JP2014099058A - Control system and control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control system and a control unit capable of effectively performing debugging and normality checking on a program.SOLUTION: The control system includes: a control unit 104 that executes a user program periodically or at an event occurrence; and an information processing device 300 connectable to a control unit. The control unit 104 includes: first writing means that writes a piece of information on a generated event while associating to a piece of time information in a storage in response to a generation of the predetermined event; and second writing means that writes a piece of information specified by a command while associating to the time information in the storage responding to the execution of the predetermined command included in the user program. The information processing device 300 includes a user interface provided to execute at least either one of a processing to add a predetermined command at a desired position in the user program and a processing to desirably delete a predetermined command included in the user program which is executed by the control unit 104.

Description

  The present invention relates to a control system including a control device that executes a user program periodically or in an event, and the control device.

  Machines and equipment used in many production sites are typically controlled by a control system mainly composed of a control device such as a programmable controller (hereinafter also referred to as “PLC”). In such a control system, various log output functions are mounted so that problems occurring during system configuration and operation can be verified later.

  As a prior art document related to a control device having such a function, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-208932 (Patent Document 1) describes a PLC that controls the operation of a device, and a programmable display that is connected to the PLC via a communication line. A PLC system comprising a container is disclosed. In this PLC system, when the PLC detects the predetermined operation state of the device, the PLC stores the corresponding state information corresponding to the predetermined operation state from the information stored by the information storage means in the predetermined storage unit. Including information storage means;

JP 2012-208932 A

  With the recent progress of information processing technology, the processing capability of a control device such as a PLC has been improved, and multi-functionalization and high-speed processing are progressing. As a result, there is a situation in which a variety of programs are installed and executed in one control device. Under such circumstances, it is necessary to efficiently test whether each application is programmed correctly and whether each application is operating correctly.

  Although the PLC system described in Patent Document 1 can improve operability, it may not be sufficient for the purpose of efficiently debugging such programs and checking the soundness.

  An object of this invention is to provide the control system and control apparatus which can perform the debugging of a program and a soundness check efficiently.

  A control system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a control device that periodically or eventally executes a user program, and an information processing device that can be connected to the control device. In response to occurrence of a predetermined event, the control device includes first writing means for writing information on the generated event in the storage unit in association with time information, and execution of a predetermined instruction included in the user program And a second writing means for writing the information designated by the command in association with the time information into the storage unit. An information processing apparatus executes at least one of a process of adding a predetermined instruction to an arbitrary position of a user program executed by the control apparatus and a process of arbitrarily deleting a predetermined instruction included in the user program Provides a user interface.

  Preferably, the first writing unit and the second writing unit write information in a common storage area of the storage unit in the order of generation.

  Preferably, the control device generates a predetermined event by executing a system program stored in advance.

  Preferably, the information processing apparatus can add or delete a predetermined command while the control apparatus is executing the user program.

  Preferably, the information processing device provides a user interface that displays information stored in the storage unit of the control device in time series.

  In response to occurrence of a predetermined event, a control device that executes a user program according to another aspect of the present invention periodically or in an event associates information on the generated event with time information in a storage unit. A first writing means for writing, a second writing means for writing the information designated by the instruction in association with the time information in response to execution of a predetermined instruction included in the user program, and an external And changing means for executing at least one of a process of adding a predetermined command to an arbitrary position of the user program or a process of arbitrarily deleting the predetermined command included in the user program in accordance with a command from the user program.

  According to the present invention, program debugging and soundness check can be efficiently performed.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of the control system which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the hardware constitutions which show the principal part of PLC which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the software configuration of PLC which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the support apparatus connected and used for PLC which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the outline | summary of the log output function provided by the control system which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the user interface which concerns on the production | generation of the user program provided in the support apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the user interface which concerns on the production | generation of the user program provided in the support apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the user interface which concerns on acquisition and a display of the operation log provided in the support apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in PLC which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the storage method of the operation log which concerns on the modification of this Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, about the same or equivalent part in a figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is not repeated.

