JP2533373B2 - Control program creation method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for creating a control program, and more specifically, it inputs a step operation as a time chart, and obtains it from a step pattern which is an operation circuit and the time chart. The present invention relates to a control program creating method capable of efficiently creating a control program based on time-series step operation data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Generally, in a device such as a machine tool or a work robot, its operation procedure is set by a control program in order to reduce the number of personnel and improve work efficiency. In this case, the control program is sequentially executed by the programmable controller to output a command signal to the device and input a detection signal from the device. That is,
The device operates based on the command signal and outputs a detection signal from a limit switch or the like to the programmable controller after performing a predetermined operation. On the other hand, the programmable controller executes a control program and issues a predetermined operation command to the device based on the detection signal.

By the way, when creating such a control program, normally, after the control designer creates a ladder diagram using relay symbols etc. based on the equipment specifications and time chart created by the system designer, the programming device for the programmable controller is set. Input the contents of the ladder diagram to the programmable controller when using it. In this case, specialized knowledge regarding sequence control is required for the work of creating the ladder diagram. In addition, recent devices have become more sophisticated, and usually, not only the control itself, but also complicated controls such as safety measures to prevent accidents due to operation mistakes and sudden accidents, so even experts can use ladders. A considerable amount of time and effort is required for the drawing work.

Therefore, it has been pointed out that the frequency of change and modification of the control program is inevitably increased, resulting in frequent occurrence of program errors and deterioration of the control function. Further, conventionally, when making such changes and corrections, the ladder program in the programmable controller has been directly changed by the programming device. Therefore,
In many cases, the ladder diagram was not reflected and the ladder program and the ladder program in the programmable controller did not match. In addition, in the ladder diagram, it is very difficult to grasp the entire program, and it may be difficult to appropriately change the program. There have been situations where troubles arise from such problems.

Therefore, in order to eliminate such inconvenience, a method of inputting a time chart and directly creating a control program from this time chart has been proposed. For example, in the conventional technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-158408, the operation of the controlled object is input as a time chart, and accompanying information such as a timer designation is input in the time chart in response to changes in the time chart. There is. However, in this conventional technique, since the change of the operation of the controlled object and the incidental information are input as independent time charts, there is a disadvantage that the input work becomes complicated. Further, when this time chart is used as the specification of the created control program, it is pointed out that the readability is difficult.

Further, in the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-158704, the operation of the controlled object is input as a time chart, and the corresponding input / output address and interlock condition are added to the time chart. However,
This conventional technique is extremely complicated because a plurality of additional information is added to the time chart, and has the drawback of poor readability as in the case of the above-described conventional technique.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in order to overcome the above inconvenience, and a step operation is inputted as a time chart, and a step pattern which is an operation circuit and a time-series step obtained from the time chart. An object of the present invention is to provide a control program creation method for a programmable controller, which can improve program creation efficiency and accuracy by creating a control program based on operation data, and can facilitate program analysis.

[Means for Achieving the Object] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention sets an operation circuit for stepping a step of a control program as a step pattern consisting of a ladder program, and then sets a control target. After the step operation of each of the constituent actuators is created as a time chart together with the input / output address of each actuator and each state detector and its operating conditions, the time series step operation of each actuator is described from the time chart. A control program is created by creating a state at each step of each state detector and / or the operating condition as an operation pattern table, and further combining the operation pattern table with the step pattern via the input / output address. It is characterized by creating.

[Embodiment] Next, a control program creating method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic flowchart of a control program creating method according to the present embodiment. This manufacturing method is roughly divided into three steps. That is, according to the specifications and requirements of the controlled object, a step (STP I) of creating an actuator program based on the basic operation pattern of the actuator constituting the controlled object, and a step program by setting the step operation of the actuator. It consists of a process (STP II) and a process (STP III) of creating a logic program by setting logic conditions such as interlock.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for implementing the control program creating method according to the present embodiment. In the figure,
Reference numeral 10 indicates a control program creating device, and a main body 12
And conversation input / output means 14 and storage means 16 and 18.

