Assist device

Abstract

To replace a power supply unit without stopping a system including a PLC.SOLUTION: An auxiliary device (10) according to an aspect of the present invention is an auxiliary device as a plurality of units in which the units are connected to compose a programmable logic controller, and includes: a first connection (22) that, when the auxiliary device is connected to a further unit, transmits electric power to a first unit, which is the further unit; a second connection (24) electrically connected to the first connection (22) and that, when the auxiliary device (10) is connected to a yet further second unit, transmits electric power to the second unit, which is the yet further unit; and a third connection (26) for receiving electric power from outside, the third connection (26) capable of supplying the received electric power toward the first connection (22) and the second connection (24).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an auxiliary device coupled to a PLC. [Background technology]

[0002] A PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) configured by connecting independent devices such as a power supply unit and a CPU unit is known as a conventional technology. Patent Document 1 discloses a PLC system capable of determining the power supply state in each unit that configures the PLC system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5819023 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The power supply unit that constitutes a PLC uses components such as electrolytic capacitors that have a relatively short life span, and often requires replacement earlier than other units. However, in the conventional technology described above, even if continuous operation is desired, the power supply unit cannot be replaced unless the system including the PLC is stopped.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to enable replacement of a power supply unit without stopping a system including a PLC. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention employs the following configuration.

[0007] That is, an auxiliary device according to one aspect of the present invention is an auxiliary device as a unit in which a programmable logic controller is configured by connecting a plurality of units, and includes a first connection part for transmitting power between the auxiliary device and a first unit, which is another unit, when the auxiliary device is connected to another unit, a second connection part electrically connected to the first connection part for transmitting power between the auxiliary device and a second unit, which is yet another unit, when the auxiliary device is connected to a second unit, and a third connection part for receiving power from the outside, which can supply the received power to the first connection part and the second connection part. In the above configuration, the first connection part and the second connection part realize the transmission of power between the first unit and the second unit, and further the power received from the outside can be supplied to at least one of the first unit and the second unit via the third connection part. This makes it possible to replace the power supply unit without stopping the system including the PLC.

[0008] The auxiliary device according to the above aspect may further include a power supply monitoring unit that monitors the quality of the power received from the third connection unit. With this configuration, for example, if the quality of the power supplied to the third connection unit does not satisfy the standard for operating the PLC, it is possible to notify the administrator of this fact.

[0009] In the auxiliary device according to the above aspect, the first unit may be a power supply unit and the second unit may be a CPU unit. With this configuration, power can be transmitted between the power supply unit and the CPU unit, and power received from the outside can be supplied to the CPU unit via a third connection part.

[0010] In the auxiliary device according to the above aspect, the first unit is a CPU unit, The second unit may be an I / O control unit. With this configuration, power can be transmitted between the CPU unit and the I / O control unit, and power received from the outside via the third connection unit can be supplied to the CPU unit and the I / O control unit.

[0011] In the auxiliary device according to the above aspect, the first unit may be a first constituent unit, and the second unit may be a second constituent unit. With this configuration, it is possible to realize the transmission of power between the first constituent unit and the second constituent unit, and further supply power received from the outside via a third connection part to at least one of the first constituent unit and the second constituent unit.

[0012] The auxiliary device according to the above aspect may further include a fourth connection unit for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the first unit and a fifth connection unit for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the second unit when the auxiliary device is connected to the first unit and the second unit, and may mediate transmission of signals between the first unit and the second unit. With this configuration, it is possible to transmit signals throughout the PLC, for example, starting from a CPU unit. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to replace a power supply unit without shutting down a system including a PLC. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of an application scene of the assist device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an auxiliary device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure when an administrator replaces a power supply unit. [Figure 4]13 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an auxiliary device according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of an application scene of an auxiliary device according to a modified example. [Figure 6] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of an application scene of an auxiliary device according to a modified example. [Figure 7] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of an application scene of an auxiliary device according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter, also referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] [Embodiment 1] §1 Examples of application First, an example of a scene in which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic example of a scene in which the auxiliary device 10 according to the present embodiment is applied. Fig. 1 also illustrates the entire PLC 1 to which the auxiliary device 10 is connected. Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic example of a hardware configuration of the auxiliary device 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0017] 1, the PLC 1 includes a power supply unit 12, an auxiliary device 10, a CPU unit 14, an I / O control unit 16, one or more configuration units 18, and an end cover (end plate) 20. Here, the configuration units 18 include, for example, a basic I / O unit, an advanced I / O unit, and a CPU advanced unit. Adjacent units such as those mentioned above are connected to each other to transmit power and signals.

