WO2020079730A1

WO2020079730A1 - Engineering tool, computer system, system, method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2020079730A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/038314
Authority: WO
Inventors: 剛西尾
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2018-10-15
Filing date: 2018-10-15
Publication date: 2020-04-23
Also published as: JPWO2020079730A1

Abstract

This engineering tool is provided with: a representative unit setting section (602) which sets a first slave unit as a representative unit for transmitting and receiving control data for a device to be controlled to and from an external unit, and also sets a second slave unit as a subordinate unit for transmitting and receiving control data for the device to be controlled to and from the external unit via the representative unit; a channel allocation section (603) which allocates a series of channels to the channels of the representative unit and the subordinate unit; a transmission/reception setting section (605) which sets data reception information for distributing reception data received from the external unit to the representative unit and the subordinate unit, or sets data transmission information for the representative unit to transmit transmission data of both the subordinate unit and the representative unit to the external unit; and a virtual unit setting section (601) which sets the representative unit and the subordinate unit as virtual units that can be replaced with other slave units.

Description

Engineering tools, computer systems, systems, methods and programs

The present invention relates to an engineering tool, a computer system, a system, a method and a program.

In a factory production line, a system using a programmable controller (Programmable Logic Controller: PLC) unit is often used to control the production line device. In a system using a PLC unit, input / output to / from a slave unit is performed in accordance with a control program executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) unit. Input / output from the CPU unit to the slave unit controls equipment including a sensor or a motor of a production line device connected to each channel of the slave unit.

When changing the production line, the distance from the production line device to the slave unit may change. When the distance from the production line device to the slave unit changes, for example, the equipment of the production line device connected to one slave unit before the production line is changed and the equipment of the production line device connected to the slave unit is changed to one after the production line is changed. It may not be possible to connect to all slave units. In such a case, one slave unit is replaced with a plurality of slave units, and some devices of the production line device are separately connected to each channel of the plurality of slave units.

If a part of the production line equipment is connected to each channel of multiple slave units separately, multiple slave units will operate in cooperation to realize one function. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention of a program creation device that creates a sequence program for operating a plurality of slave units in cooperation to execute one function.

JP 2008-146385A

The program creation device described in Patent Document 1 allows a user to perform a setting operation by simulating a plurality of slave units as one virtual unit on the slave unit setting screen. Then, this program creating device creates a sequence program for causing the CPU unit to set each unit based on the set contents and the sequence program serving as the template.

-The memory address of the buffer memory of each slave unit is set in this sequence program. This memory address is used as a setting value setting destination, an acquisition destination of a value to be stored in the internal memory of the CPU unit, and the like.

Therefore, when replacing any or all of the multiple slave units with another slave unit, the memory address of the buffer memory set in the sequence program is replaced with the memory address of the buffer memory of the other slave unit to be replaced. Need to change. For this reason, there is a problem that the work for replacing the slave unit takes time and effort.

The present invention solves these problems, and an object thereof is to provide an engineering tool, a computer system, a system, a method, and a program that can replace one slave unit with a plurality of slave units by a simple operation. And

In order to achieve the above object, the engineering tool according to the present invention includes a representative unit setting unit, a channel allocating unit, a transmission / reception setting unit, and a virtual unit setting unit. The representative unit setting unit sets the first slave unit having a channel for connecting the controlled device as a representative unit that transmits / receives data for controlling the controlled device to / from an external unit, and connects the controlled device. The second slave unit having a channel for setting is set as a subordinate unit that transmits / receives data for controlling the control target device to / from the external unit via the representative unit. The channel allocating unit allocates a series of channels to the channel of the representative unit and the channel of the subordinate unit based on the channel allocation information that defines the series of channels in advance. The transmission / reception setting unit sets the data reception information for distributing the reception data received by the representative unit from the external unit to itself and the subordinate unit, and the transmission data transmitted from the subordinate unit to the representative unit to the self and the subordinate unit. Together with the transmission data, the data transmission information for transmitting to the external unit is set. The virtual unit setting unit sets the representative unit and the dependent units as virtual units that can be replaced with other slave units having the same number of channels as the series of channels.

According to the present invention, it is possible to set a plurality of slave units to operate as one virtual unit by an engineering tool without rewriting the control program in the external unit. Therefore, one slave unit can be replaced with a plurality of slave units by a simple operation.

Configuration diagram of a PLC unit system according to the first embodiment Block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the CPU unit and the master unit in the first embodiment FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a virtual unit according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the outline of the engineering tool in Embodiment 1. Block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the PC in the first embodiment FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a setting screen of channel allocation information on the engineering tool in the first embodiment FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a setting screen of data reception information on the engineering tool in the first embodiment The figure which shows the setting screen of the data transmission information on the engineering tool in Embodiment 1. The figure which shows an example of the structure of the data for automatically generating the data reception information and the data transmission information in Embodiment 1. The figure which shows an example of the structure of the data for automatically generating the data reception information and the data transmission information in Embodiment 1. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of the slave unit A for automatically generating the data reception information and the data transmission information in the first embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of the slave unit B for automatically generating the data reception information and the data transmission information in the first embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of the data reception information automatically produced | generated in Embodiment 1. The figure which shows an example of the data structure of the data transmission information automatically produced | generated in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of data of operation setting of a virtual unit according to the first embodiment The figure which shows the outline of the engineering tool which creates the operation parameter and the communication parameter in Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of operation parameters of a representative unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of operation parameters of a slave unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of communication parameters of a representative unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of communication parameters of a dependent unit according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the structural example of the screen of the arrangement | positioning setting tool in Embodiment 1. The figure which shows an example of the information of the slave unit which it has in Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the outline of the arrangement setting tool in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process setting unit that sets a program from an engineering tool according to the first embodiment. Flowchart of control processing at the time of malfunction occurrence and recovery of the subordinate unit in the first embodiment System configuration diagram of a PLC unit according to the second embodiment Block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a PLC unit in the second embodiment FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a first subordinate unit in the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a second subordinate unit in the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a channel allocation method for virtual units and actual units and a representative unit designation method according to the second embodiment Flowchart of representative unit change processing according to the second embodiment FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a process setting unit that sets a program from an engineering tool according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a virtual unit when the representative unit is changed in the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a channel allocation method for virtual units and actual units and a representative unit designation method when the representative unit according to the second embodiment is changed.

(Embodiment 1)
The engineering tool according to the first embodiment will be described below. The engineering tool is a tool that can be set to operate a plurality of slave units as one virtual unit.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system 1 including a virtual unit set by an engineering tool. The system 1 includes a CPU unit 2 that executes a control program, a master unit 3 that connects the CPU unit 2 to a network, and a virtual unit 4 that can exchange data with the CPU unit 2 via the master unit 3. There is.

The control program executed by the CPU unit 2 is a program for controlling the master unit 3 and the virtual unit 4, respectively. The master unit 3 is a unit for connecting the CPU unit 2 to the network. This CPU unit 2 cannot directly communicate with the network. Therefore, the CPU unit 2 is connected to the network via the master unit 3. A PC (Personal Computer) 6 is connected to the CPU unit 2. This PC 6 is equipped with an engineering tool. Details of the PC 6 and the engineering tool will be described later.

The virtual unit 4 includes a representative unit 40 connected to the master unit 3 via a communication path 131 for the network, and a dependent unit 41 connected to the representative unit 40 via a communication path 130. The representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 are slave units, respectively. Here, the virtual unit 4 is, for example, a virtual unit 4 for replacing one slave unit having eight channels with two slave units having four channels.

The representative unit 40 includes four

representative channels

408a, 408b, 408c, 408d as shown in FIG. The

representative channels

408a, 408b, 408c, 408d are set by the engineering tool 600 described later so as to be regarded as the

virtual channels

12a, 12b, 12c, 12d of the virtual unit 4.

The subordinate unit 41 includes four

subordinate channels

418a, 418b, 418c, 418d. The

dependent channels

418a, 418b, 418c, 418d are set by the engineering tool 600, which will be described later, so as to be regarded as the

virtual channels

12e, 12f, 12g, 12h of the virtual unit 4. By the setting by the engineering tool 600, the virtual unit 4 is recognized as one slave unit having eight channels when viewed from the CPU unit 2 and the master unit 3.

The

production line devices

5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, and 5h are connected to the virtual channels 12a to 12h of the virtual unit 4. The production line devices 5a to 5h are equipped with various devices including a sensor or a motor. The virtual unit 4 controls various devices of the production line devices 5a to 5h via the virtual channels 12a to 12h. The various devices that the production line devices 5a to 5h have are examples of control target devices according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the

representative channels

408a, 408b, 408c, 408d of the representative unit 40 are collectively referred to as the representative channel 408. Further, the

subordinate channels

418a, 418b, 418c, 418d of the subordinate unit 41 are collectively referred to as subordinate channels 418. The virtual channels 12a to 12h included in the virtual unit 4 are collectively referred to as a virtual channel 12. The production line devices 5a to 5h are collectively referred to as the production line device 5.

When controlling the production line device 5 via the virtual unit 4, the master unit 3 transmits data to the representative unit 40 via the communication path 131.

