Control device

Abstract

Provided is a control device which, in order to easily confirm and change the state of variables spanning a namespace, comprises: a memory; a storage unit that manages sequence programs executed for each namespace and variable definitions that are used in the sequence programs; a reference information generation unit that generates reference information for any address in the memory and any variable definition registered in the storage unit; and a group management unit that registers the reference information in groups and manages the registered groups, wherein an arbitrary group is selected from the group management unit, an address is acquired from the memory and a variable definition is acquired from the storage unit on the basis of reference information for the variable definitions and addresses registered in the group, and notification is provided to a display unit, whereby variables can be diagnosed across any address and namespace.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device that manages a group of variables and signals in multiple name spaces. [Background technology]

[0002] In a PLC, for example, specific functions and sequence program variables are defined for each system. Also, when programming is performed by combining program organization units (POUs) standardized by IEC 61131-3, variables are defined for each POU (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, from the viewpoint of variable definition, a lineage or POU is included in the concept of a namespace in which a variable is defined, and variable management for each lineage or POU is equivalent to variable management for each namespace. In this way, in variable management in a namespace, variables are set to be managed for each namespace, and settings can be made uniformly for variables belonging to the same namespace, so that variables belonging to the same namespace can be checked or diagnosed together on the screen for each namespace. On the other hand, variables set in different namespaces cannot be checked from that namespace. 8 is a diagram illustrating Group 1, which illustrates a case where variables are set for each namespace. As shown in FIG. 8, when a user wants to check or diagnose variables set in each of multiple namespaces A, B, and C, the user needs to check or diagnose the variables set in each namespace individually. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-301520 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As mentioned above, in a PLC, for example, specific functions are defined for each system by linking them with sequence program variables. Also, when programming by combining Program Organization Units (POUs) standardized by IEC 61131-3, variables are defined for each POU. For this reason, variable names must be defined uniquely within a namespace, but there is no need to be concerned about duplication with variable names defined in other namespaces. This is a convenient feature when dividing a program into modules and developing each module separately. However, when it becomes necessary to check or diagnose the status of variables related to a function, for example, when debugging to check or diagnose the function of a program, or when a problem occurs with the function during program execution, and the variables are defined in different systems or different POUs, it is necessary to switch the display for each namespace and check or diagnose the variables set in each namespace, as shown in Figure 8, which makes the operation very complicated.

[0005] For this reason, in a program created across multiple name spaces, it is desirable to be able to check or diagnose the state of any variable defined in the program across multiple name spaces.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a control device that enables the status of any variable to be checked or diagnosed across multiple namespaces at the same time by providing a mechanism for group management of information for referencing variable definitions across multiple namespaces in a program created across multiple namespaces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a control device communicably connected to a PLC device, the control device including: a memory unit that records addresses available on the PLC and data of current values ​​at the addresses; a sequence program executed for each name space; and a storage unit that manages variable definition information related to variables defined for addresses in the memory unit and used in the sequence program for each name space; the control device including: a control unit; and an input unit; the control unit comprises: a group edit request receiving unit that receives an input of an arbitrary address recorded in the memory unit or an arbitrary variable registered in the storage unit for each namespace via the input unit, and receives a request to create or edit a group; a reference information generating unit that generates reference information indicating where the address or the variable received by the group edit request receiving unit is recorded in the memory unit or the storage unit; a group management unit that, when a group creation request is received by the group edit request receiving unit, creates a new group based on members including the reference information, and, when a group edit request is received by the group edit request receiving unit, additionally registers members including the reference information to the group; and a query request receiving unit that receives a query request for an arbitrary group managed by the group management unit via the input unit; The group management unit In response to a query request received by the query request receiving unit, the control device obtains addresses and current values ​​from the memory unit and variable definition information from the storage unit based on reference information registered in the group for which the query request is made, and provides these as query information for members included in the group. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, in a program created across multiple namespaces, a mechanism is provided for group management of information for referencing variable definitions across multiple namespaces, making it possible to simultaneously check or diagnose the status of any variable across multiple namespaces. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating functional blocks of a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of reference information indicating where addresses or variables are recorded across namespaces in a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of generating reference information for a variable that satisfies a specified condition in a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4A] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a mode in which the state of a variable is checked in group units in a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of display content showing the states of variables in groups in a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of settings for whether members included in a group can be viewed and edited, and the display order, in a control device according to an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of subgroups included in a group in a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7A] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7B] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional technique in which variables are set for each namespace. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0011] [1 Overall Structure] FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a control device according to this embodiment.