[0018] The auxiliary device 10 is an auxiliary device as one of the units that constitute the PLC by connecting a plurality of units, and is a device that enables power received from an external source such as an external power source 32 to be supplied to other units of the PLC 1 when, for example, the power supply unit 12 is replaced. In one embodiment, the auxiliary device 10 is configured to be connected between the power supply unit 12 and the CPU unit 14 as shown in Fig. 1. In the above configuration, when the PLC 1 operates using power from the power supply unit 12, the auxiliary device 10 supplies the power supplied from the power supply unit 12 to the adjacent CPU unit 14.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary device 10 includes a first connection part 22 for transmitting power between the auxiliary device 10 and a first unit when the auxiliary device 10 is connected to another unit, a second connection part 24 electrically connected to the first connection part 22 for transmitting power between the auxiliary device 10 and a second unit when the auxiliary device 10 is connected to the second unit, and a third connection part 26 for receiving power from the outside and capable of supplying the received power to the first connection part 22 and the second connection part 24.

[0020] Conventionally, in a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) that is configured by connecting independent devices such as a power supply unit and a CPU unit, when replacing the power supply unit that supplies power, it was necessary to stop the system including the PLC. The auxiliary device according to this embodiment is connected between the units that the PLC comprises, and in the above case, it is possible to replace the power supply unit without stopping the system including the PLC.

[0021] §2 Configuration Example Next, an example of a hardware configuration of the assist device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0022] 2, the auxiliary device 10 is connected between a first unit and a second unit in the PLC 1 via the connections 34 and 36 of each unit. As an example, the first unit will be described as the power supply unit 12 and the second unit as the CPU unit 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. The auxiliary device 10 may be connected between other units, the first unit may be the CPU unit 14, and the second unit may be the I / O control unit 16. However, in the following description, of the units adjacent to the auxiliary device 10, the unit closer to the power supply unit 12 will be described as the first unit, and the unit furthest from the power supply unit 12 will be described as the second unit.

[0023] The auxiliary device 10 includes a first connection portion 22, a second connection portion 24, a third connection portion 26, a fourth connection portion 28, and a fifth connection portion 30. The first connection portion 22 is a connector for transmitting power between the auxiliary device 10 and the first unit when the auxiliary device 10 is connected to the first unit.

[0024] The second connection part 24 is a connector for transmitting power between the auxiliary device 10 and the second unit when the auxiliary device 10 is connected to the second unit. The first connection part 22 and the second connection part 24 are electrically connected. Therefore, when the first unit and the second unit are connected to both sides of the auxiliary device 10, power transmission between the first unit and the second unit is possible. For example, when the second connection part 24 is connected to the CPU unit 14, it supplies the power supplied from the first connection part 22 or the third connection part 26 to the CPU unit 14.

[0025] The third connection unit 26 receives power supplied from the outside. The third connection unit 26 can also supply the power received from the outside to at least one of the first connection unit 22 and the second connection unit 24. For example, an external power source 32 different from the power source unit 12 constituting the PLC 1 supplies power to the third connection unit 26.

[0026] When the power supply unit 12 is connected to the PLC 1, the auxiliary device 10 can supply the power supplied from the first unit to the first connection part 22 to the second unit via the second connection part 24. On the other hand, when the power supply unit 12 is not connected to the PLC 1 and an external power supply 32 is connected, the auxiliary device 10 can supply the power supplied from the external power supply 32 to the third connection part 26 to the second unit via the second connection part 24, and when the first unit is not the power supply unit 12, can supply the power to the first unit via the first connection part 22.

[0027] In other words, when the power supply unit 12 is connected within PLC1, the first connection portion 22 supplies the power received from the first unit to the second connection portion 24, and the third connection portion 26 does not receive power from the outside for consumption in PLC1; when the power supply unit 12 is not connected within PLC1, the third connection portion 26 can supply the power received from the outside to the first connection portion 22 and the second connection portion 24.

