Sequence program display device and sequence program display method

Abstract

The present invention makes it possible for even a sequence program novice to easily find out a desired signal from the sequence program without having to memorize signals per function.　This sequence program display device comprises a search string input unit for inputting a search string, a database unit that stores information to identify a signal and a string defined as auxiliary information for the signal, a signal conversion unit that converts to a signal on the basis of the inputted search string and the strings of the database unit, a sequence program storage unit that stores the sequence program, a sequence program retrieval unit that retrieves the signal having been converted by the signal conversion unit from the sequence program, and a display unit that displays a location of the sequence program that includes the signal having been retrieved by the sequence program retrieval unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sequence program display device and a sequence program display method. [Background technology]

[0002] When creating or debugging a sequence program, signals, variables, etc. may be searched for in the sequence program. When searching for signals etc. from a sequence program, signals, symbols, character strings etc. are specified as search elements. For example, there is known a technology that has data structure information as a database, and when accessing a variable input to an address-type parameter having structured data, the data structure information is read from the database, the data structure is displayed as a list, and any variable can be selected from the displayed list and easily set as any parameter of a sequence command (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2007 / 102313 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the signals in a sequence program differ for each function, and it is difficult for a beginner in sequence programming to memorize the different signals for each function. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of signals that differ for each function. As shown in Figure 12, in the overtravel check function, for example, signals "G114.0" to "G114.7" are assigned to the "overtravel signal + direction, axis 1" to "overtravel signal + direction, axis 8," respectively. Meanwhile, signals "G116.0" to "G116.7" are assigned to the "overtravel signal - direction, axis 1" to "overtravel signal - direction, axis 8," respectively. In addition, in the mode selection function, the signals "mode selection signal MD1," "mode selection signal MD2," "mode selection signal MD4," "DNC operation selection signal," "manual reference point return selection signal," and "incremental feed selection confirmation signal" are assigned to signals "G43.0," "G43.1," "G43.2," "G43.5," "G43.7," and "F3.0," respectively. In addition, in the auxiliary function, the signals "completion signal," "second auxiliary function completion signal," and "distribution completion signal" are assigned to signals "G4.3," "G5.7," and "F1.3," respectively. Therefore, when a beginner in sequence programming wants to find a signal for a specific function in a sequence program, it is very time-consuming to look at a table that corresponds to functions and signals, or to add comments to each signal in the sequence program that make it easier to find the signal.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable that even a beginner in sequence programming be able to easily find a desired signal from a sequence program without having to memorize the signals for each function. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the sequence program display device of the present disclosure is a sequence program display device that displays a sequence program, and includes a search string input unit for inputting a search string, a database unit for storing information that identifies a signal and strings defined as auxiliary information for the signal, a signal conversion unit that converts the input search string and the string in the database unit into a signal, a sequence program storage unit that stores the sequence program, a sequence program search unit that searches the sequence program for the signal converted by the signal conversion unit, and a display unit that displays a portion of the sequence program that includes the signal searched for by the sequence program search unit.

