JP6479273B1 - Control unit and temperature judgment method - Google Patents

Abstract

  In the CPU unit (10), when the first operating condition that is the user's use condition is determined and the first operating condition includes a function that exceeds the specification upper limit that is a design guarantee, the specification upper limit is exceeded. For the combination of the function and the function that does not exceed the specification upper limit value, the temperature analysis unit that determines the pass / fail of the component temperature, which is the component temperature, and the determination result that is the result of the determination by the temperature analysis unit are presented on the display A result output unit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a control unit and a temperature determination method for determining whether or not a component temperature when processing is performed is an appropriate temperature.

  A programmable logic controller (PLC) is a device that controls a controlled device. Such a PLC is configured by using a plurality of components, and an upper limit allowable temperature of the components is set in order to prevent malfunction or failure due to a temperature rise of the components. For this reason, the PLC needs to be designed so as not to exceed the upper limit allowable temperature of each component. For example, specifications are provided for functions used when performing various processes such as lowering the computing performance to reduce the temperature of each component and for the PLC to perform communication so that all components do not exceed the upper limit allowable temperature at the maximum operating ambient temperature. It may be shaved from. Each specification value of such a function is determined on the assumption that all functions are used simultaneously. However, there is a demand from users who use a PLC in an environment where the ambient temperature is low, or who do not use a specific function, to use a function exceeding the specification upper limit value which is a design guarantee. Here, there exists the following patent document 1 about temperature determination.

  The programmable controller described in Patent Document 1 calculates the average simultaneous on-rate of the input / output circuit, and grasps the internal temperature of the programmable controller using the average simultaneous on-rate.

JP2013-205878A

  However, in Patent Document 1, which is the above-described conventional technique, the temperature is merely determined based on the average simultaneous on-rate of the input / output circuit. Therefore, the user may use more than the design guarantee value with a function other than the average simultaneous on-rate. If you want to, you could not determine the appropriate temperature.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and includes a control unit that can accurately determine whether or not a component temperature corresponding to an operation condition for realizing a function desired by a user is an appropriate temperature. The purpose is to obtain.

To solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a control unit, a first operating condition including a plurality of functions used in performing and processing me use conditions der users determines, in the case of including a function of first operating condition exceeds the specification limit is a design assurance, and features beyond upper specification limit value, with respect to the combination of the features does not exceed the specification limit, combined A determination unit that determines whether or not a component temperature, which is a component temperature when the process is executed using the function , is determined. In addition, the control unit of the present invention includes a result presentation unit that presents a determination result, which is a result of the determination, on the display device.

  The control unit according to the present invention has an effect that it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the component temperature corresponding to the operating condition is an appropriate temperature.

The figure which shows the structure of PLC concerning embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the structure of CPU (Central Processing Unit) unit concerning embodiment The flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the CPU unit concerning embodiment The figure which shows the structural example of the correspondence table concerning embodiment The figure which shows the example of the operating condition concerning embodiment The figure which shows the example of the setting screen for setting the operating condition concerning embodiment The figure for demonstrating the access frequency calculation process concerning embodiment The figure which shows the hardware structural example of the CPU unit concerning embodiment

  Hereinafter, a control unit and a temperature determination method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a PLC according to an embodiment of the present invention. The PLC 1 is a device that controls a controlled device (not shown) based on a sequence program. The PLC 1 includes a CPU unit 10 that is a control unit, and the CPU unit 10 includes a plurality of components 25. The temperature of each component 25 changes when the CPU unit 10 executes various processes. The CPU unit 10 according to the embodiment determines whether or not the temperature of the component 25 when the CPU unit 10 executes various processes is an appropriate temperature.

  Examples of the component 25 are an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a memory, a battery, an output relay, or a capacitor. The memory that is an example of the component 25 is a work memory, a nonvolatile memory, and a volatile memory, which will be described later.

  The temperature sensor 20 that is a temperature measuring unit measures the ambient temperature of the component 25 disposed in the CPU unit 10. The use ambient temperature of the component 25 is the ambient temperature of the component 25 when the CPU unit 10 operates. Here, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 20 is the ambient temperature at which the component 25 is used. Note that the operating ambient temperature of the component 25 may be input by the user. In other words, the operating ambient temperature of the component 25 may be an actual measured value or a set value by the user. In the following description, the use ambient temperature of the component 25 is referred to as an ambient temperature TA. In the PLC 1, if the ambient temperature TA is high, the component temperature described later also becomes high, so that it is necessary to acquire the ambient temperature TA by the temperature sensor 20 or input the ambient temperature TA by the user.

  The PLC 1 is connected to an alarm output device 3 that outputs an alarm. The alarm output device 3 may be disposed in the PLC 1. The CPU unit 10 according to the embodiment causes the alarm output device 3 to output an alarm when the temperature of the component 25 is inappropriate.

  The PLC 1 is connected to a display device 2 such as a programmable display. The CPU unit 10 may display the determination result of the temperature of the component 25 on the display device 2. Further, the CPU unit 10 may cause the display device 2 to display an operation condition change example corresponding to the determination result. The operating condition change example is information for prompting the user to change the operating condition when the CPU unit 10 operates. The CPU unit 10 presents the user with an example of changing the operating conditions in which the component temperature, which is the temperature of the component 25, falls within an appropriate temperature range. The CPU unit 10 causes the display device 2 to display an operation condition change example for lowering the component temperature or an operation condition change example for improving the operation performance of the CPU unit 10.

