JPH05100706A - Process control loop display - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] Graphically display the signal connection status of input / output signals and the signal connection status between calculation blocks on a display device that displays the control information of the process control loop that is composed of a combination of calculation blocks. .. [Configuration] A display control means that stores a connection rule between operation blocks of a process control loop calculates a connection relationship between the operation blocks and the like, and displays a signal line connected to the operation blocks according to the result of the connection. To display. It is possible to easily create the contents of the process control loop while graphically displaying the contents of the process control loop simply by designating the arrangement of the operation blocks and the connection destinations of the signals.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process control loop display device, and more particularly to a process control loop display device suitable for graphically displaying a control loop formed by selectively arranging operation blocks and connecting them to each other. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When the contents of a control loop composed of a plurality of arithmetic blocks are displayed on the screen, each state of process input / output signals, arithmetic block connection states and arithmetic block connection states is graphically represented. It is important to help the operator understand the control system. However, in the conventional control loop display, the connection destination of the input / output terminal of the displayed operation block is only displayed as a signal name or operation block number in characters or symbols, and the connection The relationship could not be represented graphically.

[0003]

In the conventional display of the control loop, since the connection information regarding the figure is not held as the control information, the graphical display cannot be performed as described above. To solve this problem, the control information of the loop control may include the graphic connection information. However, since the graphic connection information consists of the arrangement position of the operation block and the connection route of the signal line, a large storage area is required to have this connection information, and in the case of the method using the graphic connection information, the connection This is not a preferable method because the number of operations for specifying the route increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process control loop display device which can graphically display the contents of the control loop of the loop control device by a simple operation without complicating the structure of the device. ..

[0005]

The process control loop display device according to the present invention is configured as follows in order to achieve the above object. A process of selecting a plurality of calculation blocks and displaying them on the screen, showing the connection relationship between the related calculation blocks among these calculation blocks on the screen to form a control loop, and displaying this control loop on the screen. A control loop display device, which relates to display of a control loop on a screen, is connected to the operation block and a display unit that enables graphical display by a signal line indicating a connection relationship between the operation blocks. The signal line representing the connection relationship between the operation blocks is calculated according to the information about the connection relationship stored in advance that the signal line that does not cross other operation blocks on the screen and the signal lines do not overlap each other. However, it is configured to include the calculation block and the display control means for displaying the signal line on the screen according to the calculation result. In the above configuration, preferably, the information about the connection relation is a reference for connecting the signal lines of the operation blocks to each other by the shortest path, and the shortest path is the operation path from the predetermined connection routes. Includes criteria for selecting matching blocks from one another's positional relationship. By displaying the shortest route, it is possible to reduce redundancy, make it easier for the operator to see, and improve operability. Further, in the above configuration, preferably, the display control means includes a reference for displaying all the operation blocks having different functions in the same figure having the input / output terminal and the operation block output. Although a plurality of operation blocks have different functions, they are displayed with the same shape on the screen of the display device that displays the control loop, so that the operation blocks can be placed without any restrictions on the place where they can be placed. It has the advantage of being able to. In the above configuration, preferably, the display control means is
When the number of signal lines to be displayed between the operation blocks becomes a predetermined number or more as a result of the operation of the signal lines indicating the connection relationship between the operation blocks, the signal lines may be connected so as not to overlap each other. It includes a criterion for judging that it is impossible and changing the signal line display on the screen to display a code indicating that they are connected to each other on the screen. The signal lines on the screen can be displayed to graphically display the connection relationship between the calculation blocks, and the signal lines can be prevented from overlapping to improve the visibility and operability.

Further, in the above structure, preferably, the display control means cannot display all on one screen because of the large number of operation blocks forming the control loop, and requires two or more screens, and between the operation blocks. In the case where the connection of 2 extends over two screens, it includes a standard for displaying on the screen a code indicating that the connections are replaced with each other on the screen. When the signal lines are displayed on two screens, it is not possible to see the wiring relationship on one screen after all. Therefore, only the connection destination should be displayed to enhance the operation and give only the minimum necessary information. Is composed of. Further, in the above configuration, preferably, the display control means displays the analog signal by a solid line and the digital signal by a broken line when the signal line is displayed on the screen.