The main body unit 12 includes a calculation unit 20 and a storage unit 22, and the calculation unit
Reference numeral 20 controls the input / output of the conversation input / output unit 14 and the storage units 16 and 18. The storage unit 22 has a system program 24 for controlling the operation of the arithmetic unit 20, and also has the STP I shown in FIG.
Actuator program 2 created in III to III
6. Hold the step program 28 and the logic program 30. The conversation input / output unit 14 is a CRT having a graphic processing function.
Display 32, keyboard 34, CRT display 3
The mouse 36 for controlling the cursor, selecting functions, etc. in FIG. In this case, the conversation input / output unit 14 uses the arithmetic unit 20 to drive the actuator program 26 and step program.
It has a function of creating the 28 and the logic program 30, modifying them, and further monitoring the operating states of these programs 26, 28 and 30. The storage means 16 holds an actuator pattern 38 in which a basic operation pattern of each actuator constituting a controlled object such as a machine tool is defined in advance by a ladder or the like, a step pattern 40 which is a basic pattern of step operation of each actuator, and the like. It should be noted that these patterns 38 and 40 can be created in the arithmetic unit 20 as needed. The storage means 18 holds the control program 42 created from the actuator program 26, the step program 28 and the logic program 30.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a more detailed control program creating device 10 and a program creating procedure in the device 10. Therefore, a method of creating the actuator program 26 will be described first with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

The control designer selects the actuator program creation mode from the keyboard 34 and inputs data for creating the actuator program 26 according to the specifications and requirements of the controlled object set by the system designer.

In this case, before creating the actuator program 26, the actuator pattern 38, which is the basic operation pattern of the actuator, and the definition parameters 39a and 39b are created.
Set (STP1A, 2A). In addition, the actuator pattern 38 is a basic operation pattern of a predetermined actuator set as a ladder program in which each contact, coil, register, etc. is labeled with a label indicating a function such as, and a pattern file is set for each actuator. It is given a name and stored in the storage means 16. The definition parameters 39a and 39b are parameters that define the relationship between the actuator pattern 38 and application parameters described later, and are stored in the storage unit 16.

Next, the control designer inputs application parameters based on the text editor 46 of the system program 24 (STP3A). That is, the control designer uses the conversation input / output means 14 to select the actuator pattern 38 corresponding to the actuator required for each unit constituting the control target, and sets the input / output address of the sequence controller described later. FIG. 5 shows the actuator list 48 displayed on the CRT display 32 with the application parameters thus input. Here, the actuator list 48 shows the relationship between the input / output address and the actuator group in which the operation pattern of the second unit constituting the control target, for example, the jig unit (TT-M / C) is defined. . In this case, the jig unit has an actuator pattern whose pattern file name is ACT2-2.
Two actuators 38 are provided, and input / output addresses 1001, 1002, etc. are set in the contacts, coils, registers, etc. of each actuator.

Actuator pattern set as above
The actuator program 26 is created based on the actuator ladder generation program 50 of the system program 24 using 38, the definition parameters 39a and 39b, and the application parameters (FIG. 5) (STP4A). The actuator program 26 thus created is then converted into an object program by the ladder compiler 52 (STP5A) and then transferred to the sequence controller 56 via the interface 54. The sequence controller 56 has an actuator program 26
Can be directly loaded by communication, but can also be loaded from the programming panel 58 via the floppy disk FD.

Next, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, a step program which is a main part of the control program of the present embodiment.
28 how to create is explained.