  The PLC 1 includes various units such as an input / output unit 51, a power supply unit 52, and an analog unit 53. The CPU unit 10, the input / output unit 51, the power supply unit 52, and the analog unit 53 are connected to a bus (not shown).

  The CPU unit 10 controls the controlled device connected to the PLC 1. Examples of controlled devices are sensors or robots. The CPU unit 10 makes a pass / fail determination for the component temperature based on the operating conditions of the CPU unit 10. The operating conditions of the CPU unit 10 include the operating environment in which the CPU unit 10 operates, the computing performance set in the CPU unit 10 and the functions used by the CPU unit 10.

  The CPU unit 10 analyzes the component temperature of the component 25 arranged in the CPU unit 10. Specifically, the CPU unit 10 determines that the component temperature is unacceptable when the component temperature exceeds the upper limit allowable temperature, and determines that the component is acceptable when the component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature. The upper limit allowable temperature is an upper limit value of the component temperature allowed for the component 25. When the component temperature exceeds the upper limit allowable temperature, the CPU unit 10 causes an external device such as the alarm output device 3 to output an alarm. Further, the CPU unit 10 outputs a pass / fail determination result, which is a result of analyzing the component temperature, to the outside such as the display device 2.

  The input / output unit 51 is a unit that executes input and output of signals. The input / output unit 51 has an input circuit for taking in an input signal from the outside and an output circuit for generating an output signal for operating the controlled device.

  The power supply unit 52 is a unit that supplies power to the CPU unit 10, the input / output unit 51, and the analog unit 53. The analog unit 53 is an interface that converts an external analog signal into a digital value and imports it into the PLC 1.

  The temperature sensor 20 may be disposed outside the CPU unit 10. Further, the component 25 may be arranged outside the CPU unit 10. Further, the component 25 may be an external memory attached to the CPU unit 10.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the CPU unit according to the embodiment. The CPU unit 10 includes an ambient temperature accepting unit 11A that accepts an ambient temperature TA that is a use ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 20, and an ambient temperature accepting unit 11B that accepts an ambient temperature TA input from a user. Note that the CPU unit 10 may include both of the ambient temperature receiving units 11A and 11B or only one of them.

  In addition, the CPU unit 10 includes a control program storage unit 14 that stores a control program used by the CPU unit 10 for controlling controlled devices, and a use function storage unit 13 that stores use functions used by the CPU unit 10. . The CPU unit 10 also includes a correspondence DB (Database) 15 that stores the correspondence between the operating conditions when the CPU unit 10 executes processing and the pass / fail judgment result of the component temperature.

  Further, the CPU unit 10 analyzes and determines whether or not the component temperature when the CPU unit 10 operates is acceptable based on the ambient temperature TA, the control program, the use function, and the correspondence relationship. It has. Further, the CPU unit 10 includes a result output unit 16 that outputs information corresponding to the determination result by the temperature analysis unit 12 to the outside.

  The CPU unit 10 also includes a control unit 17 that controls the controlled device using a control program, and an instruction output unit 18 that outputs a control instruction generated by the control unit 17 to the controlled device side. The CPU unit 10 also includes a function setting unit 19 that sets a function to be used for a tool such as a logging setting tool in accordance with an instruction input from the user.

  The temperature analysis unit 12 is connected to the ambient temperature reception units 11A and 11B, the used function storage unit 13, the control program storage unit 14, the correspondence DB 15, the result output unit 16, and the control unit 17. The control unit 17 is connected to the instruction output unit 18, the function setting unit 19, and the control program storage unit 14. The function setting unit 19 is connected to the used function storage unit 13. The result output unit 16 is connected to the display device 2 and the alarm output device 3.

  The ambient temperature reception unit 11A is connected to the temperature sensor 20, receives the ambient temperature TA detected by the temperature sensor 20, and sends the ambient temperature TA to the temperature analysis unit 12. The ambient temperature reception unit 11B is connected to an input device such as a touch panel, a mouse, or a keyboard, and receives the ambient temperature TA input by the user and sends it to the temperature analysis unit 12. The touch panel may be provided in the display device 2.

  The control program stored in the control program storage unit 14 may be a sequence program such as a ladder program, or may be another program. The use function stored in the use function storage unit 13 is a function such as data logging or Ethernet (registered trademark) communication. The function setting unit 19 sets a use function via a tool designated by the user, and stores information indicating the contents of the set function in the use function storage unit 13. An example of a tool used when a use function is set by a user is a logging setting tool or an Ethernet communication setting tool.

  The correspondence relationship stored in the correspondence relationship DB 15 that is the correspondence relationship storage unit is a correspondence relationship table 101 described later in which a plurality of operation condition candidates used by the CPU unit 10 are associated with the result of the pass / fail judgment of the component temperature. In the correspondence relationship table 101 as correspondence relationship information, a pass / fail judgment of “fail” is registered for a combination of operating conditions when the component temperature is higher than the upper limit allowable temperature, and the component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature. The pass / fail judgment of “pass” is registered in the combination of the operating conditions. Examples of the operating conditions registered in the correspondence table 101 are the operating environment in which the CPU unit 10 operates, the computing performance set in the CPU unit 10 and the functions used by the CPU unit 10. The correspondence DB 15 stores a correspondence table 101 for each component 25.

