WO2022162958A1

WO2022162958A1 - Control device, program execution method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2022162958A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/009576
Authority: WO
Inventors: 征彦仲野; 哲司若年; 誠啓里村; 秀平宮口; 知行島村; 沙矢香里中
Original assignee: オムロン株式会社
Priority date: 2021-01-27
Filing date: 2021-03-10
Publication date: 2022-08-04
Also published as: JP2022114752A

Abstract

A control device for controlling a control target and including: a first program execution unit that executes a first user program that includes a sequence command; and a second program execution unit that executions a second user program for controlling a robot. The control device is configured so as to repeatedly execute, in order and for each predetermined control cycle, the first user program, processing by a motion processing unit, and the second user program. The control device is also configured such that, in the same control cycle, a value calculated as a result of the processing by the motion processing unit can be referenced during subsequent executions of the second user program.

Description

Controller, program execution method and program

The present invention relates to a control device, program execution method and program.

FA (Factory Automation) technology using control devices such as PLCs (Programmable Controllers) is widely used in various production sites. With recent advances in ICT (Information and Communication Technology), controllers are now capable of controlling not only conventional sequence control and motion control, but also robots and machine tools.

For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2019-036043 (Patent Document 1) discloses a configuration in which a single control device realizes control calculations according to a plurality of types of programs with different execution formats.

JP 2019-036043 A

For example, assuming an application in which a robot picks up a work flowing on a belt conveyor and places it in a predetermined position, the robot must move according to the speed of the belt conveyor.

One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a technology that enables more precise control in which motion processing and robot control are linked.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a control device for controlling a controlled object is provided. The controller includes a first program execution unit executing a first user program including sequence instructions, a motion processing unit, and a second program execution unit executing a second user program for controlling the robot. The order of execution of the first user program, execution of the processing of the motion processing unit, and execution of the second user program is configured to be repeated every predetermined control cycle. In the same control cycle, the value calculated by executing the processing of the motion processing section can be referred to in subsequent execution of the second user program.

According to this configuration, the value calculated by executing the processing of the motion processing unit can be referred to in subsequent execution of the application program within the same control cycle. When controlling the controlled object according to the second user program, it is possible to reduce time shifts and fluctuations in data update. This makes it possible to achieve more precise control.

Execution of processing by the motion processing unit may include processing for holding a value to be referenced in execution of the second user program according to a predetermined setting. According to this configuration, it is possible to directly pass the value referred to during execution to the second user program.

Execution of the second user program may include processing that refers to the value held in the previously executed processing of the motion processing unit. According to this configuration, necessary values can be referred to during execution of the second user program.

Execution of processing by the motion processing unit may include processing for storing, in a shared area, a value to be referenced in execution of the second user program according to a predetermined setting. According to this configuration, it is possible to pass a value referred to during execution to the second user program via the shared area.

Execution of the second user program may include a process of referring to the value stored in the shared area in the previously executed process of the motion processing unit. According to this configuration, necessary values can be referred to from the shared area during execution of the second user program.

The predetermined settings may include information that associates variables defined for the processing of the motion processing unit with variables defined in the second user program. According to this configuration, among the values referred to in the processing of the motion processing section, the values necessary for the second user program can be set in advance.

The processing of the motion processing unit may include processing of calculating command values for the target device. According to this configuration, the second user program can refer to the command value calculated by executing the processing of the motion processing section.

Before the execution of the first user program, the process of acquiring the current value from the target device may be executed. According to this configuration, necessary information can be acquired in the current control cycle before execution of the process.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a program execution method in a control device for controlling a controlled object is provided. The program execution method includes steps of executing a first user program including sequence instructions, executing motion processing following execution of the first user program, and executing motion processing, at each predetermined control cycle. followed by repeating the step of executing the second user program. The step of executing the second user program includes the step of referring to the values calculated by executing the motion processing within the same control cycle.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a program directed to a control device for controlling a controlled object is provided. The program causes the control device to execute a first user program including a sequence command at each predetermined control cycle; execute motion processing following execution of the first user program; is followed by the step of executing the second user program and repeating the step of executing the second user program. The step of executing the second user program includes the step of referring to the values calculated by executing the motion processing within the same control cycle.

　According to the present invention, it is possible to perform control with higher precision by linking motion processing and robot control.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration example of a control system according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of application of the control apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of a control device that configures the control system according to the present embodiment; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of a robot controller that configures the control system according to the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of a servo driver that configures the control system according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of a support device that configures the control system according to the present embodiment; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a program execution environment in the control device according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a program execution cycle in the control device according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method of reflecting a processing result of a motion processing section in execution of an application program execution section in the control device according to the present embodiment; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a method for reflecting the processing result of the motion processing unit 132 in the execution of the application program execution unit in the control device according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a user interface screen provided by the support device according to the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a user interface screen provided by the support device according to the embodiment; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing still another example of a user interface screen provided by the support device according to the embodiment; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an application program 160 executed by a control device according to the embodiment;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

<A. Application example>
First, a system configuration example of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration example of a control system 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example in which a robot 200 picks up a workpiece 2 flowing on a conveyor 30 and places it at a predetermined position. The robot 200 picks up the work 2 while moving at substantially the same speed as the conveyor 30 . Therefore, the target behavior of the robot 200 is calculated according to the moving speed of the conveyor 30 .

