CN107291793B

CN107291793B - PLC system specification generation assisting device

Info

Publication number: CN107291793B
Application number: CN201710227710.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 中村贡
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Building Techno Service Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Building Solutions Corp
Priority date: 2016-04-13
Filing date: 2017-04-10
Publication date: 2022-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 2037-04-10
Also published as: CN107291793A; JP6203321B1; JP2017191429A

Abstract

A PLC system generation support device for editing a PLC configuration table and editing a PLC input/output table relating to each PLC in a short time and suppressing a transcription error in a PLC system for collectively managing a plurality of PLCs, comprising: a management item table registration unit that registers a management item table related to the plurality of PLCs in a management item table database, using, as a search key, a PLC number identifying each of the plurality of PLCs and a type of an input/output signal of each management item; a PLC configuration table editing unit for setting the number of input/output devices corresponding to the input/output signals according to the search of the management item table database, and automatically editing a configuration table including the input/output devices in the PLC; and an input/output table editing unit for searching the management item table database, assigning each input/output signal to each channel of the input/output device, and automatically editing the input/output table.

Description

PLC system specification generation assisting device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a PLC system manual generation support device, and more particularly, to a PLC system manual generation support device for supporting generation of a manual of a PLC system that controls the entirety of a plurality of PLCs provided in a facility.

Background

Control of automatic machines in factories and the like, elevators, automatic doors, boilers, machines used in various amusement facilities in amusement parks, and the like are required to have high safety and stability. In the control of these machines, a PLC based on an operation model of a state machine instead of a relay circuit is used instead of a normal computer based on a noveman-type operation model. PLC is a simple term for Programmable Logic Controller (Programmable Logic Controller).

The PLC uses ladder logic, which symbolizes a relay circuit, as software. The PLC includes a CPU device and an input/output device for performing ladder logic operation processing. The input/output device is a signal processing device that receives an input signal from a machine monitoring element and is provided between the input/output device and the CPU when an output signal is given to a machine control element. What kind of CPU device and input/output device are used is determined according to the contents of management items of a machine or the like to be managed. The management item table is a management item table in which the monitoring elements and the control elements are arranged as management items to be managed.

When the types of the CPU device and the input/output device are specified from the management item table, the arrangement of each device of the PLC can be determined. The PLC configuration table is a table in which the arrangement of each device in the PLC is summarized. Each terminal of the input/output device is connected to a signal line from each monitoring element and a signal line to each control element. In the program generation of the PLC, it is necessary to associate the content of a signal line connected to a terminal of the input/output device with an address in the CPU device. The correspondence table relating to the respective terminals of the input-output device and the addresses within the CPU device is referred to as a PLC input-output table. Therefore, in order to configure the PLC as hardware and generate software, a PLC configuration table and a PLC input/output table generated from the management item table are necessary.

Patent document 1 describes the following PLC structure: in the PLC, a plurality of input/output devices are assigned to respective slots of a rack (rack) in which the PLC is mounted during program operation of a user program.

Patent document 2 describes a method of generating device configuration information of a PLC, the method including: one device component is selected from the device components displayed in the tree form in the device component information display section using the pointing device, and dragged to the device configuration information display section.

[ patent document 1 ] Japanese patent application laid-open No. H10-333718

[ patent document 2 ] Japanese patent laid-open No. 2009-265918

When the control content of a machine or the like is not complicated and the machine or the like can be controlled by one PLC, a PLC configuration table and a PLC input/output table are generated from a management item table, and processing can be performed by manual input or the like. For example, when monitoring and controlling lighting, air conditioning, electric power, and the like in one building, it is necessary to collectively manage a plurality of PLCs as a whole. When a PLC system is used in which a plurality of PLCs are collectively managed as a whole, the management item table is increased in size and includes monitoring elements and control elements for each of the plurality of PLCs.

In order to edit the PLC configuration tables and the PLC input/output tables by separating the monitoring elements and the control elements for each PLC, a complicated extraction operation and a large amount of transfer operation are required. When these operations are performed by manual input, a large load is required, and errors such as misreading in the transfer operation are likely to occur. The edited PLC configuration table and PLC input/output table correspond to a specification for hardware and software of the PLC system. Therefore, there is a need for a PLC system specification generation support device that can edit a PLC configuration table and a PLC input/output table relating to each PLC in a short time and can suppress a transfer error in a PLC system that collectively manages a plurality of PLCs.

Disclosure of Invention

A PLC system manual creation support device according to the present invention is a PLC system manual creation support device for supporting creation of a manual of a PLC system that controls an entirety of a plurality of PLCs provided in a facility, the PLC system manual creation support device including: a management item table registration unit that registers a plurality of management items relating to the entire PLC system in a management item table database in association with a PLC number identifying each of the plurality of PLCs and a plurality of categories of input/output signals relating to the management items; a PLC configuration table editing unit that searches a management item table database for each of a plurality of types of input/output signals, sets a PLC number of each PLC as a 1 st search key, sets a plurality of types of the input/output signal as a plurality of 2 nd search keys, sets the number of each type of input/output devices corresponding to the type of the input/output signal, based on the number of the searched management items for each type of the input/output signal, and automatically edits a device configuration including the input/output devices in the PLC; and an input/output table editing unit that searches the management item table database for each of the plurality of types of input/output devices using the type of the input/output device in the 2 nd search key, sequentially assigns a plurality of management items corresponding to the searched type of the input/output device to each channel of the input/output device, and automatically edits the input/output signal table of the input/output device.

In the PLC system manual creation support device of the present invention, the management item table registration unit displays a blank management item table in which the vertical axis indicates a plurality of types of management items, the horizontal axis indicates a PLC number and an input/output signal, acquires a PLC number and a type of an input/output signal for each management item input by a data input person, superimposes and writes the PLC number and the type of an input/output signal on the blank management item table, and registers the superimposed management item table in the management item table database.

In the PLC system specification creation support device according to the present invention, the input/output signals are classified into a digital input signal, a digital output signal, an analog input signal, and an analog output signal.

In the PLC system specification creation support device of the present invention, the types of the analog input signals are input signals of current and voltage and input signals of a pulse measurement value.

In the PLC system manual creation support device according to the present invention, the input/output device in the PLC is one or more input/output devices that satisfy the number of channels corresponding to the number of management items for each type of input/output signal in the PLC.

In the PLC system manual creation support device according to the present invention, the input/output table editing unit sequentially assigns the management items in the order of ascending channel numbers of the input/output devices in accordance with the order of arrangement of the management items in the vertical axis of the management item table database that is written in a superimposed manner.