[0007] One aspect of the sequence program display method of the present disclosure is a sequence program display method for displaying a sequence program, comprising a search string input step for inputting a search string, a signal conversion step for converting the input search string into a signal based on information that identifies a signal and a string defined as auxiliary information for the signal, a sequence program search step for searching for the converted signal from the sequence program, and a display step for displaying a portion of the sequence program that includes the searched signal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect, even a beginner in sequence programming can easily find a desired signal from a sequence program without having to memorize signals for each function. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the sequence program display device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a signal table. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input screen. [Figure 4]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of a sequence program including a converted signal. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of a sequence program including a converted signal. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of a sequence program including a converted signal. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of a sequence program including a converted signal. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a display process of the sequence program display device. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a sequence program display device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a display process of the sequence program display device. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displaying a list of relevant locations. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of signals that differ for each function. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A first embodiment and a second embodiment of a sequence program display device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, each embodiment has in common the configuration of converting a search string entered by a user into a signal based on information that identifies the signal stored in the database unit and a string defined as auxiliary information for the signal, searching for the converted signal from a sequence program, and displaying the part of the sequence program where the searched signal is written. However, in the first embodiment, the locations of the sequence programs are displayed for each location of the searched sequence programs, whereas in the second embodiment, all the locations of the searched sequence programs are displayed in a list, which is different from the first embodiment. In the following, the first embodiment will be described in detail first, and then the second embodiment will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0011] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a sequence program display device according to the first embodiment. 1, the sequence program display device 1 is a computer, a tablet terminal, or the like, and includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, an input device 30, and a display device (display unit) 40. The control unit 10 also includes a search string input unit 101, a signal conversion unit 102, and a sequence program search unit 103. The sequence program display device 1 may be connected to a control device such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) device (not shown) via a network (not shown) such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. In this case, the sequence program display device 1 includes a communication unit (not shown) for transmitting a sequence program created via such a connection to the control device such as the PLC device (not shown). The sequence program display device 1 may be directly connected to the control device such as the PLC device (not shown) via a connection interface (not shown) via a wired or wireless connection.

[0012] <Storage section 20> The storage unit 20 is a solid state drive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), etc. The storage unit 20 stores an operating system and application programs executed by the control unit 10. The storage unit 20 also includes a database unit 201 and a sequence program storage unit 202. The database unit 201 stores, for example, a signal table in which Japanese, English, symbol information, etc. related to each signal are assigned. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the signal table. As shown in FIG. 2, the signal table has storage areas for "signals" and "character strings." The "signal" storage area in the signal table stores signals used in the sequence program, such as "G187.7" and "G8.4." The "character string" storage area in the signal table stores, for example, for each signal such as "G187.7" or "G8.4," information identifying the signal such as a "feed rate override signal" or an "emergency stop signal," as well as Japanese and English character strings defined as auxiliary information for signals such as "fourth group," "PMC axis control," and "for second machine group."

[0013] The sequence program storage unit 202 stores a sequence program to be executed by a control device such as a PLC device (not shown).

[0014] <Input device 30> The input device 30 is a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, or the like, and receives input operations from the user.

[0015] <Display device 40> The display device 40 is a liquid crystal display or the like as a display unit, and displays the location of the signal searched for in the sequence program, as will be described later.

[0016] <Control unit 10> The control unit 10 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a CMOS memory, and the like, which are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a bus, and are well known to those skilled in the art. The CPU is a processor that controls the entire sequence program display device 1. The CPU reads out the system program and application program stored in the ROM via the bus and controls the entire sequence program display device 1 in accordance with the system program and application program. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 10 is configured to realize the functions of a search string input unit 101, a signal conversion unit 102, and a sequence program search unit 103. The RAM stores various data such as temporary calculation data and display data. The CMOS memory is backed up by a battery (not shown) and is configured as a non-volatile memory that retains its stored state even when the power to the sequence program display device 1 is turned off.

[0017] The search string input unit 101 inputs a search string related to a signal to be searched for in a sequence program, based on an input operation from the user via the input device 30, for example. Specifically, when the search string input unit 101 receives a signal search instruction from a user via the input device 30, for example, during editing such as creating, changing, or debugging a sequence program, it displays an input screen on the display device 40 for entering keywords related to the signal to be searched for. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen 300. As shown in FIG. 3, the input screen 300 has a text box 310 that accepts input of a search string such as "emergency stop" based on an input operation by the user via the input device 30. Note that instead of the text box 310, the input screen 300 may have a pull-down menu 310 that allows the user to select a search string. Furthermore, the search string input unit 101 may input not only one search string such as "emergency stop", but also two or more search strings such as "emergency stop" and "serial spindle". The search string input unit 101 outputs the input search string to the signal conversion unit 102, which will be described later.

[0018] The signal conversion unit 102 converts the input search character string into a signal based on the signal table in the database unit 201 . 2 stored in the database unit 201 using, for example, the input search string "emergency stop" as a search key, and extracts signals "G8.4," "X8.0," "X8.1," "G71.1," "G75.1" to "X8.4" that match the search string "emergency stop." The signal conversion unit 102 outputs the extracted signal "G8.4" and the like as a converted signal to the sequence program search unit 103, which will be described later.

