WO2020063328A1

WO2020063328A1 - Activation method, apparatus and system for programmable logic controller

Info

Publication number: WO2020063328A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/105144
Authority: WO
Inventors: 颜文俊; 关鹏; 吕慧
Original assignee: 欧姆龙株式会社; 欧姆龙(上海)有限公司
Priority date: 2018-09-29
Filing date: 2019-09-10
Publication date: 2020-04-02
Also published as: CN110968841B; JP7156499B2; CN110968841A; JP2021533503A

Abstract

Disclosed are an activation method, apparatus and system for a programmable logic controller. The method comprises: reading an identification code of a PLC from the PLC; sending the identification code of the PLC to a server device, and when the identification code is in an unactivated state, the server device generating an activation code corresponding to the identification code, returning the activation code and marking the identification code as activated; receiving the activation code returned by the server device; and sending the activation code to the PLC for saving. According to the method, a PLC is first activated, such that the PLC acquires a unique activation code, furthermore, the PLC is verified before the PLC is operated, and the PLC is operated where the verification is passed. An unactivated PLC and a PLC which does not pass the verification cannot work normally so that the use of a clone PLC is inhibited, thereby reducing the impairment of benefit of a certified product manufacturer from the clone PLC product.

Description

Method, device and system for activating programmable logic controller

Technical field

The present invention relates to the technical field of programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and in particular, to a method, device, and system for activating a programmable logic controller.

Background technique

Programmable logic controller (PLC) is a digital arithmetic operation electronic system specially designed for applications in industrial environments. It uses a programmable memory that stores instructions for performing logical operations, sequence control, timing, counting, and arithmetic operations, and controls various types of mechanical equipment or production through digital or analog input and output. process.

With the widespread application of PLC, the phenomenon of cloning PLC products has appeared on the market, causing the interests of genuine manufacturers of PLC products to be harmed. In order to solve this problem, the genuine manufacturer of the PLC product selects the micro control unit (MCU) that supports the internal read-only memory (ROM) read protection function as the controller of the PLC. To protect the PLC's firmware program from being obtained by a third party.

It should be noted that the above description of the technical background is merely for the convenience of a clear and complete description of the technical solution of the present invention, and for the understanding of those skilled in the art. The above technical solutions should not be considered to be well known to those skilled in the art just because these solutions are explained in the background section of the present invention.

Summary of the Invention

The inventors have found that the existing methods cannot completely prevent the occurrence of cloning.

In order to solve the above problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a method, device, and system for activating a programmable logic controller, so as to reduce the occurrence of cloned PLC products on the market and suppress the damage of cloned PLC products to the interests of genuine manufacturers.

According to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a method for activating a programmable logic controller (PLC) is provided, which is applied to a management device, wherein the method includes:

Reading the identification code of the PLC from the PLC; sending the identification code of the PLC to a server device, the server device generating an activation code corresponding to the identification code when the identification code is in an inactive state, and returning The activation code and marking the identification code as an activated state;

Receiving the activation code returned by the server device; sending the activation code to the PLC for storage.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a method for activating a programmable logic controller (PLC) is provided, which is applied to a server device, wherein the method includes:

Receive the PLC's identification code from the management device;

Checking the activation status of the identification code according to the factory data of the PLC;

When the identification code is in an inactive state, generating an activation code corresponding to the identification code and sending it to the management device, and marking the identification code as an activated state;

When the identification code is activated, an activation code corresponding to the identification code is sent to the management device.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a method for operating a programmable logic controller (PLC) is provided, which is applied to a PLC, wherein the method includes:

Receiving an identification code read request from a management device;

Sending the identification code of the PLC to the management device;

Receiving an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device;

Save the activation code.

According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a programmable logic controller (PLC) activation device is provided, which is configured in a management device, wherein the device includes:

A first reading unit that reads the identification code of the PLC from the PLC;

A first sending unit, which sends the identification code of the PLC to a server device, and the server device generates an activation code corresponding to the identification code when the identification code is in an inactive state, returns the activation code, and sends all The identification code is marked as activated;

A first receiving unit receives the activation code returned by the server device; the first sending unit sends the activation code to the PLC for storage.

According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a programmable logic controller (PLC) activation device is provided and configured on a server device, wherein the device includes:

A receiving unit that receives an identification code of a PLC from a management device;

A checking unit that checks the activation status of the identification code according to the factory data of the PLC;

A processing unit, when the identification code is in an inactive state, generating an activation code corresponding to the identification code and sending it to the management device, and marking the identification code as an activated state; when the identification code is When activated, the activation code corresponding to the identification code is sent to the management device.

According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an operating device of a programmable logic controller (PLC) configured in the PLC, wherein the device includes:

A receiving unit that receives an identification code read request from a management device;

A sending unit that sends an identification code of the PLC to the management device;

The receiving unit further receives an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device;

A saving unit that saves the activation code.

According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a PLC system, wherein the PLC system includes a management device, a PLC, and a server device, the management device includes the device according to the fourth aspect, and the PLC The apparatus according to the sixth aspect is included, and the server device includes the apparatus according to the fifth aspect.

According to other aspects of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a management device, the program causes a computer to execute the method described in the first aspect in the management device .

According to other aspects of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program causes a computer to execute the method described in the foregoing first aspect in a management device.

According to other aspects of embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a PLC, the program causes a computer to execute the method described in the foregoing third aspect in the PLC.