[0007]

In the process control loop display device according to the present invention, a plurality of operation blocks forming a control loop are arranged and displayed at predetermined positions on the screen of the display device, and a signal indicating the connection relationship between these operation blocks is displayed. Display the line graphically on the screen. In the display of signal lines, the signal lines connected to the operation blocks do not cross other operation blocks on the screen, and the signal lines do not overlap each other.
Wiring is provided between the operation blocks in accordance with the information about the connection relationship stored in advance. The display control means, when displaying the contents of the process control loop on the screen, displays each connection between the operation blocks and between the operation blocks and the input / output terminals according to the information about the connection relationship stored in advance. Let At this time, the information regarding the connection route does not need to be the graphic information, and may be only the connection information between the operation blocks and between the operation blocks and the input / output terminals. The calculation blocks are all arranged on the screen in the same shape. Next, based on the connection information, a route suitable for the positional relationship between the operation blocks is selected from among the predetermined connection routes and displayed.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a loop sketch showing an example of the process control loop. An example of the process control loop shown in FIG. 1 will be described. First, the analog input No. 032 (signal name: AI032) in the input terminal table 10 is fetched, the signal is checked by the input processing calculator 3a, the deviation from the control target value is calculated by the deviation calculator 3b, and the PID calculation is performed. The PID calculation is performed by the device 3c. Moreover, the digital input No.001 (signal name: DI001) in the input terminal table 10 is taken in and the constant generator 3
At d, a constant corresponding to the digital input is output. The output of the PID calculator 3c and the output of the constant generator 3d are switched by the signal switch 3e according to the process state, and the analog output No. 028 (signal name:
AO028) output terminal table 11 is written. here,
The digital signal input interface (DI) 1a and the analog signal input interface (AI) 1b are for inputting a signal from a process, converting it into a normalized signal, and then writing it to the input terminal table 10. Also, the contents of the output terminal table 11 are the analog output interface (A
O) Converted to output signal to process by 1c.
In FIG. 1, an analog signal is shown by a solid line and a digital signal is shown by a broken line for distinction. FIG. 2 shows an expression of an operation block, (a) shows an input processing operation unit 3a, (b).
Indicate output processors 3f, respectively. The input / output terminals of the arithmetic block are indicated by numbers surrounded by a circle, the input terminal 21 is arranged on the left side of the arithmetic block, and the output terminal 22 is arranged on the right side of the arithmetic block. This output terminal 2
Apart from 2, the arithmetic block is provided with another output 23 one by one. Block No. 24 indicates the processing order of the operation blocks, and indicates that the processing is performed in ascending order of the numbers. The display of 25 is a function code, and the display of 26 is an abbreviation for a calculation block.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a control system to which the process control loop display device according to the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, a loop controller 5 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a controller 5) that executes the control loop described in FIG.
And a control loop display device 7 having a CRT 15 for displaying the contents of the control loop, and a communication line (bus) 6 for connecting communication between the two. The controller 5 exchanges signals with the process 4 via the instrumentation wirings 2a to 2d to control the process 4. The information on the control loop, that is, the information on the connection relationship between the operation block and the signal line being used is stored in the intermediate code file 9, and the loop control interpreter 1
2 refers to the stored contents of the intermediate code file 9 to periodically perform control / calculation.

In the control system for performing the arithmetic / processing as described above, the control loop display device 7 graphically displays the process control loop shown in FIG. 1 on the display screen of the CRT 15.

The control loop display device 7 includes a CRT 15 and
The CRT control unit 16, the keyboard 13, the key input processing unit 14, the calculation control unit 18, the auxiliary storage device 19, and the communication control unit 17 are included. Regarding the communication control unit, the equivalent communication control unit 8 exists in the controller 5. Using these communication control units 17 and 8, the control loop display device 7 and the controller 5 mutually transmit data via the communication line 6. The auxiliary storage device 19 has a function of storing the control loop shown in FIG. 1, and the stored contents are transferred to the intermediate code file 9 in the controller 5 via the communication control unit 17.

The arithmetic control unit 18 controls the key input processing unit 14 and the CRT control unit 16, creates a control loop in accordance with the operation of the keyboard 13, and displays the created contents on the CRT 15. FIG. 4 shows a screen display layout of the CRT 15. The contents within the dotted line in FIG. 2 are displayed on the screen. The name 31 of the control loop input terminal is shown on the left side of the screen, and the output terminal name is shown on the right side 32 of the screen.
The calculation block and its connection are displayed in the area 33 at the center of the screen. The calculation block 34 (scheduled arrangement location) has five screens (X1 to X5) arranged in the horizontal direction (X axis) and four (Y1 to Y4) arranged in the vertical direction (Y axis) for one page of the screen. .. The operation blocks 34 can be arranged on two or more pages, and in that case, the pages can be displayed by scrolling vertically in page units.