[0019] The sequence program search unit 103 searches the sequence program for the signal converted by the signal conversion unit 102 . Specifically, the sequence program search unit 103 searches for signals "G8.4," "X8.0," "X8.1," "G71.1," "G75.1," to "X8.4" converted net by net from the beginning of the sequence program. Every time the sequence program search unit 103 searches for a portion of the sequence program (for example, a net number) that includes any of the signals "G8.4," "X8.0," "X8.1," "G71.1," "G75.1," to "X8.4," the sequence program search unit 103 displays the corresponding portion on the display device 40. 4 to 7 are diagrams showing examples of sequence program locations including converted signals. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the sequence program display device 1 may be configured to display converted signal locations in a color such as red or yellow, as indicated by shading. Furthermore, when a searched signal location is selected by the user via the input device 30, or when the user positions a cursor or pointer of the input device 30 on the searched signal location, the sequence program display device 1 may pop up auxiliary information for the signal at that location (for example, "for the second machine group" or the like). By doing so, the user does not need to look at the correspondence table between functions and signals every time, and does not need to enter comments for each signal in the sequence program that make it easier to search for the signal. Then, when the sequence program search unit 103 has searched up to the last net of the sequence program, it may display "no match" on the display device 40.

[0020] <Display process of sequence program display device 1> Next, the flow of the display process of the sequence program display device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the display process of the sequence program display device 1. The flow shown here is repeatedly executed every time the user inputs a search character string.

[0021] In step S11, the search string input unit 101 inputs a search string related to a signal to be searched for in the sequence program based on an input operation by the user via the input device 30.

[0022] In step S12, the search character string input in step S11 is converted into a signal based on the signal table in the database unit 201.

[0023] In step S13, the sequence program search unit 103 searches the sequence program for the signal converted in step S12.

[0024] In step S14, the sequence program search unit 103 searches for and determines whether the signal converted in step S12 from the sequence program in step 13 has been found. If found, the process proceeds to step 15. On the other hand, if not found, the sequence program display device 1 ends the display process.

[0025] In step S15, the sequence program search unit 103 displays on the display device 40 the part of the sequence program that includes the signal searched for in step S13, and the process returns to step S13.

[0026] As described above, the sequence program display device 1 according to the first embodiment stores in the database unit 201 a signal table in which Japanese, English, symbol information, and the like associated with each signal are pre-assigned, and a search string related to a signal is input based on an input operation by the user via the input device 30, and the search string is converted into a signal based on the input search string and the signal table in the database unit 201. The sequence program display device 1 searches the sequence program for the converted signal, and sequentially displays portions of the sequence program containing the searched signal on the display device 40. In this way, the sequence program display device 1 allows even a beginner in sequence programming to easily find a desired signal from the sequence program without having to memorize signals for each function. Furthermore, the user does not need to look at the correspondence table between functions and signals every time, and does not need to enter comments for each signal in the sequence program to make it easier to search for the signal. The first embodiment has been described above.

[0027] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. As described above, in the first embodiment, each location of the searched sequence program is displayed. In contrast, in the second embodiment, all the locations of the searched sequence program are displayed in a list, which is different from the first embodiment. As a result, the sequence program display device 1A allows even a beginner in sequence programming to easily find a desired signal from the sequence program without having to memorize the signals for each function. The second embodiment will be described below.

[0028] 9 is a functional block diagram of a sequence program display device according to the second embodiment. Elements having the same functions as those of the sequence program display device 1 in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. 9, the sequence program display device 1A is a computer, a tablet terminal, or the like, and includes a control unit 10a, a storage unit 20a, an input device 30, and a display device 40 as a matching part list display unit. The control unit 10a also includes a search string input unit 101, a signal conversion unit 102, a sequence program search unit 103, and a matching part list creation unit 104. The input device 30 and the display device 40 have the same functions as the input device 30 and the display device 40 in the first embodiment.