The representative unit 40 determines whether the data received from the master unit 3 is data which the representative unit 40 itself is in charge of or data which the subordinate unit 41 is in charge of. The representative unit 40 determines the data determined to be in charge of itself, that is, the data to be used for controlling the production line device 5 via the

virtual channels

12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, by the

representative units

408a, 408b, 408c, It outputs from 408d to the

virtual channels

12a, 12b, 12c, 12d.

The representative unit 40 transmits to the subordinate unit 41 the data determined to be in charge of the subordinate unit 41, that is, the data to be used for controlling the production line device 5 via the

virtual channels

12e, 12f, 12g, 12h. The subordinate unit 41 outputs the data transmitted from the representative unit 40 from its own

subordinate channels

418a, 418b, 418c, 418d to the

virtual channels

12e, 12f, 12g, 12h.

The same applies when the virtual unit 4 receives the output data of the production line device 5 and transmits it from the virtual unit 4 to the master unit 3.

Specifically, the subordinate unit 41 transmits the data transmitted from the production line device 5 via the

virtual channels

12e, 12f, 12g, and 12h which it is in charge of, to its

subordinate channels

418a, 418b, 418c, and 418d. And is transmitted to the representative unit 40. The representative unit 40 acquires the data transmitted from the production line device 5 via the

virtual channels

12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d via its own

representative channels

408a, 408b, 408c, and 408d. The representative unit 40 collects the data received via the

virtual channels

12a, 12b, 12c, 12d and the data received from the subordinate unit 41, and transmits the data as input data of the virtual unit 4 to the master unit 3.

When the CPU unit 2 voluntarily requests to acquire the output data of the production line device 5 via the virtual unit 4, the CPU unit 2 transmits a data acquisition request from the master unit 3 to the representative unit 40. The representative unit 40 transmits the data acquisition request to the subordinate unit 41. According to this data acquisition request, the subordinate unit 41 transmits the data received via the

virtual channels

12e, 12f, 12g, 12h to the representative unit 40. The representative unit 40 returns the data received via the

virtual channels

12a, 12b, 12c, 12d and the data received from the subordinate unit 41 to the master unit 3 as a response to the data acquisition request. The master unit 3 transmits the received data to the CPU unit 2.

-The CPU unit 2 recognizes the virtual unit 4 as one slave unit. Therefore, the CPU unit 2 transmits one instruction data for control instruction to the virtual unit 4 via the master unit 3 not to the representative unit 40 and the dependent unit 41 individually. The representative unit 40 operates according to the received instruction data. At the same time, the representative unit 40 transfers the received instruction data to the subordinate unit 41 as needed. Upon receiving the instruction data from the representative unit 40, the subordinate unit 41 operates according to the instruction data. Although details will be described later, this instruction data is, for example, a setting change request flag shown in FIG. 7. When the received instruction data is the setting change request flag, each of the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 changes its own setting according to the contents of the received setting change request flag.

The same applies to the operation in which the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 transmit the status display data to the CPU unit 2 via the master unit 3. The representative unit 40 and the dependent unit 41 behave as one virtual unit 4, and the representative unit 40 and the dependent unit 41 do not individually transmit the status display data to the CPU unit 2. The representative unit 40 collects the status display data of itself and the status display data transmitted from the subordinate unit 41 to itself, and generates one status display data. The representative unit 40 transmits one piece of generated status display data to the master unit 3. The details of the status display data will be described later, but are, for example, the setting change completion flag and the error occurrence flag shown in FIG. Specifically, the subordinate unit 41 transmits its own status display data to the representative unit 40. The representative unit 40 performs logical operation such as AND and OR on the status display data of itself and the status display data received from the subordinate unit 41 to generate one status display data and transmits it to the CPU unit 2. To do.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the CPU unit 2 and the master unit 3. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the virtual unit 4. First, an example of hardware of the CPU unit 2 and the master unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The CPU unit 2 includes a processor 20, an external bus interface 21, a PC interface 22, a storage unit 23, a memory 24, and an internal bus 25.

The processor 20 executes the control program on the memory 24. This control program controls the processor 20 itself and the operations of the master unit 3 and the virtual unit 4. The external bus interface 21 is connected to the external bus interface 31 of the master unit 3 described later via the communication path 132. The CPU unit 2 transmits / receives data to / from the master unit 3 via the external bus interface 21.

The PC 6 is connected to the PC interface 22. The PC 6 is provided with an engineering tool 600 described later. As the PC interface 22, for example, an interface capable of transmitting / receiving data to / from the PC 6 such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface can be used.

The storage unit 23 stores the control program executed by the processor 20 and various data required when the processor 20 executes the control program. For the storage unit 23, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a storage medium can be used.

The memory 24 is a storage element that enables the processor 20 to read the control program stored in the storage unit 23 when the CPU unit 2 is activated. A volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) can be used as the memory 24. The internal bus 25 connects the processor 20, the external bus interface 21, the PC interface 22, the storage unit 23, and the memory 24.

The master unit 3 has a configuration similar to that of the CPU unit 2 except that it has a function specialized for data transmission. The master unit 3 includes a processor 30, an external bus interface 31, a storage unit 32, a memory 33, a network interface 34, and an internal bus 35.

The processor 30, the storage unit 32, and the memory 33 have the same functions as the processor 20, the storage unit 23, and the memory 24, except that the data transmission function is realized. The external bus interface 31 is connected to the external bus interface 21 of the CPU unit 2 via the communication path 132. The external bus interface 31 and the external bus interface 21 send and receive data to and from each other. The network interface 34 is connected to the first network interface 401 of the virtual unit 4 via the communication path 131. The network interface 34 and the first network interface 401 can send and receive data to and from each other.

Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the virtual unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The representative unit 40 of the virtual unit 4 includes a processor 400, a first network interface 401, a second network interface 402, a storage unit 403, a memory 404, a channel selector 405, and an AD (Analog-to-Digital) converter. 406 and an internal bus 407.

The processor 400 executes various processing programs on the memory 404, which will be described later, based on the instruction data for control instruction received from the CPU unit 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the first network interface 401 is connected to the network interface 34 of the master unit 3 via the communication path 131. Therefore, the representative unit 40 receives the instruction data for control instruction transmitted from the CPU unit 2 via the network interface 34 of the master unit 3 at the first network interface 401. The representative unit 40 also transmits various data from the first network interface 401 to the CPU unit 2 via the network interface 34 of the master unit 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second network interface 402 of the representative unit 40 is connected to the first network interface 411 of the subordinate unit 41 via the communication path 130. Therefore, the representative unit 40 transmits data from the second network interface 402 to the subordinate unit 41. The representative unit 40 also receives the data from the subordinate unit 41 at the second network interface 402.

The storage unit 403 stores various processing programs executed by the processor 400 and various data required when the various processing programs are executed by the processor 400. A ROM, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a storage medium, or the like can be used as the storage unit 403. The memory 404 is a storage element that allows the processor 400 to execute various processing programs stored in the storage unit 403 when the system 1 is started up. A RAM, a volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memory, or the like can be used as the memory 404.

The channel selector 405 is connected to the

representative channels

408a, 408b, 408c, 408d. The channel selector 405 is a representative channel that transmits the instruction data received from the CPU unit 2 to the production line device 5 from among the

representative channels

408a, 408b, 408c, 408d based on the instruction from the program executed by the processor 400. Select 408. The channel selector 405 sends the instruction data received from the CPU unit 2 from among the

representative channels

408a, 408b, 408c, 408d to the production line device 5 based on the instruction from the program executed by the CPU unit 2. The representative channel 408 to be transmitted may be selected.

The AD converter 406 converts the received analog signal into digital data that can be transmitted to the CPU unit 2 when the output signal of the production line device 5 is an analog signal. The AD converter 406 is an example of an input / output component that is appropriately changed according to the type of the virtual unit 4. Instead of the AD converter 406, for example, a DA (Digital-to-Analog) converter or an IO ASIC (Input / Output Application Specific Integrated Circuit) can be used.

The internal bus 407 is a bus that connects the processor 400, the first network interface 401, the second network interface 402, the storage unit 403, the memory 404, the channel selector 405, and the AD converter 406.

As shown in FIG. 3, the subordinate unit 41 of the virtual unit 4 includes a processor 410, a first network interface 411, a second network interface 412, a storage unit 413, a memory 414, a channel selector 415, and an AD converter. 416 and an internal bus 417.

The first network interface 411 is connected to the second network interface 402 of the representative unit 40 via the communication path 130. Therefore, the subordinate unit 41 transmits data from the first network interface 411 to the representative unit 40. Further, the subordinate unit 41 receives the data from the representative unit 40 at the first network interface 411. Other configurations are the same as the hardware configuration of the representative unit 40, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

Next, a setting method for setting various information using the engineering tool 600 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the engineering tool 600. The engineering tool 600 is included in the PC 6. The PC 6 includes a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, a display unit 63, an input unit 64, and a CPU unit interface 65.