A PLC system specification creation support device according to the present invention is a PLC system specification creation support device for supporting generation of a specification of a PLC system that controls an entirety of a plurality of PLCs provided in a facility, the PLC system specification creation support device being configured by a computer including a management item table database in which a plurality of management items relating to the entirety of the PLC system are stored in association with a plurality of types of PLC numbers that identify respective PLCs of the plurality of PLCs and input/output signals relating to the management items, respectively, the computer executing: for each PLC in the plurality of PLCs, using the PLC number of the PLC as a 1 st search key, using a plurality of categories of input/output signals as a plurality of 2 nd search keys, searching a management item of each category of the input/output signals in a management item table database, setting the number of each category of input/output devices corresponding to the category of the input/output signals according to the number of the searched management items of each category of the input/output signals, and automatically editing the device structure including the input/output devices in the PLC; and for each of the categories of the plurality of input/output devices, searching in the management item table database by using the category of the input/output device in the 2 nd search key, sequentially allocating a plurality of management items corresponding to the searched category of the input/output device to each channel of the input/output device, and automatically editing the input/output signal table of the input/output device.

According to the PLC system specification creation support device of the present invention, it is possible to edit the PLC configuration table and the PLC input/output table of each PLC in a short time without performing manual input one by one, and it is possible to suppress a transcription error and the like.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a relationship between a configuration diagram of a PLC system using a PLC system specification creation support device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a PLC system specification.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a PLC system specification creation support device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall procedure of PLC system manual generation by the PLC system manual generation support device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of managing entry table registration in fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the management item blank table in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the management item table generated by manual input in fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of displaying image data of the file call button in fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing steps of PLC structure table editing in fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a PLC configuration blank table in fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of image data of the selection switch displaying the PLC station number in fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the calculation result of the number of management items in fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a PLC configuration table relating to a PLC with a PLC office number of 01, which is an example of the PLC configuration table edited in fig. 4.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of PLC input-output table editing in fig. 3.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of displaying image data of the input-output device selection switch in fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the PLC input-output blank table in fig. 13.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the PLC input/output table to which the input signal in fig. 13 is assigned, and a PLC input/output table relating to an input device whose input/output device is a BI.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing steps to interface with FIG. 13.

Fig. 18 is a diagram showing a PLC configuration table relating to a PLC with a PLC office number 03 as an example of the PLC configuration table.

Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a PLC input/output table relating to an output device whose input/output device is AO in the PLC configuration table of fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a PLC configuration table relating to a PLC with a PLC office number of 05 as an example of the PLC configuration table.

Fig. 21 is a diagram showing a PLC input/output table relating to an input device whose input/output device is AI-R in the PLC configuration table of fig. 20.

Description of the reference symbols

8, building; 10 a PLC system; 12 a central monitoring device; 14 main PLC board (RS-0); 16 master PLC (PLC 00); 18 backbone network of system 1; 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e each layer PLC (RS-1 to RS-5); 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, 22e, PLC of each layer (PLC 00-PLC 05); 24a power air conditioner board; 24b office 1 board; 24c office 2 board; 24d office 3 board; 24e canteen plate; 26 a backbone network (CCL) of the 2 nd system; 28 signal lines; 30PLC system specifications; 31 managing a project blank table; 32 managing the item table; 33, a PLC structure blank table; 34. 34c, 34e PLC structure table; 35, inputting and outputting a blank table by a PLC; 36. 36a, 36c, 36e PLC input/output tables; 40(PLC system specification generation) auxiliary devices; 42 arithmetic processing means; 44 an input section; a display unit 46; 48 an output section; 50 managing an item table database; 52 managing an item table registration unit; 54PLC configuration table editing unit; 56PLC input/output table editing part; 64. 66, 68, 70 buttons; 80. the switch image is selected 84.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, a building management system that manages a plurality of devices and the like in a building of the underground 1 floor and the above-ground 4 floor using 1 master PLC and 5 individual-floor PLCs will be described as a PLC system, but this is merely an example for explanation. The number of PLCs in each floor may be other than the number of PLCs in each floor, and the number of floors in the building may be other than the number of floors. Further, a management system relating to a mechanical device or the like other than the building management system may be used.

In the following, an application program using Excel (trade name) by microsoft corporation is described as a spreadsheet program for assisting the generation of a PLC system specification, but this is merely an example for explanation. A spreadsheet program that can process character strings and can use a plurality of worksheets in one file may be configured such that rows and columns of cells or character strings in one worksheet are designated as search keys, and the searched contents are copied and pasted to another worksheet.

The number of PLCs, the types of input/output devices, the number of input/output signals, and the like described below are merely examples for description, and can be appropriately changed according to the specifications of the PLC system specification generation support device, and the like. In the following, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a relationship between a configuration diagram of a PLC system 10 using a PLC system specification creation support device and a PLC system specification 30. The PLC system 10 is a building management system that manages a plurality of devices and the like in the building 8 using 1 master PLC and 5 individual-floor PLCs. The building 8 is an office building constructed by 4 floors above the ground, and facilities such as a distribution board and a cooling tower are disposed on the underground floor 1 indicated by BF, office facilities are disposed on the floors 1 to 3 indicated by 1F to 3F, and a staff canteen having a kitchen is disposed on the floor 4 indicated by 4F.

The PLC system 10 is provided with a central monitoring device 12 on the underground 1 st floor, and a master PLC16 on a master PLC board 14 placed in the middle floor of the building 8. The central monitoring apparatus 12 is connected to the master PLC through a network wiring. This is referred to as the backbone network 18 of system 1. Each of the PLC boards 20a to 20e is provided for each of the 1 st to 4 th floors below the ground, and each of the PLCs 22a to 22e is housed in each of the PLC boards 20a to 20 e. The master PLC16 and the PLCs 22a to 22e of each layer are connected to each other by a network wiring different from the backbone network 18 of the system 1. This is referred to as the backbone network 26 of system 2. The backbone network 26 of the 2 nd system is a communication network between a master PLC and other PLCs different from the master PLC, and is called a CCL, and one master PLC can be connected to 26 PLCs at the maximum as a communication capacity of each CCL system. The PLC system 10 of fig. 1 is a case where 5 PLCs are connected to one master PLC16, and thus may be only the backbone network 26 of the 2 nd system.

The master PLC board 14 and each of the PLC boards 20a to 20e is a housing for housing a PLC therein, and is an RS board disposed at a remote position when viewed from the central monitoring device 12, and is called RS-0 to RS-5 for distinguishing them. RS is a simple abbreviation for Remote Station. RS-0 is the master PLC board 14, RS-1 is the PLC boards 20a of the respective tiers disposed at BF, and RS-2 is the PLC boards 20b of the respective tiers disposed at 1F. Similarly, RS-3 is the PLC board 20c of each layer disposed at 2F, RS-4 is the PLC board 20d of each layer disposed at 3F, and RS-5 is the PLC board 20e of each layer disposed at 4F.

The master PLC16 and the PLCs 22a to 22e of the respective layers are all PLCs, and PLC office numbers are used to distinguish them from each other. The PLC office number is set as 00 for the main PLC16, and PLC numbers of 01-05 are respectively distributed to each layer of PLC22 a-22 e. The PLC office number 01 is assigned to the BF-allocated PLC22a for each layer, and the PLC office number 02 is assigned to the PLC22b for each layer allocated to 1F. Hereinafter, similarly, the PLC office number 03 is assigned to the PLC22c of each floor disposed at 2F, the PLC office number 04 is assigned to the PLC22d of each floor disposed at 3F, and the PLC office number 05 is assigned to the PLC22e of each floor disposed at 4F. Hereinafter, the PLCs of PLC office number 01 to PLC office number 05 will be referred to as PLCs 01 to PLC05, respectively.