  The temperature analysis unit 12, which is a determination unit, analyzes the control program stored in the control program storage unit 14, the correspondence table 101 stored in the correspondence DB 15, and the use function stored in the use function storage unit 13, and generates an analysis result. Based on this, the pass / fail of the component temperature is determined. The temperature analysis unit 12 sends an instruction corresponding to the pass / fail determination of the component temperature to the result output unit 16 that is a result presentation unit. The temperature analysis unit 12 sends an alarm output instruction to the result output unit 16 when the component temperature fails.

  Further, the temperature analysis unit 12 may cause the display device 2 to display an operation condition change example that is an example of an operation condition that can be changed by the CPU unit 10 via the result output unit 16. In this case, the temperature analysis unit 12 extracts any combination from the combinations of operating conditions associated in the correspondence table 101 and displays them on the display device 2 via the result output unit 16. An example of changing the operating condition that can be changed by the user is presented via the result output unit 16.

  When the temperature of the component 25 is higher than the upper limit allowable temperature, the temperature analysis unit 12 causes the display device 2 to display an operation condition change example for lowering the component temperature via the result output unit 16. In addition, when the component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature, the temperature analysis unit 12 causes the display device 2 to display an operation condition change example that improves the operation performance of the CPU unit 10 via the result output unit 16. When an operation condition that the user does not want to change is specified by the user, the temperature analysis unit 12 uses the result output unit 16 to change an operation condition that is an operation condition other than the operation condition specified by the user. May be displayed on the display device 2.

  The result output unit 16 may cause the display device 2 to display an alarm or display an operation condition change example, or may cause the alarm output device 3 to output an alarm. The result output unit 16 determines whether the CPU unit 10 has received an alarm display instruction to be sent to the display device 2, a display instruction to change the operating condition to be sent to the display device 2, or an alarm output instruction to be sent to the alarm output device 3. Is information corresponding to. Thus, the result output unit 16 presents the pass / fail determination result to the outside such as the display device 2 or the alarm output device 3.

  The alarm output device 3 is a sound output device or an optical output device. When the alarm output device 3 is a sound output device, the alarm output device 3 outputs an alarm sound. When the alarm output device 3 is a light output device, the alarm output device 3 outputs light corresponding to the alarm. . An example of the light output device is an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

  Note that the temperature analysis unit 12 may calculate the component temperature using a mathematical formula and operating conditions for calculating the component temperature. When the component temperature is calculated using mathematical formulas, the temperature analysis unit 12 compares the calculated component temperature with the upper limit allowable temperature to determine whether or not the component temperature is acceptable. Further, the alarm output device 3 sends a temperature calculation result, which is a component temperature calculated using mathematical formulas, to the display device 2. Note that at least one of the display device 2 and the alarm output device 3 may be disposed in the CPU unit 10.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an operation procedure of the CPU unit according to the embodiment. Note that the timing at which the CPU unit 10 determines whether the component temperature is an appropriate temperature or an inappropriate temperature may be any timing. That is, the CPU unit 10 may perform temperature determination before starting control of the controlled device, or may perform temperature determination during control of the controlled device.

  The control program storage unit 14 stores a control program in advance. In addition, the correspondence relationship DB 15 stores a correspondence relationship table 101 in advance. The function setting unit 19 accepts settings of functions used for various setting tools by the user. In step S <b> 10, the function setting unit 19 sets the use function by registering the accepted use function in the use function storage unit 13.

  In step S <b> 20, the ambient temperature reception unit 11 </ b> A or the ambient temperature reception unit 11 </ b> B inputs the ambient temperature TA to the temperature analysis unit 12. When the CPU unit 10 is set to use the ambient temperature reception unit 11A, the ambient temperature reception unit 11A receives the ambient temperature TA detected by the temperature sensor 20 and inputs it to the temperature analysis unit 12. On the other hand, when the CPU unit 10 is set to use the ambient temperature reception unit 11B, the ambient temperature reception unit 11B receives the ambient temperature TA from the user and inputs it to the temperature analysis unit 12. Note that either the process of step S10 or the process of step S20 may be executed first.

  The temperature analysis unit 12 reads the control program from the control program storage unit 14, reads the correspondence relationship table 101 from the correspondence relationship DB 15, and reads the use function from the use function storage unit 13.

  Here, the configuration of the correspondence table 101 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a correspondence table according to the embodiment. The correspondence relationship table 101 is an information table in which one to a plurality of operation conditions used when the CPU unit 10 controls the controlled device and the result of determining whether or not the component temperature is acceptable are associated with each other. In the correspondence relationship table 101, a plurality of combinations of operation condition candidates used by the CPU unit 10 and pass / fail judgment results are registered. In addition, No. The operating condition indicated by an identifier of 0 is the upper limit value of each function when all functions are used. That is, no. The numerical value of each item of 0 is the specification upper limit value of each function. This specification upper limit is a design guarantee value set by the manufacturer of the CPU unit 10. The operating conditions of the CPU unit 10 include an operating environment in which the CPU unit 10 operates, computing performance set in the CPU unit 10, and functions used by the CPU unit 10. An example of the operating environment in which the CPU unit 10 operates is the ambient temperature TA of the component 25. An example of the calculation performance set in the CPU unit 10 is the operating frequency of the CPU unit 10. Further, examples of functions used by the CPU unit 10 are logging, Ethernet communication, or memory access. Hereinafter, one operating condition registered in the correspondence table 101 may be referred to as one item.

