JP4621100B2 - Design support program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a design support program for supporting mechanism control design. More specifically, the present invention relates to a software design support program for controlling an apparatus having a movable mechanism such as an opening / closing mechanism such as a door or a unit attaching / detaching mechanism.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, movable mechanisms such as a door, a cartridge, and a fixing unit in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine are configured to be opened and closed or detached. Further, software has been designed so that predetermined mechanism control is performed according to the operation of the movable mechanism, and verification of such software has been performed using an actual device (actual machine).

In addition, with recent improvements in computer performance, proposals have been made to verify control software using simulation technology instead of actual machines. For example, a design support method has been proposed in which an external event such as switching on / off and opening / closing of a cover is generated from an input device such as a keyboard to printer control software (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-5-143260

  However, in the design support method for generating an external event such as opening and closing of the cover as in Patent Document 1, verification of an actual movable mechanism in which various units are designed and arranged in consideration of operability and functionality is not possible. It was enough.

  Various elements are entangled in a movable mechanism in an image forming apparatus such as an actual copying machine, and a configuration in which a state of a simply designated movable mechanism can be directly changed is rare. For example, there are various restrictions for each apparatus such that the detachable unit cannot be removed unless a plurality of movable mechanisms are released in a predetermined order.

  Therefore, in a design support method that directly generates a change in the state of the movable mechanism, it is necessary to operate the movable mechanism in order according to the configuration of the actual machine, which is troublesome in designing and evaluating the control software for the movable mechanism. And the efficiency was poor.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a design support program for efficiently designing and evaluating control software in an apparatus having a plurality of movable mechanisms.

In order to achieve the above object, the design support program according to the present invention simulates the operation of control software in a device having a plurality of movable mechanisms including a detachable detachable unit and an openable / closable door on a computer. An operation for determining whether or not an operation request for the detachable unit has been input by a user using an input means connected to the computer, in the computer-readable design support program capable of verifying the processing operation of the control software. a request determination step, in response to it is determined that there is an action request for the detachable unit by the operation request determination step, the information specifying the state after the operation and information identifying the detachable unit for which the operation request Operation information consisting of a combination of Shows the operation information obtaining step, based on the acquired operation information in the operation information acquiring step, when said detachable unit for which the operation request is operated, whether must be in any position the door is Dependency information acquisition step for acquiring dependency information from a storage means provided in the computer, state information acquisition step for acquiring state information indicating the position of the door from the storage means, and the dependency information acquired in the dependency information acquisition step An operation for comparing the dependency information with the state information indicating the position of the door acquired in the state information acquisition step to determine whether the detachable unit requested to operate can be operated as requested from the input means. and availability determination step, in the operation permission determination step, the operation request of a said detachable unit to said input means If it is determined that operate as required by the al, the position changing step of changing the position of the detachable unit to the position of the detachable unit requested by said input means, was run on the computer, said by the position changing step The computer is caused to simulate the processing operation of the control software in a state where the position of the detachable unit is changed.

Further, the design support program according to the present invention simulates the operation of the control software in a device having a plurality of movable mechanisms including a detachable detachable unit and an openable / closable door on a computer. In the design support program readable by the computer, an operation request determination step for determining whether an operation request for the detachable unit is input by a user using an input means connected to the computer; A combination of information specifying the detachable unit requested to operate and information specifying the state of the door after the operation in response to the operation request determining step determining that the detachable unit is requested to operate. Operation information obtained from the input means An acquisition step, based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquiring step, when said detachable unit for which the operation request is operated, depends on information indicating whether must be in any position the door is Dependent information acquisition step of acquiring from the storage means provided in the computer, state information acquisition step of acquiring the state information indicating the position of the door from the storage means, and the dependency information acquired in the dependency information acquisition step And, based on the status information indicating the position of the door acquired in the status information acquisition step, a batch position change step for batch changing the position of the detachable unit and the door , the computer, in a state where the position of the detachable unit and the door is changed by the position collectively changing step, said control Sofutou The A processing operation, characterized in that to simulate the computer.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a design support program for efficiently designing and evaluating control software in an apparatus having a plurality of movable mechanisms.

  Hereinafter, a design support apparatus according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the term “virtual” is used when referring to virtual paper, a roller, or the like on the simulation, and it is expressed as virtual paper, a virtual roller, or the like.