The control unit 61 operates the engineering tool 600. The storage unit 62 stores, in advance, channel allocation information 200, 8-channel output unit holding data 201, slave unit A holding data 202, slave unit B holding data 203, data reception information 300, and data transmission information. And 302 are stored. The channel allocation information 200, the 8-channel output unit holding data 201, the slave unit A holding data 202, and the slave unit B holding data 203 are information and data necessary for the processing of the engineering tool 600. The data reception information 300 and the data transmission information 302 are information created by the engineering tool 600 described later. The details of the channel allocation information 200, the 8-channel output unit holding data 201, the slave unit A holding data 202, the slave unit B holding data 203, the data reception information 300, and the data transmission information 302 will be described later.

The display unit 63 is a display interface device capable of displaying various setting screens and data of the engineering tool 600. Various display interface devices including an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel and an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel can be used as the display unit 63. The input unit 64 is an information input device that can input various settings and information on the engineering tool 600. As the input unit 64, various information input devices including a keyboard and a mouse can be used. The CPU unit interface 65 is connected to the PC interface 22 of the CPU unit 2 shown in FIG. The PC 6 can exchange various information and data with the CPU unit 2 via the CPU unit interface 65.

Here, an outline of the operation of the engineering tool 600 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the engineering tool 600 includes a virtual unit setting unit 601, a representative unit setting unit 602, a channel allocation unit 603, a data transmission / reception information creation unit 604, and a transmission / reception setting unit 605.

The virtual unit setting unit 601 sets a plurality of slave units set in one group as one virtual unit 4 based on the channel allocation information 200 and the 8-channel output unit holding data 201. The virtual unit setting unit 601 is an example of virtual unit setting means according to the present invention.

The representative unit setting unit 602 sets one of the plurality of slave units constituting the virtual unit 4 as the representative unit 40 and the rest as the dependent unit 41. The representative unit 40 transmits / receives to / from the CPU unit 2 and the master unit 3, which are external units of the virtual unit 4, setting information for controlling the equipment of the production line device 5, various data, and the like. The subordinate unit 41 transmits / receives setting information, various data, and the like for controlling the equipment of the production line device 5 to / from the CPU unit 2 and the master unit 3 via the representative unit 40. The representative unit setting unit 602 is an example of a representative unit setting unit according to the present invention.

The channel allocating unit 603 allocates the channel, which is the transmission / reception part of the virtual unit 4, to the channel, which is the transmission / reception part of the slave unit forming the virtual unit 4, based on the channel allocation information 200 and the 8-channel output unit holding data 201. . The channel allocating unit 603 is an example of the channel allocating means according to the present invention.

The data transmission / reception information creation unit 604 creates data reception information 300 and data transmission information 302 based on the channel allocation information 200, 8-channel output unit holding data 201, slave unit A holding data 202, and slave unit B holding data 203. To do. The data reception information 300 indicates which data, out of the data received by the representative unit 40 from the master unit 3, is transmitted to the dependent unit 41 so that the representative unit 40 and the dependent unit 41 function as one virtual unit 4. Is the data that defines. The data transmission information 302 is data that defines which data, out of the data received by the subordinate unit 41 from the production line device 5, is to be transmitted to the representative unit. The data transmission / reception information creation unit 604 is an example of the data transmission / reception information creation means according to the present invention.

The transmission / reception setting unit 605 sets transmission / reception between the representative unit 40 and the dependent unit 41 of the virtual unit 4 and the virtual unit 4 based on the data reception information 300 and the data transmission information 302 created by the data transmission / reception information creation unit 604. The transmission / reception setting with the CPU unit 2 and the master unit 3 is performed. The transmission / reception setting unit 605 is an example of transmission / reception setting means according to the present invention.

The virtual unit setting unit 601, the representative unit setting unit 602, the channel allocating unit 603, the data transmission / reception information creating unit 604, and the transmission / reception setting unit 605 are processed into a program, and the control unit 61 serves as the engineering tool 600. It can be operated. This program is stored in the storage unit 62.

Here, an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit 61 will be described with reference to FIG. The control unit 61 includes a processor 610, a memory 611, a display controller 612, an I / O port 613, and an internal bus 614. The processor 610, the memory 611, the display controller 612, and the I / O port 613 are connected to each other via an internal bus 614.

The processor 610 can read various programs stored in the storage unit 62, expand them in the memory 611, and execute them. In particular, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment described later, the processor 610 can read the program for operating the engineering tool 600 from the storage unit 62, load the program in the memory 611, and execute the program. As the control unit 61, for example, an arithmetic device such as a CPU or an MPU (Micro processing unit) can be used.

A storage element such as a RAM or an IC (Integrated Circuit) memory can be used as the memory 611. The display controller 612 is a controller that outputs a video signal for displaying characters and video on the display unit 63. As the display controller 612, a video signal output device such as a video card, GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or graphic board can be used.

The I / O port 613 is an interface for transmitting / receiving a signal input / output to / from the control unit 61. The control unit 61 is connected to the input unit 64 and the CPU unit interface 65 via the I / O port 613.

The user can set various information and data on the setting screen of the engineering tool 600 displayed on the display unit 63. Below, an example of a setting screen of various information and data in the engineering tool 600 is shown. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a setting screen of the channel allocation information 200 on the engineering tool 600. The channel allocation information 200 defines the setting information including the channel allocation necessary for operating the actual slave unit as the virtual unit 4, the slave unit address, and the designation of the representative unit 40. By setting the channel allocation information 200, the user can determine the actual slave units that make up the virtual unit 4.

First, for the virtual unit 4, as shown in FIG. 6, the channel numbers CH1 to CH8 and the input / output types of each channel are set. Input / output types include input and output. For example, the case where the information is input from the virtual unit 4 to the actual slave unit can be defined as “input”, and the case where the information is output from the actual slave unit to the virtual unit 4 can be defined as “output”.

Next, as the actual slave unit, as shown in FIG. 6, a model name, a channel, a slave unit address, and designation of a representative unit are defined. The model name is the model name of the actual slave unit. Here, slave unit A and slave unit B are set. The channel is the channel of the actual slave unit assigned to the channel of the virtual unit 4. Here, the channels of the slave unit A and the slave unit B are assigned and set to the channels of the virtual unit 4, respectively. The slave unit address is an address indicating each of the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41. The master unit 3 can determine the data transmission destination by the slave unit address. Further, the master unit 3 can specify the data receiving source by the slave unit address. The designation of the representative unit 40 is to designate which of the actual slave units will be the representative unit 40. Here, the slave unit A is designated as the representative unit 40.

FIG. 7 shows a setting screen of the data reception information 300 on the engineering tool 600. The data reception information 300 is information received from the master unit 3 to the virtual unit 4. The data reception information 300 includes the content of data received from the master unit 3 to the virtual unit 4, the transfer destination of the received data in the virtual unit 4 and the content of the transferred data, and the data of the virtual unit 4. It is defined whether or not it can be used.

The slave unit address shown in FIG. 6 is used to specify the transfer destination in the virtual unit 4. Returning to FIG. The contents of the data received from the master unit 3 to the virtual unit 4 include, for example, the setting change request flag, the voltage value output from the channel number CH1 of the virtual unit 4 to the production line device 5a, and the channel number CH5 of the virtual unit 4. It is a voltage value output to the production line device 5e. The setting change request flag is a flag for changing the setting of the virtual unit 4. For example, when the virtual unit 4 receives the setting change request flag from the CPU unit 2, the virtual unit 4 changes the setting of the representative unit 40 or the subordinate unit 41 based on the content of the setting change request flag.

The availability of the virtual unit 4 as data is information that sets whether the virtual unit 4 can be used as data. OK or NG is set as the value of availability. When the usability value is OK, the virtual unit 4 uses the data received from the master unit 3 as its own data. When the usability value is NG, the virtual unit 4 does not use the data received from the master unit 3 as its own data.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a setting screen of the data transmission information 302 on the engineering tool 600. The data transmission information 302 is information transmitted from the virtual unit 4 to the master unit 3. The data transmission information 302 includes the content of data transmitted from the virtual unit 4 to the master unit 3, the acquisition source of the transmitted data in the virtual unit 4, the content of the acquired data and the calculation method, and the virtual unit. It is defined whether or not it can be used as data of No. 4.

The slave unit address shown in FIG. 6 is set as the acquisition source in the virtual unit 4. Returning to FIG. Whether or not the virtual unit 4 can be used as data is information that sets whether or not the virtual unit 4 can be used as data, as in FIG. 7. When the usability value is OK, the virtual unit 4 transmits the data acquired within itself to the master unit 3 as the data of the virtual unit 4. If the usability value is NG, the virtual unit 4 cannot acquire the latest data within itself. Therefore, the virtual unit 4 transmits, for example, the previous input value data, default value, and the like held by itself to the master unit 3 as the data of the virtual unit 4.

