JP2023152149A - Development support device, development support program, and development support method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a development support device, a development support program, or a development support method that can improve an accuracy of logic verification of a target control program.SOLUTION: A development support device (10) comprises: a storage unit (11a) that stores a target control program; a reception unit (14) that receives an input of received frame data recorded in a field network system; an IO data processing unit (11b) that acquires, from the received frame data, appliance information which is information about each of slave devices transmitted by each of the slave devices to a programmable logic controller; and a scheduler (11c) that simulates operations of the plurality of slave devices when the target control program is executed based on the appliance information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to a development support device, a development support program, and a development support method.

In the field of factory automation (FA), various types of devices that share work processes are controlled. In order to operate various controllers, remote I/O, and manufacturing equipment used in certain areas such as factory facilities in a coordinated manner, an industrial network, also called a field network, is constructed to connect these devices. There is.

A typical industrial network employs a master-slave system that includes various slave devices and a master device. The slave device is a device that controls equipment installed in a factory or collects data. The master device is configured using, for example, a programmable logic controller, and the programmable logic controller executes a control program to perform predetermined control such as centralized management of the slave devices.

Also, a development support device is known that supports debugging of a control program executed by a programmable logic controller. The development support device executes a simulation of the operation of various devices when a target control program, which is a simulation target, is executed in a field network.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-209408

However, there is a need to further improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program by the development support device.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a development support device, a development support program, or a development support method that can improve the accuracy of logic verification of a target control program.

The present disclosure adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.

A development support device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a field network system that is connected to a network and includes a plurality of devices and a programmable logic controller that controls the plurality of devices by executing a control program. The programmable logic controller communicates with the plurality of devices by transmitting a transmission frame to the network every control period and receiving a reception frame from the network every control period. , a development support device for simulating operations of the plurality of devices in a field network system, comprising: a target control program storage unit storing a target control program, which is a control program to be simulated; a reception unit that receives input of reception frame data that is recorded data of the reception frame; and a reception unit that receives input of reception frame data that is recorded data of the reception frame, and information regarding each of the devices transmitted by each of the devices to the programmable logic controller from the reception frame data received by the reception unit. a development unit that acquires device information that is information; and a simulation unit that simulates the operation of the plurality of devices when the target control program is executed based on the device information acquired by the development unit. It is prepared.

According to the above configuration, the reception unit receives input of received frame data, which is actual data actually generated and recorded in the field network system. The expansion unit acquires the device information of each of the plurality of devices actually transmitted to the programmable logic controller in the field network system based on the received frame data received by the reception unit. The simulation section simulates the operation of the plurality of devices when the target control program is executed, based on the device information acquired by the expansion section. This allows the simulation unit to simulate the target control program using actual data exchanged in the field network system, rather than device information data such as device variables in a simulated case designed on a desk. . As a result, the development support device can improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

The development support device according to the above aspect further includes a network configuration storage unit that stores information on a network configuration in the field network system, and the development unit stores the received frame data based on the information on the network configuration. The device information may be acquired from.

According to the above configuration, in the development support device, the expansion unit acquires the device information of each of the plurality of devices based on the network configuration information stored in the network configuration storage unit, so that the device information can be acquired with high accuracy. I can do it. As a result, the development support device can easily improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

The development support device according to the above aspect further includes a frame configuration storage unit that stores information regarding the configuration of the received frame, and the development unit stores the received frame data based on the information regarding the configuration of the received frame. The device information may be acquired from.

According to the above configuration, in the development support device, the expansion unit acquires the device information of each of the plurality of devices based on the information regarding the configuration of the received frame stored in the frame configuration storage unit, so the device information is acquired with high accuracy. can do. As a result, the development support device can easily improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

The development support device according to the above aspect further includes a transmission frame calculation unit that calculates the transmission frame when the target control program is executed based on the device information acquired by the expansion unit. Good too.

According to the above configuration, in the development support device, the transmission frame calculation unit calculates the transmission frame to be transmitted by the programmable logic controller in the field network system as a result of the simulation of the target control program using the actual data. . As a result, the user can directly compare the transmission frame resulting from the simulation with the transmission frame in the actual field network system, and the development support device can more effectively support the logic verification of the target control program. can be made into a target.

