Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
  • G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
  • G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
  • G05B19/04—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers
  • G05B19/042—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers using digital processors
  • G05B19/0426—Programming the control sequence
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
  • G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
  • G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
  • G05B19/04—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers
  • G05B19/05—Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
  • G05B19/054—Input/output
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
  • G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
  • G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
  • G05B19/04—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers
  • G05B19/05—Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
  • G05B19/058—Safety, monitoring
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
  • G06F8/30—Creation or generation of source code
  • G06F8/33—Intelligent editors
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
  • G06F8/30—Creation or generation of source code
  • G06F8/34—Graphical or visual programming
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
  • G06F8/40—Transformation of program code
  • G06F8/51—Source to source
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
  • G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
  • G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
  • G05B19/04—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers
  • G05B19/05—Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
  • G05B19/056—Programming the PLC
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
  • G06F8/30—Creation or generation of source code
  • G06F8/38—Creation or generation of source code for implementing user interfaces

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for controlling a PLC using a PC program, and a computer and a computer program for performing this method.
• a PLC Programmable Logic Controller
• a PLC is a device for controlling process plants or machineries and is digitally programmed.
• a PLC usually has inputs, outputs, a firmware (operating system) and an interface for downloading the application program.
• the application program defines how the outputs are set depending on the inputs.
• the firmware makes available the inputs and outputs for the application program.
• the PLC as a real time system connects with digital or analog sensors, and controls the actuators such as pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders or electrical motors of the process plant or machinery.
• PC personal computer
• the host system in a semiconductor fabrication plant also known as a fab or foundry : it reads these sensor values from PLC, performs high level management on these acquired real time data (e.g. sends these data to the fab host as status variables), and sends commands to the PLC to perform respective actions.
• the problem is that whenever there is an evolution on the PLC application side, e.g. adding a new sensor or adding a new actuator, there is also a considerable amount of modification work on the PC application side to implement the basic functions to access these newly added elements, for example:
• the PC program has to be adapted manually to use newly provided variables.
• This invention introduces a method and its implementation to automatically generate a PC program, preferably having a graphical user interface (GUI), for communicating with and/or controlling the PLC based on data read out from a data section of the source code of the PLC program and a PC program template.
• GUI graphical user interface
• the data section serves as a common source code portion for both the PC program and the PLC program.
• the data section includes data indicating or declaring, respectively, services to be exposed by the PLC when running the PLC program, and can be used by a corresponding service exposing procedure; within the PC program, these data can be used to know which services are actually exposed and can be used by a corresponding service connecting procedure, and preferably can be used by a GUI creating procedure in order to create visual elements (input or output) for every exposed service.
• the invention intends to save development time on the PC program side when there is an evolution or change on the PLC program side that requires the PC to implement these changes too.
• the PLC program side i.e. the source code of the PLC program, still has to be adapted; however, the PC program does not require any further development. If the PLC program source code is defined or changed, only the changed data section has to be combined with the PC program template to create a new PC program source code. This saves significant development time on the PC side, avoids human errors and performs automatic functionality coherence check.
• SCADA 'supervisory control and data acquisition'
• SCADA is a control system architecture that uses PCs, networked data communications and graphical user interfaces for high-level process supervisory management, but uses other peripheral devices such as PLCs and discrete PID controllers to interface to the process plant or machinery.
• PLCs peripheral devices
• PID controllers discrete PID controllers
• the operator interfaces which enable monitoring and the issuing of process commands, such as controller set point changes, are handled through the SCADA supervisory computer system.
• the real-time control logic or controller calculations are performed by networked modules which connect to the field sensors and actuators.
• the source code of the PLC program is a high-level programming language, especially C-based or languages defined in IEC 61131-3.
• IEC 61131-3 is the third part (of 10) of the open international standard IEC 61131 for programmable logic controllers. Part 3 of IEC 61131 deals with basic software
• the present invention improves and simplifies code generation by providing source code that is relevant to both PC and PLC programs only once.
• the invention proposes a modularisation of the source codes of both the PC and PLC program in such a way that at least one module, here the data section in the meaning of the present invention, is only provided once and used twice, i.e. when creating both programs.
• the data section can be provided in the form of a separate file. This makes the use of the data section in connection with the PLC program source code and the PC program source code very easy.
• the data section is a header of the source code of the PLC program, and is more preferably provided in the form of a separate header file.
• the PC program template is a text template.
• the source code of the PC program can be automatically generated very easily.
• any known code generation tool can be advantageously used, such as the so called “Text Template Transformation Toolkit” (T4) provided by Microsoft.
• T4 can be used by developers as part of an application or tool framework to automate the creation of text files with a variety of parameters.
• These text files can ultimately be provided in any text format, such as code (for example C-based like [Visual) C# or BASIC-based like Visual Basic), XML, HTML or XAML.