<A. System configuration>
First, the system configuration of the control system according to the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, a programmable controller (PLC) that controls a control target such as a machine or equipment will be described as a typical example of a control device. However, the control device according to the present invention is not limited to the PLC, and can be applied to various control devices.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration of a control system 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, control system 1 includes a PLC 100, a support device 300 connected to PLC 100, and a database device 400 that receives access from PLC 100. The PLC 100 executes a user program as will be described later periodically or in an event manner. An access instruction can be included in the user program, and the PLC 100 can access the database apparatus 400 according to the access. That is, the PLC 100 and the database device 400 are configured to exchange data with each other via the network 112 such as Ethernet (registered trademark).

  The support device 300 is a typical example of an information processing device that can be connected to the PLC 100. The support device 300 is connected to the PLC 100 via the connection cable 114 and provides functions such as setting various parameters, programming, monitoring, and debugging with the PLC 100. The PLC 100 and the support device 300 are typically configured to be communicable according to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard.

  The PLC 100 includes a CPU unit 104 that executes control calculations and one or more IO (Input / Output) units 106. These units are configured to exchange data with each other via the PLC system bus 108. These units are supplied with power of an appropriate voltage by the power supply unit 102.

  In the control system 1, the PLC 100 exchanges data with various field devices via the IO unit 106 (connected via the PLC system bus 108) and / or via the field bus 110. . These field devices include an actuator for performing some processing on the control target, a sensor for acquiring various information from the control target, and the like. FIG. 1 includes a servo motor driver 30 that drives the detection switch 10, the relay 20, and the motor 32 as an example of such a field device. The PLC 100 is also connected to the remote IO terminal 200 via the field bus 110. The remote IO terminal 200 basically performs processing related to general input / output processing in the same manner as the IO unit 106. More specifically, the remote IO terminal 200 includes a communication coupler 202 for performing processing related to data transmission via the field bus 110 and one or more IO units 204. These units are configured to exchange data with each other via the remote IO terminal bus 208.

<B. Configuration of PLC 100>
Next, the configuration of PLC 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration showing a main part of PLC 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of PLC 100 according to the present embodiment.

  The hardware configuration of the CPU unit 104 of the PLC 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The CPU unit 104 includes a processor 120, a chip set 122, a system clock 124, a main memory 126, a nonvolatile memory 128, a USB connector 130, a PLC system bus controller 140, a field bus controller 150, and higher-level communication. A controller 160 and a memory card interface 170 are included. The chip set 122 and other components are coupled via various buses.

  The processor 120 and the chipset 122 are typically configured according to a general-purpose computer architecture. That is, the processor 120 interprets and executes the instruction codes sequentially supplied from the chip set 122 according to the internal clock. The chip set 122 exchanges internal data with various connected components and generates instruction codes necessary for the processor 120. The system clock 124 generates a system clock having a predetermined period and provides it to the processor 120. The chip set 122 has a function of caching data obtained as a result of execution of arithmetic processing by the processor 120.

  The CPU unit 104 includes a main memory 126 and a nonvolatile memory 128 as storage means. The main memory 126 is a volatile storage area, holds various programs to be executed by the processor 120, and is also used as a working memory when executing the various programs. The nonvolatile memory 128 holds an OS (Operating System), a system program, a user program, data definition information, log information, and the like in a nonvolatile manner.

  The USB connector 130 is an interface for connecting the support device 300 and the CPU unit 104. Typically, an executable program or the like transferred from the support device 300 is taken into the CPU unit 104 via the USB connector 130.

  The CPU unit 104 includes a PLC system bus controller 140, a field bus controller 150, and a host communication controller 160 as communication means. These communication circuits transmit and receive data.

  The PLC system bus controller 140 controls data exchange via the PLC system bus 108. More specifically, the PLC system bus controller 140 includes a buffer memory 142, a PLC system bus control circuit 144, and a DMA (Dynamic Memory Access) control circuit 146. The PLC system bus controller 140 is connected to the PLC system bus 108 via the PLC system bus connector 148.

  Fieldbus controller 150 includes a buffer memory 152, a fieldbus control circuit 154, and a DMA control circuit 156. The field bus controller 150 is connected to the field bus 110 via the field bus connector 158. The upper communication controller 160 includes a buffer memory 162, an upper communication control circuit 164, and a DMA control circuit 166. The host communication controller 160 is connected to the network 112 via the host communication connector 168.