Next, an operation procedure for executing the display of the process control loop shown in FIG. 1 will be described. To operate,
The keyboard 13 is used. JIS on the keyboard 13
It conforms to X6002 "Information processing system board layout" and also has some dedicated keys. The dedicated keys are shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, 13a is a read key, 1
Reference numeral 3b is a write key, 13c is a registration key, 13d is a connection key, 13e is a set key, and 13f and 13g are cursor keys for scrolling the screen display. The input guidance is displayed on the bottom line of the CRT 15 according to the operation of the keyboard 13, so that a control loop is created by inputting necessary data. An example of the operation procedure is shown below.

(Procedure) (Input guidance display) (Operation) 1 (No display) “Register” 2 BLOCK = 05 “Set” 3 FUNC. = 02 “Set” 4 POS = X1, Y1 “Set” 4 to 4, the input processing calculator 3a is arranged at (X1, Y1) on the screen as shown in FIG. The remaining calculation blocks 3b to 3f are arranged in the same procedure.
At this point, the input / output terminal name and the signal line are not wired.

Next, an example of an operation procedure for connecting signal lines will be shown. (Procedure) (Input guidance display) (Operation) 5 (No display) “Register” 6 BLOCK = 05 “Set” 7 1 = AI032 “Set” 8 2 = “Set” 9 3 = “Set” 10 4 = “Set” By the above steps 5 to 10, the wiring of the input arithmetic unit 3a is made, and the input signal AI032 is displayed on the screen as an input terminal. Since the input terminals 2 to 4 of the arithmetic block 3a are unused, the operation is simply a push of the "set" key. The connection procedure of the signal switch of block No. 25 is as follows.

(Procedure) (Input guidance display) (Operation) 11 (No display) “Connect” 12 BLOCK = 25 “Set” 13 1 = B15 “Set” 14 2 = B20 “Set” 15 3 = “Set” 16 4 = “set” Signal lines are connected to the remaining operation blocks in the same procedure, and a control loop as shown in FIG. 6 is thereby created and displayed on the screen of the CRT 15. Finally, by pressing the write key 13b, the content of the created control loop is stored in the auxiliary storage device 19, and the communication control unit 17,
It is transferred to and stored in the intermediate code file 9 of the controller 5 via 8 and the communication line 6. The data to be stored has a configuration as shown in FIG. 7 with the operation block as one unit.

As described above, in the process control loop display device 7 according to the present invention, the arithmetic control unit 18 performs arithmetic processing on the control loop obtained by the keyboard operation in steps 1 to 16, thereby storing the control loop shown in FIG. It is characterized in that it is converted into a format, stored in the auxiliary storage device 19, and displayed graphically on the CRT 15. On the contrary, the control loop stored in the auxiliary storage device 19 is replaced by the CRT1.
5 has the function of displaying. In this case, the calculation block is placed on the screen based on the X and Y coordinates, and then the block N
Connect the signal line referring to the connection destination of the I / O terminal in ascending order of o. Here, the connection of the signal line is automatically performed, and it is not necessary for the operator to specify.

The method of automatic connection will be described below. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when performing automatic connection. The signal line connection can be roughly divided into three cases. That is, there are three connections: (1) connection between input terminals and operation blocks, (2) connection between output terminals and operation blocks, and (3) connection between operation blocks.
Determine which of the three types of connection cases
The determination step 100 is performed. Since the names of the input terminals begin with "AI" or "DI" and the names of the output terminals begin with "AO" or "DO", the connection case is determined based on the codes related to these names.

First, the connection (1) between the input terminal and the operation block will be described. FIG. 9 illustrates the connection rule in this case. There are two types of connection, type A in FIG. 9A and type B in FIG. 9B.
It is divided into two. In the type A, the input terminal 31 and the operation block 34 can be connected by a straight line without bending. The type B is a type that needs to be bypassed and connected because there is another operation block between the input terminal 31 and the operation block 34. Although various detour routes are possible, as a general rule, the routes other than those shown are not adopted, as long as they are connected at the shortest distance. In step 110, the wire connection is performed after determining the wire connection type.

Next, the connection between the output terminal (2) and the operation block will be described. Since the arithmetic block that executes the output process is usually arranged on the right side of the screen close to the output terminal, it is sufficient to simply connect the output terminal and the arithmetic block with a straight line. This connection is made in step 120. FIG. 10 shows a state of a tangent line between the output terminal 32 and the operation block 34.