According to other aspects of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program causes a computer to execute a method described in the foregoing third aspect in a PLC.

According to other aspects of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a server device, the program causes a computer to execute the method in the second aspect in the server device .

According to other aspects of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program causes a computer to execute a method described in the foregoing second aspect in a server device.

The beneficial effect of the present invention is that by activating the PLC first, the PLC obtains a unique activation code. Further, the PLC is verified before the PLC is operated, and the PLC is operated if the verification is passed. The PLC that fails to activate and verify cannot work normally. In addition, the activation code can be managed on the server device. After the activation code is changed on the server device, only one PLC can be updated with the activation code by the method of the embodiment of the present invention. A PLC without an updated activation code will be regarded as a clone PLC, which can no longer pass the verification and work normally, thereby suppressing the use of the clone PLC and reducing the damage of clone PLC products to the interests of genuine manufacturers.

With reference to the following description and drawings, specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in detail, and ways in which the principles of the present invention can be adopted are indicated. It should be understood that the scope of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited thereby. Within the spirit and terms of the appended claims, embodiments of the invention include many changes, modifications, and equivalents.

Features described and / or illustrated for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or in place of features in other embodiments .

It should be emphasized that the term "including / comprising" as used herein refers to the presence of a feature, whole, step or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, whole, steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Elements and features described in one drawing or an embodiment of an embodiment of the present invention may be combined with elements and features shown in one or more other drawings or implementations. In addition, in the drawings, similar reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in several drawings, and may be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

The included drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, which constitute a part of the specification, and are used to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and to explain the principles of the present invention together with the text description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts. In the drawings:

1 is a schematic diagram of a PLC system of Embodiment 1;

2 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation method according to Embodiment 2;

3 is another schematic diagram of a PLC activation method according to Embodiment 2;

4 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation method according to Embodiment 3;

5 is another schematic diagram of a PLC activation method according to Embodiment 3;

6 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation method according to Embodiment 4;

7 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation process;

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the online operation of a genuine PLC;

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the online operation of the clone PLC;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an activation code update of a genuine PLC.

11 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation device of Embodiment 5;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation device of Embodiment 6;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation device of Embodiment 7. FIG.

detailed description

With reference to the drawings, the foregoing and other features of the embodiments of the present invention will become apparent through the following description. In the following description and drawings, specific implementations of the embodiments of the present invention are specifically disclosed, which show some of the implementations in which the principles of the embodiments of the present invention can be applied. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to The described embodiments, on the contrary, the embodiments of the invention include all modifications, variations, and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the terms “first” and “second” are used to distinguish different elements from each other by title, but they do not indicate the spatial arrangement or chronological order of these elements, and these elements should not be used by these terms. Restricted. The term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising", "including", "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, elements, elements or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, elements or components.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the singular forms "a", "the", etc. include plural forms and should be construed broadly as "a" or "a class" and not limited to the meaning of "a"; in addition, the term "a "Description" is understood to include both the singular and the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on ..." and the term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on ..." unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Various embodiments of the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. These implementation manners are merely exemplary, and are not limitations on the embodiments of the present invention.

Example 1

This embodiment provides a PLC system.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a PLC system of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the PLC system includes a management device 100, a PLC 200, and a server device 300. The management device 100 and the PLC 200 are connected through a control interface on the PLC 200, the management device 100 and the server device 300 are connected through a network, and the PLC 200 and the server device 300 do not directly establish a connection relationship.

In this embodiment, the management device 100 may be a computer device, which stores a program for activating or verifying the PLC 200. The program may be implemented by software or firmware. In addition, it is not limited to a computer device. The management device 100 may also be another entity capable of activating or verifying the PLC 200, such as an industrial computer. In this embodiment, the management device 100 also stores software programs required by the PLC 200. When the PLC 200 is activated and verified, the management device 100 downloads the software program to the PLC 200 to implement Management of PLC 200. The above-mentioned activation or verification process will be described in the following embodiments.

In this embodiment, the server device 300 may be a cloud server, which is installed at the manufacturer of the PLC 200 and maintained and managed by the manufacturer of the PLC 200. However, this embodiment is not limited to this, and the server device 300 may also be Not a cloud server, but other server devices. In this embodiment, the server device 300 can manage the related information of the PLC 200 produced by the manufacturer, such as storing the identification code of each PLC 200 and its activation status, etc., when receiving the identification code activation request from the management device 100 The server device 300 can filter the identification code that submitted the activation request. The invalid identification code cannot be activated, and the activated identification code cannot be activated again.

In this embodiment, for a valid identification code, the server device 300 may determine the activation status of the identification code by retrieving relevant information of the PLC 200, and generate the identification code with the identification code when the identification code is in an inactive state. The corresponding activation code is sent to the management device 100, and the identification code is marked as activated; if the identification code is in the activated state, that is, the corresponding activation code has been generated for the identification code, the The server device 300 may send an activation code corresponding to the identification code to the management device 100, and the management device 100 verifies the PLC.

In this embodiment, the activation code may be a message containing a random key generated according to the identification code, but this embodiment does not limit this. In addition, in this embodiment, the server device 300 can update the random key according to a certain event, such as a period of time or an event such as downloading a project, and then regenerate the activation code. In one embodiment, the random key is updated only once, that is, the activation code is updated only once, thereby avoiding the problem of inconvenient management caused by too many updates, but this embodiment is not limited to this. The random key may be updated multiple times, and thus the activation code may be updated multiple times.

