JP2620432B2 - Process control loop display - Google Patents

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 constituted by selectively arranging operation blocks and interconnecting them. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When displaying the contents of a control loop composed of a plurality of operation blocks on a screen, each state of a process input / output signal, a connection state between the operation blocks, and a connection state between the operation blocks is graphically represented. It is important to help the operator understand the control system. However, in the display of the conventional control loop, the connection destination of the terminal is simply indicated by a character or a symbol as a signal name or an operation block number at the display position of the input / output terminal of the displayed operation block. The relationship could not be represented graphically.

[0003]

In the display of a conventional control loop, graphical information cannot be displayed as described above because connection information relating to a figure is not provided as control information. To solve this problem, the control information of the loop control may include the connection information of the graphic. However, since the graphic connection information is composed of the arrangement positions of the operation blocks and the connection routes of the signal lines, a large storage area is required to provide this connection information. This is not a preferable method because the number of operations for specifying a route increases.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process control loop display device capable of graphically displaying the contents of a control loop of a loop control device by a simple operation without complicating the configuration of the device. .

[0005]

A process control loop display device according to the present invention is configured as follows to achieve the above object. A process of selecting a plurality of operation blocks and displaying them on a screen, forming a control loop by showing on the screen the connection relationship between the relevant operation blocks among these operation blocks, and displaying the control loop on the screen A control loop display device, which relates to display of a control loop on a screen, a display means for enabling a graphical display by a signal line representing an operation block and a connection relationship between them, and a display means connected to the operation block. The signal lines representing the connection relations between the operation blocks are calculated according to the information on the connection relations stored in advance that are determined so that the signal lines do not cross other operation blocks on the screen and do not overlap with each other. The display device further includes a display control unit that displays the calculation block and the signal line on the screen according to the calculation result. In the above-mentioned configuration, preferably, the information on the connection relationship is based on a reference for connecting the signal lines between the operation blocks via a shortest path, and the shortest path is calculated from a predetermined connection route by the calculation operation. A criterion for selecting a match from the positional relationship between blocks is included. By displaying the shortest route, the redundancy is reduced, the operator can easily recognize the route, and the operability can be improved. In the above configuration, preferably, the display control means includes a criterion 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 represented by the same shape on the screen of the display device that displays the control loop, so that any operation block can be arranged without being restricted by a place where the operation block can be arranged. It has the advantage of being able to. Further, in the above configuration, preferably, the display control means includes:
When the number of signal lines to be displayed between the operation blocks is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the signal lines may be connected so that the signal lines do not overlap each other, as a result of the operation of the signal lines representing the connection relationship between the operation blocks. It includes a criterion for determining that it is impossible, replacing the signal line display on the screen, and displaying on the screen a code signifying mutual connection. The signal lines are displayed on the screen, and the connection relation between the operation blocks can be graphically displayed, and the visibility and operability are improved by preventing the signal lines from overlapping.

Further, in the above configuration, preferably, the display control means cannot display the entirety on one screen because of the large number of operation blocks constituting the control loop, requires two or more screens, and When the connection is over two screens, the reference includes a reference to display on the screen a code signifying that the connection is made, instead of the connection on the screen. When the signal lines are displayed on two screens, the connection relationship cannot be finally seen on one screen. Therefore, only the connection destination is displayed, the operation is enhanced, and only the minimum necessary information is provided. It is composed of Further, in the above configuration, preferably, when displaying the signal line on the screen, the display control means displays the analog signal as a solid line and the digital signal as a broken line.

[0007]

In the process control loop display device according to the present invention, a plurality of operation blocks constituting the 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 lines graphically on the screen. In the display of the 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 performed between the operation blocks according to the information on the connection relation 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 on the connection relation stored in advance. Let it. At this time, the information relating to the connection route does not need to be graphic information, but only connection information between the operation blocks and between the operation blocks and the input / output terminals. The operation 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 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 operation is performed by the device 3c. Also, the digital input No. 001 (signal name: DI001) in the input terminal table 10 is fetched 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) is written to the output terminal table 11. here,
The digital signal input interface (DI) 1a and the analog signal input interface (AI) 1b receive signals from the process, convert the signals into normalized signals, and write the signals into the input terminal table 10. Further, the contents of the output terminal table 11 correspond to the analog output interface (A
O) It is converted to an output signal to the process by 1c.
In FIG. 1, an analog signal is indicated by a solid line, and a digital signal is indicated by a broken line. FIG. 2 shows the expression of an operation block, and FIG. 2 (a) shows an input processing operation unit 3a, (b).
Indicates an output processor 3f. The input / output terminals of the operation block are indicated by numerals surrounded by a circle, the input terminal 21 is arranged on the left side of the operation block, and the output terminal 22 is arranged on the right side of the operation 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 number. The display of 25 is a function code, and the display of 26 is an abbreviation of an operation 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 control device 5 (hereinafter simply referred to as a controller 5) that executes the control loop described in FIG.
), 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 them. The controller 5 sends and receives signals to and from the process 4 via the instrumentation wirings 2a to 2d, and controls the process 4. Information on the control loop, that is, information on the connection relationship between the used operation blocks and the signal lines is stored in the intermediate code file 9, and the loop control interpreter 1
Reference numeral 2 periodically controls / calculates while referring to the storage contents of the intermediate code file 9.

