) or not (blank).

The number of times 3840 designates the number of times of transmission / reception of the control signal of the row. Specifically, when the signal transmission unit 310 transmits or receives a signal more than the number specified in the number 3840, the debug event is notified to the user.

The first comparison 3842 to the third comparison 3846 designate a comparison method and comparison contents. That is, the signal transmission unit 310 is designated with the supplementary argument that can be specified as an option for the transmission required signal 3100 or the reception required signal 3200 and the comparison content specified from the first comparison 3842 to the third comparison 3846. Comparison is made by the comparison method. If "1" is specified as the comparison method, the same value is obtained; if "2" is specified, less than; if "3" is specified, greater than; if "4" is specified, the following: If “5” is designated, the above is indicated, and if “6” is designated, a mismatch is indicated.

As described above, the signal transmission unit 310 is designated as an option in the comparison contents described in the first comparison 3842 to the third comparison 3848 and the transmission required signal 3100 or the reception required signal 3200 by the comparison method specified by numerals. The fourth to sixth arguments are compared. If the condition is met, the user is notified of a debug event.

Note that when a debug event occurs, in addition to notifying the user, the signal transmission unit 310 may perform additional processing by calling a predetermined internal processing or external function.

For example, let us consider a case where pointer information (address value in the memory) is included as the fourth argument in the transmission required signal 3100 that matches the pattern. Since the pointer information is a value that is dynamically determined when the program is executed, the previous pointer information does not make sense when re-executed for debugging purposes. Therefore, when a debug event occurs, the signal transmission unit 310 performs additional processing, so that the substance of data stored at the address indicated by the pointer information (specifically, image data or measurement data). ) Is preferably stored in a separate static memory area or file.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the signal transmission unit 310 corresponding to the verification condition file 382 shown in FIG. The verification condition file 382 can be set from the outside.

First, since 1 is specified in the Log 3830 column, the transmission history recording unit 340 starts recording of signal transmission / reception (S604).

Next, the signal transmission unit 310 waits for a trigger message pattern.

Suppose that the signal transmission unit 310 receives a trigger message having the pattern of the identifier a (S608). Here, 1 and 2 are designated in the order 3837 of the trigger messages a and b, respectively. Further, 1 is designated for both continuity 3838 of the trigger messages a and b. Therefore, the trigger message b must be received after the trigger message a.

Therefore, if the signal transmission unit 310 receives the trigger message with the identifier b after the trigger message a (Yes in S610), the signal transmission unit 310 transmits the response message c with the management process 224 as the final destination. (S616). Further, the signal transmission unit 310 transmits the response message d with the management process 224 as the final destination (S618).

At this time, since “3” is designated in the Wait 3834 of the response messages c and d, the signal transmission unit 310 waits for 3 seconds before transmitting the response messages c and d (S614).

If the signal transmission unit 310 does not receive the trigger message b after the trigger message a (No in S610), “1” is specified in the Debug 3836 of the trigger message b, so that the signal transmission unit 310 Is notified of the occurrence of the debug event (S612).

It should be noted that “0” is designated for the execution 3832 of the trigger messages a and b. Therefore, the signal transmission unit 310 does not send the trigger messages a and b to the communication process 226 that is the final destination specified by the second argument.

Also, “1” is designated in the execution 3832 of the response messages c and d. Therefore, the signal transmission unit 310 sends the response messages c and d as the reception required signal 3200 to the management process 224 that is the final destination designated by the second argument.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, transmission / reception of signals between the management process 224 in the control application 220 and the external device 280 can be simulated by using the debug operation mode. Therefore, without considering the control application 220 to be connected to the external device 280, it is possible to perform debugging in consideration of control signal transmission / reception processing performed by the control application 220.

Furthermore, by giving a verification condition in advance, transmission / reception of a specific signal among signals transmitted / received between the control application 220 and the external device 280 can be simulated. Therefore, for example, when debugging is performed by actually connecting the external device 280 and the control application 220, it is possible to easily separate a signal that causes a failure and a signal that does not occur from among a plurality of signals.

Further, when a signal matching a specific abnormality pattern is transmitted / received between the control application 220 and the external device 280, the user can be notified. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the generation pattern of abnormal signals and improve the elucidation of the cause of the failure.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in another embodiment of the debug support apparatus 300 according to the present invention.

The transmission history recording unit 340 in the present embodiment always records the processing of the signal transmission unit 310 even in the normal operation mode (S704).

Further, the debug support apparatus 300 periodically determines whether or not an “exception event” that is an event for notifying occurrence of a defect from the control application 220 has been notified (S706).