Referring to FIG. 1, the control system 1 includes a control device 100 for controlling controlled objects, a robot controller 250, a servo driver 350, and a remote IO device 500. These devices are connected via a field network 10 so as to be able to exchange data.

The control device 100 periodically exchanges data with devices connected to the field network 10 and executes processing as described later. The control device 100 may typically be realized by a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

The robot controller 250 is in charge of controlling the robot 200. More specifically, robot controller 250 functions as an interface with robot 200 , outputs command values for driving robot 200 in accordance with commands from control device 100 , and provides state information of robot 200 . It acquires and outputs to the control device 100 .

For the robot 200, any robot such as a vertical articulated robot, a horizontal articulated (scalar) robot, a parallel link robot, or an orthogonal robot can be adopted.

The servo driver 350 is in charge of controlling the servo motor 300 that drives the conveyor 30 and receives encoder pulses from the encoder 310 mechanically connected to the conveyor 30 . More specifically, servo driver 350 drives servo motor 300 according to a command from control device 100 , counts encoder pulses from encoder 310 , and outputs them to control device 100 . Servo driver 350 counts the number of pulses received from encoder 310 . The moving speed of the conveyor 30 can be calculated from the change in the count number of the servo driver 350 (the number of increments/decrements per unit time).

For the field network 10, protocols for industrial networks such as EtherCAT (registered trademark) and EtherNet/IP can be used. When EtherCAT is adopted as the protocol, data can be updated between the control device 100 and devices connected to the field network 10 at regular intervals of several hundred microseconds to several milliseconds, for example.

The control system 1 further includes an image processing device 450 connected to a camera 400 that includes the conveyor 30 in its field of view, a display device 700, and a server device 800. These devices are connected to control device 100 via host network 20 so as to be able to exchange data. For the upper network 20, a protocol for industrial networks such as EtherNet/IP can be used.

The image processing device 450 recognizes the position of the workpiece 2 included in the image captured by the camera 400, and outputs the recognition result to the control device 100 or the like. The camera 400 takes an image when receiving an imaging trigger from the remote IO device 500 .

The control device 100 may be connected to a support device 600 for installing user programs (the IEC program 150 and the application program 160, which will be described later) executed by the control device 100 and performing various settings.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an application example of the control device 100 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, in control device 100, IEC program execution unit 130, motion processing unit 132, and application program execution unit 134 execute processing in this order. However, prior to the processing of the IEC program execution unit 130, the motion processing unit 132 and the application program execution unit 134 include processing of acquiring input data to be used in the current control cycle T1.

More specifically, the motion processing unit 132 acquires a feedback value (current value) as input processing (IN). Although not shown, the application program execution unit 134 also acquires necessary input data as input processing (IN).

Following the execution of the IEC program execution unit 130, the motion processing unit 132, for example, executes motion commands and the like to calculate necessary command values.

In control device 100 according to the present embodiment, since application program execution unit 134 executes processing after execution of processing by motion processing unit 132, the feedback value acquired by motion processing unit 132 and the motion processing unit 132 can be referred to when the application program execution unit 134 executes the processing.

By referring to the values obtained or calculated by executing the motion processing unit 132, the application program 160 can achieve more accurate control.

<B. Hardware configuration example>
Next, an example of hardware configuration of main devices constituting the control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

(b1: control device 100)
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the control device 100 that configures the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, control device 100 includes processor 102, main memory 104, storage 110, memory card interface 112, host network controller 106, field network controller 108, local bus controller 116, USB and a USB controller 120 that provides a (Universal Serial Bus) interface. These components are connected via processor bus 118 .

The processor 102 corresponds to an arithmetic processing unit that executes control arithmetic, and is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and the like. Specifically, the processor 102 reads a program stored in the storage 110, develops it in the main memory 104, and executes it, thereby implementing control calculations for the controlled object.

The main memory 104 is composed of volatile storage devices such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). The storage 110 is configured by, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as SSD (Solid State Drive) or HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

The storage 110 stores a system program 111 for realizing basic functions, an IEC program 150 and an application program 160 created according to the object to be controlled.

The IEC program 150 corresponds to a first user program, and includes instructions for realizing main control other than control of the robot 200 in the control system 1 . An IEC program 150 may typically include sequence instructions and motion instructions. The IEC program 150 may be written in any language defined by IEC61131-3 defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). However, the IEC program 150 may include a program written in a manufacturer's own language other than the language defined by IEC61131-3.