  In the correspondence table 101 illustrated in FIG. 4, seven items are associated with a pass / fail determination result that is a temperature determination result. The operating conditions registered in the correspondence table 101 include the ambient temperature TA of the component 25, the operating frequency of the CPU unit 10, presence / absence of “use of logging”, “logging cycle”, presence / absence of “use of Ethernet communication”, “ It is “the number of memory access instructions” or “memory access wait”.

  “Logging period” indicates a period in logging. “Number of memory access instructions” indicates the number of times the CPU unit 10 accesses the memory within the program execution time, and “Memory access wait” indicates when the CPU unit 10 accesses the memory within the program execution time. The wait time is shown. The operating conditions in the correspondence table 101 include operating conditions for functions whose operating conditions exceed the specification upper limit value that is a design guarantee, and operating conditions for functions that do not exceed the upper limit value for the specifications. Note that the numerical value registered in the correspondence table 101 may be a numerical value range.

  A pass / fail judgment result indicating acceptance is registered for the combination of operating conditions when the component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature, and a pass / fail result indicating failure for the combination of operating conditions when the component temperature is higher than the upper limit allowable temperature. Judgment results are registered. The pass / fail judgment result is set in advance for each combination of operating conditions. Specifically, the computer that performs the pass / fail determination calculates the component temperature when the CPU unit 10 is operated using a combination of operation conditions. The computer that performs the pass / fail determination makes a pass / fail determination of the component temperature by comparing the calculated component temperature with the upper limit allowable temperature. The computer that performs the pass / fail determination determines that the calculation is successful if the calculated component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature, and determines that the calculation is rejected if the calculated component temperature is higher than the upper limit allowable temperature. Then, the computer that performs the pass / fail determination registers the pass / fail determination result in the correspondence table 101. Note that the computer that performs the pass / fail determination may register the component temperature in the correspondence table 101 or the upper limit allowable temperature. The computer that performs the pass / fail determination performs component temperature calculation, pass / fail determination, and registration in the correspondence table 101 for each component 25. Note that the operation condition of the CPU unit 10 may not include any one of the calculation performance set in the CPU unit 10 and the function used by the CPU unit 10.

  In the correspondence table 101, identification information is associated with combinations of one to a plurality of operating conditions and a pass / fail determination result. In FIG. 0 to No. This is shown in FIG.

  The temperature analysis unit 12 determines the operating conditions used in the CPU unit 10 from the ambient temperature TA, the control program in the control program storage unit 14, or the use function in the use function storage unit 13. When the ambient temperature TA is input from the ambient temperature reception unit 11B by the user, the temperature analysis unit 12 acquires the ambient temperature TA from the ambient temperature reception unit 11B. When the temperature sensor 20 measures the temperature of the component 25, the temperature analysis unit 12 acquires the ambient temperature TA from the ambient temperature reception unit 11A.

  Further, when the operating frequency is set by a user from a CPU parameter setting tool described later, the used function storage unit 13 stores the operating frequency. In this case, the temperature analysis unit 12 extracts the operating frequency from the use function storage unit 13. Further, when the logging cycle is set by the user from the logging setting tool, the used function storage unit 13 stores the logging cycle. In this case, when the use of logging is included in the operating condition, the temperature analysis unit 12 extracts the logging cycle from the use function storage unit 13. If the operating condition includes the frequency of the access command, the temperature analysis unit 12 calculates the frequency of the access command based on the control program, and thereby extracts the frequency of the access command from the control program. The frequency of the access command is the frequency with which the CPU unit 10 accesses the memory during the program execution time. Specifically, the frequency of the access command is the number of times per unit time that the CPU unit 10 accesses the memory while the CPU unit 10 executes the control program.

  When the operating condition used by the CPU unit 10 is determined from the control program storage unit 14 or the used function storage unit 13, the temperature analysis unit 12 selects the determined operating condition set from the correspondence table 101. In step S30, the temperature analysis unit 12 analyzes the component temperature using the correspondence table 101 to determine the component temperature. In step S40, the temperature analysis unit 12 determines whether or not the component temperature exceeds the temperature. The operating conditions in the correspondence table 101 include operating conditions for functions whose operating conditions exceed the specification upper limit value that is a design guarantee, and operating conditions for functions that do not exceed the upper limit value for the specifications. Therefore, the temperature analysis unit 12 determines whether or not the component temperature exceeds the temperature for a combination of a function whose operating condition exceeds the specification upper limit value that is a design guarantee and a function that does not exceed the specification upper limit value. To do.

