JP2003150240A - Data transmission method for control system and its program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a control system capable of reducing communication costs by preventing the user of a client device from misunderstanding a unit picture in a programmable display unit. SOLUTION: A control host computer 14 converts the picture data of a programmable display unit 12 in order to prepare a public file, and transmits it to a client device 4. When the applet of the public file is carried out by the client device 4, an HMI processing part 51 and a control part 52 are formed. The HMI processing part 51 periodically communicates with a public server part 33, and picture-displays the state of the device. Also, the HMI processing part 51 acquires the unit picture to be displayed as the state of a picture control device in the same way as a programmable display unit 12, and at failing in the acquisition, the HMI processing part 51 stops the picture display. The control part 52 displays a polling cycle or the like by the HMI processing part 51, and controls the polling processing according to an operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control system data transmission method capable of displaying / operating the state of a device in a terminal device located at a place distant from a local control system, and to realize the method. Of the program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of a wide area communication network such as the Internet, not only a local control system near a target system but also a client device located away from the local control system can display the status of a device of the target system. , Controllable control systems have been proposed.

For example, a control system 101 shown in FIG.
Then, the HMI (Hu
The man machine interface) processing unit 151 periodically makes an inquiry to the control host computer 114 of the local control system 103 via the Internet 105 to acquire the device status, and, for example, by a display method according to the device status. , The device status is displayed on the screen of the client apparatus 104 by displaying a graphic showing the device.

On the other hand, when a device displayed on the screen of the client device 104 is operated by a mouse or the like, the HMI processing section 151 communicates with the control host computer 114 to perform control according to the operation. Tell the device to instruct. In this case, the control host computer 114 gives an instruction to the programmable display device 112 based on the received control instruction, or gives an instruction to the programmable logic controller (PLC) 111 via the programmable display device 112, Send control instructions to the device entity.

Further, the control host computer 114
Is provided with a file generation unit 131, and the file generation unit 131 generates data for the client device 104 based on screen data referred to when the programmable display 112 displays a screen.

In the control system 101, the client device 104 displays a screen based on the client device data generated by the file generation unit 131, so that the screen for the client device 104 is not newly designed, Device 102a of target system 102
The status of can be displayed and operated.

Specifically, the programmable display 112
Screen data is data for displaying any of the plurality of unit screens on the programmable display 112, and corresponds to an area on the screen and a device corresponding to display or input to the area. It is formed by associating a tag indicating a relationship with each unit screen.

When the screen data is stored, the programmable display 112 reads out the value of the area for storing the currently displayed unit screen in its own system area at a predetermined time interval and stores it in itself. The currently displayed unit screen is determined from the plurality of unit screens indicated by the displayed screen data. Further, the display tag to be displayed on the unit screen is extracted from the screen data, the device state indicated by each display tag is acquired, and the obtained state is displayed in the screen area indicated by each display tag.

When the programmable display 112 accepts an operation from a touch panel (not shown) or the like,
While obtaining the unit screen currently displayed in the same procedure as above, among the input tags of the screen data, the input tag related to the currently displayed unit screen, and further, the input tag corresponding to the accepted operation is specified, Instruct the device indicated by the input tag to perform control according to the operation.

Here, the programmable display 112 is
Then, the system area that stores the currently displayed unit screen is also treated as one of the devices, and the acceptance of the screen switching instruction is also expressed by the input tag.

In the above configuration, the screen of the programmable display 112 can be designed by simply associating the input tag and the display tag with the area on the screen, the device, and the unit screen. Therefore, a program for display / operation reception is created ( The screen of the programmable display 112 can be designed more easily than in the case where the screen is modified and designed.

Further, the data for the client device generated by the file generation unit 131 is the programmable display 1 which refers to the input tag and the display tag in the screen data.
The client device 104 is instructed to perform the same operation as 12. However,
In the data for the client device, the display destination and the operation source are changed to the display device and the input device of the client device 104. Further, instead of the programmable display 112, which refers to the screen data, communicating with the PLC 111 to acquire the device status or send a device status control instruction, the client device 104 publishes the control host computer 114. Communicating with the server unit 133,
The client device 104 is instructed to acquire the state of the device and send a control instruction of the device.

Here, in the data for the client device, similarly to the programmable display 112, the determination of the currently displayed unit screen and the switching of the unit screen are performed as the status acquisition and the status control of the device for screen control. Being treated. However, when the acquisition of the unit screen fails, the unit screen currently displayed on the programmable display 112 cannot be specified, and an appropriate screen cannot be displayed. Further, the unit screen currently displayed on the programmable display 112 is displayed on the programmable display 112 by the user of the client device 104.
If it is misunderstood that the unit screen is being displayed at, there is a risk of erroneous operation. Therefore, the HMI processing unit 151 of the client device 104 is configured to stop the screen display when acquisition of the unit screen fails.

[0014]

However, the above-mentioned configuration has a problem that the screen cannot be displayed when the client device is not always connected to the Internet. As a result, for example, since the connection is always made, the communication cost may increase.

Even if the acquisition of the unit screen is unsuccessful, if the previous unit screen is acquired and the screen display is performed in the same manner as the case where the acquisition of the unit screen is successful, the user of the client device 104 performs the programmable display. There is a possibility that the unit screen currently displayed on the device 112 may be misunderstood and an erroneous operation may be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is data transmission of a control system capable of both preventing an erroneous operation due to the above misunderstanding and reducing communication costs. To realize the method.