[0028] The signal line 38 in Fig. 2 indicates a transmission path of a signal indicating an address and other data. That is, signals are transmitted between each unit constituting the PLC 1 via the signal line 38. The fourth connection unit 28 is a connector for transmitting and receiving signals with the first unit when the auxiliary device 10 is connected to the first unit and the second unit. The fifth connection unit 30 is a connector for transmitting and receiving signals with the second unit in the above-mentioned case.

[0029] The fourth connection portion 28 may be realized as a connector integrated with the first connection portion 22, or may be realized as a separate connector. The fifth connection portion 30 may be realized as a connector integrated with the second connection portion 24, or may be realized as a separate connector.

[0030] In addition to the connection unit 36 ​​and the connection unit 37 connected to the adjacent I / O control unit 16, the CPU unit 14 also includes a DC transformer unit 40 that changes the voltage of the DC power, and a control circuit 42 that controls the entire CPU unit 14. The DC transformer unit 40 appropriately transforms the supplied DC power in accordance with the specifications of the control circuit, and supplies it to the control circuit 42.

[0031] §3 Example Procedure Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of a procedure in which an administrator replaces the power supply unit 12 without stopping the PLC 1 to which the auxiliary device 10 according to this embodiment is connected will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the example of the procedure. At the start of the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the first unit is connected to the first connection section 22 of the auxiliary device 10, the second unit is connected to the second connection section 24, and the PLC 1 is operating. Note that the processing procedure described below is merely an example, and each process may be changed as much as possible. Also, in the processing procedure described below, steps may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. This also applies to the following embodiments.

[0032] (Step S101) In step S101, the administrator connects the external power supply 32, which outputs a predetermined voltage, to the third connection section 26 of the auxiliary device 10, and starts power supply from the external power supply 32 to the PLC 1.

[0033] (Step S102) In step S102, the administrator operates the power supply unit 12 to stop the power supply from the power supply unit 12 to the PLC 1.

[0034] (Step S103) In step S103, the administrator removes the power supply unit 12 from the PLC 1.

[0035] (Step S104) In step S104, the administrator installs a new power supply unit 12 in the PLC 1.

[0036] (Step S105) In step S105, the administrator operates the PLC 1 to start power supply from the power supply unit 12 to the PLC 1.

[0037] (Step S106) In step S106, the administrator operates the external power source 32 to stop the power supply from the external power source 32 to the PLC 1.

[0038] (Step S107) In step S107, the administrator removes the external power supply 32 from the third connection unit .

[0039] The above describes an example of the procedure when the administrator replaces the power supply unit 12. According to the configuration of this embodiment, the power supply unit 12 or the external power supply 32 is always supplied to the PLC 1, so that the power supply unit 12 can be replaced without stopping the system including the PLC 1.

[0040] [Embodiment 2] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and redundant explanations will not be repeated. In this embodiment, an example of a configuration in which the auxiliary device 10 monitors the quality of the power received from the third connection unit 26 will be described. Here, monitoring the quality of the power means continuously evaluating whether the quality of the power meets a certain standard for operating the PLC1.

[0041] 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the auxiliary device 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary device 10 further includes a power supply monitoring unit 44 in comparison with the auxiliary device 10 shown in FIG.

[0042] The power supply monitor 44 monitors the quality of the power received from the third connection unit 26. The power supply monitor 44 monitors the quality of the power, for example, by continuously evaluating the voltage of the power supplied from the external power supply 32.

[0043] In addition, if the power supply monitoring unit 44 determines that the quality of the power received from the third connection unit 26 does not meet the standard, it may be configured to transmit information indicating this to the CPU unit 14 via the signal line 38, so that the CPU unit 14 performs the specified processing.

[0044] Next, an example of the operation of the power supply monitoring unit 44 will be described. The following describes an example in which the external power supply 32 is connected to the third connection unit 26.

[0045] When power is being transmitted between the first unit and the second unit, and the external power source 32 is connected to the third connection unit 26, the power source monitoring unit 44 monitors the quality of the power received from the third connection unit 26. When the quality of the power does not meet a certain standard, the power source monitoring unit 44 transmits information indicating that the quality of the power received from the outside is outside the standard value to the CPU unit 14 via the signal line 38. The CPU unit 14 then performs a process of outputting the information to notify the administrator. Alternatively, the auxiliary device 10 may be provided with a notification function such as a warning lamp to warn that the quality of the power received from the outside is outside the standard value.