  FIG. 1 shows a design support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The design support apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment is a paper conveyance simulator that can perform a paper conveyance simulation of an image forming apparatus on a personal computer. In addition, it supports the control timing design of the firmware software that controls the image forming apparatus in the real world, and enables the verification of the processing operation of the firmware software.

  The software simulation unit 1 is for virtually executing firmware software relating to paper conveyance control on a personal computer. The input monitoring unit 4 monitors input from a keyboard device or mouse as a man-machine interface, and instructs the operating system 3 to start execution of the software simulation.

  The execution result of the software simulation is passed to the mechanism simulation unit 2 via the operating system 3. The mechanism simulation unit 2 obtains by calculation which part of the paper transport mechanism the virtual paper is present from the speed of the virtual roller involved in the paper transport control. The obtained virtual paper position information is passed to the display control unit 5 via the operating system 3.

  FIG. 2 is a display example of the paper conveyance simulation screen W1 displayed on the display attached to the personal computer by the display control unit 5. On the paper transport simulation screen W1, the virtual paper transport path is represented by a dotted line, the virtual roller is represented by a circle, the virtual sensor is represented by a triangle, and the virtual paper is represented by a solid line P.

  The software simulation unit 1 and the mechanism simulation unit 2 described here are stored in an HDD or the like (not shown) of a personal computer before execution. When the software simulation unit 1 and the mechanism simulation unit 2 are executed, they are executed after being developed on a RAM (not shown) of a personal computer.

  FIG. 3 shows aspects of the software simulation unit 1 and the mechanism simulation unit 2 of the design support apparatus in this embodiment. Note that the operating system 3 involved between the software simulation unit 1 and the mechanism simulation unit 2 is omitted because it is irrelevant to the description.

  The software simulation unit 1 includes a firmware software unit 10, a wrapper unit 11, an input I / F unit 12, and an output I / F unit 13.

  The firmware software unit 10 is software for performing paper conveyance control of an image forming apparatus in the real world.

  The wrapper unit 11 is a part for operating firmware software of an image forming apparatus in the real world on a personal computer.

  The input I / F unit 12 is a part for inputting information from the mechanism simulation unit 2. The output I / F unit 13 is a part that outputs information to the mechanism simulation unit 2.

  The mechanism simulation unit 2 includes a paper position calculation unit 20, a roller simulation unit 21, a motor simulation unit 22, an input I / F unit 23, a path management unit 24, and a flapper simulation unit 25. The mechanism simulation unit 2 includes a sensor simulation unit 26, an output I / F unit 27, a paper position display unit 28, a door simulation unit 29, and a UI unit 30.

  The input I / F unit 23 is a part that receives an output result from the output I / F unit 13 of the software simulation unit 1, and provides control information of various devices such as a virtual motor, a virtual clutch, and a virtual flapper related to paper conveyance control in a subsequent stage. To pass to.

The motor simulation unit 22 rotates or stops the virtual motor at a speed based on information from the previous input I / F unit 23. Further, the connection relationship between the virtual motor and the virtual roller or between the virtual motor and the virtual clutch is held, and it is determined whether the rotation information of the virtual motor is passed to the roller simulation unit 21 or the clutch simulation unit 23.

  The clutch simulation unit 23 turns the virtual clutch on or off based on information from the previous input I / F unit 23. Further, the connection relationship between the virtual clutch and the virtual roller is held, and it is determined based on the ON or OFF state whether or not the rotation information of the virtual motor transferred from the motor simulation unit 22 is transferred to the roller simulation unit 21.

  The roller simulation unit 21 is a part for rotating the virtual roller according to the rotation speed and the rotation direction from the motor simulation unit 22 or the clutch simulation unit 23 in the previous stage.

  The paper position calculation unit 20 receives information on the virtual paper transport path from the path management unit 24 that manages the virtual paper transport path as a plurality of divided blocks, and determines the virtual paper according to the roller rotation speed in the roller simulation unit 21. It is a part for calculating the front-end | tip position and rear-end position of.

  The flapper simulation unit 25 is a part that simulates the operation of a virtual flapper that is a device for switching the virtual paper transport path. Further, the flapper simulation unit 25 is for giving information on which virtual paper transport path should be selected to the path management unit 24 based on the information from the input I / F unit 23 in the previous stage.