Monitoring elements and control elements related to the building 8 are arranged at each floor, and in the example of the building 8, monitoring elements and control elements related to equipment such as a distribution board and a cooling tower are arranged at the BF. Therefore, the BF monitoring element and the BF control element are collectively represented as the power air conditioner board 24 a. The power air conditioner board 24a corresponds to a counter board connected to the PLC 01. Since office equipment is disposed in 1F of the building 8, monitoring elements and control elements related to the office equipment of 1F are collectively represented as the office 1 board 24 b. The office 1 board 24b corresponds to a counterpart board connected to the PLC 02. Similarly, since office equipment is also disposed in 2F and 3F of the building 8, monitoring elements and control elements related to the office equipment are collectively represented as an office 2 board 24c and an office 3 board 24d, respectively. The office 2 board 24c and the office 3 board 24d correspond to opposite boards connected to the PLC03 and the PLC04, respectively. Since the staff canteen including a kitchen is provided in 4F of the building 8, the monitoring elements and control elements related to the canteen are collectively represented as a canteen plate 24 e. The canteen plate 24e corresponds to the counter plate connected to the PLC 05. The PLCs 01 to 05 are connected to the respective counter boards by a common signal line 28 such as RS 232.

The overall specification of the PLC system 10 is defined by the specification between the central monitoring device 12 and the PLC00 and the specification between the PLC00 and the PLCs 01 to 05. The PLC system manual 30 is used to specify the specifications between the PLC00 and the PLCs 01 to 05. The PLC system manual 30 is generated from a basic plan book determined by a negotiation with an owner, which is an orderer of the management system of the building 8. The generated PLC system manual 30 includes a management item table 32, PLC configuration tables 34 of PLCs 01 to 05, and PLC input/output tables 36 of PLCs 01 to 05.

Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a PLC system manual creation support device 40 that supports creation of a PLC system manual. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the PLC system specification creation support device 40 is simply referred to as the support device 40. The support device 40 is a device that supports the generation of the PLC system manual 30 relating to the PLC system 10, and the PLC system 10 controls the entirety of the PLCs 01 to 05, which are a plurality of PLCs provided in the building 8. The support device 40 includes an arithmetic processing device 42 and a management item table database 50. The auxiliary device 40 may be constituted by a computer, and the computer may be a personal computer suitable for performing a table operation.

The arithmetic processing unit 42 is a CPU in a personal computer, and is connected to an input unit 44 such as a keyboard, a display unit 46 such as a display, and an output unit 48 such as a printer. The arithmetic processing unit 42 includes a management item table registration unit 52, a PLC configuration table editing unit 54, and an input/output table editing unit.

The management item table registration unit 52 registers the management item table 32 relating to the plurality of PLCs in the management item table database 50, using, as search keys, the PLC numbers identifying the PLCs of the plurality of PLCs and the types of input and output signals of the management items. The management item table 32 related to the plurality of PLCs is created by manual input from a basic project plan, but when registered in the management item table database 50, it becomes a calculation target of the arithmetic processing unit 42 as data from now on.

The PLC configuration table editing unit 54 searches the management item table database 50 for a PLC having a PLC number as a 1 st search key and each type of input/output signals as a 2 nd search key. Then, the number of input/output devices corresponding to the input/output signals is set based on the number of each type of the input/output signals searched, and the PLC configuration table 34 including the input/output devices in the PLC is automatically edited.

The input/output table editing unit 56 uses the 2 nd search key corresponding to each input/output device to assign each input/output signal to each channel of the input/output device with respect to the management item table database 50, and automatically edits the PLC input/output table.

This function can be realized by executing software by the arithmetic processing device 42. Specifically, the function can be realized by causing the arithmetic processing unit 42 to execute each processing step of the PLC system specification generation support program. Part of this functionality can also be implemented in hardware.

The management item table database 50 is a part of a storage device that exchanges information with the arithmetic processing device 42. The storage device stores various software executed by the arithmetic processing device 42, and stores data of arithmetic processing and the like, in addition to the management item table database 50. In particular, the PLC system specification generation auxiliary program is stored. Hereinafter, the PLC system specification generation auxiliary program is simply referred to as an auxiliary program. The management item table database 50 stores a management item blank table 31 in which management items have not been entered, and a management item table 32 registered by the management item table registration unit 52. Further, a PLC configuration blank table 33 before editing and a PLC configuration table 34 after editing each of the PLCs 01 to 05 are stored. Further, the PLC input/output blank table 35 before editing and the PLC input/output table 36 after editing the respective input/output devices of the PLCs 01 to 05 are stored.

The auxiliary program is a spreadsheet program, and is an application program using Excel (trade name) of microsoft corporation. The auxiliary program can process character strings and can use a plurality of worksheets in one file. Here, the management project table, the plurality of work tables for editing the plurality of PLC configuration tables, and the plurality of work tables for editing the plurality of PLC input/output tables are collectively used as one PLC system specification creation file. In each worksheet, the row and column of the cell or the character string is designated as a search key, and the searched content is copied and pasted to another worksheet.

The operation and effect of the auxiliary device 40 configured as described above, particularly the functions of the arithmetic processing unit 42, will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall steps of the PLC system specification generation assisting method. When the support program is started in the support device 40, the process of managing the entry table registration (S10), the process of editing the PLC configuration table (S12), and the process of editing the PLC input/output table (S14) are sequentially executed, and the PLC system manual 30 relating to the PLC system 10 is automatically generated. The content of the process (S10) of managing entry table registration will be described with reference to fig. 4 to 7. The PLC01 will be described with reference to fig. 8 to 12 as to the contents of the process of editing the PLC configuration table (S12), and a BI, which is one of the input/output devices constituting the PLC01, will be described with reference to fig. 13 to 16 as to the contents of the process of editing the PLC input/output table (S14). With respect to PLCs other than PLC01, PLC03 and PLC05 are described in addition to those shown in fig. 17 and subsequent drawings.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific step of the process (S10) of managing the entry table registration. When the designer activates the support device 40 and opens the file of the support program, the support device 40 first displays the management item blank table 31 on the display unit 46 (S20). Fig. 5 is a diagram showing image data of the management item blank table 31. Hereinafter, the image data of the management item blank table 31 is simply referred to as the management item blank table 31. The management-item blank table 31 is a work table in which a plurality of cells defined by a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns are arranged.

In the management item blank table 31, "case name" in the 2 nd row indicates the name of the PLC system 10. In the example of fig. 1, the name of the building 8 or the like is referred to as "case name". The "backbone" is a system name of the backbone network 26 between the PLC00 and the PLCs 01 to 05 in the PLC system 10, and in the case of fig. 1, the backbone network 26 of the 2 nd system is set to CCL and is thus written in advance as "CCL".