Further, a development support program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a development support program for causing a computer to function as the development support device, and includes the target control program storage unit, the reception unit, the expansion unit, and the development support program. The computer functions as a simulation section.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a development support device that can improve the accuracy of logic verification of a target control program.

Further, a development support method according to one aspect of the present disclosure provides a field network system including a plurality of devices connected to a network and a programmable logic controller that controls the plurality of devices by executing a control program. The programmable logic controller communicates with the plurality of devices by transmitting a transmission frame to the network every control period and receiving a reception frame from the network every control period. A development support method for simulating the operations of the plurality of devices in a field network system, the method comprising: storing a target control program that is a control program to be simulated; receiving input of received frame data, which is data of the received frame, and obtaining device information, which is information regarding each of the devices transmitted by each of the devices to the programmable logic controller, from the received received frame data; and a step of simulating the operation of the plurality of devices when the target control program is executed based on the obtained device information.

According to the above configuration, in the accepting step, input of received frame data, which is actual data actually generated and recorded in the field network system, is accepted. In the acquiring step, the device information of each of the plurality of devices actually transmitted to the programmable logic controller in the field network system is acquired based on the received received frame data. In the simulating step, the operations of the plurality of devices when the target control program is executed are simulated based on the acquired device information. As a result, in the simulating step, the target control program can be simulated using actual data exchanged over the field network, rather than device information data such as device variables in a simulated case designed on a desk. . As a result, the development support method can improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a development support device, a development support program, and a development support method that can improve the accuracy of logic verification of a target control program.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a field network system including a development support device according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the programmable logic controller shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the development support device. It is a figure explaining the example of operation of the above-mentioned development support device. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a development support device of a comparative example. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of a development support device according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.

[Embodiment 1]
§1 Application Example Hereinafter, an example of a scene to which the present disclosure is applied will be described using FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a field network system 1 including a development support device 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the programmable logic controller 20 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the development support device 10. As shown in FIG.

First, in order to facilitate understanding of the development support device 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, an overview of the field network system 1 including the development support device 10 will be described using FIG. 1.

The field network system 1 is a system having a master-slave type network, and includes a programmable logic controller (PLC) 20 as a master device. The field network system 1 includes a plurality of slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C connected to the programmable logic controller 20 via a network 60. The programmable logic controller 20 controls slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C as a plurality of devices by executing a control program. Devices 50A, 50B, and 50C are connected to the plurality of slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C, respectively.

In the field network system 1, the programmable logic controller 20 transmits a transmission frame to the network 60 every control period, and receives a reception frame from the network 60 every control period, thereby communicating with the slave devices 40A, 40B, 40C. Communicate between. Thereby, the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C function as IO devices that input/output (IN/OUT) data between the programmable logic controller 20 and the devices 50A, 50B, and 50C.

The development support device 10 of the first embodiment is a simulator connected to a programmable logic controller 20. The development support device 10 of the first embodiment simulates the operations of the slave devices 40A, 40B, 40C and the devices 50A, 50B, 50C in the field network system 1 according to the control program of the programmable logic controller 20. The development support device 10 and the programmable logic controller 20 are connected, for example, through a communication line compliant with the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard.

The development support device 10 of the first embodiment includes a control task execution simulation section 11, an input virtual IO device 12, and a reception section 14. The control task execution simulation unit 11 is a functional block that executes simulation of the control program. The receiving unit 14 receives frame data from an IO data file 22a recorded by an IO data recording processing unit 22 of the programmable logic controller 20, which will be described later.

The input virtual IO device 12 is a virtual implementation of slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C (IO devices) connected to the network 60 on the development support device (simulator) 10. The input virtual IO device 12 has a reception frame data reading section 12a, and uses reception frame data of the programmable logic controller 20 recorded in the IO data recording processing section 22.

The control task execution simulation unit 11 includes a storage unit 11a, an IO data processing unit 11b, and a scheduler 11c. The storage unit 11a is an example of a target control program storage unit of the development support device 10, and stores a target control program that is a control program to be simulated.

