JP7163657B2 - Support device, setting method and setting program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to technology for setting an IP address of a controller that controls a controlled object.

In various production sites, industrial controllers such as PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and robot controllers have been introduced. The production process is automated by the controller controlling various controlled objects.

In recent years, controllers that can be connected to a network have become popular. By connecting the support device to the controller for communication, the user can change the settings of the controller from a remote location.

The support device needs to know the controller's IP address in order to communicate with the controller. If the controller's IP address is not properly changed, support devices may not be able to communicate with the controller. Therefore, various techniques have been developed to prevent communication failures caused by IP address changes.

Regarding this technique, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-40419 (Patent Document 1) discloses a communication destination address management system that "allows flexible and efficient change management of communication destination addresses." Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-44499 (Patent Document 2) discloses a control device that "can reliably reconnect with a changed IP address after disconnecting a personal computer from a control device."

JP 2004-40419 A JP 2009-44499 A

The techniques disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 change the IP address of the connection destination and then guarantee communication with the connection destination. However, if the user changes the IP address of the controller, the support device may not be able to communicate with the controller depending on the changed IP address. As an example, when the support device and the controller are connected for communication via a router, the router may not be able to grasp the changed IP address of the controller. In this case, the support device will not be able to communicate with the controller after the IP address change. Therefore, before changing the IP address of the controller, it is necessary to determine whether the changed IP address is appropriate.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object in one aspect is to provide support that can more reliably prevent communication with the controller from becoming disabled due to changing the IP address of the controller. to provide the equipment. Another object of the present invention is to provide a setting method that can more reliably prevent communication with a controller from being disabled by changing the IP address of the controller. Another object of the present invention is to provide a setting program that can more reliably prevent a loss of communication with a controller caused by changing the IP address of the controller.

In one example of the present disclosure, a support device for setting a controller that controls an object to be controlled includes a communication module for communicating with the controller according to communication settings that define the IP address of the controller, and a control device for controlling the support device. The control device changes the IP address of the controller in accordance with the setting change when a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the controller at the IP address specified in the setting change is possible is satisfied. Execute change processing.

According to this disclosure, the support device determines whether changing the IP address of the controller will disable communication with the controller before changing the IP address. As a result, the support device can more reliably prevent communication with the controller from being disabled due to a change in IP address.

In an example of the present disclosure, the predetermined condition includes a network address specified from the IP address of the controller before change, a network address specified from the specified IP address of the controller, and the support device. is satisfied when the network address specified from the IP address of is matched.

According to this disclosure, the support device and the controller belong to the same network before and after the IP address of the controller is changed. Therefore, even if the IP address of the controller is changed, the support device can establish communication with the controller.

In one example of the present disclosure, the predetermined condition is satisfied when the network address specified from the IP address before the change of the controller and the network address specified from the IP address of the support device do not match. not.

According to this disclosure, the support device and the controller do not belong to the same network before the IP address of the controller is changed. In this case, communication data transmitted between the support device and the controller is likely routed by a router. In this case, if the IP address of the controller changes, the router may not be able to transmit the communication data received from the support device to the controller. In such a case, since the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the IP address change processing is not performed. As a result, the support device can be prevented from becoming unable to communicate with the controller.

In one example of the present disclosure, the predetermined condition is when the network address specified from the IP address before the change of the controller and the network address specified from the specified IP address of the controller do not match. is not satisfied.

According to this disclosure, the controller does not belong to the same network before and after the IP address of the controller is changed. If the support device and the controller are connected for communication via a router, and the network address is changed, it is highly likely that the changed network address is not defined in the routing table within the router. In this case, the router cannot transmit the communication data received from the support device to the controller, so the support device cannot communicate with the controller. In such a case, since the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the IP address change processing is not performed. As a result, the support device can be prevented from becoming unable to communicate with the controller.

In one example of the present disclosure, the support device further includes a display. When the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the control device displays on the display unit a selection screen for receiving a selection as to whether or not execution of the change processing is permitted.

According to this disclosure, the support device asks the user to select whether to change the IP address of the controller when there is a high possibility that communication with the controller will be disabled by changing the IP address of the controller. can be done.