The application program 160 corresponds to a second user program and includes instructions for controlling the robot 200. The application program 160 may include instructions written in a predetermined programming language (for example, programming language for robot control such as V+ language or programming language for NC control such as G code).

The memory card interface 112 accepts a memory card 114, which is an example of a removable storage medium. The memory card interface 112 is capable of reading/writing arbitrary data from/to the memory card 114 .

The host network controller 106 exchanges data with arbitrary information processing devices (such as the display device 700 and the server device 800 shown in FIG. 1) via the host network 20 .

The field network controller 108 exchanges data with each device via the field network 10. In the system configuration example shown in FIG. 1 , the field network controller 108 may function as a communication master of the field network 10 .

The local bus controller 116 exchanges data with any functional unit 124 included in the control device 100 via the local bus 122 . The functional units 124 may include, for example, analog I/O units for inputting and/or outputting analog signals, digital I/O units for inputting and/or outputting digital signals, and the like.

The USB controller 120 exchanges data with any information processing device (such as the support device 600) via a USB connection.

(b2: robot controller 250)
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the robot controller 250 that configures the control system 1 according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4, robot controller 250 includes field network controller 252 and control processing circuit 260 .

The field network controller 252 mainly exchanges data with the control device 100 via the field network 10 . That is, field network controller 252 corresponds to an interface for connecting control device 100 via field network 10 .

The control processing circuit 260 executes arithmetic processing required to drive the robot 200 . As an example, control processing circuitry 260 includes processor 262 , main memory 264 , storage 266 and interface circuitry 270 .

A processor 262 executes control operations for driving the robot 200 . The main memory 264 is composed of, for example, a volatile memory device such as DRAM or SRAM. The storage 266 is configured by, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as SSD or HDD.

A system program 268 for realizing control for driving the robot 200 is stored in the storage 266 . The system program 268 includes instructions for executing control operations related to the operation of the robot 200 and instructions related to interfacing with the robot 200 .

Interface circuit 270 exchanges data with robot 200 .
(b3: servo driver 350)
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the servo driver 350 that configures the control system 1 according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, servo driver 350 includes field network controller 352 , control processing circuit 360 , drive circuit 370 and counter circuit 372 .

The field network controller 352 mainly exchanges data with the control device 100 via the field network 10 .

The control processing circuit 360 executes arithmetic processing necessary for controlling the servo motor 300 . As an example, control processing circuitry 360 includes processor 362 , main memory 364 , and storage 366 .

The processor 362 executes control calculations related to the servomotor 300 . The main memory 364 is composed of, for example, a volatile memory device such as DRAM or SRAM. The storage 366 is configured by, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as SSD or HDD.

The storage 366 stores a system program 368 for realizing drive control of the servo motor 300 . The system program 368 includes instructions for executing control calculations related to the operation of the servomotor 300 and instructions related to interfacing with the servomotor 300 .

The drive circuit 370 includes a converter circuit, an inverter circuit, and the like, and according to commands calculated by the control processing circuit 360, generates power of specified voltage, current, and phase, and supplies it to the servo motor 300.

The counter circuit 372 includes an A/D circuit that receives pulses from the encoder 310, a register, and the like.

(b4: image processing device 450)
The image processing device 450 that configures the control system 1 according to the present embodiment may be realized using a general-purpose personal computer as an example. A basic hardware configuration example of the image processing device 450 is well known, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted here.

(b5: remote IO device 500)
Remote IO device 500 constituting control system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a field network controller and a control processing circuit, similarly to servo driver 350 shown in FIG. /or includes a unit that outputs a signal to a controlled object. The remote IO device 500 may be equipped with, for example, an analog I/O unit for inputting and/or outputting analog signals, a digital I/O unit for inputting and/or outputting digital signals, and the like.

(b6: support device 600)
The support device 600 that configures the control system 1 according to the present embodiment may be realized using a general-purpose personal computer as an example.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the support device 600 that configures the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. 6, support device 600 includes processor 602 such as a CPU or MPU, main memory 604, input unit 606, display unit 608, storage 610, network controller 616, USB controller 618, and an optical drive 620 . These components are connected via bus 624 .

The processor 602 reads out various programs stored in the storage 610 , develops them in the main memory 604 and executes them, thereby developing user programs (IEC programs 150 and application programs 160 ) executed by the control device 100 . Provide processing.

The storage 610 is composed of, for example, non-volatile storage devices such as SSDs and HDDs. The storage 610 typically includes an OS 612, a development program 614 for creating a user program to be executed in the control device 100, debugging the created user program, defining the system configuration, setting various parameters, and the like. is stored. The storage 610 may store necessary programs other than the programs shown in FIG.

The input unit 606 is composed of a keyboard, mouse, etc., and receives user operations. A display unit 608 includes a display, various indicators, a printer, and the like, and outputs processing results from the processor 602 and the like.

