Peripheral device for programmable controller

Details Peripheral device for programmable controller Peripheral device for programmable controller

2000-08-23

2004-10-26

Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2182)

Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/

Input/output data processing

Input/output command process

C710S008000, C710S009000, C710S104000, C718S100000, C718S101000, C711S202000, C712S032000, C712S208000, C712S210000, C712S220000, C712S245000, C700S011000, C700S013000, C700S019000, C700S024000, C700S090000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06810433

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a peripheral device used as a programming tool and the like for creating a sequence program for a programmable controller for controlling mechanical equipment. More particularly, this invention relates to a peripheral device having a function for checking a sequence program.
BACKGROUND ART
FIG. 18
shows a peripheral device for a programmable controller (hereinafter referred to as a PC peripheral device in some cases) in the conventional technology.
A PC peripheral device
300
is provided with a processing section
301
formed by a CPU or the like, a main storage section
302
, an auxiliary storage section
303
, a key input control section
304
, a screen control section
305
, and a printer control section
306
. A keyboard
307
is connected to the key input control section
304
, a display unit
308
formed by a CRT or the like is connected to the screen control section
305
, and a printer
309
is connected to the printer control section
306
.
The main storage section
302
is allocated for a system program area
310
, a sequence program area
311
, and a device range information area
312
. A system program is stored in the system program area
310
, a sequence program is stored in the sequence program area
311
, and device range information is stored in the device range information area
312
.
FIG. 19
shows a device allocation table of a PC peripheral device. The device allocation table is stored in the device range information area
312
and defines the range of each device. The device allocation table contains information such as points information
400
on each device, as well as local device range information
401
and global device range information
402
for each device.
Note that a local device is a device allocated for each sequence program, while a global device is a device common to all sequence programs.
The programmable controller peripheral device
300
stores sequence programs input by the keyboard
307
via the key input control section
304
in the sequence program area
311
of the main storage section
302
. It also stores device range information in the device range information area
312
of the main storage section
302
. The sequence programs and device range information stored in each area are output to the display unit
308
via the screen control section
305
and to the printer
309
via the printer control section
306
, and are stored in the auxiliary storage section
303
.
Here, the sequence program and device range information will be taken as already created and stored in the main storage section
302
.
When checking as to whether or not there is an error in a value of a device used in a sequence program, a check instruction is given using the keyboard
307
via the key input control section
304
. Based on this check instruction, the processing section
301
executes a check routine in the system program. This check routine will be described below while referring to FIG.
20
.
Based on the check instruction, processing is executed so that the data of one command is acquired from the sequence program (step S
301
). Processing is then executed to check whether or not a device is being used in the command (step S
302
).
If a device is included, processing to acquire the device number is executed (step S
303
). Processing is then executed to check whether or not the device number exceeds the points of the device point information (step S
304
).
In this check, if the device number exceeds the points of the device point information, error display processing is executed to report that the range is exceeded (step S
305
).
It is then verified whether or not the checking has been completed down to the final step (step S
306
), and the above processing sequence is repeated as far as the final step.
As an example, when checking a sequence program such as that shown in
FIG. 21
, the checking is performed in sequence from the first command of the sequence program. When the third command is checked, “MOV K40 D9000” is acquired, and “D9000” is acquired as the device used in the command.
As shown in
FIG. 22
, the device “D9000” and the device range information of the device D are compared, and a check is made as to whether or not the device “D9000” is within the range of the points of the device D in the device range information. As the points of the device D are “8191”, while the number of the device “D9000” is “9000”, the device “D9000” is outside the range of the device D. Therefore, an error such as that shown in
FIG. 23
is displayed. In the error display, the command number (list line) where the command which uses the device that exceeds the device range is present as well as one command and device range information (maximum value) are displayed on the screen.
However, because the seventh “BMOV” command of the sequence program shown in
FIG. 21
is a command for copying 10 groups of data starting from “D0” to 10 data areas starting from “D8190”, the ten groups of data starting from the data transfer destination device “D8190” are form the range “D8190”-“D8199”. This exceeds the maximum value of the points of the device D, however, in a conventional PC peripheral device, because whether or not the data transfer destination device “D8190” is outside the device range is only being checked, no error results.
Further, in a conventional PC peripheral device, because it is not possible to check whether or not devices connected by a device notation indicating consecutive areas and commands specifying consecutive devices present in the sequence program are local devices and global devices used in combination, this check has to be performed by visually confirming the sequence program. Such a check is extremely troublesome and inconvenient, and errors in the operation of the programmable controller caused by mistakes in the checking may occur.
Furthermore, in a conventional PC peripheral device, because it is also not possible to check the checking as to whether or not devices connected by a device notation indicating consecutive areas and commands specifying consecutive devices present in the sequence program are used singly by other commands present in the sequence program, this check has to be performed by an operator visually confirming the sequence program. Such a check is extremely troublesome and inconvenient, and errors in the operation of the programmable controller caused by mistakes in the checking may occur.
Furthermore, in a conventional PC peripheral device, because it is not possible to check whether or not index modified results of commands specifying index modification devices present in the sequence program are used by other commands present in the sequence program, this check has to be performed by an operator visually confirming the sequence program. Such a check is extremely troublesome and inconvenient, and errors in the operation of the programmable controller caused by mistakes in the checking may occur.
The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a peripheral device for a programmable controller capable of performing each of the checks below automatically, without the necessity of the confirmation work of the sequence program itself by watching by an operator. Namely, a check as to whether or not devices connected by a device notation and commands specifying consecutive devices present in a sequence program are local devices and global devices used in combination; and whether or not local devices and global devices are being used in combination in a device notation; a check as to whether or not consecutive devices of commands specifying consecutive devices present in the sequence program are used alone by other commands present in the sequence program; and a check as to whether or not index modified results of commands specifying index modification devices present in the sequence program are used by other commands present in the sequence program.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspe

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