Ladder Program Circuit Block Reuse Without Manual Registration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for designing ladder programs require significant time and effort to repeatedly input program elements with the same connection relationship, as they need to be registered as program components in advance.
Innovation Solution
A design support device that extracts and stores circuit blocks from ladder programs when they are formed and connected to power rails, allowing users to easily insert frequently used circuit blocks into the program, reducing the need for manual registration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If program elements are stored as history information and registered as program components, then the same circuit configuration can be reused, but the registration process takes time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary extraction and storage of circuit blocks as they are formed during programming, so that when the same circuit configuration appears again, it can be immediately reused without registration. The circuit block extraction unit continuously monitors and captures completed circuits, storing them in advance for future use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically extracts and stores circuit blocks without requiring operator intervention for registration. The circuit block extraction unit self-activates when a circuit is formed, automatically identifying and storing the circuit configuration, thereby making the system serve itself rather than requiring manual program component registration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual registration of program components is required, then circuit blocks can be reused, but the operator's burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit block extraction unit automatically detects when a circuit is formed and extracts the circuit block without operator intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously identifying, extracting, and storing circuit blocks, eliminating the need for operators to manually register program components while maintaining full reusability.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification unit provides feedback to the operator by notifying them of extracted circuit blocks that can be reused. This feedback mechanism allows the operator to be informed of available circuit blocks without having to manually search or register them, reducing operational burden while maintaining reusability.
3Productivity
If circuit blocks are extracted and stored automatically, then the ladder program design process is streamlined, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the ladder program into discrete circuit blocks that can be independently extracted, stored, and reused. By segmenting the program structure, the system can efficiently manage and manipulate individual circuit blocks without requiring complex overall program analysis, thereby improving productivity with manageable system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit block storage unit acts as an intermediary between the circuit formation process and the reuse process. It automatically receives and stores circuit blocks from the extraction unit and provides them to the notification unit, mediating the automation process and managing system complexity through a dedicated intermediate storage layer.
Data Source
AI summary
A design support device includes an operation reception unit that receives an operation from a user, a program creation unit that creates a ladder program in accordance with the operation received by the operation reception unit, and a circuit block extraction unit that extracts a circuit block from the ladder program when the circuit block is formed and a predetermined condition is satisfied. The circuit block is formed by detecting that one end of a circuit including a plurality of program elements is connected to one of two power rails included in the ladder program and that another end of the circuit is connected to another one of the two power rails. Further, there is a circuit block memory that stores configuration information of the circuit block extracted by the circuit block extraction unit. There is also a notification unit.