  Specifically, the temperature analysis unit 12 extracts a part of the operation condition based on the control program in the control program storage unit 14, extracts a part of the operation condition from the use function of the use function storage unit 13, The ambient temperature TA is acquired from the ambient temperature reception unit 11A or the ambient temperature reception unit 11B. Thereby, the temperature analysis unit 12 acquires a combination of operation conditions when the CPU unit 10 controls the controlled device. Then, the temperature analysis unit 12 selects the acquired combination of operating conditions from the correspondence table 101. Further, the temperature analysis unit 12 reads out the pass / fail determination result corresponding to the selected combination of operation conditions from the correspondence table 101.

  The temperature analysis unit 12 may acquire a combination of operating conditions without using the use function storage unit 13, or may acquire a combination of operating conditions without using the control program storage unit 14. In other words, the combination of operation conditions may not include the function used, and the combination of operation conditions may not include the calculation performance. Further, the combination of operating conditions may not include the ambient temperature TA.

  Here, the temperature analysis unit 12 sets the operating condition group No. based on the use function in the use function storage unit 13 and the control program in the control program storage unit 14. A case where the set of operating conditions indicated by the identifier 1 is determined will be described. No. In the operating condition No. 1, the operating frequency exceeds 80 MHz of No. 0 which is the specification upper limit value, but the logging cycle is No. 1 which is the specification upper limit value. This is a case where 3 ns of 0 is not required. In this case, the temperature analysis unit 12 uses an ambient temperature TA indicating 50 degrees, an operating frequency indicating 200 MHz, information indicating that the logging function is used, a logging cycle indicating 5 ns, and Ethernet communication. , Information indicating the number of memory accesses, the number of memory access instructions indicating the number of 100, and a memory access weight indicating 0 ns are extracted. The temperature analysis part 12 is No. When a set of operating conditions indicated by an identifier of 1 is extracted, the pass / fail judgment result corresponding to this set is rejected in the correspondence relationship table 101. That is, the component temperature in this case is excessive as compared with the upper limit allowable temperature.

  When the component temperature exceeds the temperature, the temperature analysis unit 12 sends an alarm output instruction to the result output unit 16. As a result, the result output unit 16 causes the display device 2 to display that the component temperature has exceeded the temperature, or causes the alarm output device 3 to output an alarm. Thereby, malfunction or failure of the CPU unit 10 due to an increase in the component temperature can be prevented.

  In addition, when the component temperature exceeds the temperature, if the item temperature does not exceed the temperature by changing the n item in the operating condition, the temperature analysis unit 12 determines the upper limit allowable temperature based on the correspondence table 101. Select an example of operating condition change that satisfies In this case, the temperature analysis unit 12 selects an operation condition change example in which the number of change of the operation condition, which is a change item, is small so that the change can be made within a necessary range. Specifically, the temperature analysis unit 12 selects a combination of operating conditions determined to be acceptable in the correspondence table 101 and having a small number of operating conditions to be changed.

  Therefore, if the component temperature is excessive, that is, if Yes in step S40, in step S50, the temperature analysis unit 12 sets n = 1 as a natural number. In step S60, the temperature analysis unit 12 determines whether there is a combination of operating conditions in which the component temperature does not exceed the temperature when the operating conditions of the n items are changed among the combinations of operating conditions extracted from the correspondence table 101. Determine whether or not. Here, the temperature analysis unit 12 determines whether or not the component temperature does not exceed the temperature when one operation condition of the combination of operation conditions extracted from the correspondence table 101 is changed. Specifically, the temperature analysis unit 12 selects any one of the ambient temperature TA, the operating frequency, whether or not logging is used, the logging cycle, whether or not Ethernet communication is used, the number of memory access instructions, and the memory access weight. When the change is made, it is determined whether or not the component temperature does not exceed the temperature. In other words, the temperature analysis unit 12 determines whether the component temperature does not exceed the temperature when any one of the operation condition items in the correspondence table 101 is changed.

  When the component temperature does not exceed the temperature when the n item of the operating conditions is changed, that is, in the case of Yes in step S60, in step S70, the temperature analysis unit 12 presents an example of changing the operating conditions to the user. The temperature analysis unit 12 presents to the user an example of changing the operating condition that is determined to not exceed the temperature when the n item is changed. The operation condition determined by the temperature analysis unit 12 based on the use function in the use function storage unit 13 and the control program in the control program storage unit 14 is the first operation condition. An example of changing the operating condition that the temperature analysis unit 12 presents to the user when the component temperature is excessive is the second operating condition.

  In the case of the correspondence table 101 shown in FIG. The combination of the operating conditions of No. 2 Compared with the combination of the first operating condition, the operating frequency is changed. Therefore, the CPU unit 10 is No. No. 1 is the combination of operating conditions. When changing to a combination of two operating conditions, one item of operating conditions is changed. No. For the combination of the two operating conditions, the pass / fail judgment result is acceptable.

  On the other hand, in the case of the correspondence relationship table 101 shown in FIG. In the combination of the three operating conditions, the pass / fail judgment result is unacceptable. Therefore, the temperature analysis unit 12 is The combination of operating conditions 3 is not selected.

  In the case of the correspondence relationship table 101 shown in FIG. The combination of the operating conditions of No. 4 Compared with the combination of operating conditions, the operating frequency and the ambient temperature are changed. Therefore, the CPU unit 10 is No. No. 1 is the combination of operating conditions. When changing to the combination of the four operating conditions, the operating conditions of the two items are changed. No. For the combination of the four operating conditions, the pass / fail judgment result is acceptable. No. 2 and no. When the combination of the four operating conditions is selected, a user who does not need the logging cycle up to the upper limit can use the operating frequency exceeding the upper limit specified by the manufacturer of the CPU unit 10.