In one example of the present disclosure, the change processing includes transmitting setting data to the controller for changing the IP address of the controller to the specified IP address, and changing the IP address specified in the communication settings to the controller. , rewriting to the IP address specified above.

According to this disclosure, when the IP address of the controller is changed, the IP address of the controller managed within the support device is also changed. This allows the support device to establish communication with the controller even after the IP address of the controller is changed.

In one example of the present disclosure, the configuration data sent to the controller includes settings other than IP address settings. The control device executes the change processing after the other settings are completed in the controller.

According to this disclosure, the support device executes a setting change process other than setting the IP address, and then executes the process of changing the IP address of the controller. As a result, the other setting change processing will not be interrupted due to communication failure with the support device.

In another example of the present disclosure, a method for setting an IP address of a controller that controls an object to be controlled by a support device includes the steps of: communicating with the controller according to communication settings that define the IP address of the controller; receiving a setting change of an address; and, if a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the support device at the IP address specified by the setting change is possible is satisfied, the setting change is performed according to the setting change. and executing a process of changing the IP address of the controller.

According to this disclosure, the support device determines whether changing the IP address of the controller will disable communication with the controller before changing the IP address. As a result, the support device can more reliably prevent communication with the controller from being disabled due to a change in IP address.

In another example of the present disclosure, a program for setting an IP address of a controller that controls an object to be controlled by a support device causes the support device to communicate with the controller according to communication settings that define the IP address of the controller. receiving a setting change of the IP address of the controller; and executing a process of changing the IP address of the controller according to the setting change.

According to this disclosure, the support device determines whether changing the IP address of the controller will disable communication with the controller before changing the IP address. As a result, the support device can more reliably prevent communication with the controller from being disabled due to a change in IP address.

In a certain aspect, it is possible to more reliably prevent loss of communication with the controller by changing the IP address of the controller.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a control system according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of the control system shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of a support device; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a controller; FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing processing for changing the IP address of the controller by the support device; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a reconnection enable condition is satisfied; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen for IP address change; It is a figure which shows an example of a selection screen. Fig. 3 shows the data flow between the support device, the controller and the drive;

Hereinafter, each embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, identical parts and components are given identical reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description of these will not be repeated.

<A. Application example 1>
First, with reference to FIG. 1, an example of a scene to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a control system 1 according to this embodiment.

The control system 1 is an FA (Factory Automation) system for controlling controlled objects such as equipment and devices and automating production processes. The control system 1 includes a support device 100 , a controller 200 and a drive device 300 .

The support device 100 and the controller 200 are connected via a network NW1. EtherNET (registered trademark), for example, is adopted for the network NW1. However, the network NW1 is not limited to EtherNET, and any communication means using IP addresses can be adopted. The IP address used may be IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) or IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6).

Support device 100 includes, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, a smart phone, and the like. A support tool for developing a control program for the controller 200 is installed in the support device 100 . A designer can design a control program that matches the configuration of the controller 200 and the drive device 300 by writing the control program on the support tool. In addition, the designer can set various settings regarding the controller 200 and the drive device 300 on the support tool. A control program and setting data created on the support tool are transferred to the controller 200 via the network NW1.

Controller 200 and drive device 300 are connected via network NW2. The network NW2 employs, for example, a field network that performs fixed-cycle communication, in which data arrival time is guaranteed. EtherCAT (registered trademark), EtherNet/IP (registered trademark), CompoNet (registered trademark), etc., are adopted as field networks that perform such periodic communication. The controller 200 generates a control command for the drive device 300 at regular intervals according to the control program installed from the support device 100 and transmits the control command to the drive device 300 .

The drive device 300 is a control target by the controller 200 . Drive equipment 300 includes various industrial equipment for automating production processes. As an example, the drive device 300 includes an arm robot, a robot controller for controlling the arm robot, an image sensor for photographing a workpiece being transported through the production process, and other devices used in the production process. include.

Support device 100 includes operation unit 101 , control device 102 , and communication module 103 .

The operation unit 101 receives various user operations. As an example, the operation unit 101 is a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, touch pad, or the like. A user can operate the support tool by operating the operation unit 101, and can design a control program for the controller 200 and perform various settings of the controller 200 and the drive device 300 on the support tool.