Finally, the connection between the operation blocks (3) will be described. First, when the arithmetic block extends over two pages, connecting the signal line is as follows.
Do not connect wires, as it will hinder the understanding of the operator. The determination can be easily made by referring to the Y coordinate of the arrangement of the operation block, and this is performed in step 130. Further, FIG. 11 shows a rule of connection between the operation blocks. The solid squares in the figure indicate the layout of the calculation blocks.
Further, the broken-line square explicitly indicates that the arithmetic block is not arranged. As shown in FIG. 11, the connection rules between the operation blocks are the following seven types A to G.
There is. Also, each type is shown in the figure with some variations. Here again, the principle is to connect by the shortest distance (shortest route). Type A: When the connection destination is on the right side of the same line and there is no operation block between them. Type B: When the connection destination is on the right side of the same line and a calculation block exists between them. Type C: When the connection destination is on the left side of the same line. Type D: When the connection destination is on the lower right side. In the case of, it is possible to connect with the same wiring route as, but in order to reduce the bending of the line, a variation of is prepared. The relationship with is similar. Type E: When the connection destination is on the upper right side. Type F: When the connection destination is on the lower left side. Type G: When the connection destination is on the upper left side. In step 140, it is determined whether or not there is a calculation block corresponding to each of the above types.

By the way, in consideration of the visibility at the time of displaying on the screen and the resolution of the CRT, there is a maximum of 8 spaces between the calculation blocks.
Put a constraint on displaying straight lines in a book.

Even if the connection routes correspond to the types A to G, it is necessary to determine whether there is a free route between the operation blocks, that is, whether the signal lines do not overlap. This determination is made in step 150. If there is an empty route, in step 160, the operation blocks are connected.

In the above description, when connecting wires,
If the signal line is an analog signal, it is shown by a solid line, and if it is a digital signal, it is shown by a broken line. This facilitates the distinction between the two types of signals.

In step 170, processing is performed when the connection cannot be displayed. In this case, the input / output terminal of the operation block and the output of the operation block are displayed with a code for indicating the connection destination, which is replaced with the display of the connection. FIG. 12 shows an example of the connection destination display method. In the example of this figure, the connection destination of the block No. 5 computation block output is the block No. 10 computation block 42 input terminal No. 1
However, since the two operation blocks 41 and 42 are vertically arranged, there is no one corresponding to the connection type of FIG. 11, and the connection cannot be displayed. in this case,
Right side of block No.5 calculation block output and block
The number "0" is displayed as a symbol on the left side of the input terminal No. 1 of the operation block No. 10 to show the connection relationship between the two operation blocks. As a symbol, the number "0" ~
It is sufficient to use "9", the letters "A" to "Z", and "a" to "z" in that order.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the CRT 15 and the keyboard 13 are used to interactively specify the arrangement of arithmetic blocks and the connection destinations of input signals and output signals on the screen of the CRT 15. If so, a process control loop can be easily created.

The created control loop can be graphically displayed on the screen, and the operator can easily understand its contents.

[0028]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the contents of the process control loop can be graphically displayed on the screen by a simple operation, which helps the operator understand the control system. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a loop sketch diagram showing an example of a process control loop.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an expression of a calculation block.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a process control device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen display layout of a control loop.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a dedicated key provided on the keyboard.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen display example of a control loop.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a storage format of a control loop.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when performing automatic connection.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between an input terminal and a calculation block.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between an output terminal and a calculation block.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between operation blocks.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a method of displaying a connection destination between calculation blocks.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3a to 3f Operation block 4 Process 5 Loop control device (controller) 6 Communication line 7 Control loop display device 13 Keyboard 15 CRT 16 GRT control unit 18 Operation control unit 34 Operation block (scheduled location on screen)

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 22, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Full text

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Document name] Statement

Title: Process control loop display device

[Claims]

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process control loop display device, and more particularly to a process control loop display device suitable for graphically displaying a control loop formed by selectively arranging operation blocks and connecting them to each other. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When the contents of a control loop composed of a plurality of arithmetic blocks are displayed on the screen, each state of process input / output signals, arithmetic block connection states and arithmetic block connection states is graphically represented. It is important to help the operator understand the control system. However, in the conventional control loop display, the connection destination of the input / output terminal of the displayed operation block is only displayed as a signal name or operation block number in characters or symbols, and the connection The relationship could not be represented graphically.

[0003]

In the conventional display of the control loop, since the connection information regarding the figure is not held as the control information, the graphical display cannot be performed as described above. To solve this problem, the control information of the loop control may include the graphic connection information. However, since the graphic connection information consists of the arrangement position of the operation block and the connection route of the signal line, a large storage area is required to have this connection information, and in the case of the method using the graphic connection information, the connection This is not a preferable method because the number of operations for specifying the route increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process control loop display device which can graphically display the contents of the control loop of the loop control device by a simple operation without complicating the structure of the device. ..