  The memory card interface 170 connects the memory card 172 detachable to the CPU unit 104 and the processor 120.

  Next, a software configuration for realizing various functions provided by the PLC 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The instruction codes included in these software are read at an appropriate timing and executed by the processor 120 of the CPU unit 104.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the software executed by CPU unit 104 has three layers of OS 180, system program 188, and user program 186.

  The OS 180 provides a basic execution environment for the processor 120 to execute the system program 188 and the user program 186.

  The system program 188 is a software group for providing basic functions as the PLC 100. Specifically, the system program 188 includes a sequence command program 190, a DB (database) access processing program 192, an input / output processing program 194, a Tool interface processing program 196, and a scheduler 198.

  On the other hand, the user program 186 is a program arbitrarily created according to the control purpose for the control target. That is, the user program 186 is arbitrarily designed according to the line (process) to be controlled using the control system 1.

  The user program 186 cooperates with the sequence command program 190 to realize a control purpose for the user. That is, the user program 186 realizes a programmed operation by using instructions, functions, function modules, and the like provided by the sequence instruction program 190. Therefore, the user program 186 and the sequence command program 190 may be collectively referred to as “control program”.

  The data definition information 182 includes a definition for handling data (input data, output data, internal data) referred to as a unique variable when the user program 186 or the like is executed. In the operation log 184, when a predetermined event occurs in accordance with the execution of the system program 188 and the user program 186, information on the generated event is stored in association with time information. In other words, the operation log 184 stores various information associated with the execution of the system program 188 and / or the user program 186 as a log (history information).

Hereinafter, each program will be described in more detail.
The sequence instruction program 190 includes an instruction code group for calling the substance of the sequence instruction specified in the user program 186 and realizing the contents of the instruction as the user program 186 is executed.

  The DB access processing program 192 includes an instruction code group for realizing processing necessary for accessing the database device 400 as the user program 186 is executed. The DB access processing program 192 includes an execution code corresponding to an instruction that can be specified in the user program 186.

  The input / output processing program 194 is a program for managing the acquisition of input data and the transmission of output data with the IO unit 106 and various field devices.

  The Tool interface processing program 196 provides an interface for exchanging data with the support device 300.

  The scheduler 198 generates a thread or procedure for executing the control program according to a predetermined priority, a system timer value, or the like.

  As described above, the user program 186 is created according to a control purpose (for example, a target line or process) by the user. The user program 186 is typically in an object program format that can be executed by the processor 120 of the CPU unit 104. The user program 186 is generated by compiling a source program described in a ladder format or a function block format in the support device 300 or the like. The generated user program in the object program format is transferred from the support device 300 to the CPU unit 104 and stored in the nonvolatile memory 128 or the like.

<C. Configuration of Support Device 300>
Next, the support device 300 according to the present embodiment will be described. The support device 300 is for supporting the use of the CPU unit 104 of the PLC 100, and provides functions such as setting of various parameters, programming, monitoring, and debugging with the PLC 100.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of support device 300 used by being connected to PLC 100 according to the present embodiment. The support device 300 is typically composed of a general-purpose computer.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the support device 300 stores a CPU 302 that executes various programs including an OS, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 304 that stores BIOS and various data, and data necessary for the execution of the program by the CPU 302. A memory RAM 306 that provides a work area for storage, and a hard disk (HDD) 308 that stores programs executed by the CPU 302 in a nonvolatile manner. More specifically, the hard disk 308 stores a support program 330 for realizing functions provided by the support device 300.

  The support apparatus 300 further includes a keyboard 310 and a mouse 312 that accept operations from the user, and a monitor 314 for presenting information to the user. Further, the support device 300 includes a communication interface (IF) 318 for communicating with the PLC 100 (CPU unit 104) and the like.

  The support program 330 and the like executed by the support device 300 are stored in the optical recording medium 332 and distributed. The program stored in the optical recording medium 332 is read by the optical disk reader 316 and stored in the hard disk 308 or the like. Alternatively, the program may be downloaded from a host computer or the like via a network.