The IO data processing unit 11b is an example of an expansion unit of the development support device 10. The IO data processing unit 11b determines, based on the received frame data received by the input virtual IO device 12, information regarding the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C transmitted by the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C toward the programmable logic controller 20. Obtain device information, which is information. The device information includes information indicating input variables, which will be described later, and information for specifying the type of the input variables used in the control program.

The scheduler 11c is an example of a simulation unit of the development support device 10, and when the target control program stored in the storage unit 11a is executed in each control cycle based on the device information acquired by the IO data processing unit 11b. , to simulate the operation of multiple devices.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, the development support device 10 simulates the target control program using the received frame data, which is the actual data of the received frame actually input to the programmable logic controller 20 in the field network system 1. It can be performed. As a result, the development support device 10 can improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

§2 Configuration example <Configuration of field network system 1>
Below, configuration examples of the field network system 1 and the development support device 10 of the first embodiment will be described. In the following description, a case will be described in which the field network system 1 of the first embodiment is applied to an industrial network installed in a factory facility or the like.

The programmable logic controller 20 performs overall control of the field network system 1. Specifically, the programmable logic controller 20 obtains information from the devices 50A, 50B, and 50C as input data via the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C. The programmable logic controller 20 executes arithmetic processing using the acquired input data according to a control program installed in advance. The programmable logic controller 20 executes the above arithmetic processing, determines the control contents for the devices 50A, 50B, and 50C, and transmits control data corresponding to the control contents to the devices via the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C. Output to 50A, 50B, and 50C.

The network 60 transmits various data that the programmable logic controller 20 receives or transmits in each control cycle. Further, the network 60 is, for example, EtherCAT (registered trademark), PROFINET (registered trademark), MECHATROLINK (registered trademark)-III, Powerlink (registered trademark), SERCOS (registered trademark)-III, or CIP Motion. Furthermore, the network 60 may be, for example, EtherNet/IP, DeviceNet, CompoNet, or the like.

The slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C are slave devices in a network 60 with the programmable logic controller 20 as a master device, and are, for example, device communication management units such as communication couplers that manage communication with the devices 50A, 50B, and 50C. . The slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C may be devices directly connected to the network 60, such as servo drivers. The devices 50A, 50B, and 50C may be, for example, motors, actuators, various sensors, sensor communication units, inverters, servos, or input/output devices that input and output signals and data.

As shown in FIG. 1, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30 may be connected to the programmable logic controller 20 via a communication cable. The HMI 30 is a means for humans and machines to exchange information, and specifically allows the user to operate the machine (give instructions to the machine), and the machine to notify the user of its current status and results. It is a means of Regarding the HMI 30, means by which a user gives instructions to the machine include switches, buttons, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. Further, means for conveying information about the current status, results, etc. of the machine to the user include a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel, a lamp, a speaker, and the like.

The HMI 30 includes a display section, an operation section, a communication section that communicates with the programmable logic controller 20, and a control section that controls each section. The HMI 30 can change various settings of the field network system 1 (for example, the programmable logic controller 20) in response to user operations on the operation unit. Further, the display section of the HMI 30 displays predetermined information about the field network system 1.

<Specific configuration of programmable logic controller 20>
As shown in FIG. 2, the programmable logic controller 20 includes a control task execution section 21 and an IO data recording processing section 22. Furthermore, the programmable logic controller 20 has a function of inputting and outputting data from slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C as IO devices connected to the network 60.

The control task execution unit 21 includes a storage unit 21a, an IO data processing unit 21b, and a scheduler 21c. The storage unit 21a is configured using storage means such as nonvolatile memory. Moreover, this storage section 21a stores the above-mentioned control program.

The IO data processing unit 21b processes the data (IN data) of the IO device, that is, the IN data from the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C, according to the control program. Specifically, the IO data processing unit 21b performs an unpacking process on the received frame received from the network 60, thereby acquiring the device information of the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C. Furthermore, the IO data processing unit 21b obtains OUT data, which is the output result to the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C when the control program is executed, based on the acquired device information. The IO data processing unit 21b performs pack processing on the obtained OUT data.