[0012] 1, the control device 1 is communicably connected to the PLC device 2. The control device 1 and the PLC device 2 may be directly connected to each other via a connection interface (not shown).

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the PLC device 2 includes a PLC_CPU 20, a memory unit 202, and a storage unit 22. The memory unit 202 records the current value of an address available on the PLC at that address. For example, the memory unit 202 stores the value of a variable used in a sequence program at an address corresponding to the variable. The storage unit 22 stores variable definitions for variables used in a sequence program (also called "local variables"). As mentioned above, variable definitions are set for each name space. For example, a variable name defined in a sequence program for each system is defined in association with an address where the value of the variable is recorded. Similarly, in the case of a POU, variables (local variables) defined in a sequence program are defined for each POU, for example. In the case of a POU, addresses are assigned to variables related to external input / output (also called "global variables"), but memory allocation for variables used within a program (local variables) is processed automatically, so there is no need to define a link between a variable name and an address. In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, we will explain the case where the namespace is applied to system names, but the same applies to the case where it is applied to POU names. Also, it is not limited to system names and POU names, but can be applied to any namespace.

[0014] The PLC_CPU 20 is a processor that executes a sequence program and performs various controls, arithmetic processing, signal input / output processing, etc., according to the sequence program. The PLC_CPU 20 reads, for example, a sequence program stored in a ROM via a bus and performs sequence control according to the sequence program. In addition, the PLC_CPU 20 has an input / output interface unit (not shown) with the control device 1 described later, and in response to an access request from the control device 1 to the memory unit 202 and the storage unit 22, it can respond, for example, with variable definition information recorded in the storage unit 22 and the current value recorded at the address corresponding to the variable recorded in the memory unit 202.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 12, an input unit 16, and a display unit 17. The control unit 10 is a processor known to those skilled in the art, configured to be able to communicate with, for example, ROM, RAM, CMOS memory, etc. via a bus.

[0016] The control unit 10 is configured to read out a program for executing the functions specific to the present invention, which will be described later, from, for example, the storage unit 12, which stores the program, and execute the program using data stored in a main storage device (not shown), such as a RAM, for storing data temporarily required for executing the program, thereby realizing the functions of a group edit request receiving unit 101, a reference information generating unit 102, a group management unit 103, and an inquiry request receiving unit 104, as shown in Fig. 1. These functional units will be described later.

[0017] As will be described later, the storage unit 12 stores reference information corresponding to each variable name included in the group generated by the reference information generation unit 102. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of reference information indicating where an address or variable definition is recorded in the memory unit 202 or the storage unit 22.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, variable definitions are made for each system. For example, system PLC1 has variable definition 1-1, which defines the variable name INPUT1 and address X8.0, and variable definition 2-1, which defines the variable name INPUT2 and address X8.0. * In addition, in another system PLC2, there is a variable definition 2-1 that defines the variable name INPUT2 and the address X9.0, and there is a variable definition 2-2 that defines the variable name INPUT2 and the address X9.0. *ESP and variable definition 2-2, which defines address G8.4, are defined. In this state, the user cannot use the variable name INPUT1 and the variable name * When checking ESP_X, the user himself refers to the variable definition in the PLC1 system and checks the value stored in the variable via the corresponding address, and on the other hand, the user refers to the variable name INPUT2 in the PLC2 system and the variable name * When checking the ESP, it is necessary to refer to the variable definition in the system PLC 2 and check the value stored in the variable via the corresponding address.