Optionally, in this embodiment, when the identification code is in an activated state, the server device 300 may simultaneously send information about whether there is a change request to the management device 100. Here, the no change request refers to the There is no change to the activation code corresponding to the identification code. If there is a change request, it means that the activation code corresponding to the identification code has changed. The update of the activation code will be described in the following embodiments.

In this embodiment, the PLC 200 is a programmable logic controller used in industry, which includes a CPU or an MPU, can store an application program, and has a unique identification code. In this embodiment, the identification code may be a message generated by including manufacturing-related data such as device type, version, serial number, unique ID, and manufacturing date. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. The identification code may also be a message generated by including any one or any combination of the above-mentioned manufacturing-related data, or the identification code may also include data other than the above-mentioned manufacturing-related data. The message generated by other data is used to uniquely identify the PLC 200.

In this embodiment, only the PLC 200 that is activated and verified can be used normally, thereby suppressing the use of the cloned PLC and reducing the damage of the cloned PLC product to the interests of the genuine manufacturer.

The following describes the management device 100, the server device 300, and the PLC 200 according to the embodiments of the present invention through Embodiments 2-7.

Example 2

This embodiment provides a PLC activation method, which is applied to the management device 100.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation method according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the PLC activation method includes:

Step 201: Read the identification code of the PLC from the PLC;

Step 202: Send the identification code of the PLC to a server device, and the server device generates an activation code corresponding to the identification code when the identification code is in an inactive state, returns the activation code, and sends the identification code Marked as activated;

Step 203: Receive the activation code returned by the server device; send the activation code to the PLC for storage.

In this embodiment, the management device 100 may send the identification code read from the PLC to the server device 300 to activate or verify the PLC 200. After receiving the identification code, the server device 300 can determine whether the identification code is activated or inactivated by retrieving relevant information of each PLC 300 stored by itself. If it is in an inactive state, a corresponding code is generated according to the identification code. The activation code is returned to the management device 100, completes the activation of the PLC 200, and marks the identification code as activated.

In this embodiment, the server device 300 performs only one activation operation for each identification code, and the activated identification code has been marked as activated by the server device and cannot be activated again. Therefore, for the clone PLC, since the clone PLC has the same identification code as the genuine PLC, and the identification code has been activated, it will not be activated again, thereby inhibiting the use of the clone PLC.

In this embodiment, the server device 300 stores the identification code and activation status of the delivered PLC 200. Therefore, the server device 300 can also determine whether the identification code is valid according to the stored information, and only identifies the validity. The code performs the activation status determination and subsequent processing. Therefore, the clone PLC that may use an invalid identification code is not activated, and the use of the clone PLC is also suppressed.

In this embodiment, the activation operation may be performed by the user through the management device 100 after the PLC leaves the factory, or may be performed by the manufacturer through the management device 100 itself before the PLC leaves the factory.

In this embodiment, if the identification code received by the server device 300 is activated, the server device 300 may also send an activation code corresponding to the identification code to the management device 100, and the management device 100 performs the activation code on the activation code. Verification, only the activation code that passed the verification can be used, thereby inhibiting the use of cloned PLCs.

In one embodiment, the above verification operation may be completed by the management device 100. For example, the management device 100 reads the activation code saved by the PLC 200 from the PLC 200, and reads the activation code received from the server device 300 with the PLC 200 The obtained activation codes are compared. If they are consistent, the verification is passed, otherwise the verification fails.

In another embodiment, the above-mentioned verification operation may be performed by the PLC 200. For example, the management device 100 sends the activation code obtained from the server device 300 to the PLC 200, and the PLC 200 saves the activation code saved by the PLC to the management device 100 The received activation codes are compared. If the two are consistent, the verification is passed, and a verification success message is generated and returned to the management device 100; otherwise, the verification fails, and the verification failure information is generated and returned to the management device 100. Thereby, the management device 100 can determine whether the verification is successful or not according to the received information.

In this embodiment, as described above, the activation code may also be updated at least once. Then, in one embodiment, if the server device 300 does not update the activation code corresponding to the identification code, it may send the activation code and the information of “no change request” to the management device 100 at the same time for the above verification.

In another embodiment, if the server device 300 updates the activation code corresponding to the identification code, it may send the new activation code and the information “with a change request” to the management device 100 at the same time. After receiving such information, the management device 100 may send a new activation code to the PLC 200 to update, and send the information that the activation code has been changed to the server device 300, and the server device may change the information whether the activation code is changed, for example , The request for changing the activation code corresponding to the identification code is modified to “no change request”, and thus the server device 300 will not perform such an activation code update operation again. Because only one PLC that saved the original activation code updated the activation code, the PLC that may have obtained the original activation code corresponding to the identification code through malicious means will not be used in subsequent activation code verification operations. The verification passed, further suppressing the use of cloned PLC.

In this embodiment, after receiving the new activation code and the “request for change” information from the server device 300, the management device 100 can also obtain the activation code (original activation code) saved from the PLC 200, and If the new activation code received from the server device 300 does not match the original activation code stored in the PLC 200, the new activation code is sent to the PLC 200 for updating. As a result, repeated updates to the activation code are avoided, and the use of cloned PLCs is further suppressed.

FIG. 3 is another schematic diagram of the PLC activation method of this embodiment, and illustrates the operation of the management device 100. As shown in FIG. 3, the method includes:

Step 301: Obtain the PLC identification code from the PLC.