[0017]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a control system data transmission method according to a first aspect of the present invention responds to a device status based on screen data via a wide area communication network. The operation to the terminal device is recognized on the basis of a display step of periodically inquiring the means to obtain and display it on the screen of the terminal device, and correspondence information included in the screen data and showing correspondence between the device and the operation. Then, an operation recognition step of transmitting a device state control instruction according to an operation to the response means via the wide area communication network.
Further, in the above correspondence information, the unit screen switching operation is stored as the operation corresponding to the screen control device that stores the unit screen to be displayed among the plurality of unit screens. Also, in the above display step, when updating the screen,
After acquiring the unit screen to be displayed as the state of the screen control device, the unit screen is displayed, and if the acquisition of the state of the screen control device fails, the screen display is stopped. In addition, the data transmission method of the control system further includes a presentation step of presenting the status of the inquiry to the user of the terminal device, and controlling the status of the inquiry according to the user's operation on the terminal device. And a control process for controlling.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the data transmission method of the control system according to the first aspect of the invention, in the display step, the status of the device is sent to the response means via the wide area communication network. Responsive means for obtaining by inquiry and communicating with the device through the wide area communication network in the display step instead of transmitting the device state control instruction to the response means through the wide area communication network in the operation recognition step The device state is inquired and acquired, and in the operation recognition step, a device state control instruction is transmitted to the response means. In this case, the response means and the terminal device may be integrated.

Further, a program according to a third aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer as the terminal device to execute each step of the first or second aspect, and the computer executing the program causes each of the steps to be performed. Is done.

The presentation of the inquiry status may be, for example, presentation of the inquiry cycle, or presentation of whether or not the inquiry is made periodically and the time of the next inquiry. Further, the control of the inquiry status may be, for example, a change of the inquiry cycle,
It may be the suspension or resumption of the inquiry.

According to the above configuration, the terminal device displays the unit screen indicated by the screen data, although the wide area communication network is interposed between the device and the terminal device.
The state of the device can be presented to the user, and the operation to the device can be accepted. Further, in the above screen data, the switching operation of the unit screen is stored as an operation for the screen control device as a kind of device, so when designing the screen data, the operation to the device for switching the screen is not A different design procedure is not required, and the burden on the designer can be reduced.

Further, since a screen control device is treated as a kind of device, for example, a control device for displaying the state of the device and accepting an operation in a local control system provided with the device, such as a programmable display. A screen in which the response unit acquires the unit screen currently displayed by the display device, responds to the inquiry to the screen control device with the acquisition result, and displays each unit screen of the control display device. If the terminal device displays based on the data, the unit screen displayed by the control display device and the unit screen displayed by the terminal device can be matched. In this case, the terminal device can confirm the unit screen currently operated on the control display device, and can confirm the response to the operation on the unit screen. Therefore, the operator's operation on the control display device can also be confirmed on the terminal device.

Here, if the unit screen being displayed on the terminal device can be made to match the unit screen being displayed on the control display device as in the above configuration, the acquisition of the status of the screen control device has failed. In this case, if the screen display is continued, the user of the terminal device may misunderstand the unit screen currently displayed on the control display device and may make an erroneous operation. Therefore,
The display step is configured to stop the screen display when the acquisition of the status of the screen control device fails.

Further, since the presenting step and the controlling step are provided, the user of the terminal device can control the inquiry status, for example, the inquiry cycle or stop or restart while confirming the inquiry status. Therefore, although it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation due to the above misunderstanding, the user of the terminal device has a problem in that the cost of the terminal device is constantly connected to the wide area communication network from the device to the terminal device or the terminal device is connected in a short cycle. When the inquiry occupies the bandwidth of the wide area communication network, the inquiry state can be controlled according to the state of the wide area communication network by temporarily suspending the inquiry or lengthening the inquiry period.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
The following is a description with reference to FIG. That is, in the control system 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, even in the client device (terminal device) 4 at a place distant from the local control system 3, the above target is transmitted via the Internet (wide area communication network) 5. The system is capable of displaying and controlling the state of the device 2a of the system 2.

The local control system 3 and the PLC 11 as a control device for controlling the device 2a of the target system 2 are arranged in the vicinity of the control target in many cases, and the HMI (Human Machine) of the control system 1 is provided.
Interface), the programmable display 12 that displays the state of the device 2a and accepts an operation on the device 2a by the operator. Further, in the local control system 3 according to the present embodiment, the programmable displays 12 are connected to each other by a local area network (LAN) 13 such as Ethernet (registered trademark). In addition, a control host computer 14 that manages the entire local control system 3 is often connected to the LAN 13 from a location distant from the programmable display 12.

Each programmable display 12 described above
Are connected to the corresponding PLCs 11 via serial cables or the like. Further, in FIG. 2, for convenience of description, the programmable indicator 12 is connected to the LAN 13 by two.
PLC connected to each programmable display 12
11 are connected one by one, and each PLC1
Although the case where one device 2a is connected to 1 is illustrated, as a matter of course, the number of connected devices can be set arbitrarily.

If the device can be specified by a device address or a symbol name described later and the state can be acquired or controlled (changed), for example,
It may be the device 2a itself, for example, PLC1.
1 may represent an area of a storage device provided in the local control system 3, such as the storage device of 1 or the programmable display 12.

In the local control system 3, the local control system 3 has an indispensable configuration and operates as an HMI. Therefore, the programmable display 12 having a spare computing power handles most of the communication. Is configured. Furthermore, each programmable display 1
2 converts the dedicated protocol unique to the model of PLC 11 connected to itself and the common protocol in LAN 13 to relay the communication between PLC 11 and another programmable display 12 or control host computer 14. To do. In the protocol conversion between the common protocol and the dedicated protocol, conversion is performed between a common command predetermined so that the same code is assigned to the same instruction and a command unique to the PLC 11 corresponding to the common command. It also includes conversion of data and address representation methods, conversion between symbol names and device addresses, and so on.

As a result, the programmable display device 12 and the control host computer 14 can communicate with each other via the LAN 13 by a common protocol regardless of the model of the PLC 11 connected to another programmable display device 12. As a result, the local control system 3 in which PLCs 11 of different models are mixed is relatively easily realized.

More specifically, the programmable display device 12 refers to screen data stored in advance in the programmable display device 12,
The device status is displayed to the operator, and the operation screen for accepting the operation is displayed. The screen data is
It is configured by combining tags indicating the correspondence between the area on the screen and the device corresponding to the display and input to the area.