[0019] To solve this problem, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the variable name INPUT1 in the system PLC1 and the variable name * ESP_X, the variable name INPUT2 in system PLC2, and the variable name * ESP and are managed by defining them as one group (Group 1). Specifically, in a group (group 1), each variable name is associated with reference information indicating the system in which the variable name is defined. For example, since the variable name INPUT1 is defined in system PLC1, the reference information is defined as, for example, PLC1_INPUT1. Similarly, since the variable name INPUT2 is defined in system PLC2, the reference information is defined as, for example, PLC2_INPUT2. In this way, by managing variables set in different systems as one group, the user can simultaneously check or diagnose the variables included in the group across the board, as will be described later.

[0020] The input unit 16 is configured by an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, or a microphone, and receives information input to the control device 1 via the input unit 16 from, for example, a user. The display 17 is composed of a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), organic EL, or LED (Light Emitting Diode), and displays, for example, query information of members included in a group requested by a user, as described below.

[0021] Next, the functional units of the control device 1 will be described. The group edit request receiving unit 101 receives a request to create or edit a group from a user via the input unit 16. Specifically, the group edit request receiving unit 101 receives, from the user via the input unit 16, an arbitrary address recorded in the memory unit 202 or an arbitrary variable name registered in the storage unit 22 for each name space, and also receives a request to create a new group. As will be described later, the group edit request receiving unit 101 may receive any condition from the user via the input unit 16. In this case, as will be described later, the reference information generating unit 102 can generate reference information for variables that satisfy the condition specified via the input unit 16, and generate a group that satisfies the condition based on the generated reference information. Furthermore, the input unit 16 can accept input of an existing group name from the user and can also accept a request to edit the group.

[0022] When the reference information generation unit 102 receives an arbitrary address recorded in the memory unit 202 or an arbitrary variable name registered in the storage unit 22 for each name space, which has been received by the group editing request receiving unit 101, it generates reference information indicating where the address or variable is recorded in the memory unit 202 or the storage unit 22. Specifically, as described above, the reference information generator 102 defines each variable name in association with reference information indicating in which system the variable name is defined, as shown in Fig. 2. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the variable name INPUT1 is defined in system PLC1, so the reference information is defined as, for example, PLC1_INPUT1. Similarly, the variable name INPUT2 is defined in system PLC2, so the reference information is defined as, for example, PLC2_INPUT2.

[0023] Furthermore, the reference information generating unit 102 may generate reference information for variables that satisfy a condition specified via the input unit 16 . 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of generating reference information for variables that satisfy a specified condition. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, in system PLC1 and system PLC2, all variable names that have a value of 0 are searched for, and reference information indicating in which system the variable name is defined is generated for all variable names that satisfy the condition. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the variable name INPUT1 belonging to system PLC1 and the variable name INPUT2 belonging to system PLC2 are searched for. * Since ESP and satisfy the condition, the reference information generating unit 102 generates the variable name INPUT1 belonging to the system PLC1 and the variable name * Generate reference information for each ESP. The reference information generating unit 102 can, for example, specify the system to which a variable belongs and generate reference information for variable names that satisfy any condition that must be satisfied by variables belonging to each system. Thus, when a user wants to cross-sectionally check or diagnose variables that satisfy a certain condition, the user can automatically generate reference information for the variables that satisfy the condition simply by inputting the condition. As a result, as will be described later, the group management unit 103 generates a group that includes variables that satisfy the condition, and can cross-sectionally check or diagnose the states of the variables that satisfy the condition.

[0024] When the group edit request receiving unit 101 receives a group creation request, the group management unit 103 creates a new group based on members including the reference information generated by the reference information generating unit 102 as described above. In addition, when the group editing request receiving unit 101 receives an editing request to add a variable name to an existing group, the group management unit 103 adds and registers the reference information corresponding to the variable name generated by the reference information generation unit 102 to the group. Furthermore, when the group edit request receiving unit 101 receives an edit request to delete a specified variable name from an existing group, the group management unit 103 deletes the reference information corresponding to the variable name from the group.