Step 302: Send the identification code of the PLC to the server device 300;

Step 303: Receive an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the server device 300;

Step 304: Send the activation code to the PLC for saving, or verify the activation code.

In this embodiment, after the verification is passed, the management device 100 can download a software program to the PLC, and thus the PLC can be used normally. If the verification fails, the PLC cannot be used normally. The embodiment of FIG. 3 uses the identification code as a valid identification code as an example. In the case where the identification code is an invalid identification code, the server device 300 can return related information of “invalid identification code”, thereby also suppressing the use of the cloned PLC. .

With the method of this embodiment, the server device 300 saves the relevant information of the delivered PLC. After the PLC leaves the factory, the management device 100 activates the PLC and obtains the activation code. The activation is performed only once. The inactive PLC cannot be used normally. Before normal use, the PLC must be verified, and the PLC that fails the verification cannot be used normally, thereby inhibiting the use of the cloned PLC.

Example 3

This embodiment provides a PLC activation method, which is applied to the server device 300.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation method according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the PLC activation method includes:

Step 401: Receive a PLC identification code from the management device 100;

Step 402: Check the activation status of the identification code according to the factory data of the PLC;

Step 403: When the identification code is in an inactive state, generate an activation code corresponding to the identification code and send it to the management device 100, and mark the identification code as an activated state; when the identification code is When activated, the activation code corresponding to the identification code is sent to the management device 100.

In this embodiment, as described above, the server device 300 stores the relevant information of the factory PLC (the factory data as described above), and checks the activation status of the identification code according to the received identification code activation request. When the identification code is in an inactive state, an activation code corresponding to the identification code is generated and returned to the management device 100. The management device 100 can send the activation code to the PLC for storage, thereby completing the activation of the PLC; When the identification code is in an activated state, that is, the activation code corresponding to the identification code has been generated, the server device 300 sends the activation code to the management device 100, and the management device 100 can verify the activation code. Only the verification This PLC can be used normally only when it passes. Thereby, the use of the clone PLC is suppressed.

After the server device 300 performs the above-mentioned activation operation on the identification code of the PLC, the activation state of the identification code is changed to the activated state, that is, the activation operation is performed only once for the same identification code, so that the inactive PLC cannot be used normally. , Inhibited the use of clone PLC. In addition, before the PLC is used, the management device 100 must first verify the PLC. Only the PLC that passes the verification can be used normally, which also inhibits the use of the cloned PLC. The verification method is as described in the second embodiment, and the description is omitted here.

In this embodiment, as described above, the server device 300 may also update the activation code once, and if the identification code is in an activated state, if the activation code is not updated, the server device 300 may send the above activation code and the information without a change request to the above management device 100, and the management device 100 verifies the PLC; if the activation code is updated, the server device 300 may send the new activation code and The information with the change request is sent to the management device 100, and the management device 100 sends a new activation code to the PLC, thereby completing the update of the activation code.

In this embodiment, after updating the activation code, the management device 100 sends information that the activation code has been changed to the server device 300, and the server device may modify the change request for the activation code corresponding to the identification code to no change. Request, thus, the server device 100 also updates the activation code of the same identification code only once, and the activation code saved by the unupdated PLC is inconsistent with the new activation code, thereby failing the verification and further suppressing the clone of the PLC use.

In this embodiment, before step 402, the server device 300 may check whether the identification code is valid, and perform subsequent operations only on the valid identification code. The use of cloned PLCs with invalid identification codes is thereby suppressed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a method for activating a PLC in this embodiment, and illustrates the operation of the server device 300. As shown in FIG. 5, the method includes:

Step 501: Receive an identification code of the PLC from the management device 100;

Step 502: Determine whether the identification code is a valid identification code. If the identification code is yes, go to step 503; otherwise, go to step 509;

Step 503: Determine whether the identification code is in an inactive state, and if it is determined as yes, go to step 504, otherwise go to step 505;

Step 504: Generate an activation code corresponding to the identification code and send it to the management device 100 to modify the activation status of the identification code;

Step 505: Determine whether the activation code has changed. If the answer is yes, go to step 506; otherwise, go to step 509;

Step 506: Send the new activation code and the information with the change request to the management device 100;

Step 507: Receive the information that the activation code has been changed and sent by the management device 100, and modify the change request of the activation code corresponding to the identification code to no change request;

Step 508: Send the activation code and the information of no change request to the management device 100;

Step 509: Generate the related information of the invalid identification code and return it to the management device 100.

Example 4

This embodiment provides a PLC activation method, and the method is applied to a PLC.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation method according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the PLC activation method includes:

Step 601: Receive an identification code reading request from the management device 100;

Step 602: Send the identification code of the PLC to the management device 100;

Step 603: Receive an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device 100;

Step 604: Save the activation code.

In this embodiment, the PLC 200 sends its own identification code to the management device 100 according to the request of the management device 100, the management device 100 sends the identification code to the server device 300, and the server device 300 generates an activation code corresponding to the identification code Returning to the management device 100, the management device 100 then sends the activation code to the PLC 200, thereby completing the activation of the PLC.

In this embodiment, after the server device generates an activation code corresponding to the identification code, the status of the identification code is changed to the activated state, and subsequent activation operations on the same identification code will not be performed, thereby suppressing cloning. Use of PLC.

In this embodiment, before the PLC 200 is officially used, the management device 100 also needs to verify it.