<D. Configuration of Database Device 400>
Next, the database apparatus 400 according to the present embodiment will be described. As the database device 400, a known configuration that provides a database can be employed. As such a database, an arbitrary configuration such as a relational data type or an object data type can be adopted. Since database apparatus 400 is configured according to a general-purpose computer architecture, detailed description thereof will not be repeated here.

  The database device 400 receives a connection request or access request from the PLC 100 (SQL statement in the relational data type), executes necessary processing, and returns the processing result to the PLC 100.

<E. Overview of log output function>
Next, an overview of the log output function provided by the control system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. The log output function according to the present embodiment is output when a normal program execution log (hereinafter also referred to as “execution log”), a program execution failure, or a hardware failure occurs. In addition to the log (hereinafter also referred to as “event log”), it is possible to output a log having a position and content arbitrarily specified in the user program 186 (hereinafter also referred to as “debug log”). Yes. The operation log 184 includes all these logs.

  The execution log is information in which processing content is recorded in association with time information when a predetermined type of processing is executed. From this execution log, it can be confirmed that the process specified in the user program 186 has been executed. Basically, the execution log is always logged while the PLC 100 is in operation (a state in which a program is being executed). The event log is information that records the processing contents in association with time information when the execution of the specified processing fails. Typically, when a specified process is interrupted due to an error or the like, the contents are logged.

  The debug log is information for efficiently performing program debugging and soundness check, and is basically used during system adjustment. In other words, by adding to the user program 186 only when the user wants to use it, it is possible to output desired information during execution of the program at a desired timing (execution position).

  By using the log output function according to the present embodiment, the user can add and delete a command for outputting a debug log at an arbitrary position in the user program 186, and the debug log output by this command Can be used to efficiently debug programs and check their soundness. That is, the control system 1 according to the present embodiment provides a function for easily acquiring a target log at a target execution position.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of the log output function provided by the control system 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an example in which a connection command to the database apparatus 400 is defined in the user program 186. However, the instruction defined in the user program 186 can be arbitrarily defined, and the type of instruction defined does not affect the scope of the present invention.

  More specifically, it is assumed that the user operates the support device 300 and designates a DB connection command (DB_Connect) in the user program 186. When this user program 186 is executed and the DB connection instruction execution timing is reached, the corresponding instruction code of the DB access processing program 192 (FIG. 3) is called to generate and generate an SQL statement including a connection request to the database device 400. Sent. In other words, a DB connection service realized by the DB access processing program 192 included in the system program 188 is provided, and issuance of a DB connection command in the user program 186 triggers the DB connection service. Then, the DB connection service generates an SQL statement and passes the generated SQL statement to the DB access function. The DB access function is a function realized by the host communication controller 160 (FIG. 2) and the DB access processing program 192 (FIG. 3). The SQL sentence received from the DB connection service is sent to the database apparatus 400 via the network 112. Send.

  When the database apparatus 400 receives the SQL statement from the PLC 100, the database apparatus 400 executes processing according to the received SQL statement, and returns the result to the PLC 100 as necessary.

  The DB connection service responds to the execution of the DB connection command (creation and transmission of an SQL statement), associates the information specified by the command with the time information (that is, as an execution log), and the operation log 184 (FIG. 5) In the example shown, the log file 1842) stored in the memory card 172 is written. That is, a log of the operating status of the PLC 100 is stored. At this time, the user does not need to explicitly instruct the execution log to be written in the operation log 184, and when the DB connection command is executed, the DB connection service automatically writes the operation status to the operation log 184. System environment has been established.

  That is, the CPU unit 104 of the PLC 100 executes the DB access processing program 192 (system program 188), thereby responding to the occurrence of a predetermined event, and information on the event that has occurred (execution log and / or event) Log) functions as writing means for writing to the memory card 172 which is a storage unit in association with time information. At this time, the CPU unit 104 of the PLC 100 executes the system program 188 stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 128 or the like, thereby generating a predetermined event (for example, execution of a DB connection command).

  The write destination of the operation log 184 is not limited to the memory card 172, but may be the main memory 126 or the non-volatile memory 128 (FIG. 2) or a storage device outside the PLC 100. . However, a storage device that can hold these operation logs 184 is preferable even when the power of the PLC 100 is shut off.