A network controller 616 controls the exchange of data with other devices via any network. A USB controller 618 controls data exchange with the control device 100 via a USB connection.

The support device 600 has an optical drive 620, and from a recording medium 622 (for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)) that stores a computer-readable program non-transitory. The stored program is read and installed in the storage 610 or the like.

Various programs executed by the support device 600 may be installed via a computer-readable recording medium 622, or may be installed by downloading from a server device on the network. Also, the functions provided by the support device 600 according to this embodiment may be realized by using some of the modules provided by the OS 612 .

(b7: display device 700)
Display device 700 configuring control system 1 according to the present embodiment may be realized using a general-purpose personal computer as an example. Since the basic hardware configuration example of the display device 700 is well known, detailed description thereof will not be given here.

(b8: server device 800)
Server device 800 that configures control system 1 according to the present embodiment may be implemented using a general-purpose personal computer as an example. Since the basic hardware configuration example of the server device 800 is well known, detailed description thereof will not be given here.

(b9: other forms)
3 to 6 show configuration examples in which one or more processors execute programs to provide necessary functions. It may be implemented using a hardware circuit (for example, ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array)).

<C. Execution of IEC Program and Application Program>
Next, execution of IEC program 150 and application program 160 in control device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the program execution environment in control device 100 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7 , control device 100 includes an IEC program executing portion 130 , an application program executing portion 134 and a data managing portion 142 .

The IEC program execution unit 130 corresponds to a first program execution unit that periodically executes an IEC program 150 (first user program) including sequence instructions. The IEC program execution unit 130 has a motion processing unit 132 and executes motion commands and the like included in the IEC program 150 according to motion settings 152 .

The application program execution unit 134 corresponds to a second program execution unit that executes an application program 160 (second user program) for controlling the robot 200 . Application program execution unit 134 executes application program 160 according to reference variable setting 162 . Application program execution unit 134 includes interpreter 136 , cache 138 , and command transmission unit 140 .

The interpreter 136 sequentially interprets the application program 160 to generate intermediate code. The generated intermediate code is queued (enqueued) in the cache 138 . The command transmission unit 140 refers to the intermediate code queued in the cache 138 each time and transmits a command to the target robot 200 .

The data management unit 142 holds data necessary for program execution. The data held by the data management unit 142 is refreshed (updated) at predetermined intervals. The data management unit 142 includes an IO data area 144 for holding input/output data, an internal data area 146 and a shared area 148 for holding working data used inside the control device 100 . Shared area 148 stores data that can be commonly referred to by IEC program execution unit 130 and application program execution unit 134 . The data management unit 142 may manage data in the form of variables.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a program execution cycle in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, control device 100 performs input/output refresh processing 170, motion input processing 171, application input processing 172, IEC program execution processing 173, motion execution processing 174, and application execution processing 175 in the order of control period T1. Cyclic execution every time.

The input/output refresh process 170 includes a process of outputting the output data (command value) calculated in the previous control cycle T1 and a process of acquiring the input data used in the current control cycle.

The motion input processing 171 includes processing for acquiring data necessary for processing in the motion processing unit 132. In this way, before the IEC program 150 is executed, the process of acquiring the current value from the target device (target axis) is executed.

The application input processing 172 includes processing for acquiring data necessary for processing in the application program execution unit 134.

The IEC program execution processing 173 corresponds to the execution processing of the IEC program 150, and includes processing of calculating output data and new internal data from input data and internal data according to the IEC program 150.

The motion execution processing 174 corresponds to execution of processing by the motion processing unit 132, and includes, for example, execution processing of motion commands included in the IEC program 150. It includes processing for outputting the processing result from the motion processing unit 132 . Typically, motion execution processing 174 includes processing to calculate command values for target devices (target axes).

The application execution processing 175 corresponds to the execution processing of the application program 160, and performs command execution by the application program execution unit 134 and processing for outputting the processing result from the application program execution unit 134 (processing for transmitting a command to the robot 200). include.

As described above, in the control device 100, the execution of the IEC program 150 (first user program), the execution of the processing of the motion processing unit 132, and the execution of the application program 160 are repeated every predetermined control period T1 in this order. be

Since the control device 100 repeatedly executes the execution of the IEC program 150, the execution of the processing of the motion processing unit 132, and the execution of the application program 160 every control cycle T1, the processing result of the motion processing unit 132 is obtained within the same control cycle T1. can be reflected in the application program 160 . As a result, the control device 100 can refer to the values calculated by executing the processing of the motion processing section 132 within the same control period T1 in subsequent execution of the application program 160 .

<D. Referencing Information Managed by Motion Processing Unit in Application Execution Unit>
As described above, control device 100 according to the present embodiment can reflect the processing result of motion processing unit 132 in execution by application program execution unit 134 . As an example, an example of adjusting the moving speed of the robot 200 according to the moving speed of the conveyor 30 (the number of pulses per unit time from the encoder 310) will be described below. Note that the moving speed of the conveyor 30 is calculated by executing the processing of the motion processing unit 132 .