  The temperature analysis unit 12 is 2 and no. No. 4 of the combinations of the operating conditions of No. 4 with the smaller number of changes of the operating conditions. Select 2 first. The temperature analysis unit 12 sets the selected combination of operation conditions as an operation condition change example, and sends it to the result output unit 16. Thereby, the result output unit 16 causes the display device 2 to display an example of changing the operating condition.

  Thereafter, in step S80, the temperature analysis unit 12 determines whether approval by the user has been received. When the display device 2 displays the operation condition change example, an instruction as to whether or not to approve the operation condition change example being displayed is input to the CPU unit 10 by the user. The instruction input by the user may be received by the function setting unit 19 and sent to the temperature analysis unit 12, or may be received by the ambient temperature reception unit 11B and sent to the temperature analysis unit 12. When the CPU unit 10 receives an approval or non-approval instruction, the CPU unit 10 sends the instruction to the temperature analysis unit 12.

  Note that the temperature analysis unit 12 may display a plurality of operating condition change examples on the display device 2. In this case, the display device 2 displays a plurality of operation condition change examples. Then, the user inputs to the CPU unit 10 an instruction for designating any of the operating condition change examples from the displayed operating condition change examples or an instruction indicating that no of the operating condition change examples is approved.

  When the temperature analysis unit 12 accepts non-approval from the user, that is, when No in step S80, the temperature analysis unit 12 sets n = n + 1 in step S90. Here, the temperature analysis unit 12 sets n = 2 when it is determined that the non-approval is accepted. Further, if the component temperature exceeds the temperature even if the item n of the operating conditions is changed, that is, if No in step S60, the temperature analysis unit 12 sets n = n + 1 in step S90. Here, the temperature analysis unit 12 sets n = 2 when the component temperature exceeds the temperature even if one item of the operating conditions is changed.

  After the process of step S90, the temperature analysis unit 12 repeats the processes of steps S60 to S80. The temperature analysis unit 12 repeats the processing from step S60 to S80 until it is determined in step S80 that the approval is accepted.

  If it is determined that the temperature analysis unit 12 has accepted the approval, that is, if Yes in step S80, the temperature analysis unit 12 sends the operation condition of the operation condition change example that has been approved to the control unit 17. As a result, in step S100, the control unit 17 changes the currently set operating condition to the operating condition sent from the temperature analyzing unit 12. Further, the temperature analysis unit 12 registers the operation condition of the approved operation condition change example in the use function storage unit 13.

  If the component temperature is not excessive, that is, if No in step S40, the CPU unit 10 ends the component temperature determination process without changing the operating condition. Note that the temperature analysis unit 12 may stop the CPU unit 10 as an example of changing the operating condition when the component temperature exceeds the temperature even if the number of items of the upper limit value is changed. Even if the component temperature is not excessive, the CPU unit 10 may change the operating conditions. Here, an example of changing the operating condition when the component temperature is not excessive will be described.

  The life of the component 25 included in the CPU unit 10 varies depending on the temperature at which the CPU unit 10 is used. For this reason, the service life of the CPU unit 10 also varies depending on the internal temperature of the housing of the CPU unit 10. However, the component 25 may be used in an environment where the ambient temperature TA is low, or may be used with only a few use functions. In such a case, the performance of the CPU unit 10 may be lowered more than necessary.

  Therefore, the CPU unit 10 according to the embodiment provides the user with an example of changing the operating condition that satisfies the upper limit allowable temperature when the component 25 exceeds the upper limit allowable temperature and also when the component 25 is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature. Present.

  When the component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature, the temperature analysis unit 12 is an operation condition change example in which the operation performance of the CPU unit 10 is improved over the combination of the current operation conditions used for the pass / fail determination of the component temperature. Select. In this case, based on the correspondence table 101, the temperature analysis unit 12 selects a combination of operating conditions in which the component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature. In other words, the temperature analysis unit 12 selects a combination of operating conditions in which the pass / fail determination result is acceptable from the correspondence table 101. Specifically, when the component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature, the temperature analysis unit 12 is an operation condition change example in which a higher-speed control than the current state can be performed, an operation condition change example in which an unused use function is added, One of the operating condition change examples in which the ambient temperature TA is increased is selected. Note that the temperature analysis unit 12 may select an operation condition change example in which a plurality of control operations, addition of use functions, and increase of the ambient temperature TA are changed. The third operating condition is an example of changing the operating condition that the temperature analysis unit 12 presents to the user when the component temperature does not exceed the temperature.

  The temperature analysis unit 12 sets the selected combination of operation conditions as an operation condition change example, and sends it to the result output unit 16. Thereby, the result output unit 16 causes the display device 2 to display an example of changing the operating condition. Thereafter, when the operation condition change example being displayed on the display device 2 is approved by the user, the temperature analysis unit 12 sends the operation condition of the approved operation condition change example to the control unit 17. Thereby, the control unit 17 changes the currently set operating condition to the operating condition sent from the temperature analyzing unit 12.