The programmable display 12 can switch and display a plurality of unit screens, and the tag has a file number F indicating a unit screen in which the tag is valid, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example. And an event name N that specifies the operation content to be executed on the unit screen, and reference information R that is referenced for each event.

For example, in the case where the tag is a display tag WL that displays a component graphic corresponding to the state of a predetermined device in a predetermined screen area (display coordinate range), for example, as shown in FIG. In the display coordinate range (X / Y),
A symbol name SN indicating a device-identifying symbol (described later) and, for example, when the component figure is a switch, a file of figures indicating ON and a file of figures indicating OFF and the file numbers FL referred to at the time of display included. When the tag is the input tag WT, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the effective input coordinate range (X
Y) and the symbol name SN indicating the symbol of the device to which the input result is written are included.

On the other hand, the programmable display device 12 extracts the display tag, which is the unit screen currently being displayed, with the file number of the unit screen from the screen data stored in the programmable display device 12 at a predetermined time interval and stores it in advance. For example, in the case where the entity of the device is the device 2a controlled by the PLC 11 connected to itself, communication with the PLC 11 is performed by referring to the correspondence table between the generated symbol and the device address.
In the case of the device 2a controlled by the PLC 11 connected to the other programmable display 12, the device entity communicates with the PLC 11 via the other programmable display 12 and becomes a symbol of each display tag. The device status (contents of the device address) is read from the corresponding device address, and the part graphic corresponding to the device status is displayed on the screen. Thereby, the state of the device is reflected on the screen of the programmable display 12, as shown in FIG. 5, for example.

Further, upon receiving an operator's input operation such as a push operation on a touch panel (not shown), the programmable display device 12 receives an input corresponding to the currently displayed unit screen from the screen data and matching the input operation. Similar to the case of searching for tags and acquiring the actual state of the device, the PLC 11 and programmable display 1
The contents of the device address (device state) are changed so as to change the state of the device indicated by the symbol of the input tag according to the input result by communicating with the device 2. Here, since the programmable display 12 displays the device state on the screen even after the input operation, the operation result is reflected on the screen display.

Further, in the programmable display device 12 according to this embodiment, the system area for storing the currently displayed unit screen is also treated as one of the devices, and the tag for accepting the screen switching operation is the device. It is realized as an input tag associated with a symbol.
In this way, both the screen switching acceptance and the device status instruction acceptance are instructed by the input tag, so that the designer of screen data does not need to be familiar with the design procedure for each, and the designer The burden can be reduced.

On the other hand, the control host computer 14
Is an HMI processing unit 21 that performs monitoring control of the local control system 3 and a LAN / IF unit 22 that is connected to the LAN 13 and communicates by the above-described common protocol, and each programmable display device via the LAN / IF unit 22 and the LAN 13. A server unit 23 that communicates with the HMI processing unit 21 to respond to a request from the HMI processing unit 21, a symbol database 24 that stores the correspondence between symbols and device addresses, and a drawing processing unit 2 that creates screen data for each programmable display 12.
5 and a screen data memory 26 for storing the created screen data. As a result, the control host computer 14 manages the screen data, and while the local control system 3 is operating, the target system 2 and PL are controlled.
The state of C11 or the programmable display 12 can be displayed and controlled.

When creating the screen data, the drawing processing section 25 prompts the user to display a palette of tags, select a tag in the palette and place a desired tag on the screen, for example. . Further, the drawing processing unit 25 displays the arranged tags at the designated coordinates and adjusts the coordinates of the tags according to the user's operation such as drag and drop.
The drawing processing unit 25 also prompts the user to input a symbol (described later) corresponding to the tag. Here, as will be described later, the symbol is associated with the device address. By associating the tag with the symbol, the drawing processing unit 25 can associate the tag with the device address. As a result, the user can create the screen data by operating the drawing processing unit 25 to arrange the tag at a desired position on the screen and associating each tag with the symbol of the device.

Therefore, the display and operation of each programmable display 12 can be determined (changed) more easily than when the display program of the programmable display 12 is modified, and the user of the local control system 3 (control host computer 14). User) of the target system 2, the proficiency level of the operator of the programmable display 12, or the preference of the user.

The members 23 and 25 specify each device not by the device address but by a symbol with which the user can associate a meaningful name as a symbol name. Here, when the PLC 11 controls the device 2a, the PLC 11 specifies each device 2a by a device address represented by alphanumeric characters such as X0000 in order to reduce the calculation amount. On the other hand, HM
An administrator who operates the I processing unit 21, a creator of the control program or screen data, or the programmable display device 1
For the user of the control system 1 such as the operator of No. 2, it is better to call each device with a meaningful name such as “switch 2” rather than to specify each device with the device address. Easy to associate.
Therefore, by designating the device to be controlled by the symbol instead of the device address, it is possible to realize the control system 1 that is easy for the user to operate.

Further, even if the device address is changed by changing the model of the PLC 11, for example,
Since the drawing processing unit 25 associates the tag with the symbol, the modification can be handled only by changing the correspondence between the symbol and the device address in the symbol database 24. As a result, unlike the configuration in which the device address is associated, it is not necessary to change the device address each time the device address appears. As a result, it is possible to realize the control system 1 that requires less labor when changing.

Further, the drawing processing section 25 can associate the symbol with the device address and register the correspondence between them in the symbol database 24 according to the user's instruction. As an example, as shown in FIG. 6, the symbol database 24 according to the present embodiment stores a record including a combination of a symbol name and a device address for a symbol corresponding to each device in the local control system 3. There is. Further, in the symbol database 24, the record of each symbol is as shown in FIG.
It is stored hierarchically, and by referring to the symbol database 24, the server unit 23 or the like grasps the programmable display 12 existing in the local control system 3 and displays the symbols registered in each programmable display 12. In addition to being able to grasp, the symbol name and device address can be acquired from the record of each symbol. Further, by searching the symbol database 24, the programmable display 12 connected to the PLC 11 that controls the substance of the device (device 2a) having a predetermined symbol name can be specified.