In the management item blank table 31, from 4 rows to 6 rows, from column B to column K, 6 types of input/output signals are arranged behind "the reprint number", "the management item name", "the PLC office number", and "the RS board name". The category of 6 input/output signals refers to 2 "BO: stop alone "and" AO: analog output "and 4" BIs associated with monitoring: state "," BI: measurement "," AI: current voltage "," AI-R: resistance ". When the management project table is registered in the management project table database 50, these categories are stored in association with the cells of the work table. Then, at the time of PLC configuration table editing and PLC input/output table editing, these categories are used as search keys when searching the management item table 32 from the management item table database 50.

The "reuse number" is a column used in the following cases: each item is filled in the management item blank table 31 by manual input, and in some cases, deletion and addition of a row are performed in the course of editing the management item table 32, and then the arrangement order is arranged to be a serial number.

The "management item name" is a management item name that is the name of a management item when the PLC system 10 sets the control elements and the monitoring elements disposed in the building 8 as the "management item". The "PLC office number" is the office number of the PLC that processes the "management item", and is written as "00" if it is the PLC 00. The "RS-board name" is the name of the RS board that houses the PLC, and if it is RS-1, it is written as "RS-1". At least one PLC is housed in the RS board. In the example of fig. 1, one PLC is disposed for each of RS-1 to RS-5, but 2 or more PLCs may be accommodated as appropriate.

The column for the category of the 6 input/output signals is a column indicating the category of the signal when the "management item" is processed by the PLC. A signal type is set for a "management item".

2 "BO related to" control ": stop alone "and" AO: the analog output "is a signal output from the PLC to the control element when the management item relates to the control element. When the signal is a binary digital signal, "BO: stop single. BO1 is a signal for starting the operation of the target control element, and BO 0 is a signal for stopping the operation of the target control element. Examples of the "BO" signal include on/off of a heater, on/off of lighting, on/off of an air conditioner, on/off of a power supply, and the like. When the signal output to the control element is an analog signal, "AO: analog output ". Examples of the "AO" signal include a continuously variable opening/closing signal of a valve, a dimming signal of illumination, a temperature command signal of an air conditioner, and the like.

"BI" and "AI" related to "monitoring" are signals input from the monitoring element to the PLC when the management item relates to the monitoring element. The signal is "BI" when it is a binary digital signal and "AI" when it is an analog signal.

"BI" indicates a state of the monitoring element, where BI ═ 1 indicates a state in which the monitoring element is operating, and BI ═ 0 indicates a state in which the operation of the monitoring element is stopped. Although "BI" is a pulse signal, there is a monitoring element that performs "measurement" by counting the pulse signal. Such as electricity meters, water meters, gas meters, etc. These meters measure the amount of usage by rotating a circular plate or a circular ring. By counting the number of pulses by outputting one pulse per revolution, their consumption can be "metered". In other words, the electric meter, the water meter, the gas meter, and the like are not monitored by analog signals, but are measured and monitored by the number of pulses of the pulse signal in binary "BI". The columns of "status" and "metering" of "BI" are the inputs of the same binary signal, but are used in the PLC to distinguish whether the number of pulses needs to be counted. In other words, if the monitoring element is of the "meter" type, the "measurement" column is marked with the "o" mark, and if the monitoring element is not of the "meter" type, the "status" column is marked with the "o" mark.

"AI" is a voltage signal or a current signal, and the temperature is measured by measuring the resistance. As described later, the "AI" is converted from an analog signal to a digital signal in the PLC and transmitted to the PLC00, but the conversion circuit for the analog signal of the "current voltage" and the analog signal of the "resistance" to the digital signal is different. Therefore, for the category of the input-output device related to "AI", the input-output device related to "current voltage" is denoted as "AI", and the input-output device related to "resistance" is denoted as "AI-R", thereby distinguishing the two.

Returning to fig. 4, when the management item blank table 31 is displayed on the display unit 46, the designer of the PLC system 10 inputs information on all the control elements and monitoring elements of the building 8 into the management item blank table 31 based on the basic plan book related to the management system of the building 8 (S22). The designer manually inputs the management item blank table 31 on the screen of the display unit 46. In the flowchart of fig. 4, the steps executed by the support device 40 among the steps are indicated by solid line boxes, and the steps performed by manual input in an interactive manner between the designer and the screen of the display unit 46 are indicated by broken line boxes. This is also the same for the flowcharts described later.

Regarding the input to the management item blank table 31, 1 line on the work sheet is filled for one control element or monitor element. For example, when a monitoring element is written in line 7, the name of the monitoring element is entered in the "management item name", the office number of the PLC which processes the monitoring element is entered in the "PLC office number", and the name of the RS board which stores the PLC is entered in the "RS board name". Then, it is determined whether the type of the signal input from the monitoring element to the PLC is a binary digital signal or an analog signal. In the case of a digital signal, it is determined whether the "state" of "BI" or the "measure" of meters is present, and an o mark is written in an arbitrary column. In the case of an analog signal, it is determined whether the signal is "current voltage" or "resistance" for temperature detection, and a mark is marked in any column.

The order of inputting the plurality of control elements and the plurality of monitor elements to the management item blank table 31 may be arbitrary, and the generated management item table 32 is submitted to the owner, the house dealer, the program generator, and the like, and thus it is preferable to input them in an easily observable arrangement. One of the methods is to first record information on all control elements and monitoring elements from a basic plan book, and then change the arrangement order in units of lines to make the arrangement easy to observe. The "reuse number" is automatically changed every time the replacement is performed so that the head side of the line is a smaller number.

The number of RS boards and the number of PLCs are set by a designer based on the total number of "management items" and the arrangement status of the "management items" in the building 8. For example, in the case of fig. 1, the total number of "management items" is 350 (see fig. 11). In the case of the PLC having 8 slots, if one communication slot and one spare slot are secured, 6 slots can be used as input/output devices. If a standard device having 16 channels is used as an input-output device, about 100 "management items" can be handled in one PLC. In the case where the total number of "management items" is 350, the number of PLCs needs to be 4.

Since a plurality of PLCs can be housed in the RS board, 4 PLCs can be housed in one RS board, and if the RS board is disposed in a BF in which the central monitoring apparatus 12 is disposed together with RS-0, the network wiring can be made the shortest. On the other hand, for example, signal lines from the control element and the monitor element arranged at 5F have a length from 5F to BF. The number of signal lines is at least the number of "management items", and thus in the case of fig. 1, at least 350 signal lines in total are laid inside the building 8. The latter is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of cost and signal transmission, by comparing the laying of 350 signal lines and the laying of 5 network wirings. Therefore, it is preferable that the RS boards are distributed in the building 8 and not provided as one. In this way, the number of RS boards and the number of PLCs are set in consideration of the total number of "management items" and the structure of the building 8. In the PLC system 10 of fig. 1, RS boards are arranged in each layer, and one PLC is housed in each RS board.

When the information input on all the "management items" is completed in the management item blank table 31 displayed on the display unit 46, the process of S22 ends. Fig. 6 shows an example of the management item table 32 that has been manually input. The total number of "management items" is 350 as described above, and thus a part thereof is exemplarily shown in fig. 6. Here, examples in which the types of input/output signals are different are shown. For example, in lines 7 to 156, a part of 150 "management items" whose "PLC office number" is 01 is shown, and these management items are all "BI" including "status" and "metering". Lines 157 to 162 are part of the "management item" whose "PLC office number" is 03, and are examples of "AO". Lines 246 to 252 are part of the "management item" with "PLC office number" of 05, and are examples of "AI-R".