In the unpacking process, the IO data processing unit 21b receives a receive frame containing IN data from the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C, and performs a process of reflecting the IN data in input variables used in the control program. In the pack process, the IO data processing unit 21b performs a process of collecting OUT data of output variables as a result of executing the control program into a transmission frame. The scheduler 21c causes the IO data processing unit 21b to perform unpacking and packing at the timing of the control cycle.

The IO data recording processing unit 22 stores the received frame and the transmitted frame in the IO data file 22a by performing an IO data recording process according to the timing of the control cycle.

In addition to this explanation, the IO data recording processing unit 22 may save received frames and transmitted frames to the IO data file 22a in response to a user's manual operation via the HMI 30 or the like. . Further, the IO data file 22a may be stored in the same storage unit as the storage unit 21a or in a separate storage unit.

<Specific configuration of development support device 10>
The development support device 10 is typically realized by a general-purpose computer. For example, the target control program executed by the development support device 10 is downloaded via a communication cable such as an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. In addition to this explanation, the development support device 10 may be used to record data from any recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc-Read Only Memory), or a solid-state memory (not shown). It may also be configured to read the target control program.

The development support device 10 is connected to the programmable logic controller 20 via a communication cable such as an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. The development support device 10 is an information processing device for generating a control program executed by the programmable logic controller 20 and various setting information for the field network system 1. Note that the development support device 10 may be connected to the programmable logic controller 20 via the network 60.

The development support device 10 has a simulation function of a control program executed by the programmable logic controller 20 and a debug function using the results of the simulation function. Further, the development support device 10 provides, for example, a development environment for the programmable logic controller 20, and allows the user to create (create/edit) a control program according to the control purpose (for example, target line and process). It is possible to provide an environment of Note that the user can create a program code for a control program to be executed by the programmable logic controller 20 using the development environment (programming tool) provided by the development support device 10.

Further, the development support apparatus 10 may calculate and set, for example, the timing of acquisition of state values by the programmable logic controller 20 and the timing of updating of output values by the programmable logic controller 20. The development support device 10 may monitor the operating state of the programmable logic controller 20 and the values of various data.

In other words, the development support device 10 may be a device that provides an integrated development environment that supports 3D motion simulation as well as programming, configuration (configuration setting), debugging, maintenance, and monitoring functions of the programmable logic controller 20. . Further, the development support device 10 may set and adjust various parameters for the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C.

As shown in FIG. 3, the development support device 10 includes a control task execution simulation unit 11, an input virtual IO device 12, an output virtual IO device 13, a reception unit 14, a transmission frame data comparison unit 15, It is equipped with Furthermore, the development support device 10 simulates the control program executed in the programmable logic controller 20 using actual data in the programmable logic controller 20. Further, the development support device 10 uses the results of the simulation to verify the logic of the control program and debug the control program.

The control task execution simulation unit 11 is a functional block that corresponds to the control task execution unit 21 of the programmable logic controller 20. The control task execution simulation unit 11 includes a storage unit 11a, an IO data processing unit 11b, and a scheduler 11c. The storage unit 11a is configured using storage means such as non-volatile memory. The storage unit 11a also stores a target control program, which is the control program to be simulated.

As described above, the input virtual IO device 12 is a virtual implementation of the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C (IO devices) connected to the network 60 on the development support apparatus 10. When the receiving unit 14 receives received frame data from the IO data file 22a of the programmable logic controller 20, the input virtual IO device 12 acquires and holds the received frame data from the receiving unit 14. Further, in the input virtual IO device 12, the reception frame data reading unit 12a reads the held reception frame data for each control cycle to the IO data processing unit 11b.

The IO data processing section 11b performs an unpacking process on the received frame data from the input virtual IO device 12, similarly to the IO data processing section 21b of the programmable logic controller 20. At this time, the IO data processing unit 11b acquires network configuration information such as the IP addresses and IDs (identifiers) of the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C, which is stored in the network configuration storage unit 11b1 provided therein. do.