The control device 102 controls the support device 100 . The control device 102 is composed of, for example, at least one integrated circuit. Integrated circuits include, for example, at least one CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), at least one ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) ), or any combination thereof.

As an example, the operation unit 101 accepts a setting change of the IP address of the controller 200 . The control device 102 changes the IP address of the controller 200 according to the setting change when a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the controller 200 using the IP address specified by the setting change is possible is satisfied. Execute change processing. Details of the predetermined condition will be described later.

In other words, before executing the process of changing the IP address of controller 200, control device 102 determines in advance whether communication with controller 200 is possible with the changed IP address. Then, when the control device 102 determines that communication with the controller 200 is possible with the changed IP address, the control device 102 executes processing for changing the IP address of the controller 200 .

The process of changing the IP address of the controller 200 includes a process of transmitting setting data including the changed IP address to the controller 200 . The controller 200 rewrites the IP address specified in the communication settings 214 according to the IP address included in the setting data received from the support device 100 . The communication setting 214 defines, for example, the IP address and subnet mask of the controller 200 .

Also, the process of changing the IP address of the controller 200 includes a process of updating the communication settings 136 that define the IP address of the controller 200 . The communication setting 136 defines the current IP address of the controller 200, the current subnet mask, and the like. The control device 102 rewrites the IP address of the controller 200 specified in the communication settings 136 to the designated IP address.

Communication module 103 is, for example, a communication driver that provides communication functions with controller 200 . Communication module 103 communicates with controller 200 according to the IP address defined in communication settings 136 .

As described above, the support device 100 determines whether or not changing the IP address of the controller 200 will disable communication with the controller 200 before changing the IP address. As a result, the support device 100 can reliably prevent communication with the controller 200 from being disabled due to a change in the IP address. This effect is particularly effective when the controller 200 is in a remote location. If communication between the support device 100 and the controller 200 becomes impossible, the user must go to the location where the controller 200 is installed, directly connect the support device 100 to the controller 200, and perform recovery work. In the present embodiment, the change of the IP address of the controller 200 prevents communication with the controller 200 from being disabled, thus eliminating such trouble.

<B. Device configuration example of control system 1>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the device configuration of the control system 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control system 1 includes a support device 100 , repeaters 150 , multiple controllers 200 , and multiple drive devices 300 .

The support device 100 accepts various setting changes regarding the controller 200 and various setting changes regarding the drive device 300 . Various setting changes received by the support device 100 are transferred as setting data in the order of the support device 100→relay device 150→controller 200→drive device 300. FIG.

The repeater 150 is, for example, a hub or router. Alternatively, the repeater 150 may be a control device having a router function (for example, a controller or HMI (Human Machine Interface). Various devices may be connected to the repeater 150. In the example of FIG. 2, One support device 100 and three controllers 200 are connected to the repeater 150 .

The repeater 150 transmits communication data received from one of the support device 100 and the controller 200 to the other. If repeater 150 is a router, repeater 150 transfers communication data according to a predetermined routing table. At this time, if the destination of communication data is not specified in the routing table, the router cannot transfer the received communication data. Therefore, if the changed IP address of the controller 200 is not specified in the routing table, the repeater 150 cannot transmit the communication data received from the support device 100 to the controller 200 . As described above, support device 100 according to the present embodiment determines whether changing the IP address of controller 200 will disable communication with controller 200 before changing the IP address. As a result, the support device 100 can reliably prevent communication with the controller 200 from being disabled due to a change in the IP address.

<C. Hardware configuration>
Hardware configurations of the support device 100 and the controller 200 will be described in order with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

(C1. Hardware Configuration of Support Device 100)
First, the hardware configuration of the support device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of the support device 100. As shown in FIG.

The support device 100 is, for example, a computer configured according to a general-purpose computer architecture. Support device 100 includes operation unit 101 , control device 102 , main memory 104 , communication interface 111 , display unit 120 , and nonvolatile storage device 130 . These components are communicatively connected to each other via an internal bus 125 .

An operation unit 101 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch pad, and the like, and receives operations from the user. Note that although the example in FIG. 3 shows an example in which the operation unit 101 is included in the support device 100 , the operation unit 101 may be configured separately from the support device 100 .