In addition, in the symbol database 24, for each device such as each programmable display 12 that joins the LAN 13, the station ID indicating the device, the name of the station (station name), the network address of the device, etc. A record including a combination of the above is stored, and the user of the control system 1 can specify each of the devices by the station name.

Further, in the control host computer 14 according to the present embodiment, based on the screen data for the programmable display 12, a public file for instructing an operation when the client device 4 performs remote monitoring control is generated. There is provided a file generating unit 31, a file storing unit 32 for storing a file for publication, and a public server unit (response means) 33 for communicating with the client device 4 performing the above operation. The above-mentioned public file is an operation that the programmable display 12 displays according to the state of the device 2a based on screen data, and the device 2a according to the operation.
The client device 4 can be instructed to perform an operation substantially similar to the operation for instructing the state change of.

However, unlike the case where the programmable display 12 operates based on the screen data, the display destination is the display device (not shown) of the client device 4, and the operation is received from the input device (not shown) of the client device 4. Also, the party to which the client device 4 inquires about the state of the device 2a and the transmission destination of the state change instruction are also changed to the public server unit 33, and the public server unit 33 communicates with the client device 4 to communicate with the client device 4a. The state can be transmitted to the client device 4 and an instruction to change the state of the device 2a can be received from the client device 4.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned operations (operation screen display / operation acceptance operation), for example, the above-mentioned public file has a cycle when the client device 4 periodically inquires about the state of the device 2a, and an inquiry. Operation of displaying the inquiry status on the screen and prompting for input of the inquiry status change, and operation of controlling the inquiry status by the client device 4 according to the change instruction (operation for inquiry control) And client device 4
Can be instructed to.

The public file can be executed by the virtual machine 41 of the client device 4 and can be read by the browser 42 and the applet for executing the above-mentioned operations. It is realized as a combination with a document or the like, and is transmitted to the client device 4 by the public server unit 33.

The file generator 31 may directly generate the applet and the hypertext document based on the screen data. Further, when an applet is generated to execute each operation by referring to the data file in which the parameter corresponding to each tag of the above-mentioned screen data is described, the above-mentioned file generation unit 31 is based on the screen data. Then, a data file as one of the public files may be generated.

Further, the above members 21 to 25, 31 to 33
And 41 to 42, the arithmetic means such as a CPU is a ROM
Is a functional block realized by executing a program stored in a storage unit such as a RAM or RAM and controlling an input / output unit such as a touch panel or a liquid crystal display device, or a communication circuit such as an interface circuit. Therefore, a computer having these means only needs to read a recording medium (for example, a CD-ROM or the like) in which the above program is recorded and execute the program to control the host computer 14 and the client device 4 according to the present embodiment. Can be realized. In particular, since the virtual machine 41 and the browser 42 of the client device 4 can be realized by general-purpose browser software preinstalled on many computers, these computers can be installed without installing a special program.
It can operate as the client device 4. Note that, for example,
If a program for downloading the program through the LAN 13, the Internet 5, or another communication path is installed in the computer in advance, distribute the program to the computer through these communication paths. You can also

In the following, as an example, the open file is an X file corresponding to each unit screen included in the screen data.
An ML (eXtensible Mark-up Language) file and an HMI that causes the client device 4 to perform the operation screen display / operation accepting operation with reference to the XML file.
A detailed description will be given of a case in which it is composed of an applet file in which an applet for storing is stored, an applet file in which an applet for executing the above-mentioned inquiry control operation is stored, and an HTML document for executing both applets.

That is, each XML file includes an XML element (element) indicating a tag (processing instruction word) related to the corresponding unit screen.

For example, when the screen data for the programmable display 12 includes a display tag WL of unit screen = 1 (main screen) in the format shown in FIG. 3, an XML file corresponding to the main screen is displayed. Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the Tag element E corresponding to the display tag WL is displayed.
1 is included. The Tag element E1 has an event name,
TagName element E11, X element E1 corresponding to the display coordinate range, reference file number, symbol name, etc.
2 and Y element E13, LibraryNo element E1
4 and the BitSymbolName element E15 and the like are included, and the contents (contents) of the respective elements E11 to E15 depend on the contents of the display tag WL, for example, “L_0000”, −232 in the example of FIG. And 120, 101, and 010100. Further, in the Tag element E2 corresponding to the input tag WT shown in FIG. 4, the EventName, the symbol name, and the TagName element E21, Symb corresponding to the valid input range and the like.
The contents of the olName element E22, the X element E23, the Y element E24, the X2 element E25, the Y2 element E26, and the like are set according to the content of the input tag WT. The input tag W whose symbol name is the screen control device
The Tag element corresponding to T corresponds to the correspondence information described in the claims.

Here, the contents of each of the elements E11 to E26 may be set so as to match the contents of the display tag WL or the input tag WT. For example, the resolution of the programmable display 12 and the client device 4 may be set. Display tag WL, such as enlarging / reducing at a ratio according to the difference with the resolution of the
Alternatively, the contents of the input tag WT may be converted and set in a predetermined procedure.

The file generation unit 31 shown in FIG. 2 determines a processing instruction word (tag WL.WT ...) Of a certain unit screen, that is, a file number of the unit screen from the screen data for the programmable display 12, for example. Value tags are sequentially extracted, an XML element corresponding to the tag is generated, and the X
By setting the contents of the ML element according to the tag, an XML file of the unit screen can be created and stored in the file storage unit 32.

On the other hand, the HMI applet stored in the file storage unit 32 is referred to in the HTML file, and when the programmable display 12 displays or operates a unit screen while referring to the XML file. Is a program that causes the client apparatus 4 to execute the same operation as the above operation. In the present embodiment, Java that can be executed by the virtual machine 41 of the client apparatus 4 is executed.
It is realized as a bytecode written in the (registered trademark) language.

