JP7440485B2 - Programmable controller and communication system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to programmable controllers and communication systems.

The programmable controller controls the measurement and control equipment by connecting to the measurement and control equipment using a communication line (RS-232C/RS-485/Ethernet (registered trademark)) and transmitting and receiving data.

For data to be transmitted over the communication line, it is necessary to perform communication data programming or communication settings in a programmable controller or measurement/control equipment.

The protocol (transmission format) of the data to be transmitted needs to be the same for both the programmable controller and the measurement/control equipment. Therefore, communication programs or communication settings are performed in the programmable controller and measurement/control equipment.

When a system in which a programmable controller and measurement/control equipment are connected via a communication line is configured and started up, there are cases where data cannot be sent and received correctly between the programmable controller and the measurement/control equipment.

The reason for this is often a communication cable connection error, a communication data programming error, or a communication setting error.

The user connects a protocol analyzer to the communication line (cable) connecting the programmable controller and measurement/control equipment, checks whether data is flowing correctly on the communication line, and verifies what the problem is (Patent Document (see 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-289510

In Patent Document 1, a protocol analyzer is connected to a communication line (cable) connecting a programmable controller and measurement/control equipment, and data flowing on the communication line is analyzed to determine whether or not transmitted data is flowing. Check whether the received data that is the answer to the problem is not flowing, and find the device that is causing the problem (not transmitting data).

If the transmission data is not flowing, it is assumed that there is an error in the connection of the communication cable, the communication circuit of the device that outputs the transmission data, or the communication program or communication settings of the device that should output the transmission data. Therefore, the wiring needs to be redone and the communication program on the sending side needs to be corrected.

If the transmitted data is flowing but the received data that is a response to it is not flowing, it is assumed that there is an error in the communication circuit of the device that outputs the received data, or in the communication program or communication settings of the device that should output the received data. Therefore, the communication program on the receiving side is modified.

In the method of Patent Document 1, the data on the communication line (cable) is used for confirmation, so if there is a problem within the measurement/control equipment of the transmitter/receiver device (such as a failure of the communication IC), it cannot be analyzed. becomes difficult.

An object of the present invention is to easily perform verification in a programmable controller even when measurement/control equipment cannot communicate properly and cannot be controlled.

A programmable controller according to one aspect of the present invention is a programmable controller that controls a measurement control device by transmitting and receiving communication data to and from the measurement control device via a communication line, and the programmable controller controls the measurement control device by transmitting and receiving communication data to and from the measurement control device via a communication line. a controlling microprocessor; a communication IC for passing the communication data between the microprocessor and the measurement control device; and a communication IC for outputting the communication data controlled by the microprocessor to an external monitoring terminal. It has a mirror port.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in a programmable controller, verification can be easily performed even when measurement and control equipment cannot communicate properly and cannot be controlled.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a network in which a programmable controller and measurement/control equipment are connected via a communication line. 1 is a configuration diagram of a programmable controller of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of communication failure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of communication failure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of communication failure. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a programmable controller according to a second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an output setting screen of a mirror port.

Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram in which a programmable controller and measurement/control equipment are connected via communication lines.

A host PC 21 and a display device (HMI) 22 are configured at the upper level (information level), and are connected to the programmable controller 14 using a communication line. In addition, in FIG. 1, it is Ethernet (registered trademark) 12, but it may also be configured with RS-485 (11).

A lower level (device level) below the programmable controller 14 includes a measurement/control device 15 and a display (HMI) 22, and is connected using a communication line. In FIG. 1, RS-232C (10)/RS-485 (11) is used, but Ethernet (registered trademark) 12 may also be used.

The programmable controller 14 controls the measurement/control equipment 15 using a communication line, and the host PC 21 and display 22 monitor and monitor data of the lower level programmable controller 14 and the measurement/control equipment 15 using the communication line. Control is possible.

The measurement/control equipment 15 here represents a general programmable controller, an inverter, a positioning motion controller, a sensor, etc., and is hereinafter referred to as the measurement/control equipment 15.