A communication interface 111 exchanges data with other communication devices via a network. The other communication device includes, for example, the controller 200 and a server. The support device 100 may be configured such that various programs (setting programs) such as the support tool 131 can be downloaded from the other communication device via the communication interface 111 .

The display unit 120 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like, and presents various types of information to the user. Various screens provided by the support tool 131 can be displayed on the display unit 120 . As an example, the display unit 120 displays various setting screens (for example, an IP address setting screen) relating to the controller 200 and the drive device 300, a control program development screen for the controller 200, and the like. Note that the example in FIG. 3 shows an example in which the display unit 120 is included in the support device 100 , but the display unit 120 may be configured separately from the support device 100 .

The storage device 130 includes a support tool 131 , communication settings 133 for the support device, and various setting data 135 regarding the controller 200 and the drive device 300 .

The support tool 131 is a program for providing a development environment for control programs of the controller 200 . By using the support tool 131, the user can develop a control program for the controller 200 and perform various settings for the controller 200, the drive device 300, and the like.

The communication settings 133 for the support device include the IP address set in the support device 100, the subnet mask set in the support device 100, and the like.

Setting data 135 includes, for example, communication setting 136 for realizing communication with controller 200 . The IP address set in the controller 200 and the subnet mask set in the controller 200 are defined in the communication setting 136 .

(C2. Hardware Configuration of Controller 200)
Next, referring to FIG. 4, the hardware configuration of the controller 200 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the controller 200. As shown in FIG.

The controller 200 includes a communication interface 201, a control device 202 such as a CPU or MPU, a chipset 204, a main memory 206, a nonvolatile storage device 208, an internal bus controller 222, a fieldbus controller 224, and a memory. and card interface 239 .

The control device 202 reads the control program 211 stored in the storage device 208, develops it in the main memory 206, and executes it, thereby controlling the drive devices 300 such as the robot controller 300A and the servo driver 300B. The control program 211 includes various programs for controlling the controller 200 . As an example, the control program 211 includes a system program 209, a user program 210, and the like. The system program 209 includes instruction codes for providing basic functions of the controller 200, such as data input/output processing and execution timing control. User program 210 is downloaded from support device 100 . The user program 210 is arbitrarily designed according to the object to be controlled, and includes a sequence program 210A for executing sequence control and a motion program 210B for executing motion control.

The chipset 204 realizes the processing of the controller 200 as a whole by controlling each component.

The storage device 208 stores various data in addition to the control program 211 . As an example, storage device 208 stores configuration data 212 and the like. The setting data 212 includes various settings related to the controller 200, including communication settings 214, for example. The communication setting 214 defines, for example, the IP address and subnet mask of the controller 200 .

The internal bus controller 222 is an interface that exchanges data with various devices connected to the controller 200 through an internal bus. I/O unit 226 is connected as an example of such a device.

The fieldbus controller 224 is an interface for exchanging data with various driving devices 300 connected to the controller 200 through fieldbus. As examples of such devices, a robot controller 300A and a servo driver 300B are connected. In addition, a driving device such as a visual sensor may be connected.

The internal bus controller 222 and the fieldbus controller 224 can give arbitrary commands to the connected devices and obtain arbitrary data managed by the devices. The internal bus controller 222 and/or the fieldbus controller 224 also function as an interface for exchanging data with the robot controller 300A and servo driver 300B.

A communication interface 201 controls exchange of data through various wired/wireless networks. Controller 200 communicates with support device 100 via communication interface 201 .

Memory card interface 239 is configured such that a memory card 240 (for example, an SD card), which is an example of an external storage medium, can be attached and detached. is possible.

<D. IP address change flow>
The control structure of the support device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing processing for changing the IP address of controller 200 by support device 100 .

The processing shown in FIG. 5 is implemented by the control device 102 of the support device 100 executing a program. In other aspects, part or all of the processing may be performed by circuit elements or other hardware.

Assume that in step S<b>6 , the user activates support tool 131 (see FIG. 3 ) and calls up a setting screen for performing various settings of controller 200 and drive device 300 . Based on this, the control device 102 displays the setting screen on the display unit 120 (see FIG. 3). The user inputs various settings of the controller 200 and the drive device 300 to the setting screen.