In one embodiment, the verification operation is completed on the management device 100, the PLC 200 may also receive an activation code read request from the management device 100, and send the saved activation code to the management device 100, and the management device 100 will The activation code is compared with the activation code received from the server device. If they are the same, the verification is considered successful, otherwise the verification is considered failed.

In another embodiment, the verification operation is completed on the PLC 200, the PLC 200 may also receive the activation code received by the management device 100 from the server device 300 from the management device 100, and the activation code and the activation saved by itself The codes are compared. If they are the same, the verification is considered successful and the verification success information is generated and sent to the management device 100; otherwise, the verification is deemed to be failed and the verification failure information is generated and sent to the management device 100. Regardless of the verification method, the PLC that failed the verification cannot be used normally, thereby inhibiting the use of clone PCL.

The method for activating the PLC in this embodiment has been described from the perspective of the management device 100, the server device 300, and the PLC 200 through the embodiments 2-4. The method for activating the PLC in this embodiment is described below through several specific examples. In the following example, a computer device installed with computer tool software is used as the management device 100 in this embodiment, and an official cloud server of a genuine PLC manufacturer is used as the server device in this embodiment for example, but as described above, This embodiment is not limited to this.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the activation process of a genuine PLC. Each PLC needs to perform this activation operation for the first time. As shown in Figure 7, the process includes:

Step 701: The user operator uses a computer tool software to activate the PLC;

Step 702: the computer tool software sends a request to the PLC to read the activation identification code;

Step 703: the PLC returns an activation identification code to the computer tool software, where the identification code is unique;

Step 704: the computer tool software sends a request to the cloud server, submits an identification code of the PLC, and applies for activation of the PLC;

Step 705: The cloud server checks the factory data of the PLC according to the identification code of the PLC, and determines the activation status of the identification code. When the identification code is in an inactive state, that is, when the PLC is used for the first time, the cloud server generates a corresponding response. The activation code of the identification code is returned to the computer tool software, and the identification code is marked as activated;

Step 706: the computer tool software sends a request to the PLC to download the activation code;

Step 707: the PLC saves the activation code obtained from the computer tool software and returns the completed information to the computer tool software;

Step 708: The computer tool software returns the completed information to the user operator.

Through the flow of Fig. 7, the activation of the PLC is completed. Since the activation operation for the same identification code is performed only once, for a clone PLC, if the same identification code is used to apply to the cloud server for activation, the cloud server determines that the identification code is activated by checking the source database of the identification code, and it will not Activate the identification code again, thereby avoiding the use of clone PLC. In addition, for the invalid identification code, the cloud server can return information about the invalid identification code, thereby avoiding the use of the clone PLC using the invalid identification code.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the online operation process of a genuine PLC. As shown in Figure 8, the process includes:

Step 801: The user operator uses a computer tool software to perform operations such as downloading programs online;

Step 802: the computer tool software sends a request to the PLC to read the activation identification code;

Step 803: the PLC returns an activation identification code to the computer tool software, where the identification code is unique;

Step 804: The computer tool software sends a request to the cloud server, submits an identification code of the PLC, and applies for querying the PLC;

Step 805: The cloud server checks the factory data of the PLC according to the identification code of the PLC, and determines the activation status of the identification code. In the case where the identification code is activated, that is, the activation code of the identification code has been generated, the cloud server The server returns the activation code of the identification code to the computer tool software. Optionally, if the activation code is not changed, it can also return the information without a change request to the computer tool software;

Step 806: the computer tool software sends a request to the PLC to query the activation code stored by the PLC;

Step 807: the PLC returns the saved activation code to the computer tool software;

Step 808: the computer tool software verifies the activation code; if the verification is passed, download the user program to the PLC, etc .;

Step 809: the PLC returns the completed information to the computer tool software;

Step 810: The computer tool software displays the download completion message to the user operator.

In step 808, the verification may also be completed on the PLC. As described above, the description is omitted here.

Through the process of FIG. 8, the activation of the PLC is completed, and the PLC can be used normally.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the online operation process of the cloned PLC. As shown in FIG. 9, steps 901-907 are the same as steps 801-807, which will not be repeated here. In addition, in step 908, the activation code ( &&&&) is inconsistent with the activation code (****) obtained from the cloud server, which causes verification to fail, downloading is cancelled, and the computer tool software displays a message to the user operator that the download has failed. This inhibits the use of cloned PLCs.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of an activation code update operation process of a genuine PLC. As shown in Fig. 10, the process includes:

Step 1001: The user operator uses the computer tool software to perform operations such as downloading programs online;

Step 1002: the computer tool software sends a request to the PLC to read the activation identification code;

Step 1003: The PLC returns an activation identification code to the computer tool software, where the identification code is unique;

Step 1004: the computer tool software sends a request to the cloud server, submits the identification code of the PLC, and applies for querying the PLC;

Step 1005: The cloud server checks the factory data of the PLC according to the identification code of the PLC, and determines the activation status of the identification code. When the identification code is activated, but the activation code of the identification code is changed, the cloud server The server returns the new activation code (&&&&) of the identification code and the information about the change request to the computer tool software;

Step 1006: the computer tool software sends a request to the PLC to query the activation code stored by the PLC;

Step 1007: the PLC returns the saved activation code (****) to the computer tool software;

Step 1008: Since the information obtained from the cloud server shows that the activation code has changed, the computer tool software downloads the new activation code (&&&&) and the user program to the PLC;

Step 1009: the PLC saves the new activation code (&&&&) and the user program and returns the completed information to the computer tool software;

Step 1010: The computer tool software sends a notification to the cloud server, informing that the cloud server activation code has changed;

Step 1011: The cloud server changes the activation code change request from yes to no and returns corresponding information to the computer tool software;

Step 1012: The computer tool software displays the download completion message to the user operator.