[0005]

The process control loop display device according to the present invention is configured as follows in order to achieve the above object. A process of selecting a plurality of calculation blocks and displaying them on the screen, showing the connection relationship between the related calculation blocks among these calculation blocks on the screen to form a control loop, and displaying this control loop on the screen. A control loop display device, which relates to display of a control loop on a screen, is connected to the operation block and a display unit that enables graphical display by a signal line indicating a connection relationship between the operation blocks. The signal line representing the connection relationship between the operation blocks is calculated according to the information about the connection relationship stored in advance that the signal line that does not cross other operation blocks on the screen and the signal lines do not overlap each other. However, it is configured to include the calculation block and the display control means for displaying the signal line on the screen according to the calculation result. In the above configuration, preferably, the information about the connection relation is a reference for connecting the signal lines of the operation blocks to each other by the shortest path, and the shortest path is the operation path from the predetermined connection routes. Includes criteria for selecting matching blocks from one another's positional relationship. By displaying the shortest route, it is possible to reduce redundancy, make it easier for the operator to see, and improve operability. Further, in the above configuration, preferably, the display control means includes a reference for displaying all the operation blocks having different functions in the same figure having the input / output terminal and the operation block output. Although a plurality of operation blocks have different functions, they are displayed with the same shape on the screen of the display device that displays the control loop, so that the operation blocks can be placed without any restrictions on the place where they can be placed. It has the advantage of being able to. In the above configuration, preferably, the display control means is
When the number of signal lines to be displayed between the operation blocks becomes a predetermined number or more as a result of the operation of the signal lines indicating the connection relationship between the operation blocks, the signal lines may be connected so as not to overlap each other. It includes a criterion for judging that it is impossible and changing the signal line display on the screen to display a code indicating that they are connected to each other on the screen. The signal lines on the screen can be displayed to graphically display the connection relationship between the calculation blocks, and the signal lines can be prevented from overlapping to improve the visibility and operability.

Further, in the above structure, preferably, the display control means cannot display all on one screen because of the large number of operation blocks forming the control loop, and requires two or more screens, and between the operation blocks. In the case where the connection of 2 extends over two screens, it includes a standard for displaying on the screen a code indicating that the connections are replaced with each other on the screen. When the signal lines are displayed on two screens, it is not possible to see the wiring relationship on one screen after all. Therefore, only the connection destination should be displayed to enhance the operation and give only the minimum necessary information. Is composed of. Further, in the above configuration, preferably, the display control means displays the analog signal by a solid line and the digital signal by a broken line when the signal line is displayed on the screen.

[0007]

In the process control loop display device according to the present invention, a plurality of operation blocks forming a control loop are arranged and displayed at predetermined positions on the screen of the display device, and a signal indicating the connection relationship between these operation blocks is displayed. Display the line graphically on the screen. In the display of signal lines, the signal lines connected to the operation blocks do not cross other operation blocks on the screen, and the signal lines do not overlap each other.
Wiring is provided between the operation blocks in accordance with the information about the connection relationship stored in advance. The display control means, when displaying the contents of the process control loop on the screen, displays each connection between the operation blocks and between the operation blocks and the input / output terminals according to the information about the connection relationship stored in advance. Let At this time, the information regarding the connection route does not need to be the graphic information, and may be only the connection information between the operation blocks and between the operation blocks and the input / output terminals. The calculation blocks are all arranged on the screen in the same shape. Next, based on the connection information, a route suitable for the positional relationship between the operation blocks is selected from among the predetermined connection routes and displayed.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a loop sketch showing an example of the process control loop. An example of the process control loop shown in FIG. 1 will be described. First, the analog input No. 032 (signal name: AI032) in the input terminal table 10 is fetched, the signal is checked by the input processing calculator 3a, the deviation from the control target value is calculated by the deviation calculator 3b, and the PID calculation is performed. The PID calculation is performed by the device 3c. Moreover, the digital input No.001 (signal name: DI001) in the input terminal table 10 is taken in and the constant generator 3
At d, a constant corresponding to the digital input is output. The output of the PID calculator 3c and the output of the constant generator 3d are switched by the signal switch 3e according to the process state, and the analog output No. 028 (signal name:
AO028) output terminal table 11 is written. here,
The digital signal input interface (DI) 1a and the analog signal input interface (AI) 1b are for inputting a signal from a process, converting it into a normalized signal, and then writing it to the input terminal table 10. Also, the contents of the output terminal table 11 are the analog output interface (A
O) Converted to output signal to process by 1c.
In FIG. 1, an analog signal is shown by a solid line and a digital signal is shown by a broken line for distinction. FIG. 2 shows an expression of an operation block, (a) shows an input processing operation unit 3a, (b).
Indicate output processors 3f, respectively. The input / output terminals of the arithmetic block are indicated by numbers surrounded by a circle, the input terminal 21 is arranged on the left side of the arithmetic block, and the output terminal 22 is arranged on the right side of the arithmetic block. This output terminal 2
Apart from 2, the arithmetic block is provided with another output 23 one by one. Block No. 24 indicates the processing order of the operation blocks, and indicates that the processing is performed in ascending order of the numbers. The display of 25 is a function code, and the display of 26 is an abbreviation for a calculation block.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a control system to which the process control loop display device according to the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, a loop controller 5 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a controller 5) that executes the control loop described in FIG.
And a control loop display device 7 having a CRT 15 for displaying the contents of the control loop, and a communication line (bus) 6 for connecting communication between the two. The controller 5 exchanges signals with the process 4 via the instrumentation wirings 2a to 2d to control the process 4. The information on the control loop, that is, the information on the connection relationship between the operation block and the signal line being used is stored in the intermediate code file 9, and the loop control interpreter 1
2 refers to the stored contents of the intermediate code file 9 to periodically perform control / calculation.