  The paper position display unit 28 instructs the display control unit 5 to display the above-described paper conveyance simulation screen W1 based on the leading edge position and the trailing edge position of the virtual paper calculated by the preceding paper position calculation unit 20. It is a part for.

  The sensor simulation unit 26 is a part for setting information corresponding to ON or OFF based on the virtual paper position information from the paper position calculation unit 20 in the previous stage and passing it to the output I / F unit 27.

  The output I / F unit 27 is a part for giving information corresponding to the sensor ON or OFF set by the sensor simulation unit 26 in the previous stage to the input I / F unit 12 of the software simulation unit 1.

<Paper transport simulation>
Next, a description will be added in accordance with an actual simulation operation using FIG. FIG. 4 is an example of various device arrangements relating to paper conveyance control. Here, the virtual paper P is transported by the virtual roller R1 in the direction of the solid line arrow on the virtual path AB, and the virtual flapper FL1 is switched at the timing when the tip of the virtual paper P passes through the virtual sensor S1 to the virtual path BC or the virtual path BD. It is premised on a simulation of advancing virtual paper P. The virtual roller R1 is driven from the virtual motor M1 through the virtual clutch CL1. A dotted arrow indicates a driving relationship.

  When the designer instructs the start of the paper conveyance simulation from the man-machine interface, the software simulation unit 1 and the mechanism simulation unit 2 are executed by the operating system 3 via the input monitoring unit 4. When the software simulation unit 1 is started, the firm software unit 10 cooperates with the wrapper unit 11 and the operating system 3 to sequentially execute software for performing paper conveyance control of the real-world image forming apparatus.

  When the process of starting rotation of the virtual motor M1 is started in the firmware software unit 10, the ID number, rotation speed, and rotation direction for specifying the virtual motor M1 via the output I / F unit 12 are used as commands in the mechanism simulation unit 2. This is given to the input I / F unit 23. The input I / F unit 23 interprets the command, determines that it is for the virtual motor M1, and passes it to the motor simulation unit 22.

The motor simulation unit 22 starts rotation of the virtual motor M1, searches for a virtual roller or virtual clutch to which the virtual motor M1 is driving, and passes the rotation speed and rotation direction to the roller simulation unit 21 or the clutch simulation unit 23. . Since the virtual roller R1 is driven through the virtual clutch CL1, the rotation speed and the rotation direction are passed to the clutch simulation unit 23.

  Based on the ON / OFF information of the virtual clutch CL1, the clutch simulation unit 23 determines whether or not to pass information on the rotation speed and rotation direction of the virtual roller R1 to the roller simulation unit 21.

  The paper position calculation unit 20 calculates the positions of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the virtual paper P at a predetermined time interval t. First, information on the virtual path AB including the leading edge to the trailing edge of the virtual paper P is read from the path management unit 24. The path information held by the path management unit 24 includes the ID and position information of the virtual roller in each virtual path. Then, the paper position calculation unit 20 searches for the virtual roller from the front end position of the virtual paper P toward the rear end, and inquires of the roller simulation unit 21 about the speed v using the ID of the virtual roller R1 found first. .

  The position of the virtual paper P is updated by obtaining the distance S = v × t that the virtual paper P has traveled between the speed v and the time interval t. The updated position information is transferred to the paper position display unit 28 and displayed on the paper transport simulation screen W1.

  The path information held by the path management unit 24 includes the ID of the virtual sensor in each virtual path and its position information. The paper position calculation unit 20 searches for a virtual sensor from the front end position of the virtual paper P toward the rear end, and passes the ON information of the found virtual sensor S1 to the sensor simulation unit 26. Further, when the rear end of the virtual paper P passes through the virtual sensor S1, the OFF information of the virtual sensor S1 is passed to the sensor simulation unit 26.

  The sensor simulation unit 26 holds the ON or OFF state of the virtual sensor S1 and outputs ON information to the output I / F unit 27.

  The output I / F unit 27 converts ON information of the virtual sensor S1 into a command and outputs the command to the input I / F unit 12 of the software simulation unit 1.

The firmware software unit 10 receives the ON information of the sensor S1 from the input I / F unit 12, and starts control of the virtual flapper FL1. The command transmission to the mechanism simulation unit 2 is almost the same as in the case of the virtual motor M1. Upon receipt of the control command of the virtual flapper FL1, the flapper simulation unit 25 in the mechanism simulation unit 2 passes the virtual flapper switching information of the corresponding ID to the path management unit 24.