In step S8, the control device 102 determines whether or not an operation to transfer the data input to the setting screen (hereinafter also referred to as "setting data") has been accepted. As an example, the control device 102 determines that the setting data transfer operation has been accepted based on the transfer button being pressed on the setting screen. When control device 102 determines that the setting data transfer operation has been accepted (YES in step S8), control is switched to step S10. Control device 102 terminates the process of FIG. 5 when an operation to transfer setting data, such as an operation to close the setting screen, is not performed (NO in step S8).

In step S10, the control device 102 determines whether the setting of the IP address of the controller 200 is included in the setting data to be transferred. When control device 102 determines that the setting of the IP address of controller 200 is included in the setting data to be transferred (YES in step S10), it switches control to step S20. Otherwise (NO in step S10), control device 102 switches control to step S22.

In step S20, the control device 102 determines whether or not the support device 100 is connected to the controller 200 without IP address designation. The communication method of support device 100 and controller 200 is specified, for example, in communication settings 136 (see FIG. 3) described above. A case in which the support device 100 is connected to the controller 200 without specifying an IP address includes a case in which devices are connected to each other via a USB cable. A case in which the support device 100 is connected to the controller 200 by specifying an IP address includes, for example, a case in which devices are connected to communicate with each other on a network. When the control device 102 determines that the support device 100 is connected to the controller 200 without specifying the IP address (YES in step S20), the control is switched to step S22. Otherwise (NO in step S20), control device 102 switches control to step S30.

In step S<b>22 , the control device 102 transfers the transfer target setting data received in step S<b>8 to the controller 200 .

In step S<b>23 , the control device 102 transfers the transfer target setting data accepted in step S<b>8 to the drive device 300 .

In step S30, control device 102 satisfies a predetermined condition indicating that communication with controller 200 at the specified IP address is possible (hereinafter also referred to as "reconnection enablement condition"). determine whether there is FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a case where reconnection enable conditions are satisfied.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 102 has a network address specified from the IP address of the support device 100, a network address specified from the pre-change IP address of the controller 200, and a post-change IP address of the controller 200. If the network address specified by the address matches, it is determined that the reconnection enable condition is satisfied.

More specifically, the IP address of the support device 100 and the subnet mask of the support device 100 are defined in the support device communication settings 133 . The control device 102 applies the subnet mask to the IP address and identifies the network address from the IP address of the support device 100 . In the example of FIG. 6, the IP address of the support device 100 is "192.168.10.100" and the subnet mask is "255.255.255.0", so the network address is "192.168. 10”.

Also, the support device 100 receives from the controller 200 the communication settings 136A currently set in the controller 200 . The IP address of the controller 200 before change and the subnet mask of the controller 200 before change are defined in the communication settings 136A. The control device 102 applies the subnet mask to the IP address and identifies the network address from the IP address of the controller 200 before the change. In the example of FIG. 6, the IP address of the controller 200 before change is "192.168.10.1" and the subnet mask is "255.255.255.0", so the network address is "192. 168.10".

Similarly, the controller communication setting 136B defines the changed IP address of the controller 200 and the changed subnet mask of the controller 200 . The control device 102 applies the subnet mask to the IP address and identifies the network address from the changed IP address of the controller 200 . In the example of FIG. 6, the changed IP address of the controller 200 is "192.168.10.2" and the subnet mask is "255.255.255.0", so the network address is "192. 168.10".

As a result, the network address specified from the IP address of the support device 100, the network address specified from the pre-change IP address of the controller 200, and the network address specified from the post-change IP address of the controller 200 are " 192.168.10". In this case, the control device 102 determines that the support device 100 and the controller 200 are hub-connected. If the network address does not change before and after the IP address of the controller 200 is changed, the support device 100 can establish communication with the controller 200 even if the IP address of the controller 200 is changed.

On the other hand, if the network address changes before and after the IP address of the controller 200 is changed, the support device 100 may not be able to establish communication with the controller 200 after the IP address of the controller 200 is changed. As an example, when the support device 100 and the controller 200 are connected for communication via a router and the network address is changed, the changed network address may not be defined in the routing table within the router. is high. In this case, the router cannot transmit the communication data received from the support device 100 to the controller 200 , so the support device 100 becomes unable to communicate with the controller 200 . In such a case, the control device 102 of the support device 100 determines that the reconnection condition is not satisfied.