When the manual input to the management item blank table 31 displayed on the display unit 46 is completed, the designer presses the "register in database" button among the call buttons related to the plurality of groups in the "file" tab displayed on the upper side of the screen of the display unit 46 (S24). Fig. 7 shows a number of

call buttons

64, 66, 68, 70 in the "file" tab. In which a call button 64 of "register to database" is pressed. In this way, the support device 40 adds a name to the manually input management item table 32 on the display unit 46, registers the name in the management item table database 50, and stores the name in the management item table database (S26). The process of managing the entry table registration (S10) is completed.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a specific procedure of the process (S12) of the PLC configuration table editing. S12 is executed after the state where the process of managing item table registration (S10) ends. To start the process of PLC structure table editing, the designer clicks "select PLC" among a plurality of call buttons of the file (S30). Specifically, "select PLC" 66 among the plurality of

call buttons

64, 66, 68, 70 of the file shown in fig. 7 is clicked (click 1). Thereby, the support device 40 displays the PLC structure blank table 33 on the display unit 46 (S32). Fig. 9 is a diagram showing image data of the PLC configuration blank table 33. Hereinafter, the image data of the PLC structure blank table 33 will be simply referred to as the PLC structure blank table 33. The PLC configuration blank table 33 is a work table in which a plurality of cells defined by a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns are arranged in a similar manner to the management project table 32. The display of the row number and column number is omitted in fig. 9.

The PLC structure blank table 33 has a PLC basic specification column, a PLC structure column, and a head XY allocation rule, and is a title column in which items for specifying the PLC are entered, and 3 columns indicating the PLC structure.

The "subsystem" in the title bar is the name of the subsystem that the PLC processes. The "system" is the system name of the backbone network connecting the PLC00 and the PLC.

The PLC basic specification column is a table column arranged on the upper right side in fig. 9. "basic" indicates the model name of "outlet" used to constitute the PLC, "the model name of" power supply ", and" the number of slots ". In the PLC configuration blank table 33, "outlet" is initially set to the standard "BS 8" and "power supply" is initially set to the standard "PS-S". "BS 8" is a socket with a slot number of 8, and "PS-S" indicates a power supply with a standard power supply capability. The socket is linked with the socket which is BS8, and the number of the slots is 8. The designer can change the setting to a setting other than the initial setting according to the relationship with the opposite board connected to the PLC. For example, when a "power source" having a large power supply capacity is required, the "PS-L" having a large power supply capacity can be changed. When the number of slots is to be increased, the "number of slots" can be increased by adding the "socket" using the "add 1" column. Although the setting can be changed by manual input, the next candidate may be displayed when "outlet" and "power supply" are clicked instead.

In the PLC configuration column arranged on the left side in fig. 9, "slots" in 8 rows are displayed in accordance with the "number of slots" set in the PLC basic specification column. The category of the device disposed in each slot is entered in the "category" column, and the name of the device is entered in the "model name" column. The number of channels of the device is entered in the "points" column, and the head address of the "CPU" corresponding to the channel of the device is entered in the "head XY" column. The "CPU" described herein refers to the "CPU" displayed in the PLC configuration table.

In the PLC configuration blank table 33, as an initial setting, the model name "QCPU 15 k" is placed in the CPU slot as a "CPU" device, and the model name "QCCL" is placed in the slot 0 as a "communication" device. "Q" in these model names means an integrated circuit, and "QCPU 15 k" represents a CPU integrated circuit having a memory capacity of 15k class. "QCCL" represents a communication integrated circuit in which "backbone" is "CCL" and which is a communication network adapted to the CCL, is reflected in the management item table 32. The number of channels of "QCCL" is "32", and thus the "point number" is initially set to "32". When referring to the "leading XY allocation rule" described later, the leading address of the "CCL" is set to "3E 0", and thus the "leading address" related to the "QCCL" is initially set to "3E 0".

The designer can change the initial setting of the "model name" of the "CPU". For example, when it is considered that the storage capacity needs to be set to 40k level, "model name" of "CCL" is changed to "QCPU 40 k". Although the setting can be changed by manual input, the next candidate may be displayed when the "model name" of the "CPU" is clicked instead.

The "head XY allocation rule" column arranged on the lower right side in fig. 9 is the head address of the "CPU" corresponding to the channel of each device. The model name of "CPU" is "QCPU 15 k", and thus the address of "CPU" of the model name is assigned to the channel of each device in accordance with the rule. The address is 16-bit unit and is necessary for generating the PLC program.

For example, when the input-output device is a "BO" device, an address indicating 3 bits after "Y" of the output is allocated. Since the head address is set to 0 to F0, "Y000" head address is assigned to "BO" device disposed in slot 1. When the input-output device is an "AI" device, an address indicating 3 bits after the input "X" is assigned. Since the first start address is 300, the "AI" device placed in slot 1 is assigned the start address of "X300".

When the contents of the PLC configuration blank table 33 are confirmed, and if necessary, the initial setting is changed, the designer presses a "next" button, not shown in fig. 9, displayed at a corner of the screen of the display unit 46. The sub program thus proceeds to the next processing step, and enters the selection switch display of the PLC station number in fig. 8 (S34).

In S34, the support device 40 displays the image data of the selection switch of the PLC station number on the screen of the display unit 46. Fig. 10 shows a selection switch image 80 as an example of image data of a selection switch for displaying a PLC station number. Here, "00" to "05" of the PLC station number are displayed, but "00" that does not appear in the management item table 32 reflecting the contents of the management item table 32 is displayed in halftone so as not to be selectable. As the PLC station number selection (S36), when the PLC01 is selected, the designer presses the selection switch of "01". Thus, the designer presses the "next" button displayed on the corner of the screen of the display unit 46, which is not shown in fig. 10, to select the PLC station number.

As a result, the support program proceeds to the next processing step, and in fig. 8, the support device 40 searches the management item table database 50 (S38), and the support device 40 calculates the number of management items for each input/output signal type (S40). In this processing step, the management item table 32 is read from the management item table database 50, the PLC station number 01 is used as the 1 st search key, each category of the input/output signal is used as the 2 nd search key, and the number of each category of the input/output signal is calculated for the PLC 01. The calculated result is displayed on the screen of the display unit 46.

For reference, in all PLC station numbers, the calculation results of the number of respective input/output signals are shown in fig. 11 for each input/output signal category. The vertical axis of fig. 11 indicates the PLC station number and its related information, and the horizontal axis of fig. 11 indicates the types of input/output signals, "BO", "AO", "BI", "AI", and "AI-R". "BO", "AO", and "BI" are "BO", "AO", and "BI" in columns F to I of the management item table 32 in fig. 6, and "AI" is "AI: supply voltage "," AI-R "is the" AI "of column K: resistance ".