[0025] Furthermore, in response to a group inquiry request received by inquiry request receiving unit 104 (described later), group management unit 103 obtains variable definition information from storage unit 22 based on reference information registered for the group for which inquiry has been requested, and obtains current values ​​stored in addresses from memory unit 202, thereby providing inquiry information for members included in the group for which inquiry has been requested. Specifically, for example, by providing the inquiry information for members included in the group for which inquiry has been requested to display unit 17, display unit 17 displays the inquiry information for the members. This provides a mechanism for group management in programs created across multiple namespaces, making it possible to simultaneously check or diagnose the state of any variable across multiple namespaces. 4A is a conceptual diagram showing how to check the status of variables in groups. As shown in FIG. 4A, by creating a group including variable x included in namespace A, variable y included in namespace B, and variable e included in namespace C, the user can simultaneously check variables x, a, and e across the group. 4B is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display contents showing the state of variables in groups. Group 1 shown in FIG. 4 is an example of group 1 explained in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, by referencing group 1, for example, the variable name INPUT1 in system PLC1 and the variable name * The address of ESP_X, the current value stored at that address, the variable name INPUT2 in PLC2, and the variable name * The address of the ESP and the current value stored at that address can be displayed simultaneously.

[0026] Furthermore, the group management unit 103 can set, for each created group, at least one of the following property information: the creation date of the group, the names of variables included in the group, whether addresses and current values ​​stored at those addresses can be viewed (also referred to as "view protection"), whether current values ​​stored in variables included in the group can be edited (also referred to as "edit protection"), and the display order of the members included in the group. Of these property information, for example, the creation date, view protection, and edit protection may be set by the group creator. Furthermore, the display order of the members included in the group may be set by a user who can view or edit the group when displaying the group. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the settings for viewing and editing capabilities of members included in a group and the display order. As shown in FIG. 5, the creation date of Group 1 is January 1, 2021, and property information that is edit-protected (i.e., not editable) is assigned. Note that Group 1 is not granted viewing protection, so the display order can be set when viewing. Note that Group 2 has viewing-protected property information that prohibits viewing, so editing is not allowed by default. This allows users to manage groups by setting property information for the group and the display order of the members included in the group, and when displaying a list, the order in which the members are displayed can be changed according to the user's needs.

[0027] Furthermore, the group management unit 103 may create groups with a hierarchical structure such that each group includes a plurality of subgroups, based on correlation information indicating the correlation between groups. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a subgroup included in a group. As shown in FIG. 6, group 1_1 is group 1 created on January 1, 2021, as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4A, and 5. Subsequently, the group management unit 103 created group 1_2, which is correlated with group 1_1, on January 2, 2021, group 1_3 on January 3, 2021, and group 1_4 on January 4, 2021, and created group 1 on January 4, 2021, as a group (parent group) including these. In this way, the group management unit 103 can create a plurality of groups in a hierarchical structure. Also, a group that has already been created may be edited so that it belongs to a parent group in a hierarchical structure. In this way, the user can improve usability by grouping members that are correlated with each other into subgroups, for example.

[0028] The query request receiving unit 104 receives a query request for any group managed by the group management unit 103 from the user via the input unit 16. In this way, as described above, in response to the group query request received by the query request receiving unit 104, the group management unit 103 obtains variable definition information from the storage unit 22 based on the reference information registered in the group for which the query has been requested, and obtains the current value stored in the address from the memory unit 202, thereby providing query information for members included in the group for which the query has been requested. The functional units of the control device 1 have been described above. Next, the operation of the control device 1 will be described. Figures 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing the operation of the control device 1. Figure 7A is a flowchart showing the operation when creating or editing a group. Figure 7B is a flowchart showing the operation when displaying definition information of members (variables) included in a specified group and the current values ​​of the variables.

[0029] 7A, in step S10, the group edit request receiving unit 101 receives a group creation request or an edit request, and in the case of a group creation request, the process proceeds to step S11, whereas in the case of an edit request, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0030] In step S11, the group edit request receiving unit 101 receives a variable name or a condition for specifying the grouping target, and if a variable name is received, the process proceeds to step S13, whereas if a condition is received, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0031] In step S12, the reference information generating unit 102 searches for all variable names that satisfy the conditions for each specified system, and acquires all variable names to be grouped, and then proceeds to step S13.