In one aspect, when the network address specified from the IP address before change of controller 200 and the network address specified from the IP address of support device 100 do not match, control device 102 determines that the reconnection enable condition is not satisfied. judge that it is not.

In another aspect, control device 102 is reconnectable when the network address identified from the pre-change IP address of controller 200 and the network address identified from the post-change IP address of controller 200 do not match. determine that the conditions are not met.

In another aspect, when the network address identified from the changed IP address of controller 200 and the network address identified from the IP address of support device 100 do not match, control device 102 determines that the reconnection condition is satisfied. judge that it is not.

Preferably, when the reconnection enable condition is satisfied, before changing the IP address of the controller 200, the control device 102 determines whether the changed IP address of the controller 200 is already in use within the network. to judge. This is because reconnection with the controller 200 becomes impossible if IP addresses overlap within the same network. As an example, the control device 102 executes a Ping (Packet Internet Groper) command to send a packet to the destination specified by the changed IP address. If there is a response to the packet transmission, the control device 102 determines that the changed IP address is already in use within the network. On the other hand, if there is no response to the packet transmission, the control device 102 determines that the changed IP address is not used in the network.

If the controller 102 determines that the changed IP address of the controller 200 is already in use within the network, it generates a new IP address. Then, the control device 102 confirms again whether the newly generated IP address is already in use within the network by the above-described method using the Ping command. If the newly generated IP address is not used in the network, the control device 102 uses the IP address as the changed IP address of the controller 200 . Otherwise, the control device 102 repeats the process of generating an IP address and the process of checking whether the generated IP address is unique within the network until a unique IP address is found. .

Referring to FIG. 5 again, when control device 102 determines in step S30 that the reconnection enable condition is satisfied (YES in step S30), control is switched to step S32. Otherwise (NO in step S30), control device 102 switches control to step S40.

In step S<b>32 , the control device 102 transfers the transfer target setting data received in step S<b>8 to the controller 200 .

In step S<b>33 , the control device 102 transfers the transfer target setting data received in step S<b>8 to the drive device 300 .

In step S35, the control device 102 executes IP address change processing. More specifically, the control device 102 performs a process of transmitting an instruction to change the IP address of the controller 200 to the controller 200, and the IP address specified in the communication setting 136 (see FIG. 1) related to the controller 200. and a process of rewriting to an IP address.

In step S<b>36 , the control device 102 reconnects to the controller 200 based on the changed IP address of the controller 200 .

In step S38, the control device 102 notifies the IP address change. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an IP address change notification screen 120A. In the example of FIG. 7, a message indicating that the IP address of controller 200 has been changed and the changed IP address of controller 200 are displayed on notification screen 120A.

Referring to FIG. 5 again, if the reconnection enable condition is not satisfied in step S30, in step S40, control device 102 displays a selection screen for accepting a selection as to whether to permit execution of the IP address change process. is displayed on the display unit 120 of the support device 100 . FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the selection screen 120B. In the example of FIG. 8, on the selection screen 120B, a warning message indicating the possibility that communication with the controller 200 may be disabled due to the change of the IP address, the IP address of the controller 200 before the change, and the IP address of the controller 200 after the change. address is displayed. When the OK button on selection screen 120B is selected, control device 102 determines that the change of the IP address is permitted. On the other hand, when the cancel button on selection screen 120B is selected, control device 102 determines that the change of the IP address has been cancelled.

Referring to FIG. 5 again, in step S50, control device 102 determines whether or not the IP address change is permitted. When control device 102 determines that the change of the IP address is permitted (YES in step S50), it switches control to step S52. Otherwise (NO in step S50), control device 102 terminates the process shown in FIG.

In step S<b>52 , the control device 102 transfers the transfer target setting data received in step S<b>8 to the controller 200 .

In step S<b>53 , the control device 102 transfers the transfer target setting data accepted in step S<b>8 to the drive device 300 .

In step S62, the control device 102 executes IP address change processing. More specifically, the control device 102 performs a process of transmitting an instruction to change the IP address of the controller 200 to the controller 200, and the IP address specified in the communication setting 136 (see FIG. 1) related to the controller 200. and a process of rewriting to an IP address.

At step S<b>64 , the control device 102 disconnects communication with the controller 200 .