Through the process of FIG. 10, the cloud server can update the activation code, thereby further suppressing the use of the cloned PLC.

Example 5

This embodiment provides a PLC activation device, which corresponds to the computer tool software of FIG. 7 to FIG. 10 and is configured on the management device 100. Since the principle of the device to solve the problem is similar to the method of Embodiment 2, the specific implementation is Reference may be made to Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2. The same content is not described repeatedly.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation device of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the PLC activation device 1100 of this embodiment includes a first reading unit 1101, a first sending unit 1102, and a first receiving unit 1103. . The first reading unit 1101 reads the identification code of the PLC from the PLC; the first sending unit 1102 sends the identification code of the PLC to a server device, and the server device generates a corresponding response when the identification code is in an inactive state. The activation code of the identification code, returning the activation code, and marking the identification code as activated; the first receiving unit 1103 receives the activation code returned by the server device; the first sending unit 1102 sends the activation code The activation code is sent to the PLC for saving.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the PLC activation device 1100 of this embodiment further includes:

The verification unit 1104, the server device returns the activation code corresponding to the identification code and the information of no change request if the identification code is activated and the activation code corresponding to the identification code is not changed; first receiving The unit 1103 receives the activation code and the information of no change request returned by the server device, and the verification unit 1104 verifies the PLC.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the verification unit 1104 includes a second reading unit 11041 and a comparison unit 11042. The second reading unit 11041 reads the activation code saved by the PLC from the PLC; the comparison unit 11042 The activation code received from the server device is compared with the activation code read from the PLC. If they are the same, the verification is passed, otherwise the verification fails.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the verification unit 1104 includes a second sending unit 11043 and a second receiving unit 11044. The second sending unit 11043 sends an activation code received from the server device to the PLC. The PLC compares the stored activation code with the activation code received from the server device, and if the two are consistent, returns verification success information, otherwise returns verification failure information; the second receiving unit 11044 receives the PLC If the verification success information or the verification failure information is returned, the verification is passed if the verification success information is received, and if the verification failure information is received, the verification fails.

In this embodiment, when the identification code is activated and the activation code corresponding to the identification code is changed, the server device returns a new activation code and information about a change request; the first receiving unit 1103 Receive the new activation code returned by the server device and the information with the change request; the first sending unit 1102 sends the new activation code to the PLC for updating; the first receiving unit 1103 sends the activation code The changed information is sent to the server device, and the server device changes the request for changing the activation code corresponding to the identification code to a request for no change.

In this embodiment, the first reading unit 1101 reads the activation code stored in the PLC from the PLC before the first sending unit 1102 sends the new activation code to the PLC. The first sending unit 1102: In a case where the activation code is inconsistent with the new activation code, send the new activation code to the PLC for updating.

In this embodiment, the foregoing PLC activation device 1100 may be implemented by a controller and a memory. For example, the memory stores a computer program for implementing the method of Embodiment 2 and executes the method of Embodiment 2 under the control of the controller. .

This embodiment also provides a management device. The management device is configured with the above-mentioned PLC activation device 1100. In addition, the management device may also have the conventional composition of other management devices, such as an input device (keyboard) and output device (display). , Connection interface, etc., for the conventional composition of the management device, reference may be made to the prior art, which is not repeated here.

Through the interaction between the device or management device of this embodiment and the server device and the PLC, an activation operation or a verification operation can be performed on the PLC, thereby suppressing the use of the cloned PLC.

Example 6

This embodiment provides a PLC activation device, which is configured on the server device 300. Since the principle of the device to solve the problem is similar to the method of Embodiment 3, its specific implementation can refer to Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 3 with the same content. The points are not repeated.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation device of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the PLC activation device 1200 of this embodiment includes a receiving unit 1201, a checking unit 1202, and a processing unit 1203. PLC identification code; inspection unit 1202 checks the activation status of the identification code based on the factory shipment data of the PLC; processing unit 1203 generates an activation code corresponding to the identification code when the identification code is in the inactive state and sends it to The management device, and marking the identification code as an activated state; and when the identification code is activated, sending an activation code corresponding to the identification code to the management device.

In this embodiment, when the identification code is activated, if the activation code corresponding to the identification code has not changed, the processing unit 1203 may send the activation code and information without a change request to all The PCL activation system is described.

In this embodiment, when the identification code is activated, if the activation code corresponding to the identification code is changed, the processing unit 1203 may send a new activation code and information with a change request to all The management equipment. In this embodiment, the receiving unit 1201 may also receive information that the activation code has been changed from the management device; the processing unit 1203 changes the request for changing the activation code corresponding to the identification code to a request for no change.

In this embodiment, the foregoing PLC activation device 1200 may be implemented by a controller and a memory. For example, the memory stores a computer program for implementing the method of the third embodiment, and the method of the third embodiment is executed under the control of the controller. .

This embodiment also provides a server device. The server device is configured with the above-mentioned PLC activation device 1200. In addition, the server device has the conventional composition of other server devices, such as an input device (keyboard), output device (display), For the connection interface and the like, for the conventional composition of the server device, reference may be made to the existing technology, and details are not described herein again.