• controlling the PLC using the PC program preferably comprises writing values to the PLC and/or reading values from the PLC.
• many different variables are stored in the memory having specific values during runtime which define eventually the operation of the PLC.
• reading and writing such values is a basic method for controlling a PLC.
• controlling the PLC using the PC program comprises receiving
• the services to be exposed by the PLC preferably comprise at least one service for writing data to the PLC and/or at least one service for reading data from the PLC.
• These services advantageously enable the PC program to write values to the PLC and/or to read values from the PLC and thus control the PLC.
• the services are exposed by the PLC using a server running on the PLC, e.g. an OPC (especially according to OPC UA), PVI, ProfiNet etc. server.
• PVI Process Visualization Interface
• a computer program according to the invention comprising a program code causes a computer to perform all steps of one of the methods according to the invention, when the computer program is run on the computer.
• Suitable non-transitory machine readable media for providing the computer program are particularly floppy disks, hard disks, flash memory, EEPROMs, CD-ROMs, and DVDs etc.
• a download of a program on computer networks is advantageous.
• Figure 1 shows an exemplary machine comprising a process chamber and a number of sensors and actuators controlled by a PLC.
• Figure 2 shows schematically a data section according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 3 shows schematically the process of creating a PC program using a header file and a PC program template according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 4 shows schematically the process of creating a PLC program using a header file and a PLC main program file according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 1 schematically shows a machine 10 which can be part of an automated cleaning and inspection system for substrate carriers (e.g., semiconductor wafer carriers, flat panel display carriers, reticle carriers, and other carriers for electronic device manufacture) used in a manufacturing process.
• the machine 10 comprises a process chamber 11 having a door 12 and an actuator 13 configured here as a pneumatic cylinder for opening and closing the door.
• Two sensors 14 are provided for detecting the actuator's position to determine whether the door 12 is open or closed.
• a heater 15 to heat the chamber up to a desired temperature and a rotatable plate being rotated by an electromotor 17 with a desired speed.
• the sensors 14 and actuators 13, 15, 17 are connected with a PLC 30 for controlling the process.
• the PLC 30 is in turn connected with a PC 20 for controlling the PLC, e.g. sending commands to and retrieving data from the PLC.
• Figure 2 schematically shows a data section 100 of a PLC program with internal blocks for indicating different services.
• the data section is a header of the PLC program.
• the data can be read-out in a reliable and straightforward way.
• the services exposed by the PLC can comprise at least one service for writing data to the PLC and/or at least one service for reading data from the PLC.
• the data section includes one section or block 110 for the services for writing data to the PLC ("CONTROL") and one block 120 for the services for reading data from the PLC ("INFO").
• block 110 can be divided into two sub-blocks 111, 112 relating to commands and parameters, respectively.
• possible commands to the PLC i.e. incoming data from the PC to start an action of the equipment (e.g. open/close a door, start/stop a process)
• sub-block 112 possible writable parameters i.e. incoming data from the PC to set the parameters related to the machine, can be indicated.
• equipment related parameters wherein a specific equipment component is related to the command (e.g. desired speed for "Rotate Table” command)
• process related parameters wherein constraints of certain process (e.g. desired temperature for "Run Process” command) are related to the command.
• Block 120 can be divided into two sub-blocks 121, 122 relating to process results and equipment status, respectively.
• sub-block 121 possible readable process results, i.e. outgoing data sent to the PC to report the result of the process (e.g. measured
• sub- block 122 possible readable equipment status data, i.e. outgoing data sent to the PC to report the equipment status (e.g. door open/close status) and equipment fault status (if there is any) can be indicated.
• equipment status e.g. door open/close status
• equipment fault status if there is any
• - PC can request PLC to start a process (1 command) with desired temperature and electromotor speed (2 command parameters)
• a preferred header relating to this example is shown in the appendix.
• the header file is designed manually according to the desired equipment functionalities. It provides the interface and fully specifies all capabilities of the controlled PLC equipment to the PC program.
• this header file is used to create a PC program as shown in figure 3.
• this header file is also used to create a PLC program as shown in figure 4.
• the header file 100 is used together with a PC program template 200 to generate a PC program source code 210.
• the PC program source code 210 can be compiled to create a PC program 220 which can be run on the PC 20 to control the PLC 30.
• the PC program 220 is configured to show a graphical user interface when run on the PC 20.
• the header file 100 is also used together with a corresponding PLC program source code 300 to generate a PLC program source code 310.
• the PLC program source code 310 can be compiled to create a PLC program 320 which is transferred to the PLC 30 and run to control the process and simultaneously expose the services declared in the header file 100 to be connected to by the PC program.
• CONTROLJNTERFACE tControl // control of slave (PLC) from master INFOJNTERFACE tlnfo; // info back from slave (PLC) to master (PC) ⁇ PLCJNTERFACE;
• BOOL bProcessChamberClosed // cylinder position sensor (Digital Input) BOOL bProcessChamberOpen; // cylinder position sensor (Digital Input) INT16 iMotorPosition; // motor position (Analog Input)
• BOOL bOpenProcessChamber // command to open the process chamber BOOL bCloseProcessChamber; // command to close the process chamber BOOL bRunProcess; // command to start a process
• tControl lnternalSetValue(memberName, value, tControl); break;
• tlnfo lnternalSetValue(memberName, value, tlnfo);
• tStatus lnternalSetValue(memberName, value, tStatus); break;
• tResult lnternalSetValue(memberName, value, tResult); break;
• EQU I P M E NT_ST ATU S and PROCESS_RESULT have the similar style, but are not shown here.
• tCommand lnternalSetValue(memberName, value, tCommand);
• tParameters lnternalSetValue(memberName, value, tParameters);

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Software Systems (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Programmable Controllers (AREA)

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• 2017
  • 2017-06-07 EP EP17174804.9A patent/EP3413147B1/en active Active
• 2018
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  • 2018-06-06 WO PCT/EP2018/064936 patent/WO2018224568A1/en not_active Ceased
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