In this case, prior to creating the step program 28, the step pattern 40 and the sensing bit pattern 41
(See Fig. 7) and are set (STP1B). here,
The step pattern 40 is one in which an operation circuit for advancing the steps of the control program is set as a ladder program. For example, a transfer ladder that transfers the contents of the step register and the interlock register of the sequence controller to the work register, a condition comparison ladder that compares the state of sensing bits described below with the interlock condition, a step up ladder for step advancement, When the contents of the step register become the target step, an external command output ladder that outputs a command signal, and an interlock command data that writes the interlock command data to the value of the work register of the step command output when the interlock signal is turned on There is a command output ladder that outputs the contents of the work register containing the ladder and command data to the command coil. Also, the sensing bit pattern 41 is a program that replaces the address where the input condition from the controlled object is set with the continuous address of the internal register. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, it is set to the discontinuous address. Input / output condition signals are assigned to sensing bits at consecutive addresses. Although the step pattern 40 and the sensing bit pattern 41 are stored in the storage means 16, they can be set using the ladder editor 44 as in the case of the actuator pattern 38.

Therefore, the control designer selects the step program creation mode using the conversation input / output means 14, and then inputs the step data 60 shown in FIG. 8 from the keyboard 34 using the step editor 59 of the system program 24 (STP2
B). That is, the control designer detects the pattern file name (for example, ACT2-2) of the actuator pattern 38 set when the actuator program 26 is created for each unit to be controlled, the name of the actuator, and the operating state of the actuator. Input label names such as LS, label names of solenoids for driving the actuators, time chart of each actuator, step stepping condition, interlock condition, etc. by using the graphic function as shown in FIG. Go.

Next, the calculation unit 20 of the control program creation device 10 first creates an operation pattern table based on the step ladder generation program 62 of the system program 24 (STP3
B). In this case, the operation pattern table is obtained by converting the step data 60 input as shown in FIG. 8 into the step step condition table 62a, the step command output table 62b, and the interlock input as shown in FIGS. The condition table 62c, the interlock command output table 62d, and the external output table (not shown) are arranged. In this case, the step stepping condition table 62a is a table in which data when the state of the actuator changes in the step data 60 is arranged for each label. Further, the step command output table 62b organizes data for issuing an operation command to the actuator. The interlock input condition table 62c is a table in which interlock input conditions set by the logic program 30 described later are arranged. The interlock command output table 62d organizes data for outputting an interlock command to the logic program 30. Further, the external command output table organizes data for outputting the state of the actuator to the outside, and STO216 indicated by an arrow in the step data 60 of FIG. 8 corresponds to this.

Next, based on the data of the operation pattern table set as described above, the sensing ladder and the condition register including the sensing bit pattern 41 set in step 1B are created. In this case, if the step data 60 is shown in FIG.
It is set as shown (STP4B). In addition, the contents of the operation pattern table are preset step patterns.
It is set in the internal register of 40, and thereby the step program 28 is completed (STP5B).

As described above, in this embodiment, the step data 60 is input as shown in FIG. 8, and the step program 28 is created using the step pattern 40 and the sensing beat pattern 41. In this case, the operator can create the step program 28 simply by setting the time chart for each actuator based on the relationship with the input / output address. Therefore, the step program 28 can be created easily and accurately in a short time. Further, when the step data 60 is input, it is possible to set conditions such as interlock between the actuators, so that the step program 28 can be created more easily.

As with the actuator program 26, the step program 28 created as described above is converted into an object program by the ladder compiler 52 (STP6B) and then transferred to the sequence controller 56 via the interface 54 ( (See Figure 3).

Next, a method for creating the logic program 30 will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. In this case, the control designer uses the conversation input / output means 14 to select the logic program creation mode.

Therefore, the control designer shows the relationship between the label name of the limit switch and the like input when the step program 28 is created and the address and the comment indicating the contents of the I / O.
Create O table (STP1C). Next, using the logic chart editor 69 from the keyboard 34, as shown in FIG. 11, a logic chart 68 indicating logic conditions such as interlock is input (STP2C). Here, each block 70 constituting the logic chart 68 includes a comment area 72a and a label area 72.
b, an address area 72c and a status area 72d showing the ON / OFF status of the limit switch and the like indicated by the label. A message area is provided at the top of the logic chart 68. Further, the displayed area of the block 70 is composed of a coil output unit 74a and a condition setting unit 74b. Each block 70 is represented by a combination of a logical product connected in series from the top to the bottom of the screen and a logical sum connected in parallel from the left to the right of the screen. When inputting each block 70, the combination of the data in the label area 72b and the data in the address area 72c is determined by the I / O table set in step 1C. You only need to enter one.