  In such a system environment, the user can add a log output command to an arbitrary position of the user program 186 and can arbitrarily delete the log output command included in the user program 186. For example, assume that the user designates a log output command (DB_PutLog) in the user program 186 as shown in FIG. This log output command is defined after the DB connection command. Then, following the execution log output with the execution of the DB connection instruction, a debug log is generated and written into the operation log 184 with the execution of the log output instruction. This debug log includes information specified by the log output command and time information associated therewith.

  That is, in response to execution of a predetermined instruction (log output instruction) included in the user program 186, the CPU unit 104 of the PLC 100 associates information (debug log) specified by the instruction with time information and stores the information It functions as a writing means for writing to the memory card 172. In the example shown in FIG. 5, information (execution log and / or event log) output when the CPU unit 104 of the PLC 100 executes the DB access processing program 192 (system program 188), and the CPU unit 104 of the PLC 100. The information (debug log) output by executing the log output instruction included in the user program 186 is written in the common storage area (log file 1842) of the memory card 172 as a storage unit in the order of occurrence.

<F. User interface (add / delete log output command)>
Next, a user interface related to a log output function provided by the support device 300 according to the present embodiment will be described. For the log output function as shown in FIG. 5, the support apparatus 300 adds a predetermined command (log output command) to an arbitrary position of the user program 186 executed by the PLC 100, and the user program 186. A user interface for executing at least one of processes for arbitrarily deleting a predetermined instruction (log output instruction) included is provided.

  6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating an example of a user interface related to generation of a user program provided in the support device 300 according to the present embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 6 shows a state where a user program including a DB connection command is generated, and FIG. 7 shows a state where a log output command is added to the user program shown in FIG.

  In the user program 186 created on the user interface screen 350 shown in FIG. 6, an in-operation flag 352 and an execution start flag 354 are defined as execution start conditions. When both these flags are turned on, the DB connection process is performed. Executed. As this DB connection processing, a DB connection command block 356, a DB connection map selection block 358, and an INSERT / SELECT DB map generation block 360 are defined.

  The flag 364 indicating the completion of the DB connection is programmed to be turned on by the map selection completion flag 362 that is turned on when the execution of the DB connection map selection block 358 is completed and the operating flag 352. .

  In the user program 186 shown in FIG. 7, a log output instruction block 370 is added as compared with FIG. The log output command block 370 is added when the user performs a predetermined operation. Also, the log output command block 370 shown in FIG. 7 can be deleted at an arbitrary timing. That is, addition and deletion of log output commands to the user program 186 can be performed when the source code of the user program 186 is edited in the support device 300, or while the PLC 100 is executing the user program 186 (that is, online) ) A log output command may be added or edited (online editing). That is, in the support apparatus 300, it is preferable that the log output command can be added or deleted while the PLC 100 is executing the user program 186. By providing such an online editing function, the user program 186 can be debugged more efficiently.

  As described above, the support device 300 at least one of the process of adding a log output command to an arbitrary position of the user program 186 executed by the PLC 100 and the process of arbitrarily deleting the log output command included in the user program 186 Provides a user interface for executing

<G. User interface (display debug log)>
Next, a user interface related to acquisition and display of operation logs provided by the support device 300 according to the present embodiment will be described. As described above, the support device 300 can check the operation log 184 output by adding the log output command. That is, the support device 300 provides a user interface that displays information stored in the storage unit (such as the memory card 172) of the PLC 100 in time series.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface related to acquisition and display of the operation log 184 provided in the support device 300 according to the present embodiment.

  When the user presses the acquisition button 390 on the user interface screen 380 illustrated in FIG. 8, the operation log 184 is acquired from the PLC 100 connected to the support apparatus 300. The operation log 184 is basically transmitted from the PLC 100 to the support device 300 via the USB connector 130. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and transmission may be performed via a network using an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server function or an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) server function provided by the PLC 100.

  The operation log is displayed in time series on the user interface screen 380 shown in FIG. As an example, among the operation logs shown in FIG. 8, the log 386 of the entry “2” is generated by a log output command.