In the above HMI applet, a class in which a method corresponding to the type of tag that can appear in the screen data is defined, and a method for calling the method corresponding to the tag type by referring to the XML file are defined. The virtual machine 41 including the class and executing the applet refers to the XML file and shows the XM indicating the tag.
A method corresponding to the tag type can be called based on the L element. When the virtual machine 41 executes the HMI applet, the client device 4 becomes
The HMI processing part 51 shown in FIG. 1 is formed.

More specifically, among the methods executed by the virtual machine 41, the method corresponding to the tag type is
For example, in the case of a display tag, it is a drawing method that is called at a predetermined time interval, inquires the public server unit 33 about the state of a specific device, and displays according to the response. The input tag is an input method that is called when an input event occurs and requests the public server unit 33 to give a control instruction according to the input result to the device according to the operation.

Here, in the screen data according to the present embodiment, like the programmable display device 12, in the storage area of the programmable display device 12, the system area in which the data indicating the currently displayed unit screen is stored is the device. The switching operation of each unit screen is also realized by an input tag that changes the state of the device (hereinafter, referred to as a screen control device). In this case, the input tag includes the symbol name of the screen control device as reference information R.

Therefore, among the above input methods,
The input method for requesting a change instruction to the screen control device transmits a change instruction of the unit screen to the public server unit 33 and also generates an XML file corresponding to the changed unit screen, as in the normal input method. Read. Thereby, the client device 4 and the programmable display 1
2 can always display the same unit screen.

The input method may change the contents of an alternative storage area provided in the client device 4 instead of sending the change instruction to the screen control device. In this case, when referring to the screen control device by another method, the alternative storage area is referred to instead of making an inquiry to the public server unit 33. Therefore, the client device 4 can also display a unit screen different from the unit screen currently displayed on the programmable display 12, even if the unit screen is for the programmable display 12.

Further, for example, the same unit screen as the programmable display 12 can be specified by specifying it by parameter setting at the time of executing an applet which will be described later, or by displaying a menu in conjunction with the unit screen selecting operation. Each of the above methods may be created so as to select whether to display or a different unit screen. In this case, although the same applet or XML file is used, for example, when the operator wants to monitor the operation of the programmable display 12, the former is selected,
The latter can be selected when it is desired to monitor the local control system 3 separately from the operation of the operator.

The method for referring to the XML file is, for example, the XM indicating the tag from the XML file.
The L element is extracted, and the type of the tag (for example, the XML
An XML file is created by creating an instance of the class corresponding to the TagName element in the element) and setting the parameters of the tag (for example, the content of each element in the XML element) in the field of the instance. It is possible to cause the virtual machine 41 to execute a method according to the above.

Here, when the client device 4 attempts to display the same unit screen as the one currently displayed on the programmable display 12, the client device 4 has failed to acquire the state of the screen control device. Nevertheless, when the screen display is performed as in the case where the status acquisition is successful, the user of the client device 4 cannot confirm the success or failure of the status acquisition. In this case, programmable display 1
Even when the unit screen No. 2 is switched, the user of the client device 4 misunderstands that the unit screen currently displayed on the client device 4 is the unit screen of the programmable display device 12, and thus the wrong control is performed. There is a risk of instructing. Therefore, when the HMI processing unit 51 formed by executing the HMI applet fails to acquire the status of the screen control device, it stops the screen display and notifies the user that the status acquisition of the screen control device has failed. Is configured to.

On the other hand, in the HTML file, as shown in FIG.
Character string P1 to be executed by the virtual machine 41 of
1 and a character string P1 required as an HTML document, such as "<HTML>" or "<TITLE>". Also, H
In the TML file, for example, a character string for displaying a character or an image that describes the programmable display 12 displayed by the applet, or a character string that indicates a link to a hypertext document that describes the local control system 3, The character string P2 according to the HTML format may be included. Further, the HTML file includes a character string P12 for executing the applet for switching the unit screen.
May be included.

Further, the HTML file according to the present embodiment also includes a character string P21 for causing the virtual machine 41 of the client device 4 to execute the inquiry control applet, as will be described later in detail.

In this embodiment, an XML file is provided for each unit screen. For example, when the browser 42 of the client device 4 displays the HTML file, the unit screen to be displayed first is designated or programmable display is possible. Information relating to the entire screen data (programmable display 12) such as designation of the display 12 is included in the character string P11. In the case of this embodiment, the information is specified as a parameter when executing the applet,
For example, the first unit screen is the attribute name "B of the PARAM element.
ASESCR "is designated as the attribute value (" 1 "in this example). The file generation unit 31 shown in FIG.
An ML file can be generated and stored in the file storage unit 32.

Further, when the public server unit 33 receives a request from the client device 4, for example, the URI (Universal R)
It is possible to determine the HTML file, the XML file, or the applet requested by the client device 4 based on the esource identifier) and distribute them to the client device 4.

Further, the public server unit 33 can acquire the device status via the server unit 23, as in the case of the HMI processing unit 21. Also, the public server unit 33
In the same manner as when the HMI processing unit 21 changes the state of the device via the server unit 23, the HMI processing unit 21 requests the server unit 23 in accordance with an instruction from the client device 4, and the programmable display 12 itself or the programmable display 12 itself. Indicator 12
A content change instruction can be transmitted to the entity of the device such as the PLC 11 connected to the.

As a result, even when the client device 4 is remotely connected via the Internet 5, the client device 4 displays an operation screen having the same contents as the screen of the programmable display 12, and the same operation allows You can control the state of the device.

