PLC and WebHMI Integrated Development for Shared Symbol Resources
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional programming support apparatuses for PLCs have separate and independent software development environments for user programs and WebHMI, leading to poor development efficiency due to the need to manage and integrate distinct environments for programming and display screen development.
Innovation Solution
A programming support apparatus with an integrated development environment that combines a non-web application-based development environment for user programs with a web application-based environment for WebHMI, allowing seamless integration and sharing of development tools and resources, such as symbol definitions and configuration information, to enhance development efficiency and maintainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate software development environments are used for user programs and WebHMI, then each environment can be independently developed and maintained, but development efficiency deteriorates due to the need to manage and integrate distinct environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the previously separate user program development environment and WebHMI development environment into a single integrated development environment. This integration allows both PLC programming and WebHMI screen development to occur within one unified software platform, eliminating the need to switch between separate applications and improving overall development efficiency while maintaining the ability to independently develop each component.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate development environments are used for user programs and WebHMI, then resource sharing is limited, but integration complexity increases when attempting to combine them
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated development environment implements multi-functionality by providing a universal platform that handles both user program development for PLCs and WebHMI screen development. The system uses a unified project management mechanism that can manage both types of development work simultaneously, allowing resources such as symbol definitions, device configurations, and programming tools to be shared across both development activities without requiring separate management systems.
3Reliability
If independent development environments are used, then each environment can be optimized separately, but user burden increases due to managing multiple environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple independent development environments into one integrated platform, reducing the user burden of managing separate applications. The unified environment provides consistent operation interfaces, centralized project management, and seamless switching between PLC programming and WebHMI development tasks, while maintaining the optimized capabilities of each original environment through modular architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a programming support apparatus including an integrated development environment in which a development environment for developing a user program to be executed by a PLC is integrated with a development environment of a display screen. A programming supporting apparatus includes a providing section that provides an integrated development environment in which a non-web application-based first development environment supporting development of a user program to be transferred to and executed by the programmable logic controller is integrated with a web application-based second development environment supporting development of a display screen by generating the display screen, which displays a symbol value collected from a symbol used in accordance with the user program in the programmable logic controller, as a web page that is described by data describing a structure, data describing a decoration, and a code describing dynamic processing.