The operator used when the representative unit 40 calculates the content of the data is set as the calculation method of the acquired data. For this operator, “AND” that performs an AND operation on the bit data of each bit position of the data acquired from the representative unit 40 and the dependent unit 41, “OR” that performs an OR operation, and the like are used. For example, the data acquired by the representative unit 40 is 0x55 in hexadecimal, and the data acquired by the subordinate unit 41 is 0xAA in hexadecimal. In this case, AND operation of these two data results in 0x00, and OR operation results in 0xFF. When the representative unit 40 is not allowed to calculate the content of data, "unnecessary" is set instead of the operator. Further, the CPU unit 2 creates instruction data for control instruction according to the calculation result of the data acquired from the virtual unit 4.

The data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 7 and the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. 8 can be automatically generated by the engineering tool 600. Here, a specific method of generating the data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 7 and the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. 8 will be described below by taking the virtual unit 4 that outputs to the CPU unit 2 as an example.

First, the information used by the engineering tool 600 to generate the data reception information 300 and the data transmission information 302 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9F. FIG. 9A shows a reception information range 510 used to generate the data reception information 300 and a transmission information range 520 used to generate the data transmission information 302 among the information set in the channel allocation information 200. There is.

FIG. 9B shows the 8-channel output unit holding data 201. The 8-channel output unit holding data 201 is data preset by the user on the engineering tool 600. The 8-channel output unit retention data 201 is for setting the type of data retained when the virtual unit 4 is a 8-channel slave unit. Of the data set in the 8-channel output unit holding data 201, the reception data range 511 is used for generating the data reception information 300, and the transmission data range 521 is used for generating the data transmission information 302. The 8-channel output unit holding data 201 is an example of the output unit holding data according to the present invention.

FIG. 9C shows the slave unit A retained data 202. As shown in FIG. 9A, the slave unit A is a model name indicating one of the actual slave units forming the virtual unit 4. Data associated with the actual slave unit is stored in advance in the storage unit 62 of the PC 6 illustrated in FIG. 4 in association with the model name. When the user selects to use the slave unit A on the engineering tool 600, the slave unit A holding data 202 is generated in the engineering tool 600. The generated slave unit A holding data 202 is stored in the storage unit 62 of the PC 6 shown in FIG. The reception data range 512 of the data set in the slave unit A held data 202 is used for generating the data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 7. Further, the transmission data range 522 of the data set in the slave unit A held data 202 is used to generate the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. The slave unit A retained data 202 is an example of the first slave unit retained data according to the present invention.

FIG. 9D shows the slave unit B held data 203. As shown in FIG. 9A, the slave unit B is a model name indicating one of the actual slave units forming the virtual unit 4. Data associated with the actual slave unit is stored in advance in the storage unit 62 of the PC 6 illustrated in FIG. 4 in association with the model name. When the user selects to use the slave unit B on the engineering tool 600, the slave unit B holding data 203 is generated in the engineering tool 600. The generated slave unit B holding data 203 is stored in the storage unit 62 of the PC 6 shown in FIG. The reception data range 513 of the data set in the slave unit B held data 203 is used to generate the data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 7. Further, the transmission data range 523 of the data set in the slave unit B held data 203 is used to generate the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. The slave unit B held data 203 is an example of the second slave unit held data according to the present invention.

Next, the operation of the engineering tool 600 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 9A to 9D. When the user inputs an instruction to set the virtual unit 4 as an 8-channel output unit from the input unit 64 of the PC 6 shown in FIG. 4, the data to be held in the virtual unit 4 becomes 8-channel output unit shown in FIG. 9B. It is defined like the held data 201.

The virtual unit setting unit 601 of the engineering tool 600 acquires the channel allocation information 200 and the 8-channel output unit holding data 201 stored in the storage unit 62. The virtual unit setting unit 601 identifies the actual slave unit forming the virtual unit 4 from the model name of the actual slave unit set in the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. 9A. This actual slave unit is, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of slave units connected to the master unit 3. Further, the virtual unit setting unit 601 acquires the data included in the actual slave unit associated with this model name from the storage unit 62 of the PC 6 shown in FIG. The virtual unit setting unit 601 generates slave unit holding data based on the acquired data of the actual slave unit associated with this model name. Here, the virtual unit setting unit 601 generates the slave unit A held data 202 shown in FIG. 9C based on the data included in the slave unit A. Further, the virtual unit setting unit 601 generates the slave unit B holding data 203 shown in FIG. 9D based on the data included in the slave unit B.

The representative unit setting unit 602 sets one of the plurality of slave units to the representative unit 40 based on the information set in the item of the representative unit of the actual slave unit in the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. 9A. Set as. Here, as shown in FIG. 9A, the slave unit A is set as the representative unit 40.

The channel allocating unit 603 allocates the channel of the virtual unit 4 to the channels of the slave unit A and the slave unit B that configure the virtual unit 4. As a result, the channels of the slave unit A and the slave unit B can be treated as the channels of the virtual unit 4 as viewed from the CPU unit 2.

The data transmission / reception information creation unit 604 creates the data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 9E and the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. 9F. As shown in FIG. 9E, the data reception information 300 is set with the transfer destination within the virtual unit 4 of the output value from each channel of the virtual unit 4. Specifically, the information is within the transfer destination data range 514. The information within the transfer destination data range 514 is created by the data transmission / reception information creation unit 604. The data transmission / reception information creation unit 604 includes information within the reception information range 510 of the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. 9A, reception data range 511 of the 8-channel output unit holding data 201 shown in FIG. 9B, and FIG. 9C. Within the transfer destination data range 514 based on the reception data range 512 of the slave unit A held data 202, the channel data shown in the reception data range 513 of the slave unit B held data 203 shown in FIG. 9D, and the availability value. Create information for. It should be noted that OK is set as a default value for the availability value. The data transmission / reception information creation unit 604 sets the created information in the data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 9E.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9F, the data transmission information 302 includes the content of the data to be transmitted to the master unit 3, the acquisition source of the data to be transmitted in the virtual unit 4, the content of the acquired data, and the availability value. , The calculation method is set. Specifically, the information is within the setting change data range 524. The information within the setting change data range 524 is created by the data transmission / reception information creation unit 604. The data transmission / reception information creation unit 604 includes information within the transmission information range 520 of the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. 9A, the transmission data range 521 of the 8-channel output unit holding data 201 shown in FIG. 9B, and the slave unit A shown in FIG. 9C. The setting change is made based on the content of the setting change completion flag shown in the status display data of the transmission data range 522 of the holding data 202 and the transmission data range 523 of the slave unit B holding data 203 shown in FIG. Information on the data range 524 is created. It should be noted that OK is set as a default value for the availability value. The data transmission / reception information creation unit 604 sets the created information in the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. 9F.

The data transmission / reception information creation unit 604 stores the created data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 9E and the created data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. 9F in the storage unit 62. The transmission / reception setting unit 605 sets transmission / reception of data between the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 of the virtual unit 4 based on the data reception information 300 and the data transmission information 302 created by the data transmission / reception information creation unit 604. I do. The transmission / reception setting unit 605 transmits / receives data between the virtual unit 4 and the CPU unit 2 / master unit 3 based on the data reception information 300 and the data transmission information 302 created by the data transmission / reception information creation unit 604. Make settings.

In the above description, the specific method of generating the data reception information 300 and the data transmission information 302 has been described by taking the virtual unit 4 that outputs to the CPU unit 2 as an example. However, the virtual unit that receives input from the CPU unit 2 is described. The same applies to the case of 4.

Also, in order to operate the actual slave unit as the virtual unit 4, it is necessary to set the operation for each channel. The engineering tool 600 is used as a tool for setting the operation of the virtual unit 4 in the actual slave unit. Details of the engineering tool 600 will be described later.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a setting screen of the operation setting information 210 on the engineering tool 600. In the operation setting information 210, the content of the operation to be executed by each channel of the virtual unit 4 is set. The content of this operation is arbitrarily determined by the user. For example, in the operation setting information 210 shown in FIG. 10, the contents of the operation include the input / output type of the channel, the input value average processing method from the production line device 5 connected to the channel, and the production line device 5 connected to the channel. The abnormal signal detection function is set. The operation setting information 210 is stored in the storage unit 62 of the PC 6 as shown in FIG.

Further, the engineering tool 600 includes an operation parameter creation unit 621 and a communication parameter creation unit 622 shown in FIG. 11, in addition to the configurations of the virtual unit setting unit 601, the representative unit setting unit 602 and the like shown in FIG. Further prepare. Here, the configurations of the virtual unit setting unit 601 and the representative unit setting unit 602 shown in FIG. 4 are omitted.

Return to FIG. The operation parameter creation unit 621 combines the channel allocation indicated by the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. 9A stored in the storage unit 62 and the operation content indicated by the operation setting information 210 shown in FIG. Then, the operation parameter creation unit 621 creates the operation parameter 211 for the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12A and the operation parameter 212 for the slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12B. Further, the communication parameter creating unit 622 combines the information of the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. 9A and the operation content of the operation setting information 210 shown in FIG. The communication parameter 213 for the slave unit address 1 shown and the communication parameter 214 for the slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12D are generated.