  Specifically, each log includes items such as date and time, category, log code, log name, result, connection name, and serial ID. The date and time indicate the time when the corresponding event occurs. The category and the log code indicate the attribute of the corresponding log, and can specify the application that generated the corresponding log. The log name includes information that allows the user to grasp the contents of the corresponding log at a glance. In the log generated by the log output command, the user can arbitrarily set the log name. The result indicates the information of the corresponding log, and when an error or the like occurs, the error code may be output as a result. The connection name and serial ID are mainly information related to the DB connection, and include information indicating which setting is used among the connection settings set in advance.

  The “SQL failure log” displayed on the tab of the user interface screen 380 shown in FIG. 8 corresponds to the “event log” described above.

  According to the operation log shown in FIG. 8, when the DB connection service (FIG. 5) is started, a log 382 including information on the event is generated, and subsequently, a connection request to the database apparatus 400 is executed. Then, it can be seen that the log 384 including the event information is generated. At this time, if a log output command as shown in FIG. 7 is added, a log 386 including information specified by the log output command is generated. Thereafter, when a request for adding some data is executed to the connected database apparatus 400, a log 388 including information on the event is generated.

  An example of the correspondence between the setting contents of the log output command block 370 (FIG. 6) and the contents of the log 386 is shown. In the log output command block 370, the user can also arbitrarily specify the contents of the log to be output. For example, LogCode, LogName, and ErrorID of the log output command block 370 correspond to a log code, a log name, and a result, respectively. By setting these values in advance in the user program 186 by the user, it is possible to more easily identify defects. Further, the LogMsg of the log output instruction block 370 can output contents having a larger amount of information in addition to the amount of information stored as a normal log. This more detailed content is displayed in the detailed information column of the user interface screen 380.

<H. Processing procedure>
Next, a processing procedure related to the log output function in the PLC 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in PLC 100 according to the present embodiment. Each step shown in FIG. 9 is realized by the processor 120 of the CPU unit 104 executing the user program 186 and the system program 188, respectively. Although FIG. 9 shows an example in which the user program 186 and the system program 188 are executed independently of each other, a single program including both programs may be executed.

  Referring to FIG. 9, regarding execution of user program 186, processor 120 loads user program 186 stored in advance, and repeatedly executes the loaded user program 186 at a predetermined cycle (step S100). It is assumed that the user program 186 to be loaded is in an object format that can be compiled and executed. However, the user program 186 may be loaded as the source code, or the user program 186 compiled into intermediate code may be loaded. In this case, the processor 120 executes processing while sequentially compiling the loaded code.

  That is, the processor 120 executes the specified process while calling the system program 188 as necessary according to the instructions included in the user program 186 (step S102).

  In this execution, if the process that is the output target of the execution log is executed (YES in step S104), the processor 120 outputs information such as the result of executing the process in association with time information and outputs it as an execution log ( Step S106).

  In this execution, when a predetermined event such as an error occurs (YES in step S108), the processor 120 outputs information such as the error in association with time information as an event log (step S110).

  In this execution, when a log output command is requested (YES in step S112), information specified by the log output command is output as a debug log in association with time information (step S114).

  When the execution of the series of user programs 186 is completed, the processing after step S102 is repeated.

  Referring to FIG. 9, regarding execution of system program 188, processor 120 loads system program 188 stored in advance, and repeatedly executes the loaded system program 188 at a predetermined period (step S200). It is assumed that the loaded system program 188 is in an object format that can be compiled and executed. However, as with the user program 186, the system program 188 may be loaded as the source code, or may be loaded into the intermediate code.

  The processor 120 determines whether or not addition of a log output command is requested from the support device 300 (step S202). If addition of a log output command is requested from the support device 300 (YES in step S202), the processor 120 adds and updates a log output command with the specified content at a specified position in the user program 186. (Step S204).

  Further, the processor 120 determines whether or not deletion of the log output command is requested from the support device 300 (step S206). If deletion of the log output command is requested from the support device 300 (YES in step S206), the processor 120 deletes and updates the specified log output command of the user program 186 (step S208).

  That is, steps S202 to S208 are processing related to a function (online editing) for adding or editing a log output command while executing the user program 186.

  Thereafter, the processor 120 determines whether transmission of the operation log 184 is requested from the support device 300 (step S210). If transmission of operation log 184 is requested from support device 300 (YES in step S210), processor 120 reads stored operation log 184 and transmits it to support device 300 (step S212).