  As described above, even when the component temperature is equal to or lower than the upper limit allowable temperature, the CPU unit 10 may present an operation condition change example to the user. As a result, the CPU unit 10 increases the use and calculation performance in a high temperature environment when the component 25 is used in a low temperature environment, when the calculation performance is low, or when the number of functions used is small. Or to increase the number of used functions to the user. As a result, the CPU unit 10 can optimize the component temperature, calculation performance, and function when performing the control operation.

  Further, when the CPU unit 10 performs the temperature determination before starting control of the controlled device, the temperature analysis unit 12 can perform the temperature determination even before the component 25 is arranged. Further, when the CPU unit 10 performs temperature determination during control of the controlled device, the temperature analysis unit 12 can perform temperature determination based on the actual arrangement environment of the component 25.

  Next, an example of operating conditions when the CPU unit 10 executes control processing for the controlled device will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of operating conditions according to the embodiment. The operation condition table 30 shown in FIG. 5 is an information table in which operation conditions when the CPU unit 10 executes processing are registered. The operation condition table 30 is referred to when the correspondence table 101 is created by the user.

  In the operation condition table 30 illustrated in FIG. 5, a large item of the operation condition, the component 25, and a small item of the operation condition are associated with each other. Examples of major items of operating conditions are computing performance, logging, Ethernet communication, data access_1, and data access_2.

  The parts 25 corresponding to the calculation performance are an ASIC and a work memory. A small item corresponding to the calculation performance is the operating frequency. Therefore, the operating condition of the computing performance is the operating frequency of the ASIC and work memory.

  Components 25 corresponding to logging are ASIC and SD (Secure Digital) cards. In addition, the sub-items corresponding to logging are the presence / absence of function use, the logging cycle, and the number of logging points. A component 25 corresponding to Ethernet communication is an Ether PHY. The sub-items corresponding to Ethernet communication are the presence / absence of communication and the communication speed.

  Data access_1 is a data access function to a nonvolatile memory that retains data even when the power is turned off. The component 25 corresponding to the data access_1 is an ASIC and a nonvolatile memory. The small items corresponding to data access_1 are the memory access weight and the frequency of access instructions. Further, the small item corresponding to data access_1 may include the number of memory access instructions.

  Data access_2 is a data access function to a volatile memory that loses data when the power is turned off. The component 25 corresponding to the data access_2 is an ASIC and a volatile memory. The small items corresponding to data access_2 are the memory access wait and the frequency of access instructions. Further, the small item corresponding to the data access_2 may include the number of memory access instructions. The user creates the correspondence table 101 while referring to such an operation condition table 30.

  Of the items shown in the sub-items of FIG. 5, items other than the access command frequency are individually set in the setting tool. For this reason, the temperature analysis unit 12 extracts operating conditions corresponding to items other than the frequency of the access command from the use function in the use function storage unit 13. Further, the temperature analysis unit 12 calculates an operation condition corresponding to the item of access command frequency based on the control program.

  When the CPU unit 10 has the function of the input / output unit 51, the temperature analysis unit 12 can calculate the operating conditions corresponding to the number of times the relay is turned on and off and the time based on the control program. it can. When the CPU unit 10 has the function of the power supply unit 52, the temperature analysis unit 12 can calculate an operation condition corresponding to the voltage applied to the power supply based on the control program.

  The CPU unit 10 provided in the PLC 1 has a peripheral interface and various usage functions. An example of a peripheral interface is an Ethernet or SD card. The CPU unit 10 according to the embodiment can estimate the temperatures of the Ether PHY and the SD card based on various operating conditions such as the presence / absence of Ethernet communication, the presence / absence of logging, and the logging cycle. It becomes possible. Further, since the CPU unit 10 includes the control program storage unit 14 and the use function storage unit 13, it is possible to statically determine whether the component temperature is acceptable based on the control program and the use function.

  Next, a tool whose operating conditions are set by the user will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen for setting operating conditions according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a tool screen 40 of a CPU parameter setting tool which is an example of a setting screen. The CPU parameter setting tool is a tool for setting parameters used in the CPU unit 10.

  The tool screen 40 has an area 41 for selecting an operating frequency and an area 42 for setting an operating frequency value. When a user selects an operating frequency in the area 41 and inputs a numerical value in the area 42, the CPU parameter setting tool sets the input value as the operating frequency.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the access frequency calculation processing according to the embodiment. The access frequency calculation process is a process for calculating the frequency of access instructions. The frequency of the access command is the frequency with which the CPU unit 10 accesses the nonvolatile memory or the volatile memory during the program execution time.

  FIG. 7 shows a program example in which the program execution time is 1 ms. This program accesses the volatile memory to store “0” in the first line processing, and stores data “0” in the second line processing to access “0”. In the second process, data is accessed to the volatile memory and “1” is stored.

  The temperature analysis unit 12 can calculate the frequency of access instructions by dividing the number of executions of each function by the number of program executions. In the case of the example in FIG. 7, since the data access to the volatile memory is performed twice in 1 ms, the temperature analysis unit 12 calculates the number of data accesses to the volatile memory per second as 2 times / 1 ms = Calculated as 2000 times / s. In addition, since data access to the nonvolatile memory is performed once in 1 ms, the temperature analysis unit 12 sets the number of data accesses to the nonvolatile memory per second as 1 time / 1 ms = 1000 times / s. calculate.