Now, it is assumed that an exception event is notified from the control application 220 to the debug support apparatus 300 because a problem has occurred in the execution of the control application 220 (Yes in S706). In this case, the verification condition generation unit 360 acquires the time when the exception event is notified (S708), and reads the history file 342 from the transmission history recording unit 340 (S710).

Further, the verification condition generation unit 360 cuts out an appropriate history around the time when the exception event is notified from the history file 342, and creates a model of the verification condition file 382 (S711).

As a result, the template of the verification condition file 382 is generated so as to reproduce, for example, the pattern of reception of the required transmission signal 3100 by the signal transmission unit 310 and transmission of the required reception signal 3200 corresponding to the transmission required signal 3100. .

Also, the verification condition generation unit 360 displays a GUI screen on the display device 203, and acquires the correction condition of the verification condition file 382 from the user (S712).

Finally, based on the acquired correction condition, the template of the verification condition file 382 is corrected to generate a final verification condition file 382 (S714).

Thus, the user can efficiently reproduce and debug the defect by using the verification condition file 382 created immediately after the occurrence of the defect, without creating the verification condition file 382 by himself / herself.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the history file 342 in the embodiment of the present invention.

The history file 342 includes a time 802, a first argument 806, a second argument 808, and a third argument 810.

Time 802 indicates the time when the signal transmission unit 310 processed the transmission required signal 3100 or the reception required signal 3200. For example, the time notation format may be an elapsed time or date / time from a specific time.

The first argument 806 indicates the transmission source of the transmission required signal 3100 or the reception required signal 3200. A second argument 808 indicates a final destination corresponding to the first argument 806. The third argument 810 indicates contents corresponding to the first argument 806 and the second argument 808.

For example, the first line in FIG. 13 indicates that the signal transmission unit 310 has received the transmission-required signal 3100 after 100 seconds have elapsed since the debugging support device 300 was activated. The transmission source is the screen processing process 222, the final destination is the management process 224, and the content indicates that the return button has been pressed.

When the transmission required signal 3100 and the reception required signal 3200 take additional arguments, the history file 342 also records the additional arguments. Possible arguments include, for example, a variable at the time of execution, an address value on the memory indicating the start address of the function, a variable value indicating the internal state of the program, and the like.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a template of the verification condition file 382 (for example, created in step S711 shown in FIG. 12) in the present embodiment.

Among the templates, the columns from the first argument 806 to the third argument 810 are the same as the columns to which the same sign is assigned in the history file 342 shown in FIG.

For example, it is assumed that a failure occurs 300 seconds after the debugging support device 300 is activated, and a verification condition file template is created from the history file 342 from the occurrence time to 300 seconds ago.

First, the verification condition generation unit 360 extracts a history (that is, a row) in which the time 802 is included in the range from 300 seconds to 0 seconds from the history file 342 shown in FIG.

Next, the history file 342 is formatted into the verification condition file 382. Specifically, the column of the time 802 is deleted, and columns corresponding to the trigger 3822, the response 3823, and the Log 3830 to the third comparison 3846 are added.

The file generated in this way is a template of the verification condition file 382 shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 is an example of a GUI screen for acquiring the template correction conditions of the verification condition file 382 from the user (S712).

On the screen, a template of the verification condition file 382 automatically generated from the history file 342 using the occurrence time of the defect (FIG. 12, S711) is displayed.

In addition to this, the selection 3820 column and the time 802 are displayed in the leftmost column.

The selection 3820 column is a check box, for example. When the selection 3820 column is checked and the output button 3847 at the lower right is pressed, a verification condition file 382 including only a pattern corresponding to the selected row is generated ( S714).

Thus, from the history recorded in the history file 342, from the history included in the period specified by the user, the transmission / reception patterns of the transmission required signal 3100 and the reception required signal 3200 by the signal transmission unit 310 included in the history are determined. A verification condition file 382 can be generated to reproduce.

Time 802 is obtained by adding again the time at which the history file 342 was deleted in order to match the format of the verification condition file 382 when the template was created (S711). Specifically, it is the time when the signal transmission unit 310 processed the transmission required signal 3100 or the reception required signal 3200.

The contents from the trigger 3822 column to the third comparison 3846 column can be corrected by selecting with the mouse, for example. For example, the order 3837, continuity 3838, number of times 3840, and the like can be designated or changed for each transmission / reception pattern.

Through the above operation, the developer of the control application 220 can easily create the verification condition file 382 specifying the signal transmission / reception pattern in the signal transmission unit 310. By using the verification condition file 382 created in this way and operating the debug support apparatus 300 in the debug mode, the developer of the control application 220 can easily identify the defective part.