There are multiple types of communication lines (RS-232C (10)/RS-485 (11)/Ethernet (registered trademark) (12), etc.), but in this example, RS-485 (11) (2) This will be explained using a wire system (wire system, half-duplex line).

When viewing the data on the communication line with the protocol analyzer 13, the data is not the line data controlled by the internal microprocessor of the programmable controller 14 and the measurement/control equipment 15, but is the data via the communication IC that interfaces with external wiring. .

Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to directly measure communication data controlled by a microprocessor in real time.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the programmable controller according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the circuits of the microprocessor 16 and communication IC 17 of the programmable controller 14, a separate communication port (hereinafter referred to as mirror port 19) is provided for outputting communication data to the external monitor PC 18. do. This hardware configuration makes it possible to directly measure the line data controlled by the microprocessor 16 in real time.

The programmable controller 14 controls the measurement and control equipment 15 by transmitting and receiving communication data to and from the measurement and control equipment 15 via a communication line. The programmable controller 14 includes a microprocessor 16 that controls communication data, a communication IC 17 that passes communication data between the microprocessor 16 and measurement/control equipment 15, and an external monitor for communication data controlled by the microprocessor 16. It has a mirror port 19 for outputting to a personal computer 18.

The microprocessor 16 controls, as communication data, transmission data transmitted from the measurement/control device 15 and reception data that is a reply to the measurement/control device 15 in response to the transmission data.

The mirror port 19 that outputs communication data to the external monitor PC 18 is connected to one of RS-232C, USB, and Ethernet (registered trademark). Therefore, it is necessary to configure it using one of the communication ICs (interface circuits).

The microprocessor 16 of the programmable controller 14 outputs the same data as the transmission data and reception data communicating with the measurement/control device 15 from the mirror port 19 .

If data transmission/reception between the programmable controller 14 and the measurement/control equipment 15 cannot be performed correctly, the data output from the mirror port 19 and the communication data on the communication line (cable) are compared.

This may result in a communication cable connection error, a communication circuit malfunction in the device that outputs the transmitted data, an error in the communication program or communication settings of the device that should output the transmitted data, a communication circuit malfunction in the device that outputs the received data, or a device that should output the received data. The cause of the problem can be determined whether there is a mistake in the communication program or communication settings.

The data output from the mirror port 19 can be confirmed on the console window of the external monitor PC 18 (see FIG. 7).

In the case of normal operation, the communication data on the communication line (cable) measured by the protocol analyzer 13 and the communication data from the mirror port 19 will match.

Since the communication data of the mirror port 19 can be measured in real time, it can be easily determined immediately whether communication data is being transmitted or received.

An example of determining the cause of the failure is shown below. If there is no communication data on the communication line (cable) by the protocol analyzer 13 and communication data from the mirror port 19 (no response), a connection error in the communication cable is assumed.

As shown in Fig. 3, transmission data is measured by the protocol analyzer 13 in the communication data on the communication line (cable), but if there is no communication data from the mirror port 19 (no response), the device that should output the reception data (Program controller 14) communication circuit malfunction is assumed.

As shown in Figure 4, transmission data is measured in the communication data on the communication line (cable) by the protocol analyzer 13, and transmission data is also measured from the mirror port 19, but if there is no response data, the reception data should be output. An error is assumed in the communication program or communication settings of the device (program controller 14).

As shown in FIG. 5, transmission data is measured as communication data on the communication line (cable) by the protocol analyzer 13, and transmission data and reception data are also measured from the mirror port 19, but the reception data is measured on the communication line (cable). If it cannot be measured, it is assumed that there is a malfunction in the communication circuit of the device (program controller 14) that should output the received data.

As shown in FIG. 2, transmission data and reception data are measured as communication data on the communication line (cable) by the protocol analyzer 13, and transmission data and reception data are also measured from the mirror port 19, but the measurement/control device 15 If the received data cannot be received correctly, it is assumed that there is a mistake in the communication program of the device that should output the received data (program controller 14) or the communication program of the device that receives the received data.