Through the interaction between the device or the server device and the management device in this embodiment, an activation operation or a verification operation can be performed on the PLC, thereby suppressing the use of the cloned PLC.

Example 7

This embodiment provides a PLC activation device, which is configured on the PLC 200. Since the principle of the device to solve the problem is similar to the method of Embodiment 4, the specific implementation can refer to Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 4. The content is the same The description is not repeated here.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a PLC activation device in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the PLC activation device 1300 in this embodiment includes a receiving unit 1301, a sending unit 1302, and a saving unit 1303. The receiving unit 1301 receives an identification code reading request from a management device; the sending unit 1302 sends the identification code of the PLC to the management device; the receiving unit 1301 further receives an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device; save The unit 1303 saves the activation code.

In this embodiment, the receiving unit 1301 further receives an activation code reading request from the management device; the sending unit 1301 also sends the saved activation code to the management device, and the management device sends the activation code to the The activation codes received from the server device are compared. If they are the same, the verification is considered successful, otherwise the verification is recognized.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the PLC activation device of this embodiment further includes:

The verification unit 1304 and the receiving unit 1301 further receive an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device. The device further includes: the verification unit 1304 compares the received activation code with the saved activation code. If the two parties agree, the verification is successful and the verification success information is generated and sent to the management device; otherwise, the verification is failed and the verification failure information is generated and sent to the management device.

In this embodiment, the foregoing PLC activation device 1300 may be implemented by a controller and a memory. For example, the memory stores a computer program for implementing the method of Embodiment 4, and the method of Embodiment 4 is executed under the control of the controller. .

This embodiment also provides a PLC. The PLC is configured with the above-mentioned PLC activation device 1300. In addition, the PLC may also have the conventional composition of other PLCs, such as an input device (keyboard), output device (display), connection interface, etc. For the conventional composition of the PLC, reference may be made to the prior art, which is not repeated here.

Through the interaction between the device of this embodiment or the PLC and the management device, the activation or verification of the PLC can be completed, and the use of the cloned PLC is suppressed.

The devices and methods in the above embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware in combination with software. Embodiments of the present invention relate to such a computer-readable program. When the program is executed by a logic component, the logic component can implement the device or component described above, or the logic component can implement each of the components described above. Methods or steps. The embodiment of the present invention also relates to a storage medium for storing the above programs, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, and the like.

The methods / devices described in connection with the embodiments of the present invention may be directly embodied as hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams and / or one or more combinations of the functional block diagrams shown in FIGS. 11-13 may correspond to each software module of a computer program flow or to each hardware module. These software modules can correspond to the steps shown in Figures 2, 4, and 6, respectively. These hardware modules can be implemented by using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to cure these software modules.

A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The software module can be stored in the device's memory or in a memory card that can be inserted into the device. For example, if the device uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device.

With regard to one or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of the functional blocks described in the drawings, it may be implemented as a general-purpose processor or a digital signal processor for performing the functions described in the embodiments of the present invention. (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof. One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of the functional blocks described with reference to the drawings may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors Processor, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with DSP communications, or any other such configuration.

The present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, but it should be clear to those skilled in the art that these descriptions are all exemplary and do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various variations and modifications to the present invention according to the spirit and principle of the present invention, and these variations and modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A method for activating a programmable logic controller is applied to a management device, wherein the method includes:

Reading the programmable logic controller's identification code from a programmable logic controller; sending the programmable logic controller's identification code to a server device, the server device generating when the identification code is in an inactive state Corresponding to the activation code of the identification code, returning the activation code, and marking the identification code as an activated state;

Receiving the activation code returned by the server device; sending the activation code to the programmable logic controller for storage.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the server device returns an activation code corresponding to the identification code and an activation code corresponding to the identification code when the identification code is activated and the activation code corresponding to the identification code is not changed. No change request information; the method further includes:

Receiving the activation code and no change request information returned by the server device; verifying the programmable logic controller.
The method of claim 2, wherein verifying the programmable logic controller comprises:

Reading the activation code saved by the programmable logic controller from the programmable logic controller;

The activation code received from the server device is compared with the activation code read from the programmable logic controller. If they are the same, the verification is passed, otherwise the verification fails.
The method of claim 2, wherein verifying the programmable logic controller comprises:

Sending the activation code received from the server device to the programmable logic controller, and the programmable logic controller compares the saved activation code with the received activation code from the server device. If it is the same, it returns the verification success message, otherwise it returns the verification failure message;

Receiving the verification success information or the verification failure information returned by the programmable logic controller; if the verification success information is received, the verification is passed; if the verification failure information is received, the verification fails.
The method according to claim 1, wherein when the identification code is activated and the activation code corresponding to the identification code is changed, a new activation code and a request for a change are returned. Information, the method further includes:

Receiving the new activation code and the change request information returned by the server device;

Sending the new activation code to the programmable logic controller for updating;

Sending the information that the activation code has been changed to the server device, and the server device changes the request for changing the activation code corresponding to the identification code to a request for no change.
The method according to claim 5, wherein before sending the new activation code to the programmable logic controller, the method further comprises:

Read the activation code stored by the programmable logic controller from the programmable logic controller, and send the new activation code to the new activation code if the activation code is inconsistent with the new activation code The programmable logic controller is updated.
A programmable logic controller activation method is applied to a server device, wherein the method includes:

Receiving the identification code of the programmable logic controller from the management device;

Checking the activation state of the identification code according to the factory data of the programmable logic controller;