  When the leading edge of the virtual paper P reaches the branch point B, the paper position calculation unit 20 reads the virtual path to be advanced next from the path management unit 24. Then, the path management unit 24 determines whether the traveling direction of the virtual paper P is a virtual path BC or a virtual path BD according to the switching state of the virtual flapper FL1, and returns path information to the paper position calculation unit 20 To change.

<Moveable mechanism simulation>
The movable mechanism simulation according to the present invention will be described in detail below by taking the configuration of the movable mechanism as shown in FIGS.

  First, the movable mechanism system 500 illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7 includes a door A 501, a door B 502, a door C 503, and a detachable unit 504.

  In FIG. 5, the movable mechanism system 500 shows a state where the door A501, the door B502, and the door C503 are all closed, and the detachable unit 504 is worn.

  In FIG. 6, the movable mechanism system 500 shows a state where the door A 501, the door B 502, and the door C 503 are all open, and the detachable unit 504 is worn.

  On the other hand, the arrangement of the door A501, the door B502, the door C503, and the attachment / detachment unit 504 is as shown in FIG. 7 (view of the movable mechanism system 500 as viewed from above).

According to the relationship of FIG. 7, the operation of each of the movable mechanisms of the door A 501, the door B 502, the door C 503, and the detachable unit 504 can be performed according to the current state of operation (open / close, detachable) of the movable mechanism. It becomes impossible. That is, the following constraint conditions are applied to the operation of each movable mechanism.

  If the door A501 and the door B502 are not opened, the door C503 cannot be operated. The detachable unit 504 cannot be operated unless the door A501, the door B502, and the door C503 are all opened.

  Next, FIG. 8 shows a configuration of a main control unit in the movable mechanism simulation. FIG. 8 is a detailed diagram of the door simulation unit 29 and the UI (User Interface) unit 30 shown in FIG.

  Reference numeral 291 denotes a movable mechanism control unit. Reference numeral 292 denotes a dependency information storage unit in which “dependence information” necessary for transition of the state of each movable mechanism is defined for all OBJs (Objects) of the movable mechanism that simulate the operation in the movable mechanism simulation.

  Reference numeral 293 denotes a door OBJ management unit that manages OBJ related to the door in the movable mechanism.

  Reference numeral 294 denotes a detachable unit OBJ management unit that manages OBJ related to the detachable unit of the movable mechanism. An information body 295 holds individual information of each door OBJ managed by the door OBJ management unit 293. An information body 296 holds individual information of each detachable OBJ managed by the detachable unit OBJ management unit 294. In FIG. 8, one information body is defined for one OBJ of each movable mechanism. However, in the present invention, the configuration is not particularly limited.

  Reference numeral 301 denotes a display unit that outlines the state of the system 500 including the door OBJ and the detachable unit OBJ to be simulated. Reference numeral 302 denotes an operation unit that performs operations on the door OBJ and the detachable unit OBJ. A state display unit 303 displays the current state of each movable mechanism OBJ.

  Next, a movable mechanism simulation at the time of individual operation of the movable OBJ will be described with reference to FIG.

When the movable mechanism simulation at the time of individual operation is started, the movable mechanism control unit 291 acquires “dependence information” regarding the operation of each movable mechanism from the dependency information storage unit 292 (S701). The “dependence information” is information indicating what state the other movable mechanism should have when a certain movable mechanism operates (opens / closes and attaches / detaches).

Here, as information about the dependency information storage unit 292, for example,
Target OBJ name Status: (Other OBJ1 name status) Relational expression (Other OBJ2 name status)
. . . . . . . . .
For example, an information record is described for each condition simulated by the simulation operation for each OBJ. Specifically, the description is as follows.
DoorC Open: (Mobile_unit1 void) AND (DoorA Open) AND (DoorB Open)
DoorC Close: (Mobile_unit void) AND (DoorA Open) AND (DoorB Open)
. . . . . . . . .
Mobile_unit1 attach: (DoorA Open) AND (DoorB Open) AND (DoorC Open)
Mobile_unit1 Detach: (DoorA Open) AND (DoorB Open) AND (DoorC Open)
. . . . . . . . .
Note that the description format is not particularly limited in the present invention. Next, an initial state is set for each movable mechanism (S702). Here, the movable mechanism control unit 291 sets initial states for the movable mechanisms OBJ 295 and 296 via the movable mechanism management units 293 and 294.