[0046] According to the above configuration, for example, in the procedure of step S102 in the first embodiment, before switching the power supply source in PLC 1 from the power supply unit 12 to the external power supply 32, the administrator can know whether the quality of the power supplied to the third connection unit 26 meets the standard for operating PLC 1. If the quality of the power does not fall within the standard value, the power supply source in PLC 1 is not switched from the power supply unit 12 to the external power supply 32, thereby contributing to a stable power supply.

[0047] The quality of the power may be, for example, a state of noise mixing in. When an external power source 32 containing a lot of noise is connected to the third connection part 26 and power is supplied, there is a risk of the PLC 1 breaking down, but the auxiliary device 10 of the second embodiment can prevent such a situation from occurring.

[0048] [Modifications of the first and second embodiments] As described above, the position where the auxiliary device 10 is connected within the PLC 1 is not limited to between the power supply unit 12 and the CPU unit 14. Figures 5 to 7 diagrammatically illustrate examples of application scenes of the auxiliary device 10 connected to each of the following positions. Between the CPU unit 14 and the I / O control unit 16 (Fig. 5) Between a configuration unit (I / O unit, etc.) 18 and another configuration unit 18 (Figure 6) Between the structural unit 18 and the end cover 20 (FIG. 7) Furthermore, for example, the auxiliary device 10 may be configured to be capable of supplying power to the PLC 1 by connecting the first connection portion 22 to a connection portion of an I / O unit at the end instead of the end cover 20.

[0049] FIG. 5 also shows that the first unit may be a (first) power supply unit and the second unit may be a CPU unit.

[0050] FIG. 6 also shows that the first unit may be a CPU unit and the second unit may be an I / O control unit.

[0051] FIG. 7 also shows that the first unit may be a first constituent unit, and the second unit may be a second constituent unit.

[0052] Furthermore, the number of connection parts through which one auxiliary device 10 receives power from the outside is not limited to one, and may be multiple.

[0053] In addition, the external power supply 32 may be configured to be connected to an AC power supply and output a DC voltage converted from an AC voltage, or may be configured as a mobile battery connected via a USB terminal or the like.

[0054] [Software implementation example] The control block of the auxiliary device 10 (particularly the power supply monitor 44) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

[0055] In the latter case, the auxiliary device 10 includes a computer that executes instructions of a program, which is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, one or more processors, and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. The object of the present invention is achieved by the processor reading the program from the recording medium and executing it in the computer. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium may be a "non-transient tangible medium," such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit, or the like. The auxiliary device may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) that expands the program. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves) that can transmit the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 PLC 10 Auxiliary equipment 12 Power supply unit 14 CPU Unit 16 I / O Control Unit 18 Configuration Units 20 End cover 22 First connection part 24 Second connection part 26 Third connection part 28 Fourth Connection 30 5th Connection 44 Power supply monitoring section

Claims

1. A programmable logic controller is configured by connecting a plurality of units, and the auxiliary device as the unit comprises: a first connection portion that transmits power between the auxiliary device and a first unit that is a separate unit when the auxiliary device is connected to the separate unit; a second connection part electrically connected to the first connection part of the device, the second connection part transmitting power between the auxiliary device and the second unit when the auxiliary device is connected to the second unit; a third connection portion for receiving electric power from an outside, the third connection portion being capable of supplying the received electric power to the first connection portion and the second connection portion; An auxiliary device comprising:

2. The power supply monitoring unit monitors the quality of the power received from the third connection unit. Assisting device according to claim 1 .

3. the first unit is a CPU unit, The second unit is an I / O control unit.

3. An auxiliary device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the first unit is a first constituent unit, The second unit is a second constituent unit.

3. An auxiliary device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A programmable logic controller is configured by connecting a plurality of units, and the auxiliary device as the unit comprises: a first connection portion that transmits power between the auxiliary device and a first unit that is a separate unit when the auxiliary device is connected to the separate unit; a second connection portion electrically connected to the first connection portion, and configured to transmit power between the auxiliary device and a second unit that is a further separate unit when the auxiliary device is connected to the second unit; a third connection portion for receiving electric power from an outside, the third connection portion being capable of supplying the received electric power to the first connection portion and the second connection portion; An auxiliary device comprising: a fourth connection portion for transmitting and receiving signals with the first unit and a fifth connection portion for transmitting and receiving signals with the second unit when the auxiliary device is connected to the first unit and the second unit, and which mediates the transmission of signals between the first unit and the second unit.

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