When the identification code is in an inactive state, generating an activation code corresponding to the identification code and sending it to the management device, and marking the identification code as an activated state;

When the identification code is activated, an activation code corresponding to the identification code is sent to the management device.
The method according to claim 7, wherein, when the identification code is activated, if the activation code corresponding to the identification code has not changed, sending the activation code and information without a change request to the Manage devices.
The method according to claim 7, wherein when the identification code is activated, if the activation code corresponding to the identification code is changed, a new activation code and information with a change request are sent to the Manage devices.
The method according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

Receiving information that the activation code has been changed from the management device;

The change request of the activation code corresponding to the identification code is changed to no change request.
A method of operating a programmable logic controller is applied to a programmable logic controller, wherein the method includes:

Receiving an identification code read request from a management device;

Sending the identification code of the programmable logic controller to the management device;

Receiving an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device;

Save the activation code.
The method according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

Receiving an activation code reading request from the management device;

Sending the saved activation code to the management device, and the management device compares the activation code with the activation code received from the server device, and if the two are consistent, the verification is considered successful, otherwise the verification is considered failed.
The method according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

Receiving an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device;

The received activation code is compared with the saved activation code. If they are the same, the verification is considered to be successful and a verification success message is generated and sent to the management device; otherwise, the verification is considered to be failed and the verification failure information is generated and sent to the management device.
An activation device of a programmable logic controller configured in a management device, wherein the device includes:

A first reading unit that reads an identification code of the programmable logic controller from a programmable logic controller;

A first sending unit that sends an identification code of the programmable logic controller to a server device, where the server device generates an activation code corresponding to the identification code when the identification code is in an inactive state, and returns the activation code Code and mark the identification code as an activated state;

A first receiving unit receives the activation code returned by the server device; the first sending unit sends the activation code to the programmable logic controller for storage.
The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the server device returns the activation code and No change request information;

Receiving, by the first receiving unit, the activation code and no change request information returned by the server device; the apparatus further includes:

A verification unit that verifies the programmable logic controller.
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the verification unit comprises:

A second reading unit, which reads an activation code saved by the programmable logic controller from the programmable logic controller;

The comparison unit compares the activation code received from the server device with the activation code read from the programmable logic controller. If they are the same, the verification is passed, otherwise the verification fails.
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the verification unit comprises:

A second sending unit, which sends the activation code received from the server device to the programmable logic controller, where the programmable logic controller performs the saved activation code and the received activation from the server device Code comparison, if the two are the same, return the verification success message, otherwise return the verification failure message;

A second receiving unit that receives the verification success information or the verification failure information returned by the programmable logic controller, and passes verification if the verification success information is received, and verifies if the verification failure information is received failure.
The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the server device returns a new activation code and a request for a change when the identification code is activated and the activation code corresponding to the identification code is changed. information;

Receiving, by the first receiving unit, the new activation code and the change request information returned by the server device;

Sending, by the first sending unit, the new activation code to the programmable logic controller for updating;

The first receiving unit sends information that the activation code has been changed to the server device, and the server device changes the request for changing the activation code corresponding to the identification code to a request for no change.
The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:

Before reading, by the first reading unit, the programmable logic controller from the programmable logic controller before the first sending unit sends the new activation code to the programmable logic controller; If the activation code is inconsistent with the new activation code, the first sending unit sends the new activation code to the programmable logic controller for updating.
An activation device of a programmable logic controller configured in a server device, wherein the device includes:

A receiving unit that receives an identification code of a programmable logic controller from a management device;

A checking unit that checks the activation status of the identification code according to the factory data of the programmable logic controller;

A processing unit, when the identification code is in an inactive state, generating an activation code corresponding to the identification code and sending it to the management device, and marking the identification code as an activated state; when the identification code is When activated, the activation code corresponding to the identification code is sent to the management device.
The device according to claim 20, wherein, when the identification code is activated, if the activation code corresponding to the identification code has not changed, the processing unit includes the activation code and information of no change request To the management device.
The device according to claim 20, wherein, when the identification code is activated, if the activation code corresponding to the identification code is changed, the processing unit updates the new activation code and the information with a change request To the management device.
The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein:

The receiving unit further receives information that the activation code has been changed from the management device;

The processing unit changes a change request of the activation code corresponding to the identification code to a no change request.
An operating device of a programmable logic controller is configured in the programmable logic controller, wherein the device includes:

A receiving unit that receives an identification code read request from a management device;

A sending unit that sends an identification code of the programmable logic controller to the management device;

The receiving unit further receives an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device;

A saving unit that saves the activation code.
The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein:

The receiving unit further receives an activation code reading request from the management device;

The sending unit also sends the saved activation code to the management device, and the management device compares the activation code with the activation code received from the server device, and if the two are consistent, the verification is considered successful, Otherwise, the verification is considered to have failed.
The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the receiving unit further receives an activation code corresponding to the identification code from the management device; the apparatus further comprises:

The verification unit compares the received activation code with the saved activation code. If the two are consistent, it considers the verification successful and generates verification success information and sends it to the management device; otherwise, it considers the verification failed and generates verification failure information to send To the management device.
A programmable logic controller system, wherein the programmable logic controller system includes a management device, a programmable logic controller, and a server device, and the management device includes the device according to any one of claims 14 to 19 The programmable logic controller includes the device according to any one of claims 24-26, and the server device includes the device according to any one of claims 20-23.