An example of the number calculation of the input/output signals is described. As a first example, in order to calculate the number of signals of "BI", the PLC01 searches the management item table 32 in fig. 6 using the PLC station number of 01 as the 1 st search key and the input/output signal of "BI" as the 2 nd search key. As a result, the number of hit cells is 150, and thus the number of signals for "BI" in PLC01 is calculated to be 150. As a second example, in order to calculate the number of signals of "AO", the PLC03 searches the management item table 32 of fig. 6 using the PLC station number 03 as the 1 st search key and the input/output signal "AO" as the 2 nd search key. As a result, since the number of hit cells is 12, the number of signals for "AO" in the PLC03 is calculated to be 12. As a third example, in order to calculate the number of signals of "AI-R", the PLC05 searches the management item table 32 in fig. 6 using the PLC station number of 05 as the 1 st search key and the input/output signal of "AI-R" as the 2 nd search key. As a result, since the number of hit cells is 10, the number of signals of "AI-R" in the PLC05 is calculated to be 10.

In fig. 10, since the PLC station number is selected to be 01, a part of the calculation result of the PLC01 of fig. 11 is displayed on the screen of the display unit 46. When this result is observed, "BI" is 150, and all of the other "BO", "AO", "AI", and "AI-R" are the numbers of input/output signals 0. The designer confirms the result and presses the "next" button on the screen. The sub program proceeds to the next processing step, and in fig. 8, the setting of the input/output device is entered with reference to the input/output device list (S42).

The i/o device list is a table in which model names of i/o devices corresponding to the types of i/o signals, i.e., "BO", "AO", "BI", "AI", and "AI-R", are listed. The standard model is that in a device with 16 channels, "BO" and "BI" have 32, 64 channels. The input and output device for analog signals comprises an analog-digital converter or a digital-analog converter, so that the number of channels is 16. Hereinafter, the type names of the input/output devices are "BO 16", "BO 32", "BO 64", "BI 16", "BI 32", and "BI 64", in which the category names and the channel numbers of the input/output signals are combined with "BO" and "BI". The "AO", "AI" and "AI-R" are the same as the input/output signals, and are denoted by the same terms "AO", "AI" and "AI-R".

In S42, the support device 40 sets the input/output device in accordance with the following procedure. First, referring to fig. 11, the number of input/output devices for "BO", "AO", "BI", "AI" and "AI-R" is obtained by dividing the number of input/output signals for "BO", "AO", "BI", "AI" and "AI-R" by 16. In the PLC01, the number of input/output devices related to "BI" is (150/16) ═ 9.375, and the number of input/output devices related to other input/output signals is 0, so that the PLC01 requires the class of input/output devices and the number thereof to be "BI" of 10.

When the total number of required input/output devices is determined, the total number is compared with the number of slots that can be allocated to the input/output devices in the PLC. In the case of the PLC01, 5 slots from 1 to 6 can be allocated to the input/output device. When the result of the comparison is that (the number of slots that can be allocated) is equal to or greater than (the total number of required input/output devices), the input/output devices are allocated in the order of slot 1 to slot 6. If the comparison result is (number of slots that can be allocated) < (total number of required input/output devices), it is determined whether or not the 32-channel or 64-channel input/output device is applicable to "BO" or "BI". In the case of the PLC01, since (the number of slots that can be allocated) < (the total number of input/output devices required), it is first determined whether or not the 32-lane "BI 32" is applicable to "BI". When "BI 32" is applied, (total number of required input/output devices) — 4.6875, (150/32) — thus "BI 32" needs to be 5. When this is compared with (the number of assignable slots) < 6 > (the total number of necessary input/output devices < 5 >). However, the number of slots prepared as a spare is (6-5) ═ 1 slot. When the spare slot number is set to "2" in advance, (the number of slots that can be allocated) < (the total number of required input/output devices is 5), even if "BI 32" is applied, because "4" is the number of slots that can be allocated. Therefore, it is then determined whether "BI 64" is applicable. In this case, (the total number of required input/output devices) — 150/64 ═ 2.34375, and thus "BI 32" may be 3. In this case, (the number of slots that can be allocated is 4) > (the total number of input/output devices required is 3). As a result, the input/output device of the PLC01 is set to "BO 64" to 3.

The above-described steps of setting the input/output devices are merely illustrative examples, and other steps may be performed using the number of slots to be allocated in anticipation of the backup, the number of required input/output devices based on the calculation results in fig. 11, and a list of input/output devices.

When the input/output device is set in S42, the auxiliary device 40 assigns the input/output device to the PLC configuration blank table 33 based on this (S44). In the case of the PLC01, "BI 64" is assigned to slot 01 to slot 03, respectively. Then, referring to the "starting XY assignment rule", the starting XY address of the BI device is "X100", and thus the starting XY address of "X100" is assigned to "BI 64" of slot 01. "X140" is assigned by shifting "20" expressed by 16 bits corresponding to 64 channels for "BI 64" with slot 02, and "X180" is assigned by further shifting "20" with 64 channels for "BI 64" with slot 03.

The support device 40 displays the assignment result on the screen of the display unit 46 as the edited PLC configuration table 34 (S46), and stores the assignment result in the management item table database 50. This completes the process of editing the PLC configuration table.

In the above example, the PLC configuration table 34 relating to the PLC01 is completely edited, and then the PLC configuration table 34 relating to the other PLCs 02 to 05 can be edited. In this case, the process returns to S12, and the processing steps from S30 are repeated. Alternatively, after the PLC configuration table 34 of the PLC01 is edited, the PLC i/o table editing can be continued for the i/o device edited in the PLC configuration table 34 of the PLC01 (S14). Next, a procedure when PLC input/output table editing (S14) relating to the input/output devices in the PLC configuration table 34 of the PLC01 is performed according to the latter method will be described.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing a specific procedure of the PLC input/output table editing process (S14). S14 is executed after the state in which the process of PLC structure table editing (S12) ends. To start the process of PLC i/o table editing, the designer clicks "i/o table creation" among a plurality of call buttons of the file (S50). Specifically, "input/output table creation" 68 among the plurality of

call buttons

64, 66, 68, 70 of the file illustrated in fig. 7 is clicked (click 2). The sub program thus proceeds to the next processing step, and proceeds to the selection switch display of the input/output device in fig. 13 (S52).

In S52, the support device 40 displays the image data of the selection switch of the input/output device on the screen of the display unit 46. Fig. 14 shows a selection switch image 84 as an example of displaying image data of a selection switch of an input/output device. The part of the selected PLC station number in the PLC station number selection switch image 80 described in fig. 10 is displayed on the left side of the selection switch image 84. Here, "01" is displayed as the selected PLC station number, reflecting the result of the PLC configuration table editing (S12). The right side of the selection switch image 84 is an image for selecting an input-output device. Here, "BO", "AO", "BI", "AI", and "AI-R", which are the types of input/output devices, are displayed. As illustrated in fig. 12, in the PLC01, the input/output device is only one type of "BI 64", and thus the designer selects "BI" and presses the selection switch of "BI". Thereby, the input/output device is selected (S54).