In the above configuration, step 1 shown in FIG.
In (hereinafter, abbreviated as S1), the user of the local control system 3 operates the drawing processing unit 25 of the control host computer 14 to learn the actual situation of the target system 2 and the proficiency level of the operator of the programmable display 12. Alternatively, the screen data is created / modified according to the user's preference, and the screen data is stored in the screen data memory 2
Store in 6. In addition, when the screen data is created / corrected, the generated / corrected symbols are registered in the symbol database 24. Further, the created screen data is distributed to the programmable display device 12 in S2 after it is confirmed to operate normally by, for example, a simulation or a connection test, and the programmable display device 12 converts it into screen data in S3. The corresponding display and operation acceptance are started.

Here, the optimum screen cannot be uniquely determined because it depends on the taste and the degree of proficiency and is often changed relatively frequently. However, as described above, in the present embodiment, the user of the local control system 2 (control host computer 14) can generate screen data with a combination of tags, so that it is possible to flexibly respond to these requests and create an optimal state. Can be kept.
Further, since the control host computer 14 can collectively manage the screen data, it is possible to easily manage the screen data as compared with the case where the management is performed in parallel at many places.

When the screen data is updated, the file generation unit 31 of the control host computer 14 causes the S1
In 1, the public files such as the HTML file and the XML file are generated from the screen data and stored in the file storage unit 32.

On the other hand, in S21, the Internet 5
Via the client device 4 via the control host computer 14 of the local control system 3 (public server unit 3
When the user accesses 3) to instruct to display the screen of a certain programmable display 12, the public server unit 33
Confirms whether or not the identification number and the password received from the client device 4 are a predetermined combination, and allows the client device 4 or the user to display / control the screen. It is authenticated whether or not the access is permitted, and the access from the unauthorized client device 4 is denied.

When it is confirmed that the authorized client device 4 is the authorized client device 4, in S22, the public server unit 33 displays the screen requested by the client device 4 among the public files generated in S11. The HTML file to be displayed is read from the file storage unit 32, and the file is transmitted to the client device 4 via the Internet 5.

Further, the browser 4 of the client device 4
2 is each APPLET element ("<APPLET>" in the HTML file
From the public server section 33, and causes the virtual machine 41 to execute each applet specified by "</ APPLET>". As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the client device 4 communicates with the public server unit 33 to display an operation screen and receive an operation, and the HMI processing unit 51 and the user of the client device 4 receive an instruction. , The HMI
The control unit 52 that controls the state of the inquiry to the public server unit 33 by the processing unit 51 is generated (S23). The HMI processing unit 51 and the control unit 52 are functional blocks realized by the virtual machine 41 executing the HMI applet and the inquiry control applet, respectively.

Further, the control unit 52 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, in S31, the client device 4
In the area A52 allocated to the inquiry control applet (control unit 52) on the display screen of
The status of inquiry (polling) by the processing unit 51 is displayed and the input is awaited.

The control unit 52 according to the present embodiment uses the HM
The current inquiry period (polling period) by the I processing unit 51 is displayed in units of [ms], a text box B1 for setting, a button B11 for instructing suspension of the polling process, and an instruction for resuming the polling process. A button B12 for performing the polling process, a button B13 for instructing step execution of the polling process, and a progress bar B21 indicating a period until the polling process is completed are displayed.

While the user of the client device 4 does not give a particular instruction, the HMI processing unit 51 makes an inquiry to the public server unit 33 at a predetermined polling cycle, so that the text box B1 has a polling cycle. The initial value of (for example, 2000 [ms]) is displayed.

On the other hand, the HMI processing section 51 obtains the XML file required for screen display from the public server section 33, and unless otherwise instructed by the user (at S32,
In the case of NO), in S33, after acquiring the unit screen to be displayed this time, in S34, X indicating the unit screen is displayed.
While referring to the ML file, the public server unit 33 is inquired about the device status, and the device status is displayed on the screen according to the response result. Further, upon receiving an operation on the screen (operation screen), the HMI processing unit 51 causes the XM
The operation can be recognized by referring to the L file, and the control instruction according to the recognition result can be transmitted to the public server unit 33. The processes of S31 to S34 are repeated at a predetermined polling cycle, and the current status of each device is displayed on the screen of the client device 4.

More specifically, the virtual machine 41 executing the applet for the HMI processing unit 51 (HMI applet) refers to the XML file and creates an instance corresponding to each tag (processing instruction word). Of these instances, the drawing method of the instance corresponding to the display tag is executed in the polling cycle. As a result, the HMI processing unit 51 including these instances
Can inquire the state of each device to the public server unit 33 at a polling cycle.

On the other hand, when the public server unit 33 receives the inquiry, the public server unit 33 instructs the server unit 23 to acquire the state of the device 2a, and the server unit 23 performs the programmable display as in the case where the HMI processing unit 21 gives an instruction. PLC 12 via the display 12 or the programmable display 12
Communicates with the device to obtain the device status and publish server unit 3
Tell 3. Furthermore, when the public server unit 33 notifies the client device 4 of the status via the Internet 5,
The drawing method updates the display of a predetermined display area (X / Y) on the display screen of the client device 4 according to the data (device state).

Here, the XML file and H
The HTML file that calls the MI applet is generated based on the screen data, and each of the above instances is set so as to refer to the corresponding tag in the screen data and the state of the same device. Also, the drawing method of each instance is created to display the same image as the tag when the device state is the same. Therefore, when the HMI applet is executed, in the area A51 allocated for the HMI applet on the display screen of the client device 4, as shown in FIG. The part graphic J1 (J2) indicating the state of is displayed.

On the other hand, when an input operation such as a mouse operation is performed while the HMI applet is being executed, the virtual machine 41 executes the input method of the instance corresponding to the input operation among the instances corresponding to the input tag. To do. Therefore, the HMI containing these instances
The processing unit 51 requests the public server unit 33 to give a control instruction according to the input result to the device corresponding to the input. In this case, the public server unit 33 is the server unit 2
The request is transmitted to 3. As a result, the HMI processing unit 21
In the same manner as when the device controls the state of the device, a control instruction according to the operation of the client device 4 is transmitted to the substance of the device.