[0029] <Storage section 20a> The storage unit 20a is an SSD, HDD, or the like, similar to the storage unit 20 in the first embodiment. The storage unit 20a also stores an operating system and application programs executed by the control unit 10a. The storage unit 20a also includes a database unit 201, a sequence program storage unit 202, and a corresponding location storage unit 203. The database unit 201 and the sequence program storage unit 202 have the same functions as the database unit 201 and the sequence program storage unit 202 in the first embodiment. The relevant location storage unit 203 stores data indicating all locations (for example, net numbers) of the sequence program that include the signals searched for by the sequence program search unit 103 as relevant locations.

[0030] <Control unit 10a> The control unit 10a includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a CMOS memory, and the like, which are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a bus, and are well known to those skilled in the art. The CPU is a processor that controls the entire sequence program display device 1A. The CPU reads the system program and application program stored in the ROM via the bus and controls the entire sequence program display device 1A in accordance with the system program and application program. As a result, as shown in Figure 9, the control unit 10a is configured to realize the functions of a search string input unit 101, a signal conversion unit 102, a sequence program search unit 103, and a matching part list creation unit 104. The search string input unit 101, the signal conversion unit 102, and the sequence program search unit 103 have the same functions as the search string input unit 101, the signal conversion unit 102, and the sequence program search unit 103 in the first embodiment.

[0031] The matching part list creating unit 104 creates a matching part list screen that lists all parts of the sequence program that are stored in the matching part storage unit 203 and that have been searched by the sequence program search unit 103 . Specifically, the relevant location list creation unit 104 reads all locations (e.g., net numbers, etc.) of the sequence program searched by the sequence program search unit 103 from the relevant location memory unit 203, and creates a single relevant location list screen that lists all the read locations. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 400 for listing relevant sections. As shown in Fig. 11, the relevant part list creation unit 104 creates a screen 400 that lists the parts shown in Fig. 4 to Fig. 7, for example. Note that Fig. 11 shows only the parts shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 7. The relevant part list creation unit 104 displays the created screen 400 on the display device 40. This allows the user to easily understand the situation in which each signal operates by comparing the relevant part list, and also allows the user to find the desired signal more quickly.

[0032] <Display process of sequence program display device 1A> Next, the flow of display processing of the sequence program display device 1A will be described with reference to FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the display process of the sequence program display device 1 A. The flow shown here is repeatedly executed every time the user inputs a search character string. The processes from step S21 to step S24 are the same as the processes from step S11 to step S14 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0033] In step S25, the sequence program search unit 103 stores the part of the sequence program that includes the signal searched for in step S23 in the relevant part storage unit 203 as the relevant part.

[0034] In step S26, the relevant part list creation unit 104 reads all parts of the sequence program searched in step S23 from the relevant part memory unit 203, creates a single relevant part list screen 400 that lists all the read parts, and displays the created relevant part list screen 400 on the display device 40.

[0035] As described above, the sequence program display device 1A according to the second embodiment stores in the database unit 201 a signal table in which Japanese, English, symbol information, and the like associated with each signal are pre-assigned. A search string related to a signal is input via the input device 30 by a user, and the search string is converted into a signal based on the input search string and the signal table in the database unit 201. The sequence program display device 1A searches the sequence program for the converted signal, stores all parts of the sequence program containing the searched signal in the corresponding part storage unit 203, creates a single corresponding part list screen listing all the stored parts, and displays the created corresponding part list screen on the display device 40. This allows even a beginner in sequence programming to easily find a desired signal from the sequence program without having to memorize signals for each function. Furthermore, users no longer need to look at the correspondence table between functions and signals, and there is no need to enter comments for each signal in the sequence program to make it easier to search for signals. Furthermore, users can easily understand the operation of each signal by comparing the corresponding location list. Furthermore, they can find the desired signal more quickly. The second embodiment has been described above.

[0036] The first and second embodiments have been described above, but the sequence program display devices 1, 1A are not limited to the above-described embodiments and include modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope that can achieve the purpose.