The IO data processing unit 11b acquires device information from the received frame data based on the acquired network configuration information. Specifically, the IO data processing unit 11b executes a process for each slave device 40A, 40B, 40C, which is executed by the target control program, based on information on the network configuration of the slave devices 40A, 40B, 40C included in the received frame data. Get the IN data. By executing the unpacking process, the IO data processing unit 11b reflects the IN data of each slave device 40A, 40B, and 40C in the input variables used as input data to the target control program.

Furthermore, the IO data processing unit 11b obtains OUT data, which is the output result of each of the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C, when the target control program is executed, based on the acquired device information. The IO data processing unit 11b performs a pack process on the obtained OUT data to create simulated transmission frame data that is a collection of the OUT data. The scheduler 11c causes the IO data processing unit 11b to perform unpacking and packing at the timing of the control cycle.

The output virtual IO device 13 is a virtual implementation of slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C (IO devices) connected to the network 60 on the development support device 10, and is a transmission frame calculation unit of the development support device 10. This is an example. The output virtual IO device 13 includes a simulated transmission frame data writing section 13a. In the output virtual IO device 13, the simulated transmission frame data writing section 13a writes out and holds the simulated transmission frame data from the IO data processing section 11b. In this way, the output virtual IO device 13 calculates simulated transmission frame data of the transmission frame when the target control program is executed, based on the device information acquired by the IO data processing unit 11b.

The transmission frame data comparison unit 15 is a functional block that compares the operation result of the control program with the operation result of the target control program in order for the user to debug the control program. The transmission frame data comparison unit 15 inputs the transmission frame data from the reception unit 14 when the reception unit 14 receives the transmission frame data from the IO data file 22a of the programmable logic controller 20.

The transmission frame data comparison unit 15 receives the simulated transmission frame data held in the output virtual IO device 13 from the output virtual IO device 13 . The transmission frame data comparison unit 15 compares the transmission frame data from the reception unit 14 and the simulated transmission frame data from the output virtual IO device 13. The transmission frame data comparison unit 15 causes a display unit (not shown) provided in the development support device 10 or the HMI 30 to display the comparison results.

§3 Operation example <Operation of field network system 1>
Next, an example of the operation of the field network system 1 according to the first embodiment will be specifically explained using FIG. 4 as well. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the development support apparatus 10. Note that, in the following explanation, the simulation operation in the development support device 10 will be mainly explained.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the programmable logic controller 20, the IO data processing unit 21b receives a reception frame 51P in which IN data from the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C are collected into packets in each control cycle. The IN data is device information of each slave device transmitted from each slave device to the programmable logic controller 20. The IO data processing unit 21b performs an unpacking process on the received received frame 51P every control cycle, and extracts from the received frame 51P a value that reflects the received frame 51P as device information such as input variables used in the control program. get.

Next, the IO data processing unit 21b performs pack processing for each control cycle based on the acquired device information, and generates a transmission frame 52P by collecting OUT data of output variables as a result of executing the control program. Then, in the programmable logic controller 20, the IO data recording processing unit 22 records the reception frame 51P as reception frame data and the transmission frame 52P as transmission frame data in the IO data file 22a. As described above, in the field network system 1, logs of the received frame 51P and the transmitted frame 52P are recorded.

The receiving unit 14 of the development support device 10 acquires the received frame data recorded as the log from the IO data file 22a of the programmable logic controller 20 as received frame data constituting the input virtual IO device 12. Further, the reception unit 14 of the development support device 10 may acquire the transmission frame data recorded as the log from the IO data file 22a of the programmable logic controller 20.

When performing a simulation for executing the target control program based on the received frame data acquired by the development support device 10, the received frame data reading unit 12a of the input virtual IO device 12 reads the received frame data for each control cycle. is read out and delivered to the IO data processing unit 11b.

The scheduler 11c causes the IO data processing unit 11b to perform an unpacking process on the received frame data acquired by the input virtual IO device 12 at each control cycle. Thereby, the IO data processing unit 11b reflects the received frame data in the input variables used in the target control program. The scheduler 11c also simulates the operation of each slave device 40A, 40B, 40C and each device 50A, 50B, 50C according to the target control program.