In the operation parameter 211 for the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12A and the operation parameter 212 for the slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12B, the operation of the channel of the actual slave unit operating as the channel of the virtual unit 4 is set. . The operation parameter 211 for the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12A is the parameter for the slave unit address 1, that is, the representative unit 40 as shown in FIG. Further, the operation parameter 212 for the slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12B is the parameter for the slave unit address 2, that is, the slave unit 41 as shown in FIG.

The communication parameter 213 of the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12C is a parameter for making settings necessary for communication between the representative unit 40 and the master unit 3. For example, when the master unit 3 and the actual slave unit transmit / receive data, it is necessary to clarify the size of data to be transmitted and the size of data to be received. Therefore, the transmission data size and the reception data size are set in the communication parameter 213. The transmission data size and the reception data size set in the communication parameter 213 are reflected in the representative unit 40. The communication parameter 213 of the slave unit address 1 is an example of the first communication parameter according to the present invention.

The transmission data size and the reception data size set in the communication parameter 213 are data sizes obtained by summing the transmission data size and the reception data size of each channel of the virtual unit 4 for all channels. For example, assuming that the transmission data sizes of the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 are 32 bytes, respectively, as shown in FIG. 12C, the transmission data size of the virtual unit 4 is the transmission data size of the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41. The total is 64 bytes. Further, assuming that the reception data size of the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 is 16 bytes, respectively, the reception data size of the virtual unit 4 is the reception data size of the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 as shown in FIG. 12C. The total is 32 bytes.

Further, FIG. 12D shows communication parameters 214 for slave unit address 2. In the communication parameter 214, the transmission data size and the reception data size between the subordinate unit 41 and the representative unit 40 are set. For example, if the transmission data size of each of the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 is 32 bytes, 32 is set as the transmission data size as shown in FIG. 12D. If the reception data size of each of the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 is 16 bytes, 16 bytes are set as the reception data size, as shown in FIG. 12D. The communication parameter 214 of the slave unit address 2 is an example of the second communication parameter according to the present invention.

The operation parameter 211 for the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12A, the operation parameter 212 for the slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12B, the communication parameter 213 for the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12C, and the communication parameter 213 shown in FIG. 12D. The communication parameter 214 for the slave unit address 2 is stored in the storage unit 32 of the master unit 3. These parameters are read from the storage unit 32 of the master unit 3 when the system 1 shown in FIG. Further, when the system 1 is activated, the CPU unit 2 transmits these parameters expanded in the memory 33 of the master unit 3 to the virtual unit 4. The virtual unit 4 expands the received parameters in the memory 404 of the representative unit 40.

Also, the master unit 3 and the virtual unit 4 periodically send and receive data of the transmission data size and the reception data size set in the communication parameter 213 shown in FIG. 12C. Specifically, the virtual unit 4 processes the reception data received from the master unit 3 by the representative unit 40, and transmits the reception data from the representative unit 40 to the subordinate unit 41 as needed. The representative unit 40 also collects its own transmission data and the transmission data acquired from the subordinate unit 41 into one, and transmits it to the master unit 3 as the transmission data from the virtual unit 4.

Next, the procedure for replacing one slave unit with multiple slave units will be explained. Here, a case will be described as an example in which one slave unit having 8 channels is replaced with two slave units having 4 channels. The replacement of the slave unit is performed by setting the contents set in FIGS. 6 to 12D in the CPU unit 2, the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 of the virtual unit 4, respectively.

First, one slave unit with 8 channels before replacement has channel numbers CH1 to CH8. The channel number of this slave unit is stored in the storage unit 23 of the CPU unit 2 shown in FIG.

Here, two slave units each having four channels that replace the slave unit having eight channels are referred to as a first slave unit and a second slave unit, respectively. The first slave unit has the same configuration as the representative unit 40 shown in FIG. 3, and the second slave unit has the same configuration as the subordinate unit 41 shown in FIG.

First, let the CPU unit 2 recognize that the slave unit connected to itself is replaced with one virtual unit 4 from one slave unit having 8 channels. In the CPU unit 2, the data “channel number CH1 to CH8” of the item of the channel number of the virtual unit 4 set in the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. 6 and the data “input” of the item of the input / output type are provided. Is set. As a result, it is set in the CPU unit 2 that the virtual unit 4 is a slave unit having the channel numbers CH1 to CH8. Further, the 8-channel output unit holding data 201 shown in FIG. 9B is set in the CPU unit 2. As a result, it is possible to set the type of data held when the virtual unit 4 is a slave unit of 8 channels. The contents set here are stored in the storage unit 23 of the CPU unit 2 shown in FIG.

In the following description, the first slave unit among the slave units having two 4 channels is set as the representative unit 40 of the virtual unit 4. In addition, the second slave unit of the slave units having two four channels will be described as the slave unit 41 of the virtual unit 4. Further, the first slave unit is the slave unit of the model name slave unit A, and the second slave unit is the slave unit of the model name slave unit B.

In the first slave unit, the channel allocation of itself and the subordinate unit 41, the slave unit address, and the designation of the representative unit are set based on the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. Specifically, the channel numbers CH1 to CH4 of the virtual unit 4 shown in FIG. 6 are set in the first slave unit in association with their own channel numbers CH1 to CH4. Further, the first slave unit is also set to associate the channel numbers CH5 to CH8 of the virtual unit 4 shown in FIG. 6 with the channel numbers CH1 to CH4 of the second slave unit. Since the representative unit 40 distributes the received data received from the master unit 3 to itself and the subordinate unit 41, it is necessary to know the channel number of the virtual unit 4 assigned to the subordinate unit 41.

Next, set the slave unit address “1” assigned to the model name of slave unit A from the data of the slave unit address item of the actual slave unit shown in FIG. 6 in the first slave unit. The designation of the representative unit is set in the first slave unit from the data of the item of the representative unit of the actual slave unit shown in FIG.

Information on the transfer destination of the received data received from the master unit 3 in the virtual unit 4 is set in the first slave unit from the data reception information 300 shown in FIG. The information of the transfer destination in the virtual unit 4 includes, for example, the slave unit address and the reception data of the items of the transfer data in the virtual unit 4 shown in FIG. 7, and the availability of the reception data received from the master unit 3. is there. A specific example will be described below with reference to FIG. 7. When the received data received from the master unit 3 is the setting change request flag, the data “1” and “2” of the item of the slave unit address of the transfer data in the virtual unit 4 are set in the first slave unit. The data “1” of the item of the slave unit address is a unit address indicating the representative unit 40, and the data “2” is a unit address indicating the subordinate unit 41. Further, in the first slave unit, the data “setting change request flag” of the item of received data and the value “OK” of the item of availability are set. Hereinafter, the information set in the data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 7 is sequentially set in the first slave unit.

Information for transmitting the acquired data in the virtual unit 4 to the master unit 3 is set in the first slave unit from the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. The information to be transmitted to the master unit 3 includes, for example, the slave unit address and the transmission data of the item of the acquired data in the virtual unit 4 shown in FIG. 8, the availability of the transmission data acquired from the virtual unit 1, and the transmission. And a method of calculating the value of the data.

Regarding the information for transmitting the acquired data in the virtual unit 4 to the master unit 3, a specific example will be shown below with reference to FIG. 8. When the transmission data to be transmitted from the virtual unit 4 to the master unit 3 is the setting change completion flag, the first slave unit includes the data “1” and “2” of the slave unit address item of the transmission data in the virtual unit 4. Is set. As described above, the data “1” of this slave unit address item is the unit address indicating the representative unit 40, and the data “2” is the unit address indicating the subordinate unit 41. In addition, the first slave unit includes data “setting change completion flag” of the transmission data item, value “OK” of the availability item, data “setting change completion flag” of the transmission data item, and calculation method data. "AND" is set. Hereinafter, the information defined in the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. 8 is sequentially set in the first slave unit.

Set the operation parameter 211 of the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12A in the first slave unit. The operation parameter 211 defines the operation of the channel numbers CH1 to CH4 of the first slave unit, which are assigned to the channel numbers CH1 to CH4 of the virtual unit 4. Specifically, the channel processing method, the detection function, etc. defined in the left column of the operation parameters shown in FIG. 12A and the setting information defined in the right column are set for each channel of the first slave unit. For example, the setting information of the data “No averaging process” in the item of the CH1 averaging process method of the operation parameters shown in FIG. 12A is set to the channel number CH1 of the first slave unit. This setting process is repeated for the channel numbers CH2 to CH4 of the first slave unit. Next, the setting information of the data "OFF" of the item of the CH1 abnormal signal detection function of the operation parameter shown in FIG. 12A is set to the channel number CH1 of the first slave unit. This setting process is repeated for the channel numbers CH2 to CH4 of the first slave unit.

Further, the communication parameter 213 of the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12C is set in the first slave unit. The communication parameter 213 is, for example, the transmission data size of the transmission data transmitted from the representative unit 40 of the virtual unit 4 to the master unit 3 shown in FIG. 3 shown in FIG. 12C, and the representative unit 40 receives from the master unit 3. For example, the data size for reception of the received data is used.

After completing the above settings, the various information and parameters that have been set are stored in the storage unit of the first slave unit. This allows the first slave unit to operate as the representative unit 40 shown in FIG.