(d1: data exchange method)
First, a method for exchanging data between the motion processing unit 132 and the application program execution unit 134 will be described. In this method, the application program execution unit 134 refers to data (feedback values and command values) held by the motion processing unit 132 .

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method for reflecting the processing result of the motion processing unit 132 in the execution of the application program execution unit 134 in the control device 100 according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 shows processing and data exchange in the control cycle T1. A series of processes shown in FIG. 9 are realized under the execution environment of the user program realized by the processor 102 executing the system program 111 . In other words, the system program 111 provides a basic environment for realizing processing in the control device 100, which will be described later. The same applies to the series of processes shown in FIG.

9, the input/output data held in the IO data area 144 of the data management unit 142 is updated by the input/output refresh process 170 (see FIG. 8) (sequence SQ10).

In the motion input processing 171 (see FIG. 8), the motion processing unit 132 acquires input data for calculating feedback values (sequence SQ12). The input data may include state values of a device (target axis) targeted for motion processing. The motion processing unit 132 then calculates a feedback value from the acquired input data and updates it with the calculated feedback value (sequence SQ14). Typically, the feedback value is the actual value of the moving speed of conveyor 30 . Note that the data to be updated includes values that have been requested to be acquired and held in advance by application program execution unit 134 (see sequence SQ16 described later).

Subsequently, in the application input processing 172 (see FIG. 8), the application program execution unit 134 causes the motion processing unit 134 to use necessary data related to motion processing in subsequent application execution processing 175 (see FIG. 8). is requested to acquire and hold data (sequence SQ16). This request will be executed in the next control cycle. The data of interest is defined in reference variable settings 162 (see FIG. 7).

Therefore, the motion input processing 171 includes processing for holding values to be referenced during execution of the application program 160 according to the predetermined reference variable setting 162 (sequences SQ14 and SQ16).

Subsequently, in IEC program execution processing 173 (see FIG. 8), IEC program execution unit 130 acquires input data and internal data (sequence SQ18), executes IEC program 150 (sequence SQ20), and outputs the execution result. , are stored in the data management unit 142 as output data and internal data (sequence SQ22).

Subsequently, in the motion execution processing 174 (see FIG. 8), the motion processing unit 132 acquires input data (sequence SQ24), executes target motion processing (sequence SQ26), and executes the execution result (command value). It is updated (sequence SQ28) and stored as output data in the IO data area 144 of the data management unit 142 (sequence SQ30). Note that the data to be updated includes values that have been requested to be acquired and held in advance by application program execution unit 134 (see sequence SQ16).

Therefore, the motion execution processing 174 includes processing for holding values to be referenced during execution of the application program 160 according to the predetermined reference variable setting 162 (sequences SQ16 and SQ28).

Subsequently, in the application execution process 175 (see FIG. 8), the application program execution unit 134 acquires input data (sequence SQ32) and executes the application program 160 (sequence SQ34). When the application program execution unit 134 needs to refer to the data held by the motion processing unit 132 in the process of executing the application program 160, the application program execution unit 134 attempts to acquire data from the motion processing unit 132 (sequence SQ36). 132 is acquired (sequence SQ38). Thus, execution of application program 160 includes processing that references values retained in previously executed motion processing executions. That is, the process of executing the application program 160 includes the process of referring to the values calculated by executing the motion process within the same control cycle.

It should be noted that data that can be referred to by the motion processing unit 132 is requested to be acquired and held in advance in the sequence SQ16 described above. The data held by the motion processing unit 132 may include the feedback value acquired in the current control cycle and the command value calculated by the motion processing unit 132 in the current control cycle.

Then, the application program execution unit 134 stores the execution result of the application program 160 in the IO data area 144 of the data management unit 142 as output data (sequence SQ40). Further, when execution of the application program 160 requires transmission of a command, the application program execution unit 134 transmits the command to the target robot 200 (sequence SQ42). The output data can also include an imaging trigger that instructs the timing at which the image processing device 450 takes an image with the camera 400 . Also, the command generated by executing the application program 160 can reflect the feedback value and command value held by the motion processing unit 132 .

By the processing procedure as described above, the application program execution unit 134 can use the data acquired and generated by the motion processing unit 132 in the same control cycle to perform necessary processing and generate commands. That is, within the same control cycle T1, the values calculated by executing the processing of the motion processing unit 132 can be referred to in subsequent execution of the application program 160. FIG.

(d2: shared data reference method)
Next, a method of referring to shared data between the motion processing unit 132 and the application program execution unit 134 will be described. In this method, motion processing unit 132 and application program execution unit 134 each refer to data stored in shared area 148 .

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a method for reflecting the processing result of the motion processing unit 132 in the execution of the application program execution unit 134 in the control device 100 according to this embodiment.