  Here, the hardware configuration of the CPU unit 10 described in the embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the CPU unit according to the embodiment. The CPU unit 10 can be realized by the control circuit 300 shown in FIG. 8, that is, the processor 301 and the memory 302. The processor 301 is a CPU (central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, processor, DSP (Digital Signal Processor)), system LSI (Large Scale Integration), or the like. The memory 302 may be a nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM), or may be a magnetic disk or a flexible disk.

  The CPU unit 10 is realized by the processor 301 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 302 for operating as the CPU unit 10. In addition, this program may cause a computer to execute the procedures or methods of the ambient temperature receiving units 11A and 11B, the temperature analyzing unit 12, the result output unit 16, the control unit 17, the instruction output unit 18, and the function setting unit 19. I can say that. The memory 302 is also used as a temporary memory when the processor 301 executes various processes.

  As described above, the program executed by the processor 301 is a computer program product having a computer-readable and non-transitory recording medium including a plurality of instructions for determining a component temperature that can be executed by a computer. It is. The program executed by the processor 301 causes the computer to execute temperature determination by a plurality of instructions.

  Note that the temperature analysis unit 12 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Further, a part of the function of the temperature analysis unit 12 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and a part may be realized by software or firmware.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, the CPU unit 10 determines the temperature of the component 25 based on the operation condition when the process by the CPU unit 10 is executed, and thus the process by the CPU unit 10 is executed. It is possible to accurately determine whether or not the component temperature at that time is an appropriate temperature.

  In addition, since the temperature of the component 25 is determined using the operating environment in which the CPU unit 10 operates, the calculation performance set in the CPU unit 10 and the use function used by the CPU unit 10, the component temperature is an appropriate temperature. It is possible to accurately determine whether or not. In addition, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the temperature of the component 25 such as various memories, Ether PHY, and SD card included in the CPU unit 10 is an appropriate temperature.

  The configuration described in the above embodiment shows an example of the contents of the present invention, and can be combined with another known technique, and can be combined with other configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

  1 PLC, 2 display device, 3 alarm output device, 10 CPU unit, 11A, 11B ambient temperature reception unit, 12 temperature analysis unit, 13 used function storage unit, 14 control program storage unit, 15 correspondence DB, 16 result output unit , 19 function setting unit, 20 temperature sensor, 25 parts, 101 correspondence table.

Claims (10)

Determining a first operating condition including a plurality of functions used in performing and processing me use conditions der users, the first operating condition exceeds the specification limit is a design assurance function Component temperature that is the temperature of the component when the process is executed using the combination function for the combination of the function that exceeds the specification upper limit value and the function that does not exceed the specification upper limit value. A determination unit for determining pass / fail;
A result presentation unit for presenting a determination result, which is a result of the determination, on a display device;
A control unit comprising: A correspondence storage unit that stores correspondence information in which candidate operation conditions used when controlling the controlled device and the determination result of the component temperature when the candidate is used are associated with each other;
In addition,
The determination unit selects the first operation condition from the candidates, reads the determination result of the component temperature corresponding to the selected first operation condition from the correspondence information, and the result presentation unit Send to the
The control unit according to claim 1. The determination unit calculates and calculates the component temperature when the plurality of functions are used based on a mathematical expression for calculating the component temperature and a plurality of functions included in the first operating condition. Judge pass / fail of the component temperature by comparing the component temperature and the upper limit allowable temperature,
The control unit according to claim 1. The determination unit determines the first operating condition based on a function used when controlling the controlled device or a control program used to control the controlled device.
The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: A temperature measuring unit that measures an environmental temperature that is the temperature of the environment in which the components are arranged;
The determination unit reads the determination result from the correspondence information based on the environmental temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit.
The control unit according to claim 2. When the component temperature is unacceptable, the result presentation unit outputs an instruction for outputting an alarm to an external device.
The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: When the component temperature is unacceptable, the determination unit extracts a second operating condition that the component temperature is acceptable from the candidates,
The result presentation unit presents the second operating condition on the display device.
The control unit according to claim 2. When the component temperature is acceptable, the determination unit extracts, from the candidates, the third operation condition that the component temperature is acceptable and the performance at the time of the control is improved,
The result presentation unit presents the third operating condition on the display device.
The control unit according to claim 2. Determining a first operating condition including a plurality of functions used in performing and processing me use conditions der users, the first operating condition exceeds the specification limit is a design assurance function Component temperature that is the temperature of the component when processing is performed using the combination function for a combination of a function that exceeds the specification upper limit value and a function that does not exceed the specification upper limit value. A temperature analysis unit to calculate,
A result presentation unit for presenting a temperature calculation result as a result of the calculation on a display device;
A control unit comprising: A determination step of determining a first operating condition including a plurality of functions used in performing and processing me use conditions der users,
When the first operating condition includes a function that exceeds a specification upper limit value that is a design guarantee, a combination of a function that exceeds the specification upper limit value and a function that does not exceed the specification upper limit value A determination step of determining pass / fail of a component temperature that is a temperature of a component when processing is performed using a function ;
A result presentation step of presenting a determination result which is a result of the determination on a display device;
The temperature determination method characterized by including.

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