Next, set various information and parameters for the second slave unit, as with the first slave unit. In the second slave unit, the channel numbers CH5 to CH8 of the virtual unit 4 shown in FIG. 6 are set in association with their own channel numbers CH1 to CH4. In the second slave unit, the slave unit address "2" assigned to the model name of the slave unit B is set from the data of the item of the slave unit address of the actual slave unit shown in FIG.

Next, the operation parameter 212 of the slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12B is set in the second slave unit. The operation parameter 212 defines the operation of the channel numbers CH1 to CH4 of the second slave unit assigned to the channel numbers CH5 to CH8 of the virtual unit 4. Specifically, the channel processing method, detection function, etc. defined in the left column of the operation parameters shown in FIG. 12B and the setting information defined in the right column are set for each channel of the second slave unit. For example, the setting information of the data "time average" of the item of the CH5 average processing method of the operation parameter shown in FIG. 12B is set to the channel number CH1 of the second slave unit. This setting process is repeated for the channel numbers CH2 to CH4 of the second slave unit. Next, the setting information of the data "ON" of the item of the CH5 abnormal signal detection function of the operation parameter shown in FIG. 12B is set to the channel number CH1 of the second slave unit. This setting process is repeated for the channel numbers CH2 to CH4 of the second slave unit.

The communication parameter 214 of the slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12D is set in the second slave unit. The communication parameter 214 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 12D, the transmission data size of the transmission data transmitted from the subordinate unit 41 of the virtual unit 4 to the representative unit 40, the reception data of the reception data received from the representative unit 40 by the subordinate unit 41. The data size and the like.

After the above settings are completed, the set parameters are stored in the storage unit of the first slave unit. This allows the second slave unit to operate as the slave unit 41 shown in FIG.

In addition, as will be described in detail in a second embodiment to be described later, unlike the present embodiment, a configuration in which one representative unit 40 and a plurality of subordinate units 41 are connected in a star type can be adopted. is there. In this case, the priority order is set so that one of the plurality of dependent units 41 can be changed to a new representative unit when the representative unit 40 fails. Therefore, the subordinate unit 41 that can be the representative unit 40 needs to have the same settings as the representative unit 40.

The CPU unit 2 does not distinguish between the representative unit 40 and the dependent unit 41 based on various information and parameters set in the representative unit 40, and regards them as one virtual unit 4. As a result, the CPU unit 2 recognizes that the virtual unit 4 is connected to itself. Therefore, the CPU unit 2 recognizes that the CPU unit 2 does not transmit / receive data to / from the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41, respectively, but only to / from the virtual unit 4.

The data transmitted from the CPU unit 2 to the virtual unit 4 is input to the representative unit 40 of the virtual unit 4 via the master unit 3 as shown in FIG. The representative unit 40 appropriately distributes the data received from the CPU unit 2 to itself and the slave unit 41 according to various information and parameters set in the representative unit 40. The representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 execute processing based on the data distributed to each. Further, the representative unit 40 can send the data from the subordinate unit 41 together with its own data to the CPU unit 2. As a result, the CPU unit 2 recognizes that the data is not transmitted from the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41, respectively, but that the data is transmitted from the virtual unit 4. As described above, the CPU unit 2 can cause the slave units to execute various processes without being aware of the actual number of slave units connected to the CPU unit 2.

FIG. 13A shows a setting screen of the placement setting 700 on the placement setting tool 710. The arrangement setting tool 710 is installed in the PC 6 as shown in FIG. The system integrator uses the arrangement setting tool 710 to set the sensors arranged in the production line device 5, the devices including the motor, and the input / output devices added to the production line device 5 for each factory. For the placement setting tool 710, for example, 3D-CAD (Three Dimensional-computer Aided Design) can be used.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the system integrator arranges a plurality of production line devices 5a to 5h on the left and right of the first production line conveyor on the setting screen of the arrangement setting 700. That is, based on an instruction input by the system integrator from the input unit 64 of the PC 6 shown in FIG. Place it to the left and right of. The system integrator collects the plurality of production line devices 5a to 5h as one segment. This one segment can be one virtual unit 4. The system integrator uses the arrangement setting tool 710 to allocate input / output to / from each production line device 5 to each channel of the virtual unit 4. That is, the input / output assigning unit 721 of the arrangement setting tool 710 sends the respective channels of the virtual unit 4 to the respective production line devices 5 based on the instruction input from the input unit 64 of the PC 6 shown in FIG. 14 by the system integrator. Allocate the input and output of.

The system integrator inputs the channel allocation information from the arrangement setting tool 710 to the virtual unit 4 into the engineering tool 600. The user is made to set the operation of each channel of the virtual unit 4 on the setting screen of the operation setting information 210 of the engineering tool 600. That is, based on the input to the input unit 64 shown in FIG. 14 by the user, the operation parameter creation unit 621 of the engineering tool 600 operates the information of the channel allocation information 200 and the operation of the operation setting information 210 stored in the storage unit 62. 12A is combined with the operation parameters 211 for the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12A and the operation parameters 212 for the slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12B.

In addition, the communication parameter creation unit 622 combines the information of the channel allocation information 200 stored in the storage unit 62 and the content of the operation of the operation setting information 210 to obtain the communication parameter 213 for the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 12C. , And the communication parameter 214 for slave unit address 2 shown in FIG. 12D. The created operation parameters 211 and 212 and communication parameters 213 and 214 are set to the actual slave unit having the corresponding slave unit address 1 or slave unit address 2. FIG. 13B shows a list of set actual slave units.

Search from the information 702 of the slave unit owned by the user. In FIG. 13B, for example, the information of the slave unit A and the slave unit B is set as the slave unit owned by the user. If there is an actual slave unit that matches the information 702 of the owning slave unit, the engineering tool 600 combines the model name of the matching slave unit with the information of the held data of that unit. As a result, the engineering tool 600 causes the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. 6, the data reception information 300 shown in FIG. 7, the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. 8, and the operations shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. The parameters 211 and 212 and the communication parameters 213 and 214 shown in FIGS. 12C and 12D can be automatically generated.

The engineering tool 600 further includes a process setting unit 623 shown in FIG. 15A in addition to the configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 11. The process setting unit 623 can store a program for causing the virtual unit 4 to perform various processes in the storage unit 23 of the CPU unit 2 illustrated in FIG. Note that, here, the respective configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 11 are omitted. A program for causing the virtual unit 4 to perform various processes is read from the storage unit 23 of the CPU unit 2 to the memory 24 and is executed by the processor 20 when the system 1 is started.

The program stored in the storage unit 23 of the CPU unit 2 by the process setting unit 623 will be described by taking as an example the case where a malfunction occurs in the dependent unit 41 and a case where the malfunction is recovered. When the representative unit 40 detects a malfunction of the subordinate unit 41, it stops only the control of the channel of the subordinate unit 41 among the channels of the virtual unit 4. Further, when the representative unit 40 recovers from the malfunction of the subordinate unit 41, the representative unit 40 restarts the control of the channel of the subordinate unit 41. This operation will be described below with reference to the flowchart of the control process at the time of malfunction occurrence and recovery of the subordinate unit 41 shown in FIG. 15B.

As shown in FIG. 15B, when the representative unit 40 detects a change in the operation of the subordinate unit 41 (step S10; YES), the change in the operation of the subordinate unit 41 is changed from normal operation to malfunction or from malfunction. It is determined whether the normal operation is restored (step S11). If the change in the operation of the subordinate unit 41 is not detected (step S10; NO), the CPU unit 2 waits until the change in the operation of the subordinate unit 41 is detected.

When the representative unit 40 detects that the subordinate unit 41 has changed from the normal operation to the operation failure, for example, by receiving the communication interruption or the abnormal operation notification (step S11; normal operation to operation failure), The representative unit 40 changes the value of the availability of data of the slave unit 41 from OK to NG in the slave unit address of the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. For example, the setting change completion flag and the error occurrence flag of the subordinate unit 41 are changed from OK to NG. The representative unit 40 invalidates the data transmission / reception of the subordinate unit 41 whose usable / unusable value is changed to NG (step S12).

When the transmission / reception of the data of the subordinate unit 41 is invalidated, the representative unit 40 transmits the previous input value data from the subordinate unit 41 held by itself to the master unit 3 as the input value data of the subordinate unit 41. To do. This is because the representative unit 40 cannot acquire the input value data from the subordinate unit 41 when the subordinate unit 41 malfunctions and data transmission / reception is disabled. The representative unit 40 may transmit the default value, 0, an arbitrary value, etc. to the master unit 3 as the input value data from the subordinate unit 41, instead of the previous input value data held by itself. .

Further, for example, when the subordinate unit is the output unit, the output value data of the virtual channels 12e to 12h which the representative unit 40 receives from the master unit 3 and which the subordinate unit 41 takes charge of is not transferred to the subordinate unit 41. It should be noted that other control methods such as intentionally transferring may be used.