  Then, it is monitored whether an instruction to end the simulation operation is given from the UI unit 30. When the end is instructed, the movable mechanism simulation is ended (S703). The instruction to end the simulation operation is given by, for example, an end button of a man machine interface (keyboard or the like). Further, the simulation is continued unless there is an instruction to end the simulation operation.

Next, it is determined whether or not there is an operation request from the UI unit 30 (S704). If there is an operation request, the movable mechanism control unit 291, information specifying the mobile OBJ be assigned as needed, a combination of information for designating the state after operating the "operation information" from the UI unit 30 to get (S 705).

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, “operation information” indicating “putting the detachable unit 501 into the wearing state” is notified from the UI unit 30 to the door simulation unit 29, and the movable mechanism control unit 291 receives it.

  Thereafter, based on the “operation information” received in step S705, the movable mechanism control unit 291 acquires “dependency information” from the dependency information storage unit 292 when the target movable OBJ is in the designated state (S706).

Then, “current state information” of each movable OBJ is acquired from each movable mechanism management unit 293, 294 (S707). For example, information such as whether the cover is open or closed is acquired here. Next, by comparing the “dependency information” with the “current state information”, it is determined whether or not the operation can be performed as requested (S708).

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that a request for taking out the detachable unit 504 is made when the door A501, the door B502, and the door C503 are closed. In this case, since the door A501, the door B502, and the door C503 are required to be taken out in order to take out the detachable unit 504, it is determined that the operation (detachment) cannot be performed.

If it is determined in step S708 that the operation can be performed as requested, the movable mechanism control unit 291 executes the operation instruction determined to be possible in S708. That is, the state (position) of the target movable mechanisms OBJ 295 and 296 is changed by instructing each movable mechanism management unit of 293 and 294 based on the operation instruction (S709).

  At this time, the movable mechanism control unit 291 notifies the sensor simulation unit 26 of a change in the virtual sensor output to which the movable mechanism is assigned. Thereafter, the display on the display unit 301 of the UI unit 30 is changed (S710).

At this time, by operating the movable OBJ in step S709, with respect to the movable OBJ operation restriction is newly added, may display limited information of the operation from the UI unit 30.

If it is determined in step S708 that the operation cannot be performed as requested, a message to that effect is notified to the UI unit 30 to the user (S711). The above is the operation flow of the movable mechanism simulation.

<Simulation by collective operation of movable mechanism>
In the above description, the movable mechanism simulation at the time of individual operation has been described. Instead of applying this, a simulation by a movable mechanism batch operation described below may be applied.

  A collective operation of related movable OBJs according to an operation of the target movable OBJ according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the processes with the same numbers in the figure are the same, and those with the same numbers in the following description are the same as those with the same numbers described above, so the description thereof is omitted.

When the movable mechanism simulation by the collective operation is started, the movable mechanism control unit 291 acquires “dependence information” regarding the operation of each movable mechanism from the dependency information storage unit 292 (S701). Then, an initial state is set for each movable mechanism (S702).

Next, an instruction to end the simulation operation is monitored from the UI unit 30 (S703). Then, it is determined whether or not there is an operation request from the UI unit 30 (S704). If there is an operation request, the movable mechanism control unit 291, information specifying the mobile OBJ be assigned as needed, a combination of information for designating the state after operating the "operation information" from the UI unit 30 to get (S 705).

  Thereafter, based on the “operation information” received in step S705, the movable mechanism control unit 291 acquires “dependency information” from the dependency information storage unit 292 when the target movable OBJ is in the designated state (S706).

Then, “current state information” indicating the current position of each movable OBJ is acquired from each movable mechanism management unit 293, 294 (S707). Next, “dependency information” and “current state information” are compared, and the latter (“current state information” of the movable OBJ) is different from the former (“dependency information” of the other movable OBJ). Are all transitioned based on the former information. Thereby, the states (positions) of the plurality of movable mechanisms are collectively changed (S808).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that a request for taking out the detachable unit 504 is made when the door A501, the door B502, and the door C503 are closed. In this case, the state of the door A501, the door B502, and the door C503 is changed to the open state collectively, and the state where the detachable unit 504 is taken out is changed.