10, the input/output data held in the IO data area 144 of the data management unit 142 is updated by the input/output refresh process 170 (see FIG. 8) (sequence SQ10).

In the motion input processing 171 (see FIG. 8), the motion processing unit 132 acquires input data for calculating a feedback value (sequence SQ12), calculates the feedback value from the acquired input data, and obtains the calculated feedback value. (sequence SQ14). Motion processing unit 132 then stores the calculated feedback value in shared area 148 of data management unit 142 (sequence SQ48).

In this way, the execution of the process of the motion processing unit 132 includes the process of storing in the shared area 148 the values to be referenced in the execution of the application program 160 according to the predetermined reference variable settings 162 . The values stored in the shared area 148 can be referenced when the application program 160 is executed.

In the processing procedure shown in FIG. 10, no substantial processing is performed in the application input processing 172 (see FIG. 8).

Subsequently, in motion execution processing 174 (see FIG. 8), motion processing unit 132 acquires input data (sequence SQ24), executes target motion processing (sequence SQ26), and outputs the execution result (command value) to Store (sequence SQ28) and store as output data in IO data area 144 and shared area 148 of data management unit 142 (sequence SQ50).

Subsequently, in the application execution process 175 (see FIG. 8), the application program execution unit 134 acquires input data (sequence SQ32) and executes the application program 160 (sequence SQ34). When the application program execution unit 134 needs to refer to the data held by the motion processing unit 132 during the execution process of the application program 160, the application program execution unit 134 acquires the data stored in the shared area 148 of the data management unit 142 (sequence SQ52). ). Thus, execution of application program 160 includes processing that refers to values stored in shared area 148 in execution of previously executed processing of motion processor 132 . That is, the process of executing the application program 160 includes the process of referring to the values calculated by executing the motion process within the same control cycle.

Then, the application program execution unit 134 stores the execution result of the application program 160 in the IO data area 144 of the data management unit 142 as output data (sequence SQ40). Further, when execution of the application program 160 requires transmission of a command, the application program execution unit 134 transmits the command to the target robot 200 (sequence SQ42).

<E. Setting example and application program example>
Next, a setting example for the control device 100 of the control system 1 according to the present embodiment and an example of the application program 160 executed by the control device 100 will be described.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a user interface screen provided by support device 600 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a user interface screen 650 for generating motion settings 152 (see FIG. 7) for motion processing.

The user interface screen 650 accepts the selection of the target axis (in this embodiment, the servomotor 300 driven by the servo driver 350) and accepts the setting of parameters related to the target axis. FIG. 11 shows an example of setting an axis labeled "MC_Axis000(0)".

More specifically, the user interface screen 650 includes a setting reception unit 652 that receives setting values related to speed, acceleration, and torque related to driving the target axis (servo motor 300), and a setting related to the servo motor 300 connected to the servo driver 350. and a setting reception unit 654 that receives setting values. Setting values (parameters) set via the user interface screen 650 are stored as motion settings 152 .

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the user interface screen provided by the support device 600 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a user interface screen 660 for generating reference variable settings 162 (see FIG. 7) that define variables that can be referenced when the application program 160 is executed.

The user interface screen 660 accepts selection of a target axis (in this embodiment, the servomotor 300 driven by the servo driver 350) and accepts parameter settings related to the target axis.

More specifically, the user interface screen 660 shows "Using_EndenderID" as an object identification display field 663 for identifying an object axis or variable on the application program 160 side. The user sets information for identifying the target axis in association with the desired "Using_EnderID" (axis setting column 664). In the example shown in FIG. 12 , “MC_Axis000(0)” is associated with the first entry 661 whose “Using_EnderID” is “101”, and “MC_Axis000(0)” is associated with the second entry 662 whose “Using_EnderID” is “102”. )” is associated.

It should be noted that the user interface screen 660 allows setting of which value to use among a plurality of values associated with the target axis. That is, the user interface screen 660 has a data type selection field 665 . When selecting the current value of the target axis, that is, the feedback value, "Actual Position" is selected. Also, when selecting the command value for the target axis, "Command Position" is selected. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the first entry 661 is assigned the current value (fieldback value) of "MC_Axis000(0)", and the second entry 662 is assigned the command value of "MC_Axis000(0)". is assigned.

In this way, the reference variable setting 162 includes information that associates variables defined for motion processing with variables defined in the application program 160 .

Furthermore, the user interface screen 660 has an update condition setting field 666 for setting conditions for updating the value of each entry.

In the update condition setting column 666, it is possible to set the number of the latch signal set by the procedure described later. If no number is set in the update condition setting field 666, the value will be updated every control cycle.