As described above, the debug support apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment creates a verification condition file describing an abnormal pattern based on a signal transmitted and received between the control application 220 and the external device 280 when a failure occurs. can do. Therefore, the developer of the control application 220 can efficiently isolate the cause of the failure.

As described above, the debug support apparatus according to the present invention has been described using the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

For example, in the first and second embodiments, communication between the management process 224 operating on the control application 220 and any one or more processes other than the management process 224 is required via the signal transmission unit 310. It can also be performed using the transmission signal 3100 and the reception required signal 3200. Furthermore, communication between any two or more processes other than the management process 224 can be performed using the transmission required signal 3100 and the reception required signal 3200 via the signal transmission unit 310.

Thus, independent program development can be performed for each process constituting the control application 220. As a result, there is an advantage that even if development and maintenance work is performed for a long period of time, the control application 220 is unlikely to become a “spaghetti program” having a complicated structure in the program.

In the second embodiment, the verification condition file 382 is generated by correcting the history file 342 read from the transmission history recording unit 340. However, the verification condition file 382 is generated using the read history file 342 as it is ( In FIG. 12, only S704, S706, S710, and S714 may be executed). In that case, a signal transmitted and received in the past between the control application 220 and the external device 280 can be simulated. Therefore, for example, when the control application 220 or the external device 280 is changed, an operation test based on the past operation state can be performed.

In the second embodiment, in order to generate the verification condition file 382 from the history file 342, the user inputs the time using the selection check box displayed on the GUI screen (FIG. 15). However, instead of the check box, the user may select a part of the history file 342 by performing a drag operation with the mouse or a numerical value input with the keyboard.

Also, the verification condition file 382 may be created by another method instead of the history file 342.

The verification condition generation unit 360 generates the verification condition file from the history according to the time when the execution of the control application 220 has failed. For example, a method of cutting out only a certain time before the time when the trouble occurs, a method of cutting out only after a certain time from the time when the trouble occurs can be considered.

Note that only one set or a plurality of sets of trigger messages and response messages corresponding to the trigger messages described in the verification condition file 382 may be described in one verification condition file 382. When only one set is described in one verification condition file 382, the signal transmission unit 310 that has received the transmission signal 3100 that matches the trigger message receives a control signal having a designated time or a separately designated pattern. The process may be stopped until it is done. In this case, when the specified time has elapsed, the signal transmission unit 310 notifies the user to that effect.

Note that the debug operation mode may be applied to transmission / reception of signals between different processes in the control application 220. For example, even if the origin return button is not pressed, it is assumed that the transmission required signal 3100 indicating that the button has been pressed is from the screen processing process 222, and the reception required signal is sent from the signal transmission unit 310 to the management process 224. 3200 may be sent. In this case, even if the screen processing process 222 is incomplete, the operation verification of the management process 224 and the communication process 226 can be performed. *

Further, each processing unit included in the debug support apparatus 300 according to the first and second embodiments may be realized as an LSI that is an integrated circuit. These may be individually made into one chip, or may be made into one chip so as to include a part or all of them.

Here, LSI is used, but it may be called IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration.

Further, the integration of circuits is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after manufacturing the LSI, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and setting of circuit cells inside the LSI may be used.

Furthermore, if integrated circuit technology that replaces LSI emerges as a result of advances in semiconductor technology or other derived technologies, it is natural that the processing units may be integrated using this technology. Biotechnology can be applied.

Further, the present invention may be a program or a recording medium on which the program is recorded. Needless to say, the program can be distributed via a transmission medium such as the Internet.

Further, at least a part of the functions of the debugging support apparatus and the modifications thereof according to the first and second embodiments may be combined.

Further, all the numbers used above are illustrated for specifically explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated numbers. In addition, the connection relationship between the components is exemplified for specifically explaining the present invention, and the connection relationship for realizing the function of the present invention is not limited to this.

Furthermore, although the following embodiments are configured using hardware and / or software, the configuration using hardware can also be configured using software, and the configuration using software uses hardware. Can be configured.

Further, the configuration of the debug support apparatus is for illustrating the present invention in detail, and the debug support apparatus according to the present invention does not necessarily have all of the above configurations. In other words, the debugging support apparatus 300 according to the present invention only needs to have a minimum configuration that can realize the effects of the present invention.

For example, the control application 220 may not have the communication process 226. In that case, the signal transmission unit 310 directly transmits and receives control signals to and from the external device 280.