When the change in the operation of the subordinate unit 41 is the return from the malfunction to the normal operation (step S11; malfunction to normal operation), the representative unit 40 selects the slave unit in the data transmission information 302 shown in FIG. The address is 2, that is, the value of availability of the data of the subordinate unit 41 is changed from NG to OK. For example, the values of availability of the setting change completion flag and the error occurrence flag of the subordinate unit 41 are changed from NG to OK. The representative unit 40 validates the data transmission / reception of the subordinate unit 41 whose usable / unusable value is changed to OK (step S13).

When the transmission / reception of data from the subordinate unit 41 is enabled, for example, when the subordinate unit 41 is the input unit, the input of the virtual channels 12e to 12h of the virtual unit 4 in charge of the subordinate unit 41 shown in FIG. The input value of this time is set in the value data. The representative unit 40 acquires the input value data of the virtual channels 12e to 12h of the virtual unit 4 from the subordinate unit 41. The representative unit 40 transmits to the master unit 3 the input value data of the virtual channels 12a to 12d and the input value data of the virtual channels 12e to 12h that the representative unit 40 is in charge of. Further, for example, when the subordinate unit 41 is the output unit, the representative unit 40 transfers the output value data of the virtual channels 12e to 12h, which the subordinate unit 41 is in charge of, received from the master unit 3, to the subordinate unit 41. By performing the control process as described above, even if the subordinate unit 41 malfunctions, it is possible to perform the fail soft operation without stopping the entire virtual unit 4.

As described above, according to the engineering tool 600 according to the first embodiment, a plurality of slave units are virtual with respect to the CPU unit 2 and perform the same operation as one slave unit connected to the CPU unit 2. It can be set as the unit 4. This can simplify the work when replacing one slave unit with a plurality of slave units. Further, even if one slave unit connected to the CPU unit 2 is replaced with the virtual unit 4, the control program introduced into the CPU unit 2 can be continuously used without being changed. Therefore, there is an effect that the number of man-hours required for changing the control program introduced into the CPU unit 2 can be reduced.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the case where the master unit 3, the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 of the virtual unit 4 are in a line type network topology in which they are connected in a straight line has been described. The master unit 3, the representative unit 40 and the subordinate unit 41 of the virtual unit 4 are not limited to the line type, and can be configured with other network topologies. For example, FIG. 16 shows an outline of a system 1A configured with a star type network topology.

As shown in FIG. 16, the master unit 3 is connected to the virtual unit 4A via the communication path 134. The virtual unit 4A includes a representative unit 40, a first subordinate unit 42, and a second subordinate unit 43. Each of the representative unit 40, the first subordinate unit 42, and the second subordinate unit 43 has four channels. Therefore, the virtual unit 4A can function as one slave unit having 12 channels.

The

representative channels

408a, 408b, 408c, 408d of the representative unit 40 are set by the engineering tool 600 so as to be regarded as the

virtual channels

12a, 12b, 12c, 12d of the virtual unit 4. In the representative unit 40, the slave unit address 1 and the first priority of the representative unit to be described later are set.

The first subordinate unit 42 includes four first

subordinate channels

428a, 428b, 428c, 428d. The first

dependent channels

428a, 428b, 428c, 428d are set by the engineering tool 600 so as to be regarded as the

virtual channels

12e, 12f, 12g, 12h of the virtual unit 4A. Further, in the first subordinate unit 42, a slave unit address 2 and a third unit of a representative unit priority order described later are set.

The second subordinate unit 43 also includes four second

subordinate channels

438a, 438b, 438c, 438d. The second

dependent channels

438a, 438b, 438c, 423d are set by the engineering tool 600 so as to be regarded as the virtual channels 12i, 12j, 12k, 12l of the virtual unit 4A. Further, in the second subordinate unit 43, the slave unit address 3 and the second rank of the representative unit priority order described later are set.

By the setting by the engineering tool 600, the virtual unit 4A is recognized by the CPU unit 2 and the master unit 3 as one slave unit having 12 channels. In the following, the virtual channels 12a to 12l of the virtual unit 4A are collectively referred to as the virtual channel 12. Moreover, below, the 2nd

subordinate channels

438a, 438b, 438c, and 438d are generically called the 2nd subordinate channel 438.

An outline of the hardware configuration of system 1A is shown in FIG. 17A. The hardware configurations of the CPU unit 2 and the master unit 3 are the same as those shown in FIG. The hardware configuration of the representative unit 40 of the virtual unit 4A is similar to that of the representative unit 40 of the virtual unit 4 shown in FIG.

The hardware configuration of the first subordinate unit 42 of the virtual unit 4A is shown in FIG. 17B. The first subordinate unit 42 includes a processor 420, a first network interface 421, a second network interface 422, a storage unit 423, a memory 424, a channel selector 425, an AD converter 426, and an internal bus 427. . The hardware configuration of the second subordinate unit 43 is shown in FIG. 17C. The second subordinate unit 43 includes a processor 430, a first network interface 431, a second network interface 432, a storage unit 433, a memory 434, a channel selector 435, an AD converter 426, and an internal bus 437. . The hardware configuration of the first subordinate unit 42 shown in FIG. 17B and the hardware configuration of the second subordinate unit 43 shown in FIG. 17C are similar to the configuration of the subordinate unit 41 shown in FIG. Therefore, detailed description of the hardware configuration of each unit is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 17A, the master unit 3 receives the first representative unit 40, the first dependent unit 42, and the second dependent unit 43 of the virtual unit 4A from the network interface 34 via the communication path 134 and the switching hub 15. It is connected to the network interfaces 401, 421, 431. The switching hub 15 is a hub capable of switching the connection between the master unit 3, the representative unit 40, the first subordinate unit 42, and the second subordinate unit 43.

In the virtual unit 4A, when the representative unit 40 malfunctions, either the first subordinate unit 42 or the second subordinate unit 43 can be set to operate as a new representative unit. FIG. 18 shows the channel allocation information 220 in the virtual unit 4A. A representative unit priority is set in the channel allocation information 220. This representative unit priority is the order in which the actual slave unit having the highest representative unit priority is operated as the representative unit 40. The representative unit priority is set not only for the representative unit 40 but also for the first dependent unit 42 or the second dependent unit 43. For example, in FIG. 18, the slave unit having the slave unit address 1 is set to the highest priority, that is, the first rank. Therefore, the slave unit having the slave unit address 1 shown in FIG. 16 is operated as the representative unit 40. The actual slave unit set as the first subordinate unit 42 is an example of the third slave unit according to the present invention. Alternatively, the actual slave unit set as the second subordinate unit 43 is an example of the fourth slave unit according to the present invention.

When the representative unit 40 malfunctions, the dependent unit with the next highest representative unit priority is operated as a new representative unit. For example, in the slave unit having the slave unit address 3 shown in FIG. 18, the second highest representative unit priority is set. Therefore, when the representative unit 40 malfunctions, the second subordinate unit 43 having the slave unit address 3 shown in FIG. 16 is operated as a new representative unit. As a result, the representative unit 40 is treated as a new subordinate unit. Therefore, the virtual unit 4A can function as one slave unit including the second subordinate unit 43 that is a new representative unit, the first subordinate unit 42, and the representative unit 40 that is a new subordinate unit.

This channel allocation information 220 is set by the user on the setting screen of the engineering tool 600 shown in FIG. 4, like the channel allocation information 200 shown in FIG. The channel allocation information 220 is stored in the storage unit 32 of the master unit 3 shown in FIG. 3 from the engineering tool 600. Then, when the system 1A shown in FIG. 16 is activated, the data is expanded from the storage unit 32 of the master unit 3 shown in FIG.

Next, the representative unit changing process for changing the representative unit will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 19A. This representative unit changing process is performed by the process setting unit 623 of the engineering tool 600 shown in FIG. 19B as a program for causing the virtual unit 4A to operate the representative unit changing process. It is stored in the storage unit 423 and the storage unit 433 of the second subordinate unit 43 shown in FIG. 17C. This program is read into the memory 424 from the storage unit 423 of the first subordinate unit 42 shown in FIG. 17B when the system 1A is activated, and is executed by the processor 420. Similarly, this program is read from the storage unit 433 of the second subordinate unit 43 shown in FIG. 17C to the memory 434 and executed by the processor 430.

Return to FIG. 19A. When the first subordinate unit 42 and the second subordinate unit 43 detect the current malfunction of the representative unit 40 (step S20; YES), the first subordinate unit 42 and the second subordinate unit 43 operate the switching hub 15. The current priority order of the representative unit is acquired (step S21). When the first subordinate unit 42 and the second subordinate unit 43 have not detected the current malfunction of the representative unit 40 (step S20; NO), the first subordinate unit 42 and the second subordinate unit 43 are To continue the operation.

The first subordinate unit 42 and the second subordinate unit 43 compare their own priorities with the priorities of the current representative unit 40. The dependent unit having the next highest priority of the current representative unit 40 becomes the new representative unit. Here, as shown in FIG. 16, the priority of the representative unit 40 is first. The second highest priority is the second, and the second subordinate unit 43 is set. Therefore, the second subordinate unit 43 is selected as a new representative unit (step S22). The second subordinate unit 43 selected as the new representative unit invalidates the current operation of the representative unit 40 (step S23).