On the other hand, if no number is set in the update condition setting column 666, the corresponding value will be updated when the signal of the set number changes (FALSE to TRUE or TRUE to FALSE). If the number set in the update condition setting field 666 is positive, the rising edge of the signal (from FALSE to TRUE) is the condition for updating the value, and if the number set in the updating condition setting field 666 is negative, the rising edge of the signal. (TRUE to FALSE) is the condition for updating the value.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing still another example of the user interface screen provided by the support device 600 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a user interface screen 670 for defining numbers that can be set in the update condition setting field 666 of the user interface screen 660 shown in FIG.

The user interface screen 670 includes a source device setting field 673 for setting a device for acquiring an input/output signal that becomes a latch signal, and a port setting field 674 for setting the position of target data among the data held by the set device. , and a number setting field 675 for setting the assigned number.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, "4001" is associated with the first entry 671 as the number, and "4002" is associated with the second entry 672 as the number. Note that the latch number set on the user interface screen 670 can also be referred to by the application program 160 .

The contents set on the user interface screens shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 are stored as reference variable settings 162 .

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an application program 160 executed by the control device 100 according to this embodiment. FIG. 14 shows, as an example, a program example in which the robot 200 is caused to move following the conveyor 30 when an imaging trigger is given from the control device 100 to the camera 400 . FIG. 14 shows the code of the robot program written in V+ language as an example. In the V+ language, each instruction is called a "keyword". In the following, a case where "keyword" is used as an example of "instruction" will be described.

Referring to FIG. 14, the application program 160 includes, as an initial setting, a target axis setting code 1601 for specifying the target axis. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the axis whose "Using_EnderID" is "101" is set to the "num" property of the object "belt". The application program 160 includes code 1602 for initializing the latch signal of the target axis as initialization.

A code 1603 of the application program 160 is an instruction for moving the robot 200 to its initial position. A code 1604 of the application program 160 is an instruction for making various settings.

The code 1605 of the application program 160 defines instructions to be executed when predetermined conditions are met. The instruction to be executed consists of a code 1606 for waiting until a signal with a latch number of "4001" is detected (a rising edge or a rising edge occurs), and a current value of the target axis when the signal is detected. It includes code 1607 for acquiring a value and code 1608 for causing the robot 200 to perform a predetermined operation based on the current value of the target axis. That is, in code 1607, the current value of the target axis is set in the variable 1609 of "%belt", and in code 1608, a command such as movement based on the variable 1609 (variable %belt) is sent to the robot 200. .

As described above, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, the information about the motion axis managed by the motion processing unit 132 can be referred without delay when the IEC program 150 is executed, so that the control performance can be further improved. .

<F. Current value correction>
As shown in FIG. 12, the current value is obtained from the target axis when the condition of the latch signal is satisfied. At this time, if there is a time lag between the timing when the condition of the latch signal is met and the timing when the current value is acquired from the target axis, processing is performed to correct the time lag. good too.

Specifically, using the timing (time t1) at which the condition of the latch signal is satisfied and the timing (time t2) at which the current value is acquired from the target axis, the feedback position at time t1 is current value) + movement speed of target axis (feedback speed) x (t1-t2).

Such current value correction processing may be executed by the system program 111 of the control device 100 .

<G. Note>
The present embodiment as described above includes the following technical ideas.

[Configuration 1]
A control device (100) for controlling a controlled object,
a first program execution unit (130) for executing a first user program (150) containing sequence instructions;
a motion processing unit (132);
a second program execution unit (134) that executes a second user program (160) for controlling the robot (200);
Execution of the first user program (173), execution of the process of the motion processing unit (174), and execution of the second user program (175) are repeated in the order of a predetermined control cycle (T1). is configured as
A control device configured to refer to a value calculated by executing the processing of the motion processing unit within the same control cycle in subsequent execution of the second user program.

[Configuration 2]
Execution of processing by the motion processing unit includes processing (SQ14, SQ28) for holding values to be referred to in execution of the second user program according to a predetermined setting (162). Control device as described.

[Configuration 3]
3. The control device according to configuration 2, wherein the execution of the second user program includes processing (SQ36, SQ38) of referring to values held in previously executed processing of the motion processing unit.

[Configuration 4]
Configuration 1, wherein the execution of the processing of the motion processing unit includes processing (SQ48) of storing a value to be referred to in execution of the second user program in a shared area according to a predetermined setting (162) The control device according to .

[Configuration 5]
The control device according to configuration 4, wherein the execution of the second user program includes a process (SQ52) of referring to the value stored in the shared area in the previously executed process of the motion processing unit.

[Configuration 6]
Any one of configurations 2 to 5, wherein the predetermined setting includes information (162; 660) that associates variables defined for processing of the motion processing unit with variables defined in the second user program. 2. The control device according to item 1.

[Configuration 7]
7. The control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the execution of the process by the motion processing unit includes a process of calculating a command value for a target device.

[Configuration 8]
8. The control device according to any one of the configurations 1 to 7, wherein a process (171) of obtaining a current value from a target device is executed before executing the first user program.