[0037] <Modification> In the first and second embodiments, the sequence program display device 1, 1A is a device separate from a control device such as a PLC device (not shown), but is not limited to this. For example, the sequence program display device 1, 1A may be mounted inside a control device (not shown) and integrated with the control device (not shown).

[0038] In the first and second embodiments, each function included in the sequence program display device 1, 1A 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] In other words, the vision system and vision detection method of the present disclosure can take various forms having the following configurations.

[0042] (1) The sequence program display device 1 of the present disclosure is a sequence program display device that displays a sequence program, and includes a search string input unit 101 for inputting a search string, a database unit 201 for storing strings defined as information for identifying a signal and auxiliary information for the signal, a signal conversion unit 102 for converting the input search string and the string in the database unit 201 into a signal, a sequence program storage unit 202 for storing a sequence program, a sequence program search unit 103 for searching the sequence program for the signal converted by the signal conversion unit 102, and a display device 40 for displaying a portion of the sequence program that includes the signal searched for by the sequence program search unit 103. According to this sequence program display device 1, even a beginner in sequence programming can easily find a desired signal from the sequence program without having to memorize the signals for each function.

[0043] (2) The sequence program display device 1A described in (1) is provided with a relevant location memory unit 203 that stores all locations of the sequence program searched by the sequence program search unit 103, and a relevant location list creation unit 104 that creates a relevant location list that lists all locations stored in the relevant location memory unit 203, and the display device 40 may display the relevant location list created by the relevant location list creation unit 104 as a relevant location list display unit. This allows the user to easily understand the situation in which each signal operates by comparing the relevant part list, and also allows the user to find the desired signal more quickly.

[0044] (3) The sequence program display method of the present disclosure is a sequence program display method for displaying a sequence program, and includes a search string input step for inputting a search string, a signal conversion step for converting the input search string into a signal based on information identifying a signal and a string defined as auxiliary information for the signal, a sequence program search step for searching for the converted signal from the sequence program, and a display step for displaying a portion of the sequence program that includes the searched signal. This sequence program display method can achieve the same effect as (1).

[0045] (4) The sequence program display method described in (3) may include a relevant part storage step for storing all parts of the searched sequence program, and a relevant part list creation step for creating a list of all the stored parts as relevant parts, and the display step may display the created list of relevant parts. By doing so, the sequence program display method can achieve the same effect as (2). [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1, 1A Sequence program display device 10, 10a Control section 101 Search string input section 102 Signal conversion unit 103 Sequence program search section 104 List of relevant sections 20, 20a Storage section 201 Database Department 202 Sequence program memory section 203 Relevant part memory section 30 Input Devices 40 Storage section

Claims

1. A sequence program display device that displays a sequence program, a search string input section for inputting a search string; a database unit that stores information that identifies a signal and character strings that are defined as auxiliary information for the signal; a signal conversion unit that converts the input search character string and the character string in the database unit into a signal; a sequence program storage unit that stores the sequence program; a sequence program search unit that searches the sequence program for the signal converted by the signal conversion unit; a display unit that displays a portion of the sequence program that includes the signal searched for by the sequence program search unit; A sequence program display device comprising:

2. a corresponding part storage unit that stores all parts of the sequence program searched by the sequence program search unit; a hit location list creation unit that creates a hit location list that lists all the hit locations stored in the hit location storage unit, The sequence program display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit displays the hit location list created by the hit location list creation unit as a hit location list display unit.

3. A sequence program display method for displaying a sequence program, comprising: a search string input step for inputting a search string; a signal conversion step of converting the input search character string into a signal based on information specifying a signal and a character string defined as auxiliary information of the signal; a sequence program retrieval step of retrieving the converted signal from the sequence program; a display step of displaying a part of the sequence program including the searched signal; A sequence program display method comprising:

4. a corresponding part storage step of storing all parts of the searched sequence program; a relevant part list creation step of creating a relevant part list of all the stored parts, 4. The sequence program display method according to claim 3, wherein said display step displays the created list of relevant portions.

Images