  In other words, the processing in steps S210 and S212 is processing when acquisition of the operation log 184 is requested from the support device 300.

  When the execution of the series of system programs 188 is completed, the processing after step S202 is repeated.

<I. Modification>
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which all the operation logs (execution log, event log, debug log) are stored in one log file 1842 in time series is illustrated. However, the information of the event that has occurred is time information. It is not necessary to store these pieces of information in one log file 1842.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of storing the operation log 184 according to a modification of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, for example, in the PLC 100, three files 1844, 1846, and 1848 may be prepared for each type of log, and a log of a type corresponding to each file may be written.

  In this case, the operation log 184 as shown in FIG. 8 can be acquired by merging the contents of these files and sorting them in time series in the PLC 100 or the support device 300. Such merge and sort processing can be realized by employing a known technique.

<J. Advantage>
According to the control system 1 according to the present embodiment, the user can arbitrarily add a log output command to the user program 186. With the execution of the user program 186, the PLC 100 automatically outputs a log (execution log) relating to a predetermined process and a log (event log) generated when the process fails. . The debug log generated by the log output command added by the user is stored in time series together with the execution log and the event log. Then, the user can refer to the operation log stored in chronological order in this way.

  By adopting such a configuration, the user can easily identify whether the user program 186 is properly executed and what is the cause when a problem occurs when the user program 186 is executed. . This makes it possible to efficiently debug the program and check the soundness.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1 control system, 10 detection switch, 20 relay, 30 servo motor driver, 32 motor, 100 PLC, 102 power supply unit, 104 CPU unit, 106 IO unit, 108 PLC system bus, 110 field bus, 112 network, 114 connection cable, 120 processor, 122 chipset, 124 system clock, 126 main memory, 128 non-volatile memory, 130 USB connector, 140 PLC system bus controller, 142, 152, 162 buffer memory, 144 PLC system bus control circuit, 146, 156, 166 DMA control circuit, 148 PLC system bus connector, 150 field bus controller, 154 field bus control circuit, 158 feel Bus connector, 160 host communication controller, 164 host communication control circuit, 168 host communication connector, 170 memory card interface, 172 memory card, 180 OS, 182 data definition information, 184 operation log, 1842 log file, 186 user program, 188 system Program, 190 sequence instruction program, 192 access processing program, 194 input / output processing program, 196 interface processing program, 198 scheduler, 200 remote IO terminal, 202 communication coupler, 208 terminal bus, 300 support device, 302 CPU, 304 ROM, 306 RAM, 308 hard disk, 310 keyboard, 312 mouse, 314 monitor, 316 optical data Disk reader, 330 support program, 332 optical recording medium, 400 database device.

Claims (6)

A control system,
A control device that periodically or eventally executes a user program;
An information processing device connectable to the control device,
The control device includes:
In response to occurrence of a predetermined event, first writing means for writing information on the event that occurred in the storage unit in association with time information;
In response to execution of a predetermined command included in the user program, the second writing means for writing information specified by the command in association with time information in the storage unit,
The information processing apparatus includes at least a process of adding the predetermined instruction to an arbitrary position of the user program executed by the control apparatus, and a process of arbitrarily deleting the predetermined instruction included in the user program A control system that provides a user interface to perform one.   The control system according to claim 1, wherein the first writing unit and the second writing unit write information in a common storage area of the storage unit in the order of generation.   The control system according to claim 1, wherein the control device generates the predetermined event by executing a system program stored in advance.   The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information processing apparatus is capable of adding or deleting the predetermined command while the control apparatus is executing the user program.   The control system according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device provides a user interface that displays information stored in the storage unit of the control device in time series. A control device that periodically or eventally executes a user program,
In response to occurrence of a predetermined event, first writing means for writing information on the event that occurred in the storage unit in association with time information;
In response to execution of a predetermined command included in the user program, second writing means for writing information specified by the command to the storage unit in association with time information;
Change for executing at least one of the process of adding the predetermined instruction to an arbitrary position of the user program or the process of arbitrarily deleting the predetermined instruction included in the user program in accordance with an external command And a control device.

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