In the control system for performing the arithmetic / processing as described above, the control loop display device 7 graphically displays the process control loop shown in FIG. 1 on the display screen of the CRT 15.

The control loop display device 7 includes a CRT 15 and
The CRT control unit 16, the keyboard 13, the key input processing unit 14, the calculation control unit 18, the auxiliary storage device 19, and the communication control unit 17 are included. Regarding the communication control unit, the equivalent communication control unit 8 exists in the controller 5. Using these communication control units 17 and 8, the control loop display device 7 and the controller 5 mutually transmit data via the communication line 6. The auxiliary storage device 19 has a function of storing the control loop shown in FIG. 1, and the stored contents are transferred to the intermediate code file 9 in the controller 5 via the communication control unit 17.

The arithmetic control unit 18 controls the key input processing unit 14 and the CRT control unit 16, creates a control loop in accordance with the operation of the keyboard 13, and displays the created contents on the CRT 15. FIG. 4 shows a screen display layout of the CRT 15. The contents within the dotted line in FIG. 2 are displayed on the screen. The name 31 of the control loop input terminal is shown on the left side of the screen, and the output terminal name is shown on the right side 32 of the screen.
The calculation block and its connection are displayed in the area 33 at the center of the screen. The calculation block 34 (scheduled arrangement location) has five screens (X1 to X5) arranged in the horizontal direction (X axis) and four (Y1 to Y4) arranged in the vertical direction (Y axis) for one page of the screen. .. The operation blocks 34 can be arranged on two or more pages, and in that case, the pages can be displayed by scrolling vertically in page units.

Next, an operation procedure for executing the display of the process control loop shown in FIG. 1 will be described. To operate,
The keyboard 13 is used. JIS on the keyboard 13
It conforms to X6002 "Information processing system board layout" and also has some dedicated keys. The dedicated keys are shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, 13a is a read key, 1
Reference numeral 3b is a write key, 13c is a registration key, 13d is a connection key, 13e is a set key, and 13f and 13g are cursor keys for scrolling the screen display. The input guidance is displayed on the bottom line of the CRT 15 according to the operation of the keyboard 13, so that a control loop is created by inputting necessary data. An example of the operation procedure is shown below.

(Procedure) (Input guidance display) (Operation) 1 (No display) “Register” 2 BLOCK = 05 “Set” 3 FUNC. = 02 “Set” 4 POS = X1, Y1 “Set” 4 to 4, the input processing calculator 3a is arranged at (X1, Y1) on the screen as shown in FIG. The remaining calculation blocks 3b to 3f are arranged in the same procedure.
At this point, the input / output terminal name and the signal line are not wired.

Next, an example of an operation procedure for connecting signal lines will be shown. (Procedure) (Input guidance display) (Operation) 5 (No display) “Register” 6 BLOCK = 05 “Set” 7 1 = AI032 “Set” 8 2 = “Set” 9 3 = “Set” 10 4 = “Set” By the above steps 5 to 10, the wiring of the input arithmetic unit 3a is made, and the input signal AI032 is displayed on the screen as an input terminal. Since the input terminals 2 to 4 of the arithmetic block 3a are unused, the operation is simply a push of the "set" key. The connection procedure of the signal switch of block No. 25 is as follows.