<E. Sequence flow when IP address is changed>
A process of changing the IP address of the controller 200 when the reconnection condition is satisfied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data flow among the support device 100, the controller 200, and the driving device 300 when the IP address change process is executed when the reconnection enable condition is satisfied.

In step S110, the support device 100 accepts a setting change operation from the user on a setting screen for performing various settings of the controller 200 and the driving device 300, and also accepts an operation to transfer the setting data input to the setting screen. Suppose Assume that the setting data includes a setting for changing the IP address of the controller 200 .

In step S<b>112 , the support device 100 transmits the setting data to be transferred to the controller 200 . The controller 200 stores the current setting information in a temporary storage area such as the storage device 208 based on the setting data received from the support device 100 . After that, the controller 200 executes setting changes other than the IP address change process according to the setting data received from the support device 100 . The other change settings include, for example, changing control parameters related to the operation of controller 200 . In this case, the control parameters of the controller 200 are updated according to the setting data. After that, the controller 200 transmits the execution result of the setting change process to the support device 100 .

In step S<b>114 , the support device 100 transmits setting data to be transferred to each of the drive devices 300 via the controller 200 . The driving device 300 stores the current setting information in the temporary storage area based on the reception of the setting data. Then, the drive device 300 executes the setting change process according to the received setting data. As an example, the setting data includes control parameters related to the operation of the driving device 300, and the control parameters of the driving device 300 are updated according to the setting data. After that, the drive device 300 transmits the execution result of the setting change process to the support device 100 .

In step S<b>116 , the support device 100 transmits an IP address change instruction to the controller 200 when both the execution result received from the controller 200 and the execution result received from the drive device 300 indicate normal termination. Upon receiving the IP address change instruction, the controller 200 executes the IP address change process according to the setting data received in step S112.

In step S120, the support device 100 executes a connection destination IP address change process. More specifically, the support device 100 temporarily disconnects communication with the controller 200 and updates the communication settings 136 (see FIG. 1) used to establish communication with the controller 200 . By this updating process, the IP address of the controller 200 defined in the communication settings 136 is rewritten to the designated IP address. After that, the support device 100 establishes communication with the controller 200 based on the updated communication settings 136 .

As described above, the support device 100 executes the setting change processing other than the setting of the IP address, and then executes the IP address change processing of the controller 200 . As a result, the setting process of the controller 200 does not stop halfway due to communication failure with the support device 100 , and inconsistency in setting between the controller 200 and the drive device 300 does not occur.

<F. Note>
As described above, the present embodiment includes the following disclosures.

[Configuration 1]
A support device (100) for setting a controller (200) that controls a controlled object,
a communication module (103) for communicating with said controller (200) according to a communication configuration (136) defining an IP address of said controller (200);
an operation unit (101) for receiving a setting change of the IP address of the controller (200);
a control device (102) for controlling the support device (100);
According to the setting change, the control device (102) satisfies a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the controller (200) at the IP address specified in the setting change is possible. A support device that executes processing for changing the IP address of the controller (200).

[Configuration 2]
The predetermined conditions are a network address specified from the IP address before change of the controller (200), a network address specified from the specified IP address of the controller (200), and the support device. The support device according to configuration 1, satisfied when the network address specified from the IP address of (100) matches.

[Configuration 3]
The predetermined condition is satisfied when the network address specified from the IP address before change of the controller (200) does not match the network address specified from the IP address of the support device (100). 3. A support device of configuration 1 or 2, wherein:

[Configuration 4]
The predetermined condition is that the network address specified from the IP address before change of the controller (200) and the network address specified from the specified IP address of the controller (200) do not match. 4. The support device according to any one of configurations 1-3, wherein

[Configuration 5]
The support device (100) further comprises a display unit (120),
When the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the control device (102) displays a selection screen on the display unit (120) for receiving a selection as to whether or not to permit execution of the change process. A support device according to any one of configurations 1-4.

[Configuration 6]
The change processing is
sending configuration data to the controller (200) for changing the IP address of the controller (200) to the specified IP address;
6. A support device according to any one of configurations 1-5, comprising rewriting an IP address defined in said communication settings (136) to said specified IP address.