When the selection of the input/output device is completed, the designer presses a "next" button displayed on a corner of the screen of the display unit 46, which is not shown in fig. 14. As a result, the support program proceeds to the next processing step, and in fig. 13, the support device 40 performs PLC input/output blank table display (S56).

As shown in the PLC configuration table 34 of the PLC01, there are 3 "BI 64", and the "BI 64" are arranged in slot 1 to slot 3, respectively. Therefore, the image data of the 3PLC input/output blank tables 35 are superimposed and displayed on the display unit 46. Fig. 15 shows image data of the 1 st PLC input/output blank table 35, which relates to "BI 64" disposed in slot 1. Hereinafter, the image data of the PLC input/output blank table 35 will be simply referred to as the PLC input/output blank table 35. The PLC input/output blank table 35 is an operation table in which a plurality of cells defined by a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns are arranged, similarly to the management item table 32 and the PLC configuration table 34. The display of the row number and column number is omitted in fig. 15.

The PLC input/output blank table 35 has a header field in which items for specifying the PLC are recorded and an input/output information field showing input/output information of the input/output device. The title column reflects the description of the PLC configuration table 34 related to the PLC01, and the case name, the subsystem, the system, the office number, and the board name are directly and automatically recorded in the PLC configuration table 34.

The input/output information column is a relationship table showing a relationship between a terminal of "BI 64" which is the input/output device and a control element or a monitor element related to the PLC01 which is the PLC. Since the control elements and the monitor elements are represented by management item names in the management item table 32, the i/o information column shows the relationship between the terminal of the i/o device, i.e., "BI 64", and the management item names. The board maker and the program generator create each board and generate the PLC program in accordance with the information in the input/output information field regarding each input/output device in each PLC.

The "model name", "slot number", and "head XY" located outside the fields of the input/output information field record basic items concerning the input/output device, i.e., "BI 64". When the input/output device is selected, a description corresponding to the input/output device is directly entered in the PLC configuration column of the PLC configuration table 34. In the above example, "model name" is automatically transcribed to "BI 64", "slot number" is automatically transcribed to "1", and "head XY" is automatically transcribed to "0100".

The "pin number" of the input/output information field is the terminal number of the input/output device. "CH" is the channel number of the input-output device, i.e., "BI 64". The "address" is the address of "CPU", i.e., "QCPU 15 k", in the PLC. The "name" is the "management item name" in the management item table 32. Since the standard type of the input/output device is 16 channels and the terminals are 20 terminals, the "pin numbers" to 20 and the "CH" to 16 are described in advance in the standard PLC input/output blank table 35. Since "BI 64" is 64 channels, channels "1" to "64" are described in advance for "CH" and terminal numbers "1" to "80" are described in advance for "pin number" in the PLC input/output blank table 35. Further, reflecting that "head XY" is "0100", the "address" is described in advance as "X100" to "X13F". In fig. 16, a part of "pin number" to "1919", "CH" to "34", and an address to "X121" are shown.

Since the "pin numbers" 1B04 "to" 1B01 "and the like are vacant, a designer can mount a common terminal of a power supply using these pins. For example, the common terminal of the power supply of the PLC01 can be set to COM1, and the pin number that is vacant can be set to COM 1. When the contents of the PLC input/output blank table 35 are confirmed, necessary additional settings are completed, and the like, the designer presses a "next" button displayed on a corner of the screen of the display unit 46, which is not shown in fig. 16. As a result, the support device 40 displays the image data of the tab screen described with reference to fig. 7 on the screen of the display unit 46.

The designer clicks "input-output signal assignment" of the call button of the file (S58). Specifically, "input/output signal assignment" 70 among the plurality of

call buttons

64, 66, 68, 70 of the file illustrated in fig. 7 is clicked (click 3).

As a result, the support program proceeds to the next processing step, and in fig. 13, the support device 40 searches the management item table database 50 (S60), and the support device 40 sequentially assigns input/output signals to the PLC input/output blank table 35 for the input/output device of the PLC (S62). The processing step is performed as follows.

First, the management item table 32 is read from the management item table database 50. Then, "BI" which is a category of the input/output signal corresponding to "BI 64" which is a model name of the selected input/output device is used as a 2 nd search key, and "management item names" are sequentially extracted in descending order of the line number, with the PLC station number being 01 as the 1 st search key.

Then, for the plurality of extracted "management item names," the "management item name" having the smallest "row number" is "copied" and "pasted" to the "name" having "CH" of 1 in the PLC input/output blank table 35. In the management item table 32 of fig. 6, the management item name having the smallest row number of 7 among the management item names corresponding to the PLC station number of 01 and the "BI" is the "PACACP state for low temperature". Therefore, the part is automatically "copied" from the management item table 32 as the work table by the "copy & paste" function of the table program, and is automatically "pasted" to the "name" of 1 in "CH" of the PLC input/output blank table 35 as another work table. Then, the plurality of "management item names" extracted from the management item table 32 are automatically "copied" and "managed item names" in the order of line numbers from small to large, and are automatically "pasted" in the column of "names" of the PLC input/output blank table 35 in the order of "CH" numbers from small to large. In the management item table 32, the "management item name" with a circle mark added to the "measure" of the "BI" is automatically registered in the "signal type" column adjacent to the corresponding "name" column of the PLC input/output blank table 35 together with the "measure". In this way, the support device 40 sequentially and automatically assigns input/output signals to the PLC input/output blank table 35, and performs PLC input/output table editing and displays the result (S64).

Fig. 16 shows the PLC input/output table 36a after editing for the first PLC station number 01 and the input/output device number BI 64. In the management item table 32 of fig. 6, "management item name" concerning the PLC station number 01 and "BI" shows 7 to 25 rows, and 16 to 22 rows of these represent "measurement" of "BI" with a circle mark. In response to this, "management item name" in the 7 to 25 rows of the management item table 32 in fig. 6 is directly added to "CH" in the PLC input/output table 36a in fig. 16 as "name" of 1 to 19. In the column of "signal type" where "CH" is 10 to 16 in the PLC input/output table 36a in fig. 16, the circle mark in "measurement" of 16 to 22 rows in the management item table 32 in fig. 6 is reflected and described as "measurement". In this way, by simply clicking "input/output signal assignment" 70 in fig. 7, the contents of the management item table 32 are automatically transferred to the PLC input/output table 36a, and the PLC input/output table 36a is edited.

At this point, the editing of the PLC configuration table 34 related to the PLC01 and the editing of the PLC input/output table 36a of "BI 64" disposed in slot 1 of the PLC01 are completed. Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the subsequent steps performed by the assist device 40. In S66, it is determined whether "all input/output devices have been completed". In the above example, the PLC01 does not complete the PLC i/o table 36 related to "BI 64" disposed in

slots

2 and 3, respectively. Therefore, the determination at S66 is negative, and therefore "return to B" is made (S68).