(Procedure) (Input guidance display) (Operation) 11 (No display) “Connect” 12 BLOCK = 25 “Set” 13 1 = B15 “Set” 14 2 = B20 “Set” 15 3 = “Set” 16 4 = “set” Signal lines are connected to the remaining operation blocks in the same procedure, and a control loop as shown in FIG. 6 is thereby created and displayed on the screen of the CRT 15. Finally, by pressing the write key 13b, the content of the created control loop is stored in the auxiliary storage device 19, and the communication control unit 17,
It is transferred to and stored in the intermediate code file 9 of the controller 5 via 8 and the communication line 6. The data to be stored has a configuration as shown in FIG. 7 with the operation block as one unit.

As described above, in the process control loop display device 7 according to the present invention, the arithmetic control unit 18 performs arithmetic processing on the control loop obtained by the keyboard operation in steps 1 to 16, thereby storing the control loop shown in FIG. It is characterized in that it is converted into a format, stored in the auxiliary storage device 19, and displayed graphically on the CRT 15. On the contrary, the control loop stored in the auxiliary storage device 19 is replaced by the CRT1.
5 has the function of displaying. In this case, the calculation block is placed on the screen based on the X and Y coordinates, and then the block N
Connect the signal line referring to the connection destination of the I / O terminal in ascending order of o. Here, the connection of the signal line is automatically performed, and it is not necessary for the operator to specify.

The method of automatic connection will be described below. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when performing automatic connection. The signal line connection can be roughly divided into three cases. That is, there are three connections: (1) connection between input terminals and operation blocks, (2) connection between output terminals and operation blocks, and (3) connection between operation blocks.
Determine which of the three types of connection cases
The determination step 100 is performed. Since the names of the input terminals begin with "AI" or "DI" and the names of the output terminals begin with "AO" or "DO", the connection case is determined based on the codes related to these names.

First, the connection (1) between the input terminal and the operation block will be described. FIG. 9 illustrates the connection rule in this case. There are two types of connection, type A in FIG. 9A and type B in FIG. 9B.
It is divided into two. In the type A, the input terminal 31 and the operation block 34 can be connected by a straight line without bending. The type B is a type that needs to be bypassed and connected because there is another operation block between the input terminal 31 and the operation block 34. Although various detour routes are possible, as a general rule, the routes other than those shown are not adopted, as long as they are connected at the shortest distance. In step 110, the wire connection is performed after determining the wire connection type.

Next, the connection between the output terminal (2) and the operation block will be described. Since the arithmetic block that executes the output process is usually arranged on the right side of the screen close to the output terminal, it is sufficient to simply connect the output terminal and the arithmetic block with a straight line. This connection is made in step 120. FIG. 10 shows a state of a tangent line between the output terminal 32 and the operation block 34.

Finally, the connection between the operation blocks (3) will be described. First, when the arithmetic block extends over two pages, connecting the signal line is as follows.
Do not connect wires, as it will hinder the understanding of the operator. The determination can be easily made by referring to the Y coordinate of the arrangement of the operation block, and this is performed in step 130. Further, FIGS. 11 to 13 show rules of connection between the operation blocks. The solid line squares in the figure indicate the arrangement of the operation blocks, and the broken line squares clearly indicate that the operation blocks are not arranged. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the connection rule between the operation blocks is as follows.
There are two types AG. Also, each type is shown in the figure with some variations. Here again, the principle is to connect by the shortest distance (shortest route). Type A: When the connection destination is on the right side of the same line and there is no operation block between them. Type B: When the connection destination is on the right side of the same line and a calculation block exists between them. Type C: When the connection destination is on the left side of the same line. Type D: When the connection destination is on the lower right side. In the case of, it is possible to connect with the same wiring route as, but in order to reduce the bending of the line, a variation of is prepared. The relationship with is similar. Type E: When the connection destination is on the upper right side. Type F: When the connection destination is on the lower left side. Type G: When the connection destination is on the upper left side. In step 140, it is determined whether or not there is a calculation block corresponding to each of the above types.

By the way, in consideration of the visibility at the time of displaying on the screen and the resolution of the CRT, there is a maximum of 8 spaces between the calculation blocks.
Put a constraint on displaying straight lines in a book.