[Configuration 7]
The setting data sent to the controller (200) includes settings other than IP address settings,
7. The support device according to configuration 6, wherein the control device (102) executes the change processing after the other settings are completed in the controller (200).

[Configuration 8]
A method for setting an IP address of a controller (200) that controls a control target by a support device (100), comprising:
communicating with said controller (200) according to a communication setting (136) defining an IP address of said controller (200);
receiving a setting change of the IP address of the controller (200);
IP address of the controller (200) according to the setting change when a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the support device (100) is possible at the IP address specified in the setting change is satisfied. and a step of executing address change processing.

[Configuration 9]
A program for setting an IP address of a controller (200) that controls a control target by a support device (100),
The setting program causes the support device (100) to:
communicating with said controller (200) according to a communication setting (136) defining an IP address of said controller (200);
receiving a setting change of the IP address of the controller (200);
IP address of the controller (200) according to the setting change when a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the support device (100) is possible at the IP address specified in the setting change is satisfied. A setting program for executing a step of executing address change processing.

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

1 control system, 100 support device, 101 operation unit, 102, 202 control device, 103 communication module, 104, 206 main memory, 111, 201 communication interface, 120 display unit, 120A notification screen, 120B selection screen, 125 internal bus, 130, 208 storage device, 131 support tool, 133, 136, 136A, 136B, 214 communication setting, 135, 212 setting data, 150 repeater, 200 controller, 204 chip set, 209 system program, 210 user program, 210A sequence program , 210B motion program, 211 control program, 222 internal bus controller, 224 fieldbus controller, 226 I/O unit, 239 memory card interface, 240 memory card, 300 drive device, 300A robot controller, 300B servo driver.

Claims (10)

A support device for setting a controller that controls a controlled object,
a communication module for communicating with the controller according to a communication configuration that defines the IP address of the controller;
an operation unit for accepting a setting change of the IP address of the controller;
a control device for controlling the support device;
The control device is
A first network address specified from the IP address before the change of the controller, a second network address specified from the IP address specified by the setting change, and a third network specified from the IP address of the support device. Execute the comparison process to compare the address and
If the result of the comparison process satisfies a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the controller at the specified IP address is possible, the process of changing the IP address of the controller is performed according to the setting change. A support device that runs. 2. The support device according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is satisfied when said first network address, said second network address and said third network address match. 3. The support device according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is not satisfied if said first network address and said third network address do not match. The support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said predetermined condition is not satisfied if said first network address and said second network address do not match. The support device further comprises a display unit,
According to claim 1, the control device displays a selection screen for receiving a selection as to whether or not to permit execution of the change process on the display unit when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. A support device according to any one of the preceding claims. The change processing is
sending configuration data to the controller for changing the IP address of the controller to the specified IP address;
6. The support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: rewriting an IP address specified in said communication setting to said designated IP address. the configuration data sent to the controller includes settings other than IP address settings;
7. The support device according to claim 6, wherein said control device executes said change processing after completion of said other setting in said controller. The control device is
determining whether the support device is connected to the controller without specifying an IP address;
executing the change processing of the IP address of the controller in accordance with the setting change when the support device is connected to the controller without specifying an IP address;
The support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said comparison processing is executed when said support device is not connected to said controller without specifying an IP address. A method for setting an IP address of a controller that controls a control target by a support device,
communicating with the controller according to a communication configuration that defines the IP address of the controller;
a step of receiving a setting change of the IP address of the controller;
A step of comparing a network address specified from the IP address of the controller before the change, a network address specified from the IP address specified by the setting change, and a network address specified from the IP address of the support device. When,
If the comparison result satisfies a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the support device at the specified IP address is possible, the IP address of the controller is changed in accordance with the setting change. A setting method, comprising: A program for setting an IP address of a controller that controls a control target by a support device,
The setting program causes the support device to:
communicating with the controller according to a communication configuration that defines the IP address of the controller;
a step of receiving a setting change of the IP address of the controller;
A step of comparing a network address specified from the IP address of the controller before the change, a network address specified from the IP address specified by the setting change, and a network address specified from the IP address of the support device. When,
If the comparison result satisfies a predetermined condition indicating that communication with the support device at the specified IP address is possible, the IP address of the controller is changed in accordance with the setting change. A configuration program that causes steps to be executed.

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