Then, the logic chart 68 input as described above
Is converted into the logic program 30 by the logic chart conversion program 76 in the system program 24 (STP3
C). This logical program 30 is converted into an object program by the ladder compiler 52 (STP4
C) is transferred to the sequence controller 56 via the interface 54 as in the case of the actuator program 26 and the step program 28 described above.

As described above, the sequence controller 56 stores the desired control program 42, which is an object program. As described above, the actuator program 26, the step program 28, and the logic program 30 may be collectively transferred to the sequence controller 56 at once instead of being individually transferred to the sequence controller 56 by communication. In addition, the above three steps (creating the actuator program 26,
In each step of creating the step program 28 and the logic program 30, the source program is created once using the system program 24 and then converted into an object, but it is also possible to create the object directly. is there.

Therefore, the sequence controller 56 drives and controls a control target such as a work robot based on the control program 42. Here, the drive state of the controlled object is monitored in real time by the monitor controller 78, which is the monitoring means of the control program creating device 10, via the sequence controller 56 and the interface 54. In this case, for example,
If the step data 60 shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the CRT display 32 and the step number etc. being executed based on the data fetched from the sequence controller 56 through the interface 54 is brought up, the operating state of the controlled object is always maintained. Can be monitored. Therefore, it is possible to judge whether or not there is a problem in the control program from this operating state, and make corrections in some cases. It should be noted that this correction work can be easily performed based on the display screen of the step data 60 shown in FIG. 8 as in the control program creation work described above.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the step program is input as a time chart, and the control program is based on the step pattern which is the operation circuit and the time-series step operation data obtained from the time chart. Are being created. In this case, the program creator can easily and accurately create the control program in a short time by using the time chart. Further, since each program is created in a state in accordance with the operation specification of the controlled object, when the program is changed, the changed portion is directly reflected in the change of the specification. As a result, if these programs are output as a list, the function as the latest specification can always be obtained.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various improvements and design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a control program creating method according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of an apparatus to which an embodiment of a control program creating method according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a procedure for creating a certain control program, FIG. 4 is a flowchart for creating an actuator program in the control program creating method according to one embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an illustration of an actuator list obtained when creating the actuator program, FIG. 6 is a flowchart for creating a step program in the control program creating method according to one embodiment, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a sensing bit ladder for creating the step program, and FIG. 8 is a step for creating the step program. Explanatory diagram of data, FIGS. 9A to 9D are step programs. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation pattern table for creating a control program, FIG. 10 is a flowchart for creating a logical program in the control program creating method according to one embodiment, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a logical chart for creating the logical program. . 10 ...... Control program creation device 12 ...... Main body part, 14 ...... Conversation input / output means 16, 18 ...... Storage means, 20 ...... Calculation part 22 ...... Storage part 24 ...... System program 26 ...... Actuator program 28 ... … Step program, 30 …… Logical program 38 …… Actuator patterns 39a, 39b …… Definition parameters 40 …… Step pattern, 41 …… Sensing bit pattern 42 …… Control program 48 …… Actuator list 60 …… Step data 62a… … Step step condition table 62b …… Step command output table 68 …… Logic chart

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An operating circuit for advancing the steps of a control program is set as a step pattern consisting of a ladder program, and then the step operation of each actuator constituting a control target is set to each actuator and each state detector. After creating a time chart together with the input / output address and its operating condition, the time series step operation of each actuator, the state at each step of each state detector, and / or
Alternatively, a control program creating method is characterized in that the operation condition is created as an operation pattern table, and the operation pattern table is combined with the step pattern via the input / output address to create a control program.