  At this time, the movable mechanism control unit 291 notifies the sensor simulation unit 26 of changes in the virtual sensor output to which all the OBJs that have changed the state of the movable mechanism OBJ are assigned.

  Thereafter, the state of the movable mechanism OBJ whose state has been changed in S805 and the display of the entire system are notified to the UI 30 unit, and the display information of the UI unit is updated (S809).

It is a control block diagram of the design support apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a screen display image figure of the design support apparatus of FIG. It is a more detailed control block diagram of the design support apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the conveyance simulation which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure showing the model for demonstrating the movable mechanism simulation which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure showing the model for demonstrating the movable mechanism simulation which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure showing the model for demonstrating the movable mechanism simulation which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is detail drawing of the movable mechanism simulation part which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart at the time of individual operation by the movable mechanism simulation part which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart at the time of collective operation by the movable mechanism simulation part which concerns on the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Software simulation part 2 Mechanism simulation part 3 Operating system 4 Input device 5 Display control part 10 Firm software part 11 Wrapper part 12 Input I / F part 13 Output I / F part 20 Paper position calculation part 21 Roller simulation part 22 Motor simulation part 23 Clutch simulation unit 24 Path management unit 25 Flapper simulation unit 26 Sensor simulation unit 27 Output I / F unit 28 Paper position display unit 29 Door simulation unit 30 UI unit CL1 Virtual clutch FL1 Virtual flapper M1 Virtual motor P Virtual paper R1 Virtual roller W1 Paper transport simulation screen

Claims (4)

By simulating on the computer the operation of the control software in a device having a plurality of movable mechanisms including a detachable detachable unit and an openable door, the processing operation of the control software can be verified, and can be read by the computer In a design support program
An operation request determination step of determining whether an operation request of the detachable unit is input by a user using an input means connected to the computer;
The operation request determination in response to it is judged that there is operation request of the detachable unit at step consist of a combination of the information specifying the state after the operation and information identifying the detachable unit for which the operation request operation An operation information acquisition step of acquiring information from the input means;
Based on the operation information acquired in the operation information acquisition step, dependency information indicating what position the door should be in when the detachable unit requested to operate is operated to the computer. A dependency information acquisition step acquired from the provided storage means;
A status information acquisition step of acquiring status information indicating the position of the door from the storage means;
The dependency information acquired in the dependency information acquisition step is compared with the state information indicating the position of the door acquired in the state information acquisition step, and the detachable unit requested to operate is requested from the input means. An operation propriety determination step for determining whether or not the operation can be performed,
In the operation permission determination step, when said detachable unit for which the operation request is determined that operate as requested from said input means, changing the position of the detachable unit to the position of the detachable unit requested by said input means A position change step to be performed;
The design support program causing the computer to simulate the processing operation of the control software in a state where the position of the detachable unit is changed in the position changing step. For a movable mechanism whose operation is restricted by changing the position of the detachable unit made in the position changing step, operation restriction information is displayed on a display unit provided in the computer. The design support program according to claim 1. In the operation availability determination step, when it is determined that the detachable unit requested to operate cannot be operated as requested from the input unit, a warning is displayed on a display unit provided in the computer. The design support program according to Item 1. By simulating on the computer the operation of the control software in a device having a plurality of movable mechanisms including a detachable detachable unit and an openable door, the processing operation of the control software can be verified, and can be read by the computer In a design support program
An operation request determination step of determining whether an operation request of the detachable unit is input by a user using an input means connected to the computer;
A combination of information specifying the detachable unit requested to operate and information specifying the state of the door after the operation in response to the operation request determining step determining that the detachable unit is requested to operate. An operation information acquisition step for acquiring operation information from the input means;
Based on the operation information acquired in the operation information acquisition step, dependency information indicating what position the door should be in when the detachable unit requested to operate is operated to the computer. A dependency information acquisition step acquired from the provided storage means;
A status information acquisition step of acquiring status information indicating the position of the door from the storage means;
Position batch change that batch-changes the positions of the detachable unit and the door based on the dependency information acquired in the dependency information acquisition step and the state information indicating the position of the door acquired in the state information acquisition step. Steps,
The design support program causing the computer to simulate the processing operation of the control software in a state where the positions of the detachable unit and the door are changed in the batch position changing step.

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