[0032] In step S13, the reference information generating unit 102 generates reference information for each of all variable names to be grouped.

[0033] In step S14, the group management unit 103 creates a new group based on the members including the generated reference information, and ends the process.

[0034] In step S20, if the edit request is to add a variable name, the group management unit 103 proceeds to step S21. If the edit request is to delete a member belonging to a group, the group management unit 103 proceeds to step S23.

[0035] In step S21, the reference information generating unit 102 generates reference information for each specified variable name.

[0036] In step S22, the group management unit 103 adds the member including the reference information generated in step S21 to the specified group, and ends the process.

[0037] In step S23, the group management section 103 deletes the specified member from the group, and ends the process. The processing flow showing the operation of the control device 1 when creating or editing a group has been described above. Next, a process flow of the control device 1 when, upon receiving a group inquiry request, the definition information of members (variables) included in a specified group and the current values ​​of the variables will be described.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 7B, in step S30, the query request receiving unit 104 receives a group query request.

[0039] In step S31, the group management unit 103 acquires all reference information registered in the group for which an inquiry request was made in step S30.

[0040] In step S32, the group management unit 103 acquires variable definition information from the storage unit 22 based on each piece of reference information acquired in step S31, and also acquires the current value stored in the address from the memory unit 202.

[0041] In step S33, the group management unit 103 outputs the inquiry information of the members included in the group for which the inquiry request has been made to the display unit 17, for example. The process flow showing the operation of the control device 1 when inquiring about a group has been described above. The processing flow showing the operation of the control device 1 has been described.

[0042] Although one embodiment of the control device has been described above, the control device 1 is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified, improved, etc. within the scope of achieving the object.

[0043] <Variation 1> In the above-described embodiment, the PLC device 2 is communicatively connected to the control device 1, but this is not limiting. For example, the control device 1 may include the PLC device 2. Furthermore, the PLC device 2 may include the functional units, input unit 16, and display 17 that the control device 1 includes.

[0044] In one embodiment, each function included in the control device 1 can be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of these. Here, being realized by software means being realized by a computer reading and executing a program.

[0045] The program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical storage media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs). The program may also be supplied to a computer by various types of transitory computer-readable media. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable media can be supplied to a computer via wired communication paths such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication paths.

[0046] In addition, the steps of writing a program to be recorded on a recording medium include not only processes that are performed chronologically in accordance with the order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically but are performed in parallel or individually.

[0047] In other words, the control device of the present disclosure can take on a variety of embodiments having the following configurations.

[0048] (1) The control device 1 according to this embodiment is a control device 1 communicably connected to a PLC device 2, which includes a memory unit 202 that records data on addresses available on the PLC and current values ​​of the addresses, a sequence program executed for each name space, and a storage unit 22 that manages variable definition information related to variables defined for addresses in the memory unit 202 and used in the sequence program for each name space, and the control device 1 includes a control unit 10 and an input unit 16. The control unit 10 a group edit request receiving unit 101 that receives an input of an arbitrary address recorded in the memory unit 202 or an arbitrary variable registered in the storage unit 22 for each name space via the input unit 16 and receives a request to create or edit a group; a reference information generating unit 102 that generates reference information indicating where the address or variable received by the group edit request receiving unit 101 is recorded in the memory unit 202 or the storage unit 22; a group management unit 103 that, when a group creation request is received by the group edit request receiving unit 101, creates a new group based on members including the reference information, and when a group edit request is received by the group edit request receiving unit 101, additionally registers members including the reference information to the group; and a query request receiving unit 104 that receives a query request for an arbitrary group managed by the group management unit 103 via the input unit 16; The group management unit 103 In response to a query request received by the query request receiving unit 104, the address and current value are obtained from the memory unit 202 and variable definition information is obtained from the storage unit 22 based on the reference information registered in the group for which the query request is made, and these are provided as query information for the members included in the group.