"return B" means a return to the initial step of the PLC input/output editing (S14), thereby returning to S50 of fig. 13. Here, the support apparatus 40 selects "BI 64" arranged in slot 2 in the input/output device selection (S52), and edits the PLC input/output table 36 of "BI 64" arranged in slot 2 by performing the subsequent steps. Therefore, when the process proceeds to S66 again, the PLC input/output table 36 relating to "BI 64" arranged in slot 3 is not completed yet, and therefore the determination at S66 is negative, and the process proceeds to S68 and returns to S50 again. Here, "BI 64" arranged in slot 3 is selected in the selection of the input/output device (S52), and the subsequent steps are performed, whereby the PLC input/output table 36 of "BI 64" arranged in slot 3 is edited. Therefore, when the process proceeds to S66 again, since the PLC i/o table 36 is edited in all the i/o devices related to the PLC01, the determination at S66 is affirmative and the process proceeds to S70.

In S70, the support device 40 determines whether or not "all PLC station numbers have been completed". In the above example, the PLC01 has completed the editing of the PLC configuration table 34 and the editing of the PLC input/output table 36, but the other PLCs 02 to 05 have not completed the editing of the PLC configuration table 34 and the editing of the PLC input/output table 36. Therefore, the determination at S70 is negative, and "return to a" is made (S72).

"return to a" means a return to the initial step of the PLC configuration table editing (S12), thereby returning to S30 of fig. 8. Therefore, the above steps are repeated for each of PLC02 to PLC 05. Since the detailed description thereof is repeated, the description will be omitted, and the "AO" and "AI-R" of the input/output device will be described with reference to fig. 18 to 21.

Fig. 18 is a PLC configuration table 34c relating to the PLC 03. The types of the input/output devices of the PLC03 are 4, as shown in fig. 11, such as "AO", "BI", "AI", and "AI-R", and the number of input/output signals is 16 or less, for "AO", "AI", and "AI-R", and is 32 or more, for "BI". Accordingly, in the PLC configuration table editing (S12), the support device 40 edits the PLC configuration table 34c by arranging "AO" in slot-1, "BI 32" in slot-2, "AI" in slot-3, and "AI-R" in slot-4 as the input/output device with respect to the PLC 03.

Fig. 19 is a PLC input/output table 36c relating to "AO" of slot 1. Here, in the management item table 32 of fig. 6, a search is performed using a PLC station number of 03 and an input/output device number of AO as search keys. In fig. 19, "name" indicating "CH" - "6" is obtained by "copying" the "management item name" in lines 157 to 162 in fig. 6 and "pasting" the "management item name" as it is.

Fig. 20 is a PLC configuration table 34e concerning the PLC 05. The types of the input/output devices of the PLC05 are 4 types of "BO", "AO", "BI", and "AI-R", and the number of input/output signals is 16 or less for "BO", "AO", and "AI-R", and is 16 to 32 for "BI", as shown in FIG. 11. Accordingly, in the PLC configuration table editing (S12) of the PLC05, the PLC configuration table 34c is edited by arranging "BO 16" in slot-1, "AO" in slot-2, "BI 16" in slot-3, 4, and "AI-R" in slot-5 as the input/output device.

Fig. 21 is a PLC input/output table 36e relating to "AI-R" with slot 5. Here, in the management item table 32 of fig. 6, a PLC station number of 05, an input/output device number of "AI", and a resistance "are searched as search keys. In fig. 21, "name" indicating "CH" - "7" is obtained by "copying" the "management item name" in the row 246 to the row 252 in fig. 6 and "pasting" the "management item name" as it is.

In this way, when the PLC01 to PLC05 all have finished editing the PLC configuration table 34 and editing the PLC input/output table 36, the support device 40 prints and outputs using the output unit 48, thereby completing the PLC system manual 30.

According to the PLC system manual creation support device 40, when the management item table 32 created by manual input by the designer is registered, the PLC configuration table 34 and the PLC input/output table 36 can be automatically edited for all the PLCs by only 3 clicks 1 to 3. Thus, the PLC configuration table and the PLC input/output table can be edited in a short time, and transfer errors and the like can be suppressed.

Claims

1. A PLC system manual creation support device that supports creation of a PLC system manual that controls the entirety of a plurality of PLCs provided in a facility, the PLC system manual creation support device comprising:

a management item table registration unit that registers a plurality of management items relating to the entire PLC system in a management item table database in association with a PLC number identifying each of the plurality of PLCs and a plurality of categories of input/output signals relating to the management items;

a PLC configuration table editing unit that searches a management item table database for each of a plurality of types of input/output signals, sets a PLC number of each PLC as a 1 st search key, sets a plurality of types of input/output signals as a plurality of 2 nd search keys, and sets the number of input/output devices corresponding to each type of input/output signals based on the number of the searched management items for each type of input/output signals, and automatically edits a device configuration including the input/output devices in the PLC; and

and an input/output table editing unit that searches the management item table database for each of the plurality of types of input/output devices using the type of the input/output device in the 2 nd search key, sequentially assigns a plurality of management items corresponding to the searched type of the input/output device to each channel of the input/output device, and automatically edits the input/output signal table of the input/output device.

2. The PLC system specification generating assist device of claim 1, wherein,

the management item table registration unit displays a blank management item table in which the vertical axis represents a management item, the horizontal axis represents a PLC number and a plurality of types of input/output signals, acquires the PLC number and the type of the input/output signal for each management item input by a data input person, superimposes and writes the PLC number and the type of the input/output signal on the blank management item table, and registers the superimposed management item table in a management item table database.

3. The PLC system specification generating auxiliary device of claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the classes of input-output signals are digital input signals, digital output signals, analog input signals and analog output signals.

4. The PLC system specification generating assist device of claim 3, wherein,

the class of analog input signals is that of current and voltage and that of pulse-measure values.

5. The PLC system specification generating assist device of claim 1, wherein,

the input/output device in the PLC is one or more input/output devices that satisfy the number of channels corresponding to the number of management items for each category of input/output signals in the PLC.

6. The PLC system specification generating assist device of claim 2, wherein,

the I/O table editing unit assigns the management items in the order of ascending channel numbers of the I/O devices in accordance with the order of arrangement of the management items in the vertical axis of the management item table database that has been written in an overlapping manner.

7. A PLC system manual creation support device for supporting creation of a PLC system manual, which controls the entirety of a plurality of PLCs provided in a facility,

the PLC system specification creation support device is configured by a computer including a management item table database in which a plurality of management items relating to the entire PLC system are stored in association with a PLC number identifying each of the plurality of PLCs and a plurality of types of input/output signals relating to the management items,

the computer executes the following processing steps:

for each PLC in the plurality of PLCs, using the PLC number of the PLC as a 1 st search key, using a plurality of categories of input/output signals as a plurality of 2 nd search keys, searching a management item of each category of the input/output signals in a management item table database, setting the number of input/output devices corresponding to each category of the input/output signals according to the number of the searched management items of each category of the input/output signals, and automatically editing a device configuration including the input/output devices in the PLC; and

for each of the categories of the plurality of input/output devices, a search is performed in the management item table database using the category of the input/output device in the 2 nd search key, a plurality of management items corresponding to the searched category of the input/output device are sequentially assigned to each channel of the input/output device, and the input/output signal table of the input/output device is automatically edited.