Even if the connection routes correspond to the types A to G, it is necessary to determine whether there is a free route between the operation blocks, that is, whether the signal lines do not overlap. This determination is made in step 150. If there is an empty route, in step 160, the operation blocks are connected.

In the above description, when connecting wires,
If the signal line is an analog signal, it is shown by a solid line, and if it is a digital signal, it is shown by a broken line. This facilitates the distinction between the two types of signals.

In step 170, processing is performed when the connection cannot be displayed. In this case, the input / output terminal of the operation block and the output of the operation block are displayed with a code for indicating the connection destination, which is replaced with the display of the connection. FIG. 14 shows an example of the connection destination display method. In the example of this figure, the connection destination of the block No. 5 computation block output is the block No. 10 computation block 42 input terminal No. 1
However, since the two operation blocks 41 and 42 are vertically arranged, there is no one corresponding to the connection type of FIGS. 11 to 13, and the connection cannot be displayed. In this case, by displaying the numeral "0" as a symbol on the right side of the operation block output of block No.5 and on the left side of the input terminal No.1 of the operation block of block No.10, the two operation blocks Shows the connection relationship of. The symbol is the number "0"
It is sufficient to use the letters "9", the letters "A" to "Z", and the letters "a" to "z" in that order.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the CRT 15 and the keyboard 13 are used to interactively specify the arrangement of arithmetic blocks and the connection destinations of input signals and output signals on the screen of the CRT 15. If so, a process control loop can be easily created.

The created control loop can be graphically displayed on the screen, and the operator can easily understand its contents.

[0028]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the contents of the process control loop can be graphically displayed on the screen by a simple operation, which helps the operator understand the control system. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a loop sketch diagram showing an example of a process control loop.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an expression of a calculation block.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a process control device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen display layout of a control loop.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a dedicated key provided on the keyboard.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen display example of a control loop.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a storage format of a control loop.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when performing automatic connection.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between an input terminal and a calculation block.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between an output terminal and a calculation block.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between operation blocks.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between operation blocks.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between operation blocks.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a method of displaying a connection destination between calculation blocks.

[Explanation of Codes] 3a to 3f Operation block 4 Process 5 Loop control device (controller) 6 Communication line 7 Control loop display device 13 Keyboard 15 CRT 16 GRT control unit 18 Operation control unit 34 Operation block (scheduled location on screen)

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Figure 5]

[Figure 10]

[Fig. 13]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 4]

[Fig. 12]

FIG. 14

[Figure 3]

[Figure 7]

[Figure 6]

[Figure 8]

[Figure 9]

FIG. 11

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masanobu Yamazaki 832 Horiguchi, Katsuta City, Ibaraki HSP Building 2 Hitachi Measurement Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of arithmetic blocks are selected and displayed on a screen, and a connection relation between related arithmetic blocks among the arithmetic blocks is shown on the screen to form a control loop. In a process control loop display device for displaying on a screen, a display means for graphically displaying the control loop is connected to the operation block on the screen by a signal line representing the operation block and the connection relationship between them. The signal line representing the connection relationship between the operation blocks is calculated according to the information about the connection relationship stored in advance so that the signal line does not cross other operation blocks on the screen and the signal lines do not overlap each other. However, the control block is provided with the arithmetic block and the display control means for displaying the signal line on the screen according to the arithmetic result. Seth control loop display device. 2. The process control loop display device according to claim 1, wherein the information about the connection relation is a reference for connecting a signal line between the operation blocks with a shortest route, and the shortest route is previously set. A process control loop display device, characterized in that it includes a criterion for selecting a matching connection route among the determined connection routes from the positional relationship between the operation blocks. 3. The process control loop display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means includes a reference for displaying all arithmetic blocks having different functions in the same figure having input / output terminals and arithmetic block outputs. Process control loop display device characterized by. 4. The process control loop display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means determines a calculation result of a signal line indicating a connection relationship between the calculation blocks and the number of signal lines to be displayed between the calculation blocks. When the number of lines exceeds a predetermined number, it is judged that it is impossible to connect so that the signal lines do not overlap each other, and it means that the signal lines are displayed on the screen and they are connected to each other. A process control loop display device including a reference for displaying a code to be displayed on a screen. 5. The process control loop display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means cannot display all of them on one screen because the number of the operation blocks forming the control loop is large. A process characterized by including a criterion for displaying a code on the screen, which is necessary and replaces the connection on the screen when the connection between the operation blocks spans two screens and is connected to each other Control loop display. 6. The process control loop display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means displays an analog signal by a solid line when the signal line is displayed on the screen.
A process control loop display device characterized by displaying a digital signal by a broken line.