The scheduler 11c causes the IO data processing unit 11b to perform a pack process every control cycle, and collects the OUT data of the output variables resulting from execution of the target control program to generate simulated transmission frame data of the transmission frame 72P. The scheduler 11c then causes the simulated transmission frame data writing unit 13a to write the simulated transmission frame data of the transmission frame 72P from the IO data processing unit 11b to the output virtual IO device 13.

Through the above operations, the development support device 10 uses the received frame data to execute the control logic of the target control program. Furthermore, the development support device 10 packs the output variable OUT data (simulated transmission frame data) and outputs the transmission frame 72P to the output virtual IO device 13. By repeating this, the development support device 10 executes a simulation of the control program.

In the development support apparatus 10, the transmission frame data comparison unit 15 compares the transmission frame data from the reception unit 14 and the simulated transmission frame data from the output virtual IO device 13. Then, the transmission frame data comparison unit 15 displays the comparison result on the HMI 30 or the like. Thereby, the transmission frame data comparison unit 15 can display the differences between the transmission frame data and the simulated transmission frame data for the user to visually recognize.

<Action/Effect>
As described above, the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment includes the storage unit 11a that stores a target control program, which is a control program to be simulated. The development support device 10 of the first embodiment includes a reception unit 14 that receives input of received frame data, which is actual data of a received frame actually generated and recorded in a field network system.

The development support device 10 of the first embodiment uses an IO to acquire each device information of the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C that is actually transmitted to the programmable logic controller 20 in the field network system 1 based on the received frame data. It includes a data processing section 11b. The development support device 10 of the first embodiment includes a scheduler 11c that simulates the operations of the plurality of slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C when the target control program is executed based on device information.

With the above configuration, the development support device 10 of the first embodiment uses actual data exchanged in the field network system 1 instead of device information data such as device variables in a simulated case designed on paper. The target control program can be simulated. As a result, the development support device 10 of the first embodiment can simulate the operations of the plurality of slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C based on the target control program in accordance with the actual situation.

Furthermore, in the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, the transmission frame data comparison unit 15 directly compares the simulated transmission frame data of the transmission frame 72P and the transmission frame data of the transmission frame 52P. Thereby, the development support apparatus 10 of this embodiment can easily debug the control program. Therefore, the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment can improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

Here, the effects of the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment will be specifically explained using FIG. 5 as well. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the development support device of the comparative example.

The comparative example is an example of a conventional development support device that simulates the operation of a slave device according to a control program in a simulation environment.

In FIG. 5, the development support apparatus 100 of the comparative example uses a test program 110P prepared in advance by the user to generate virtual IO data and configure input variables to be acquired by the target control program.

Then, the development support apparatus 100 of the comparative example executes the (target) control program 111P using the acquired input variables to obtain OUT data including the output variables, thereby executing the simulation.

As described above, in the development support apparatus 100 of the comparative example, the logic of the control program can be verified only in the case of virtual device information designed on a desk. Therefore, it has not always been possible to reproduce the behavior of an actual IO device on the development support apparatus 100.

In contrast, in the development support device 10 of the first embodiment, the target control program can be simulated using the actual data of the reception frame actually received by the programmable logic controller 20 in the field network system 1. Therefore, the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment can reproduce the behavior of the IO device, and can improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

Furthermore, in the development support device 10 of the first embodiment, the IO data processing unit 11b acquires device information from the received frame data based on the network configuration information stored in the network configuration storage unit 11b1. As a result, the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment can acquire device information with high accuracy, and can easily improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

Furthermore, in the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, the output virtual IO device 13 transmits data from the programmable logic controller 20 in the field network system 1 as a result of the simulation of the target control program using the above-mentioned actual data. Calculate simulated transmission frame data of the transmission frame. As a result, in the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, the user can directly compare the simulated transmission frame data that is the result of the simulation and the transmission frame data in the actual field network system 1. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the development support apparatus 10 can more effectively support the logic verification of the target control program.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the development support device 10 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

In FIG. 6, the main difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that a frame configuration storage section 11b2 is provided in the IO data processing section 11b.

In FIG. 6, in the development support apparatus 10 of the second embodiment, a frame configuration storage section 11b2 is provided in the IO data processing section 11b. The frame configuration storage unit 11b2 stores information regarding the configuration of the received frame, such as the data format of the IO data files of the slave devices 40A, 40B, and 40C (IO devices).