When inquiring by the HMI processing unit 51, since the state of the device after receiving the control instruction is returned, the drawing method described above is displayed on the display screen of the client device 4 after the device is controlled. When executed,
Similar to the programmable display 12, the operation result is reflected.

On the other hand, the respective displays B1 and B2 shown in FIG.
When any one of 1 is operated and the control of the polling process is instructed to the client device 4 (YES in S32 shown in FIG. 10), the control unit 52 responds to the instruction.
Inquiry processing (polling processing) by the I processing unit 51
Is controlled (S41).

For example, when the client device 4 is not always connected to the Internet 5 and the communication fee is charged according to the communication time, the user of the client device 4 displays the local control system 3 according to the display in S34. When the state of the device can be grasped and it is determined that it is not necessary to continue the monitoring, the button B11 shown in FIG. 11 is operated to instruct to stop the polling process. In this case, the control unit 52 instructs the HMI processing unit 51 to suspend the inquiry.

Here, as described above, the HMI processing unit 5
1 realizes switching of unit screens by a control instruction to a specific device, so that the unit screens displayed on the client device 4 and the unit screens displayed on the programmable display 12 can be matched. Then, the above S33
If the acquisition of the screen control device in step 1 fails, the screen display is stopped to avoid erroneous operation.

However, in the above-mentioned configuration, the control unit 52 controls the H
The inquiry of the MI processing unit 51 is temporarily stopped. Therefore, even though the HMI processing unit 51 capable of matching the unit screens is used, the acquisition of the screen control device does not fail even if the client device 4 is not connected to the Internet 5, and the screen does not fail. The display can continue.

Further, since the control unit 52 displays the screen showing the polling state together with the area A51 for the HMI processing unit 51, when the polling process is stopped, the user of the client device 4 is , It can be understood that the status of the displayed device is the status before the polling process was stopped. Therefore, an erroneous operation due to a misunderstanding can be prevented.

Further, for example, the control unit 52 uses the button B
When 12 is operated, in step S41, the HMI processing unit 51 is instructed to restart the polling process. Further, when the button B13 is operated, the control unit 52 causes the H
The MI processing unit 51 causes the polling processing to be executed step by step.

On the other hand, as another control example of the polling process, when a new polling period is input to the text box B1, the control unit 52 instructs the HMI processing unit 51 to change the polling period. Thereby, the user of the client device 4 can set the polling cycle by the HMI processing unit 51 to a desired value. Since the set value is displayed in the text box B1, the user does not misunderstand the polling cycle.

The control unit 52 also controls the progress bar B2.
In 1, the ratio of all the device states to be acquired and the device states acquired so far is displayed, and the user can
It indicates the period until the polling process is completed.

In the above description, the public server unit 33 is used as the control host computer 14 in the local control system 3.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a public server device including these members may be arranged outside the local control system 3.

In the case of this configuration, the client device 4
It communicates with the public server device to receive the applet and also to send and receive the device status. In addition, the public server device communicates with a communication processing unit provided in the control host computer 14 to receive screen data and send / receive device status.

Even with this configuration, the communication processing section is
The status of the device 2a is acquired via the server unit 23, and the status of the device is notified to the client apparatus 4 via the communication path between the public server apparatus and the local control system 3, the public server apparatus and the Internet 5. Then, the state of the device can be displayed on the client device 4.

Further, in the above configuration, the client device 4 accesses a public server device different from the local control system 3. Therefore, although the status of the device can be displayed on the client device 4 connected to the Internet 5, the local control system 3
It only needs to communicate with a predetermined public server device.
As a result, compared with the case where the control host computer 14 is directly accessed from the client device 4, the load on the local control system 3 can be reduced, and the safety of the local control system 3 can be improved.

As another configuration example, as shown in FIG. 12, a response processing section (response means) 53 which communicates with the HMI processing section 51 and transmits / receives the state of the device is provided in the client device 4. Good. In this case, the HMI processing unit 51
Communicates with the response processing unit 53 in the client device 4 to send and receive the status of the device.
In response to an inquiry or control instruction from the I processing unit 51, the I processing unit 51 communicates with the public server unit 33 of the control host computer 14 to send and receive the device status. In this case, the public file including the applet and the like is transmitted from the public server unit 33 to the client device 4 as in the configuration of FIG.

Even in this case, the state of the polling process of the HMI processing unit 51 is presented by the control unit 52 and is controlled according to the user's instruction. Therefore, while preventing an erroneous operation caused by a user's misunderstanding,
The status of the inquiry by the MI processing unit 51 can be controlled.
Here, the inquiry from the response processing unit 53 to the control host computer 14 is triggered by the inquiry from the HMI processing unit 51. Therefore, by controlling the inquiry state by the HMI processing unit 51, the control unit 5
2, the inquiry by the response processing unit 53 can be controlled, and the same effect as in FIG. 1 can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, the programmable display 12 converts the dedicated protocol and the common protocol, but the present invention is not limited to this, and another device may perform the protocol, or the control host computer. 14 may communicate directly with the PLC 11 using a dedicated protocol. However, as in the present embodiment, the PLC from the public server unit 33
When a protocol converting member is provided up to 11, the public server unit 33 and the file generating unit 31
May perform the same operation regardless of the dedicated protocol as long as the contents of the state inquiry and the state control instruction of the device 2a are the same. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the public server unit 33 and the file generation unit 31 for each dedicated protocol, and the labor for constructing the control system 1 can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the case where the applet is disclosed has been described as an example. However, instead of the applet, it is created by compiling a programming language such as Basic, and the same operation as the applet is performed. Even if the execution program that causes the client device 4 to execute is delivered, substantially the same effect can be obtained.

However, when the virtual machine 41 of the client device 4 translates and executes the applet into a machine language that the client device 4 can execute as in the present embodiment, the client device 4 includes a virtual machine. Thus, the applet can be executed even if the operating system (OS) of the client device or the machine language that can be executed by the CPU is different. Therefore, more client devices 4 can display and control the device status without increasing the types of applets distributed by the public server unit 33.