[0049] This provides a mechanism for managing group information across multiple namespaces for referencing variable definitions in a program created across multiple namespaces, without relying solely on the namespace. This makes it possible to simultaneously check or diagnose the status of any variable across multiple namespaces. Furthermore, since only the status of variables registered in the group can be displayed, the display processing load can be reduced.

[0050] (2) In the control device 1 described in (1), the name space may be expressed by either the POU name or the system name of the PLC device 2.

[0051] This provides a mechanism for group management across multiple systems or POUs for information referencing variable definitions in programs created across multiple systems or POUs, rather than relying solely on the system or POU, making it possible to simultaneously check or diagnose the status of any variable across multiple systems or POUs.Furthermore, since only the status of variables registered in the group can be displayed, the display processing load can be reduced.

[0052] (3) In the control device 1 described in (1) or (2), the group management unit 103 For a group, at least one of the following may be set: the date of creation of the group, property information including whether the group can be viewed or edited, and the display order of the members included in the group.

[0053] This allows the user to manage groups by setting the display order of property information and members included in the group, and also allows the user to change the list display format according to their needs.

[0054] (4) In the control device 1 described in any one of (1) to (3), the group management unit 103 may create a plurality of subgroups based on correlation information indicating the correlation between groups.

[0055] This allows for further subgrouping of members that are correlated with each other within a group, thereby improving usability for the user.

[0056] (5) In the control device 1 described in any one of (1) to (4), the reference information generation unit 102 may generate reference information for variables that satisfy a condition specified via the input unit 16, and may generate a group that satisfies the condition based on the generated reference information.

[0057] This means that if a user wants to cross-sectionally check or diagnose variables that meet certain conditions, they can easily check or diagnose by simply entering the conditions, thereby generating a group consisting of variables that meet the conditions.

[0058] (6) The control device 1 described in any one of (1) to (5) may include a PLC device 2.

[0059] (7) The control device 1 described in any one of (1) to (5) may be included in the PLC device 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1. Control device 10 Control Unit 101 Group Editing Request Reception Unit 102 Reference information generation section 103 Group Management Department 104 Inquiry request reception unit 12 Storage section 16 Input section 17 Display 2 PLC equipment 20 PLC_CPU 202 Memory section 22 Memory section

Claims

1. a memory unit for recording data of addresses available on the PLC and current values ​​at the addresses; A control device communicably connected to a PLC device including: a sequence program created or executed across a plurality of name spaces; and a storage unit that manages variable definition information relating to variables defined for addresses in the memory unit and used in the sequence program for each of the name spaces; A control unit; an input unit, The control unit a group edit request receiving unit that receives input of any address recorded in the memory unit or any variable registered in the storage unit for each name space via the input unit, and receives a request to create or edit a group that includes the input address recorded in the memory unit or the input variable registered for each name space; a reference information generating unit that generates reference information that indicates where the address or the variable received by the group edit request receiving unit is recorded in the memory unit or the storage unit; a group management unit that, when a request to create a group is received by the group edit request receiving unit, creates a new group based on the members including the reference information, and, when a request to edit a group is received by the group edit request receiving unit, additionally registers the members including the reference information to the group; a query request receiving unit that receives, via the input unit, a query request for any group managed by the group management unit; Equipped with The group management unit In response to the inquiry request received by the inquiry request receiving unit, an address and a current value are obtained from the memory unit and variable definition information is obtained from the storage unit based on reference information registered in the group for which the inquiry request is made, and these are provided as inquiry information for members included in the group. A control device that enables cross-sectional confirmation or diagnosis of the status of any variable defined in the sequence program by browsing multiple name spaces.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the name space is expressed by either a POU name or a system name of a PLC device.

3. The group management unit The control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of property information including a creation date of the group, whether the group can be viewed, and whether the group can be edited, and a display order of the members included in the group are set for the group.

4. The group management unit The control device according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of subgroups are created based on correlation information indicating a correlation between the groups.

5. The reference information generation unit 5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein reference information is generated for a variable that satisfies a condition specified via the input unit, and a group that satisfies the condition is generated based on the generated reference information.

6. The control device according to claim 1 , comprising the PLC device.

7. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is included in the PLC device.

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