In addition, in the development support device 10 of the second embodiment, the IO data processing unit 11b uses the information about the configuration of the received frame stored in the frame configuration storage unit 11b2 to Get information.

With the above configuration, the development support apparatus 10 of the second embodiment has the same effects as the development support apparatus 10 of the first embodiment. In addition, in the development support device 10 of the second embodiment, the IO data processing unit 11b uses the information about the configuration of the received frame stored in the frame configuration storage unit 11b2 to Get information. Thereby, the development support apparatus 10 of the second embodiment can easily improve the accuracy of logic verification of the target control program.

In addition to the above description, a network configuration storage section 11b1 and a frame configuration storage section 11b2 are provided in the IO data processing section 11b. Further, the IO data processing unit 11b reads the device information based on the network configuration information and the information regarding the configuration of the received frame, respectively stored in the network configuration storage unit 11b1 and the frame configuration storage unit 11b2. It may also be a configuration to obtain the information.

[Example of implementation using software]
The functional blocks of the development support device 10 (in particular, the control task execution simulation unit 11 and the input virtual IO device 12) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. , may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the control task execution simulation unit 11 and the input virtual IO device 12 are equipped with a computer that executes instructions of a program that is software that implements each function. This computer includes, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the above program. Then, in the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes it, thereby achieving the object of the present disclosure.

As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium" such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a magnetic disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, etc. can be used. Further, the computer may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program.

Furthermore, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast waves, etc.) that can transmit the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in each embodiment. are also included within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

1 Field network system 10 Development support device 11 Control task execution simulation section 11a Storage section (target control program storage section)
11b IO data processing section (deployment section)
11b1 Network configuration storage unit 11b2 Frame configuration storage unit 11c Scheduler (simulation unit)
12 Virtual IO device for input (reception section)
13 Virtual IO device for output (transmission frame calculation unit)
20 Programmable logic controller 40A, 40B, 40C Slave device (equipment)

Claims (6)

A field network system that includes a plurality of devices connected to a network and a programmable logic controller that controls the plurality of devices by executing a control program, wherein the programmable logic controller Operation of the plurality of devices in a field network system that communicates with the plurality of devices by transmitting a transmission frame to the network and receiving a reception frame from the network at each control cycle. A development support device that simulates
a target control program storage unit that stores a target control program that is a control program to be simulated;
a reception unit that receives input of received frame data that is data of the received frame recorded in the field network system;
a development unit that acquires device information that is information regarding each device transmitted by each of the devices to the programmable logic controller from the received frame data received by the reception unit;
a simulation unit that simulates the operation of the plurality of devices when the target control program is executed based on the device information acquired by the deployment unit;
Development support equipment. further comprising a network configuration storage unit that stores information on a network configuration in the field network system,
The expansion unit acquires the device information from the received frame data based on information on the network configuration.
The development support device according to claim 1. further comprising a frame configuration storage unit that stores information regarding the configuration of the received frame,
The expansion unit acquires the device information from the received frame data based on information regarding the configuration of the received frame.
The development support device according to claim 1. further comprising a transmission frame calculation unit that calculates the transmission frame when the target control program is executed based on the device information acquired by the deployment unit;
A development support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A development support program for causing a computer to function as the development support device according to claim 1,
A development support program for causing a computer to function as the target control program storage unit, the reception unit, the expansion unit, and the simulation unit. A field network system that includes a plurality of devices connected to a network and a programmable logic controller that controls the plurality of devices by executing a control program, wherein the programmable logic controller Operation of the plurality of devices in a field network system that communicates with the plurality of devices by transmitting a transmission frame to the network and receiving a reception frame from the network at each control cycle. A development support method that simulates
storing a target control program that is a control program to be simulated;
receiving input of received frame data that is data of the received frame recorded in the field network system;
acquiring device information, which is information regarding each of the devices transmitted by each of the devices to the programmable logic controller, from the received received frame data;
simulating the operation of the plurality of devices when the target control program is executed based on the acquired device information;
Development support methods, including:

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