The second subordinate unit 43 changes the priority order of itself, the representative unit 40, and the representative units set in the first subordinate unit 42. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, the second subordinate unit 43 changes its priority to the first, the priority of the first subordinate unit 42 to the second, and the representative unit 40 to the third. To do. The second subordinate unit 43 collects the changed priority information of the representative units as priority change information. The second subordinate unit 43 transmits this priority order change information to the master unit 3.

The master unit 3 updates the channel allocation information 220 shown in FIG. 18, which is expanded in the memory 33 shown in FIG. 2, based on the content of the received priority change information (step S24). FIG. 21 shows an example of the updated channel allocation information 220. As a result, the master unit 3 recognizes the second subordinate unit 43 as a new representative unit. After that, the master unit 3 transmits the data received from the CPU unit 2 to the second subordinate unit 43.

Also, since the representative unit 40, which has become a new dependent unit, is malfunctioning, the second dependent unit 43 cannot acquire the input value data from the representative unit 40. Therefore, the second subordinate unit 43 transmits a predetermined default value, 0, an arbitrary value, etc. to the master unit 3 as the input value data from the representative unit 40.

As described above, according to the engineering tool 600 of the second embodiment, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, when the representative unit 40 malfunctions, the dependent unit is operated as a new representative unit. Can be set as follows. As a result, the virtual unit 4A can be configured with the subordinate unit as a new representative unit and the representative unit 40 as a new subordinate unit. Therefore, even if the representative unit 40 malfunctions, the virtual unit 4A can be operated. Further, the number of virtual channels 12 of the virtual unit 4A is not changed. Therefore, the control program installed in the CPU unit 2 can be continuously used without any change. Thereby, there is an effect that the number of steps for changing the control program introduced into the CPU unit 2 can be reduced.

(Modification 1)
In the first and second embodiments described above, the engineering tool 600 and the placement setting tool 710 are installed in the PC 6 shown in FIG. Not limited to this, the engineering tool 600 and the placement setting tool 710 may be installed in different PCs 6. Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the engineering tool 600 and the placement setting tool 710 are installed in the PC 6. The invention is not limited to this, and any computer, computer system, or device that can operate the engineering tool 600 and the placement setting tool 710 may be used.

(Modification 2)
In the first and second embodiments described above, the operation parameters 211 and 212 for setting the operation on the virtual channel 12 of the virtual unit 4 are created by the operation parameter creation unit 621 of the engineering tool 600 shown in FIG. Let Further, the communication parameters 213 and 214 are created by the communication parameter creating unit 622 shown in FIG. The functions of the operation parameter creation unit 621 and the communication parameter creation unit 622 are not limited to this, and may be one operation setting parameter creation unit.

(Modification 3)
In the above-described first embodiment, the virtual unit 4 is provided with one subordinate unit 41. Not limited to this, the virtual unit 4 may be provided with a plurality of subordinate units 41. In this case, the first network interface 411 of each subordinate unit 41 is connected to the second network interface 402 of the representative unit 40 via the communication path. As a result, each subordinate unit 41 can be controlled by pass-through from the representative unit 40.

In the present invention, each processing executed by the engineering tool 600, the placement setting tool 710, and the CPU unit 2 is a program, and for example, a computer-readable CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD-ROM ( It may be stored in a recording medium such as Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory) so that it can be distributed. By installing this program in a computer, a computer that can implement each of the above processes may be configured. Then, in the case where each process is realized by the sharing of the OS (Operating System) and the application or the cooperation of the OS and the application, only the application may be stored in the recording medium.

The present invention allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, the above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is shown not by the embodiments but by the scope of the claims. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be suitably used for a PLC unit. In particular, the application to the case where the slave unit is replaced is suitable.

1 system, 2 CPU unit, 3 master unit, 4 virtual unit, 5 production line device, 6 PC, 12 virtual channels, 20, 30, 400, 410, 610 processor, 21, 31 external bus interface, 22 PC interface, 23 , 32, 62, 423, 433 storage unit, 24, 33, 424, 434, 611 memory, 34 network interface, 40 representative unit, 41 dependent unit, 42 first dependent unit, 43 second dependent unit, 401, 411st One network interface, 402, 412 second network interface, 405, 415 channel selector, 406, 416 AD converter, 408 representative unit channel, 418 subordinate unit DOO channel 428 first subordinate unit channel, 438 second subordinate unit channels 600 engineering tool, 710 disposed configuration tool.

Claims

A first slave unit having a channel for connecting a control target device is set as a representative unit that transmits and receives data for controlling the control target device to and from an external unit, and a channel for connecting the control target device is set. A representative unit setting unit that sets the second slave unit that is provided as a subordinate unit that transmits and receives data for controlling the controlled device via the representative unit to and from an external unit;
A channel allocating unit that allocates the series of channels to the representative unit channel and the subordinate unit channel based on predetermined channel allocation information of the series of channels;
The reception data received by the representative unit from the external unit is set in the data reception information for distributing the data to itself and the subordinate unit, or the representative unit transmits the transmission data from the subordinate unit to itself and the transmission data of itself. A transmission / reception setting unit that sets data transmission information for transmitting the transmission data together with the external unit,
A virtual unit setting unit that sets the representative unit and the subordinate unit as a virtual unit that can be replaced with another slave unit having the same number of channels as the number of the series of channels,
An engineering tool equipped with.
The channel allocation information, the output unit holding data in which the type of data held in the virtual unit is set, the first slave unit holding data in the first slave unit set as the representative unit, and the subordinate unit are set. And a data transmission / reception information creation unit that creates the data reception information and the data transmission information based on the second slave unit holding data held by the second slave unit.
The engineering tool according to claim 1.
The first slave unit set as the representative unit and the second slave unit set as the subordinate unit are made to execute based on the operation setting information for setting the operation to be executed in each channel of the virtual unit. An operation setting parameter creating unit that creates an operation parameter for setting an operation is further provided.
The engineering tool according to claim 1.
A first communication parameter in which a transmission data size and a reception data size required for communication between the representative unit and the external unit are set, and a transmission required for communication between the representative unit and the slave unit. A communication parameter creating unit for creating a second communication parameter in which the credit data size and the reception data size are set,
The engineering tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
When the representative unit detects a malfunction of the second slave unit set as the subordinate unit, the representative unit stops controlling the channel of the second slave unit set as the subordinate unit. Further comprising a processing setting unit for setting,
The engineering tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A first slave unit that transmits and receives data for controlling the controlled device to and from an external unit via a third slave unit and a fourth slave unit having channels for connecting the controlled device, and Set as a second dependent unit,
And a processing setting unit configured to set the first slave unit or the second slave unit to operate as a new representative unit when the first slave unit set as the representative unit malfunctions.
The engineering tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
An engineering tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A placement setting unit that can set a placement of a production line device including the controlled device, and a placement setting tool that includes an input / output assigning unit that assigns channels of the virtual unit to the production line device,
A computer system including.
A representative unit having a channel for connecting a controlled device,
A subordinate unit that is provided with a channel for connecting the control target device and is connected to the representative unit;
An external unit that transmits and receives data for controlling the controlled device to and from the representative unit,
Including,
The representative unit distributes the received data received from the external unit to itself and the dependent unit, or sends both the transmitted data transmitted from the dependent unit to itself and the own transmitted data to the external unit. Is set to send,
system.
A first slave unit having a channel for connecting a control target device is set as a representative unit that transmits and receives data for controlling the control target device to and from an external unit, and a channel for connecting the control target device is set. The second slave unit provided is set as a subordinate unit that transmits and receives data for controlling the controlled device via the representative unit to and from an external unit,
Assigning the series of channels to a channel of the representative unit and a channel of the subordinate unit based on channel assignment information that defines a series of channels in advance,
The reception data received by the representative unit from the external unit is set in the data reception information for distributing the data to itself and the subordinate unit, or the representative unit transmits the transmission data from the subordinate unit to itself and the transmission data of itself. With the transmission data, set the data transmission information for transmitting to the external unit,
The representative unit and the subordinate unit are set as virtual units that can be replaced with other slave units having the same number of channels as the number of the series of channels,
Method.
Computer,
A first slave unit having a channel for connecting a control target device is set as a representative unit that transmits and receives data for controlling the control target device to and from an external unit, and a channel for connecting the control target device is set. Representative unit setting means for setting the second slave unit provided as a subordinate unit that transmits and receives data for controlling the controlled device via the representative unit to and from an external unit,
Channel allocating means for allocating the series of channels to the channel of the representative unit and the channel of the subordinate unit based on channel allocation information that defines a series of channels in advance;
The reception data received by the representative unit from the external unit is set in the data reception information for distributing the data to itself and the subordinate unit, or the representative unit transmits the transmission data transmitted from the subordinate unit to itself and the subordinate unit. Transmission / reception setting means for setting data transmission information for transmitting to the external unit together with transmission data,
Virtual unit setting means for setting the representative unit and the subordinate unit as a virtual unit that can be replaced with another slave unit having the same number of channels as the series of channels,
Program to function as.