Specifically, in the normal operation mode, the signal transmission unit 310 transmits a transmission-required signal 3100 for instructing the operation of the external device 280 transmitted from the management process 224 to the external device 280, and a control signal corresponding to the origin return command. To the external device 280.

Next, the signal transmission unit 310 transmits a notification of completion of the origin return command by the external device 280 transmitted from the external device 280 to the management process 224 as a reception required signal 3200 for notifying completion of the origin return of the external device 280. 224.

On the other hand, in the debug operation mode, when the signal transmission unit 310 receives a transmission-required signal 3100 instructing the operation of the external device 280 transmitted from the management process 224 to the external device 280, the origin return of the external device 280 is completed. The signal transmission unit 310 generates the reception required signal 3200 for notifying the mobile station, and transmits the generated reception required signal 3200 to the management process 224 so that the signal transmission unit 310 performs the same operation as when the external device 280 is connected. The management process 224 can be simulated.

Note that the debug support apparatus 300 may not further include the transmission history recording unit 340, the verification condition generation unit 360, and the verification condition holding unit 380. In that case, the signal transmission unit 310 does not send the signal to the external device 280 whenever the signal transmission unit 310 receives a signal for controlling the external device 280 from the management process 224 in the debug operation mode. In addition, a response signal from the external device 280 corresponding to the signal may be transmitted to the management process 224.

Furthermore, the debugging support device 300 may not have the transmission mode switching unit 320. In that case, it is conceivable that the debug support apparatus 300 is always activated in the normal operation mode or the debug operation mode.

Similarly, the debug support method by the debug support apparatus is for illustrating the present invention in detail, and the debug support method by the debug support apparatus according to the present invention includes all of the above steps. It is not always necessary to include it. In other words, the debugging support method according to the present invention needs to include only the minimum steps that can realize the effects of the present invention. In addition, the order in which the above steps are executed is for illustration in order to specifically describe the present invention, and may be in an order other than the above. Moreover, a part of the above steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps.

Furthermore, various modifications in which the present embodiment is modified within the scope conceived by those skilled in the art are also included in the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to a debugging support device in an application that transmits and receives control signals to and from an external device.

100 Machine Control System 200 Controller 201 CPU
202 Memory 203 Display device 204 Storage 205 Input device 206 Communication I / F
220 Control application 222 Screen processing process 224 Management process 226 Communication process 280 External device 300 Debug support device 310 Signal transmission unit 320 Transmission mode switching unit 322 Transmission mode file 340 Transmission history recording unit 342 History file 360 Verification condition generation unit 380 Part 382 verification condition file 3100 required transmission signal 3200 required reception signal