As mentioned above, by viewing the communication data from the mirror port 19 in real time, it becomes easier to verify the problem when communication cannot be established between the program controller 14 and the measurement/control equipment 15 and control cannot be performed. You can contribute to the increase.

In the first embodiment, if the communication IC 17 of the programmable controller 14 fails, it becomes impossible to view the communication data on the programmable controller 14 side from the mirror port 19.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, even if the communication IC 17 of the programmable controller 14 fails, it is possible to view the communication data on the programmable controller 14 side from the mirror port 19.

FIG. 6 shows the hardware configuration of the programmable controller 14 of the second embodiment.
The programmable controller 14 of the second embodiment differs from the programmable controller 14 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in that a dedicated mirror port communication IC 20 is newly provided in the mirror port 19. The rest of the configuration is the same as the programmable controller 14 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In this manner, in the second embodiment, the mirror port communication IC 20 is provided in a separate system exclusively for the mirror port 19. As a result, even if the communication IC 17 of the programmable controller 14 fails, communication data on the communication line (cable) can be viewed via the mirror port communication IC 20 provided in a separate system.

In addition, it becomes possible to measure line data carried out by measurement/control equipment of other stations in real time via the mirror port communication IC 20 of another system.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, all communication data is output from the mirror port 19 in real time, so if there is frequent communication data between the local station and other stations, a huge amount of communication data will be displayed, so the necessary communication There is a need to find data.

In the third embodiment, it is possible to individually set the communication data to be output from the mirror port 19 to the microprocessor 16 from a console window or the like on the external monitor PC 13.

Examples of setting patterns include reception of data sent to the own station, communication data sent by the own station, communication data sent/received to a specific other station, and sending/receiving data specific (trigger) to the communication data content. Assume that

An example of the setting screen is shown in FIG. By registering the set information in the microprocessor 16, the microprocessor 16 outputs only the communication data that meets the set conditions from the frequent communication data to the external monitoring PC from the mirror port 19. This makes it easy to view only necessary communication data in real time.

The communication data output from the mirror port 19 described in the above embodiments is only displayed in real time on a console window or the like on the external monitor PC 18.

In the fourth embodiment, it is possible to set whether or not to display a time stamp on the communication data output from the mirror port 19 to the microprocessor 16 from the console window of the external monitor PC 18 or the like.

The setting screen is shown in FIG. By registering the timestamp display/hide setting set here in the microprocessor 16, the microprocessor 16 adds a timestamp to the communication data output from the mirror port 19.

As a result, communication data with a time stamp is displayed, so communication data can be displayed on a time axis, such as communication start time and idle time (waiting time) between communication data.

In addition, although we have explained how the microprocessor 16 adds a timestamp to communication data, it is also possible to add a timestamp when the external monitor PC 18 receives communication data from the mirror port 19 without adding a timestamp on the microprocessor side. There is a way to do that. Thereby, the load on the microprocessor 16 can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, in addition to the microprocessor 16 and communication IC 17 circuits of the programmable controller 14, the hardware configuration includes a mirror port 19, which is a separate communication port, for outputting communication data to the external monitor PC 18. . As a result, the line data controlled by the microprocessor 16 (transmission data and reception data communicating with the measurement/control equipment 15) is output from the mirror port 19 provided in a separate system, and is displayed on the external monitor PC 18 in real time. You can check this using the console window, etc.

In addition, a mirror port communication IC 20 is provided in a separate system from the microprocessor 16 and communication IC 17 circuits of the programmable controller 14, and the line data controlled by the microprocessor 16 and the measurement/control equipment of other stations are It is possible to measure line data in real time via a mirror port communication IC 20 of a separate system.

Furthermore, it is possible to individually set communication data to be output from the mirror port 19 to the microprocessor 16 from a console window on the external monitor PC 13 or the like.

Furthermore, it is possible to set whether or not to display a time stamp on the communication data output from the mirror port 19 to the microprocessor 16 from a console window on the external monitor PC 18 or the like.