[Configuration 9]
A program execution method in a control device (100) for controlling a controlled object,
For each predetermined control cycle (T1),
executing (173) a first user program (150) comprising sequence instructions;
following execution of the first user program, executing (174) motion processing;
repeating (175) the step of executing a second user program (160) following execution of said motion processing;
The program execution method, wherein the step of executing the second user program includes a step of referring to values calculated by executing the motion processing within the same control period.

[Configuration 10]
A program (111) directed to a control device (100) for controlling a controlled object, the control device comprising:
For each predetermined control cycle (T1),
executing (173) a first user program comprising sequence instructions;
following execution of the first user program, executing (174) motion processing;
executing a step (175) of repeating the step of executing a second user program following execution of the motion processing;
A program according to claim 1, wherein the step of executing the second user program includes a step of referring to values calculated by executing the motion processing within the same control cycle.

<H. Advantage>
According to the control device 100 of the present embodiment, the values calculated by executing the motion processing within the same control period T1 can be referred to in subsequent execution of the application program 160. FIG. Therefore, when controlling the robot 200 by referring to the values (command value and feedback value (current value)) related to a specific axis (device) related to motion processing, it is possible to reduce time lag and fluctuations in data update. . As a result, it is possible to realize more precise control by linking motion processing and robot control.

The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

1 control system, 2 work, 10 field network, 20 upper network, 30 conveyor, 50, 60, 70 execution period, 100 control device, 102, 262, 362, 602 processor, 104, 264, 364, 604 main memory, 106 Upper network controller, 108, 252, 352 field network controller, 110, 266, 366, 610 storage, 111, 268, 368 system program, 112 memory card interface, 114 memory card, 116 local bus controller, 118 processor bus, 120, 618 USB controller, 122 local bus, 124 functional unit, 130 IEC program execution unit, 132 motion processing unit, 134 application program execution unit, 136 interpreter, 138 cache, 140 command transmission unit, 142 data management unit, 144 IO data area, 146 internal data area, 148 shared area, 150 IEC program, 152 motion setting, 160 application program, 162 reference variable setting, 170 input/output refresh processing, 171 motion input processing, 172 application input processing, 173 IEC program execution processing, 174 motion Execution process, 175 Application execution process, 200 Robot, 250 Robot controller, 260, 360 Control processing circuit, 270 Interface circuit, 300 Servo motor, 310 Encoder, 350 Servo driver, 370 Drive circuit, 372 Counter circuit, 400 Camera, 450 Image Processing device, 500 remote IO device, 600 support device, 606 input unit, 608 display unit, 612 OS, 614 development program, 616 network controller, 620 optical drive, 622 recording medium, 624 bus, 650, 660, 670 user interface screen , 652, 654 setting reception section, 661, 671 first entry, 662, 672 second entry, 663 target identification display field, 664 axis setting field, 665 data type selection field, 666 update condition setting field, 673 source device setting field , 674 port setting field, 675 number setting field, 700 display device, 800 server device, 1601, 1602, 1 603, 1604, 1605, 1606, 1607, 1608 codes, 1609 variables, T1 control cycle.

Claims

A control device for controlling a controlled object,
a first program execution unit that executes a first user program including sequence instructions;
a motion processing unit;
a second program execution unit that executes a second user program for controlling the robot;
The order of execution of the first user program, execution of the processing of the motion processing unit, and execution of the second user program is configured to be repeated at a predetermined control cycle,
A control device configured to refer to a value calculated by executing the processing of the motion processing unit within the same control cycle in subsequent execution of the second user program.
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the execution of the process by the motion processing unit includes a process of holding a value to be referenced in execution of the second user program according to a predetermined setting.
3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the execution of the second user program includes a process of referring to the value held in the previously executed process of the motion processing unit.
2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the execution of processing by said motion processing unit includes processing for storing, in a shared area, a value to be referenced in execution of said second user program according to a predetermined setting. .
5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the execution of the second user program includes a process of referring to the value stored in the shared area in the previously executed process of the motion processing unit.
6. The predetermined setting according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the predetermined setting includes information associating variables defined for processing of the motion processing unit with variables defined in the second user program. controller.
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the processing of said motion processing unit includes processing of calculating a command value for a target device.
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a process of acquiring a current value from a target device is executed before executing the first user program.
A program execution method in a control device for controlling a controlled object,
For each predetermined control cycle,
executing a first user program comprising sequence instructions;
executing motion processing subsequent to execution of the first user program;
repeating the step of executing a second user program following execution of the motion processing;
The program execution method, wherein the step of executing the second user program includes a step of referring to values calculated by executing the motion processing within the same control period.
A program directed to a control device for controlling a controlled object, the control device comprising:
For each predetermined control cycle,
executing a first user program comprising sequence instructions;
executing motion processing subsequent to execution of the first user program;
executing a step of executing a second user program following execution of the motion processing;
A program according to claim 1, wherein the step of executing the second user program includes a step of referring to values calculated by executing the motion processing within the same control cycle.