Claims

A debugging support device that supports debugging of a control application that controls an external device,
The control application includes a plurality of first processes including a management process for controlling the operation of the external device and a screen processing process for a user to perform an input operation on the external device,
The debugging support apparatus transmits (1) a first control signal for instructing an operation of the external device transmitted from the management process to the external device, to the external device, and from the external device to the management process. A normal operation mode in which a first response signal indicating a result of operation of the external device in response to the first control signal is transmitted to the management process;
(2) When the first control signal is received, the first response signal is generated, and the generated first response signal is transmitted to the management process so that the external device is connected. A debug operation mode that causes the management process to perform the same operation as if it is, and a signal transmission unit,
The plurality of first processes transmit and receive signals to and from each other via the signal transmission unit,
The signal transmission unit is
In the normal operation mode, (i) the third process transmitted from the second process that is one of the management process and the screen processing process to the third process that is the other of the management process and the screen processing process. A second control signal instructing processing of the second process is transmitted to the third process; and (ii) in response to the second control signal transmitted from the third process to the second process. A second response signal indicating the result processed by the third process is transmitted to the second process,
In the debug operation mode, (iii) when the second control signal is received, the second response signal is generated, and the generated second response signal is transmitted to the second process. A debugging support apparatus that causes the second process to perform the same operation as when the third process is executed even if the third process is stopped.
The debugging support device further includes:
The first type of any one of the first control signal and the second control signal, and the second type of any one of the first response signal and the second response signal corresponding to the first type, A verification condition holding unit for holding a verification condition indicating an execution type for designating one of the normal operation mode and the debug operation mode for the first type;
The signal transmission unit is
(1) When the first control signal of the first type indicated in the verification condition is received from the management process, the debug operation mode is specified for the execution type corresponding to the first type If so, operate as the debug operation mode to generate the first response signal of the second type corresponding to the first type, and to transmit the generated first response signal to the management process,
(2) When the second control signal of the first type indicated by the verification condition is received from the second process, the debug operation mode is designated as the execution type corresponding to the first type If so, the debug operation mode generates the second response signal of the second type corresponding to the first type, and transmits the generated second response signal to the second process. Works as
(3) When the first control signal of the first type indicated in the verification condition is received from the management process, the normal operation mode is specified for the execution type corresponding to the first type. And operating as the normal operation mode for transmitting the first control signal to the external device,
(4) When the second control signal of the first type indicated in the verification condition is received from the second process, the normal operation mode is designated as the execution type corresponding to the first type The debugging support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the debugging support apparatus operates as the normal operation mode for transmitting the second control signal to the third process.
The verification condition includes a waiting time;
When the signal transmission unit receives the first control signal of the first type indicated in the verification condition from the management process in the debug operation mode, the signal transmission unit of the second type corresponding to the first type After generating the first response signal and waiting for the waiting time after receiving the first control signal of the first type, the generated first response signal of the second type is sent to the management process. The debugging support device according to claim 2 to be transmitted.
The debugging support device further includes:
A transmission history recording unit for recording a history of the first control signal and the first response signal transmitted by the signal transmission unit;
A verification condition generation unit that generates the verification condition so as to reproduce a transmission / reception pattern of the first control signal and the first response signal included in the history from the history recorded in the transmission history recording unit; The debugging support apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.
The verification condition generation unit is configured to transmit and receive a first control signal and a first response signal included in the history from the history in a first period corresponding to a time when the execution of the control application has failed. The debugging support apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the verification condition is generated so as to reproduce.
The verification condition generation unit acquires the first period specified by a user, and transmits and receives the first control signal and the first response signal included in the history from the acquired history of the first period. The debugging support apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the verification condition is generated so as to reproduce the pattern.
The verification condition further includes an abnormal condition indicating a transmission / reception pattern of the first control signal and the first response signal,
The debugging support according to claim 2, wherein the signal transmission unit notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred when a pattern in which the first control signal and the first response signal are transmitted and received matches the abnormal condition. apparatus.
The verification condition further includes a third type of the first control signal or the first response signal, and the number of receptions corresponding to the third type,
The signal transmission unit notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred when the third type of the first control signal or the first response signal included in the verification condition is received for the number of times received. The debugging support device according to claim 2.
The verification condition further includes a normal condition indicating a transmission / reception pattern of the first control signal and the first response signal,
The debugging support according to claim 2, wherein the signal transmission unit notifies the user that an abnormality has occurred when a pattern in which the first control signal and the first response signal are transmitted and received does not match the normal condition. apparatus.
The plurality of first processes includes a communication process for communicating with the external device,
In the normal operation mode,
The signal transmission unit transmits the first control signal transmitted from the management process to the communication process;
The communication process converts the transmitted first control signal into a format interpretable by the external device, and transmits the converted first control signal to the external device,
In the communication process, a first response signal indicating a result of operation of the external device in response to the converted first control signal transmitted from the external device is converted into a format that can be interpreted by the management process. Converting, and transmitting the converted first response signal to the signal transmission unit,
The debugging support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmission unit transmits the converted first response signal transmitted from the communication process to the management process.
A debugging support method for supporting debugging of a control application for controlling an external device,
The control application includes a plurality of first processes including a management process for controlling the operation of the external device and a screen processing process for a user to perform an input operation on the external device,
The debugging support method transmits a first control signal instructing an operation of the external device, which is transmitted from the management process to the external device, and is transmitted from the external device to the management process. A normal operation mode in which a first response signal indicating a result of operation of the external device in response to the first control signal is transmitted to the management process;
When the first control signal is received, the first response signal is generated, and the generated first response signal is transmitted to the management process, whereby the external device is connected. A debugging operation mode that causes the management process to perform the same operation in a simulated manner,
The plurality of first processes transmit and receive signals to each other through the signal transmission step,
The signaling step includes
(1) In the normal operation mode, the third process is transmitted from the second process that is one of the management process and the screen processing process to the third process that is the other of the management process and the screen processing process. A second control signal instructing processing of the second process is transmitted to the third process, and the second control signal is transmitted from the third process to the second process in response to the second control signal. A second response signal indicating a result processed by the third process is transmitted to the second process;
(2) In the debug mode, when the second control signal is received, the second response signal is generated, and the generated second response signal is transmitted to the second process. A debugging support method that causes the second process to perform the same operation as when the third process is executed even if the third process is stopped.
A program for causing a computer to execute the debugging support method according to claim 11.