With the above embodiment, it is possible to directly check the transmitted and received data controlled by the microprocessor, so even if each measurement and control device cannot communicate properly and control cannot be performed, problems within the measurement and control device (communication IC failure) can be avoided. This makes it easy to verify whether the problem is due to a communication program error (such as a communication program error) or a cable wiring error on the communication line.

In addition, if data cannot be sent and received correctly between the programmable controller and the measurement/control equipment, the data output from the mirror port and the communication data on the communication line may be compared visually or automatically. You can go there as well.

13 Protocol analyzer 14 Programmable controller 15 Measurement/control equipment 16 Microprocessor 17 Communication IC
18 External monitor PC
19 Mirror port 20 Communication IC for mirror port
21 Host PC
22 Display

Claims (15)

A programmable controller that controls the measurement control device by transmitting and receiving communication data to and from the measurement control device via a communication line,
The programmable controller includes:
a microprocessor that controls the communication data;
a communication IC that allows the communication data to pass between the microprocessor and the measurement control device;
a mirror port for outputting the communication data controlled by the microprocessor to an external monitor terminal;
A programmable controller characterized by having. The microprocessor includes:
The programmable controller according to claim 1, wherein the programmable controller controls, as the communication data, transmission data transmitted from the measurement control device and reception data that is a response to the measurement control device in response to the transmission data. The microprocessor includes:
3. The programmable controller according to claim 2, wherein the same data as at least one of the transmission data and the reception data is outputted from the mirror port. further comprising a mirror port dedicated communication IC provided for the mirror port,
The mirror port dedicated communication IC is
The programmable controller according to claim 1, wherein when the communication IC fails, the communication data is output to the external monitoring terminal. The programmable controller according to claim 1, wherein the mirror port is configured by an interface circuit. measurement control equipment,
a programmable controller that is connected to the measurement control device via a communication line and controls the measurement control device by transmitting and receiving communication data;
A communication system comprising: an external monitor terminal connected to the programmable controller;
The programmable controller includes:
a microprocessor that controls the communication data;
a communication IC that allows the communication data to pass between the microprocessor and the measurement control device;
a mirror port for outputting the communication data controlled by the microprocessor to an external monitor terminal;
A communication system comprising: The external monitor terminal is
It has a console window,
7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the communication data output from the mirror port is displayed on the console window. The external monitor terminal is
8. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein all of the communication data output from the mirror port is displayed in real time on the console window. The external monitor terminal is
Predetermined data in the communication data can be individually configured to be displayed via the console window,
The microprocessor includes:
outputting the individually set predetermined data from the mirror port to the external monitor terminal;
The external monitor terminal is
8. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein only the predetermined data output from the mirror port is displayed on the console window. The external monitor terminal is
Via the console window, display or non-display of a timestamp can be set for the communication data,
The microprocessor includes:
The display or non-display setting of the time stamp is registered, and based on the registered setting, the communication data with the time stamp displayed or the communication data without the time stamp displayed is transmitted from the mirror port. Output to the external monitor terminal,
The external monitor terminal is
8. The communication system according to claim 7, wherein the communication data with the time stamp displayed or the communication data without the time stamp outputted from the mirror port is displayed on the console window. The external monitor terminal is
11. The communication system according to claim 10, wherein as the communication data on which the time stamp is displayed, a communication start time and a waiting time between the communication data are displayed on a time axis. The external monitor terminal is
Via the console window, display or non-display of a timestamp can be set in the communication data,
The external monitor terminal is
A claim characterized in that the communication data with the timestamp displayed or the communication data without the timestamp displayed is displayed on the console window based on a setting for displaying or not displaying the timestamp. 7. The communication system according to 7. The external monitor terminal is
13. The communication system according to claim 12, wherein as the communication data on which the time stamp is displayed, a communication start time and a waiting time between the communication data are displayed on a time axis. The programmable controller includes:
further comprising a mirror port dedicated communication IC provided for the mirror port,
The mirror port dedicated communication IC is
7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein when the communication IC fails, the communication data is output to the external monitoring terminal. 7. The communication system according to claim 6, further comprising a protocol analyzer that measures the communication data on the communication line.

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