In the above embodiment, the case where the local control system 3 and the client device 4 are connected by the Internet 5 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a wide area communication network such as a public telephone line network is used. You may connect through. However, unlike the public telephone line network, the Internet 5 does not secure a line between the transmitting side and the receiving side, so that the communication cost is often set low. Therefore, for example, when the local control system 3, the client device 4, or the above-mentioned public server device is far from each other, it is preferable to connect via the Internet 5 as in the present embodiment.

[0103]

As described above, in the data transmission method of the control system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the status of the device is periodically inquired to the response means via the wide area communication network based on the screen data. A display step of acquiring and displaying on the screen of the terminal device, a device corresponding to the operation, recognizing the operation to the terminal device based on the correspondence information included in the screen data and indicating the correspondence between the device and the operation. The operation control step of transmitting the state control instruction of (1) to the response means via the wide area communication network, and in the correspondence information, the operation of switching the unit screen indicates the unit screen to be displayed among the plurality of unit screens. It is stored as an operation corresponding to the screen control device to be stored, and in the display step, when updating the screen, after acquiring the unit screen to be displayed as the state of the screen control device, A display screen, and if the acquisition of the status of the screen control device fails, the screen display is stopped, and a presentation step of presenting the status of the inquiry to the user of the terminal device, and a user operation on the terminal device. And a control step of controlling the state of the inquiry according to the above.

As described above, in the data transmission method of the control system according to the invention of claim 2, in the configuration of the invention of claim 1, in the display step, the device is sent to the response means via the wide area communication network. The state of the device is inquired and acquired, and instead of transmitting a device state control instruction to the response means via the wide area communication network in the operation recognition step, communication with the device via the wide area communication network is performed in the display step. Inquires about the status of the device to the response means
In the operation recognition step, the device state control instruction is transmitted to the response means.

As described above, the program according to the invention of claim 3 is a program for causing a computer as the terminal device to execute each process according to claim 1 or 2 by a computer executing the program,
The above steps are performed.

According to the above configuration, in the screen data, the switching operation of the unit screen is stored as the operation for the screen control device which is a kind of device. Therefore, when designing the screen data, the switching operation is performed. , The design procedure different from the operation to the device becomes unnecessary, and the burden on the designer can be reduced. Further, in the display step, when the state acquisition of the screen control device fails, the screen display is stopped, so that the user of the terminal device can surely grasp the state acquisition of the screen control device. .

Further, since the presenting step and the controlling step are provided, the user of the terminal device can control the inquiry state, for example, the inquiry period or stop and restart, while confirming the inquiry state. Therefore, although it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation due to the above misunderstanding, the user of the terminal device has a problem in that the cost of the terminal device is constantly connected to the wide area communication network from the device to the terminal device or the terminal device is connected in a short cycle. When an inquiry occupies the bandwidth of the wide area communication network, the effect of being able to control the state of the inquiry according to the state of the wide area communication network, such as temporarily suspending the inquiry or lengthening the inquiry cycle, is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention and showing a main configuration of a control system in a state where a functional block is formed in a client device by an applet from a local control system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control system and showing a state before a functional block is formed by the applet.

FIG. 3 shows screen data defining an operation screen of a programmable display device of the control system, and is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of a display tag in the screen data.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of an input tag in the screen data.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen example of a programmable display device displayed based on the screen data.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of data stored in a symbol database in the control system and showing a record for each symbol.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of data stored in a symbol database in the control system and showing a hierarchical structure of symbols.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an XML file distributed from a local control system to a client device in the control system.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an HTML file distributed from a local control system to a client device in the control system.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of the control system.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the client device by each of the files.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the control system and showing a main configuration of the control system.

FIG. 13 shows a conventional example and is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a control system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 control system 2a device 4 Client device (terminal device) 5 Internet (wide area communication network) 33 Public server section (response means) 53 Response Processing Unit (Response Means)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G06F 13/00 351 G06F 13/00 351N 5H223 F term (reference) 5B042 GA12 GA36 JJ08 LA26 LA27 MB04 NN04 5B069 AA18 BA01 BA04 CA13 CA14 5B089 GA11 GB02 JA35 JA36 KA12 KG02 LB17 5E501 AB15 AB30 AC37 BA05 CA01 EB06 5H209 CC03 CC07 CC11 CC13 FF06 GG08 HH21 JJ09 5H223 CC03 CC08 CC09 DD03 DD05 DD07 EE06

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A display step of displaying the status of a device on the screen of a terminal device by periodically inquiring the response means via a wide area communication network to acquire the status of the device based on the screen data, and including the screen data. Operation recognition for recognizing an operation to the terminal device based on correspondence information indicating correspondence between the device and the operation and transmitting a device state control instruction according to the operation to the response means via the wide area communication network. In the correspondence information, the unit screen switching operation is stored as an operation corresponding to the screen control device that stores the unit screen to be displayed among the plurality of unit screens. When updating the screen control device status, after displaying the unit screen to be displayed as the status of the screen control device, the unit screen is displayed, and if the status acquisition of the screen control device fails, the screen display And a presentation step of presenting the status of the inquiry to the user of the terminal device, and a control step of controlling the status of the inquiry according to the user's operation on the terminal device. And a data transmission method for a control system. 2. In the display step, the status of the device is inquired and obtained from the response means via the wide area communication network, and in the operation recognition step, the status of the device is sent to the response means via the wide area communication network. Instead of transmitting the control instruction, the display step inquires and acquires the state of the device from the response means that communicates with the device via the wide area communication network, and the operation recognition step causes the response means to display the state of the device. The data transmission method of the control system according to claim 1, wherein the control instruction is transmitted. 3. A program for causing a computer as the terminal device to execute each step according to claim 1 or 2.