In the control system for performing the above-described calculations and processes, 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
It comprises a CRT control unit 16, a keyboard 13, a key input processing unit 14, an arithmetic control unit 18, an auxiliary storage device 19, and a communication control unit 17. As for the communication control unit, an 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 according to the operation of the keyboard 13, and displays the created content 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 position 31 on the left side of the screen is the input terminal name of the control loop, the position 32 on the right side of the screen is the output terminal name,
The calculation block and its connection are displayed in an area 33 at the center of the screen. The calculation block 34 (placement to be arranged) is a screen in which five (X1 to X5) are arranged in the horizontal direction (X axis) and four (Y1 to Y4) are arranged in the vertical direction (Y axis). . The operation block 34 can be arranged on the second and subsequent pages. In that case, the display can be performed 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. Operations include:
The keyboard 13 is used. JIS keyboard 13
It conforms to X6002 “Information processing keyboard layout”, and further has some dedicated keys. These dedicated keys are shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, 13a is a read key, 1
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 in response 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) “Registration” 2 BLOCK = 05 “Set” 3 FUNC. = 02 “Set” 4 POS = X1, Y1 “Set” Step 1 above As shown in FIG. 6, the input processing calculator 3a is arranged at (X1, Y1) on the screen. The remaining operation blocks 3b to 3f are arranged in the same procedure.
At this point, the wiring of the input / output terminals and the signal lines has not been made.

Next, an example of an operation procedure for connecting the signal lines will be described. (Procedure) (Input guidance display) (Operation) 5 (No display) “Registration” 6 BLOCK = 05 “Set” 7 1 = AI032 “Set” 8 2 = “Set” 9 3 = “Set” 10 4 = “Set” According to the above procedures 5 to 10, the wiring of the input arithmetic unit 3a is performed, and the input signal AI032 is displayed as an input terminal on the screen. Since the input terminals 2 to 4 of the operation block 3a are not used, the operation is to simply press the "set" key. The connection procedure of the signal switch of the block No. 25 is as follows.

(Procedure) (Input guidance display) (Operation) 11 (No display) “Connection” 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, whereby a control loop as shown in FIG. 6 is created and displayed on the screen of the CRT 15. Finally, by pressing the write key 13b, the contents of the created control loop are stored in the auxiliary storage device 19, and the communication control unit 17,
The data is transferred to and stored in the intermediate code file 9 of the controller 5 via the communication line 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 control loop obtained by the keyboard operation in steps 1 to 16 is subjected to the arithmetic processing by the arithmetic control unit 18 so that the storage loop shown in FIG. The format is converted into a format, stored in the auxiliary storage device 19, and graphically displayed on the CRT 15. Conversely, the control loop stored in the auxiliary storage device 19 is changed to CRT1.
5 is provided. In this case, the operation block is arranged on the screen based on the X and Y coordinates, and then the block N
Connect the signal line by referring to the connection destination of the input / output 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 connection.

The automatic connection method will be described below. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when performing automatic connection. Connection of signal lines is roughly divided into three cases. That is, (1) connection between the input terminal and the operation block, (2) connection between the output terminal and the operation block, and (3) connection between the operation blocks.
For each of the three types of connection cases,
The determination is performed in step 100. Since the name of the input terminal starts with "AI" or "DI" and the name of the output terminal starts with "AO" or "DO", the connection case is determined based on the codes related to these names.

First, the connection between the input terminal (1) 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. 9 (a) and type B in FIG. 9 (b).
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. In the type B, since there is another operation block between the input terminal 31 and the operation block 34, the type B needs to be connected in a bypass manner. Although various detour routes are conceivable, routes other than those shown in the drawing are not adopted, in principle, in order to connect at the shortest distance. In step 110, after the above-mentioned connection type is determined, connection is performed.

Next, the connection between the output terminal (2) and the operation block will be described. Since the operation block for executing the output processing is usually arranged on the right side near the output terminal on the screen, the output terminal and the operation block may be simply connected by a straight line. In step 120, this connection is made. FIG. 10 shows a state of a tangent line between the output terminal 32 and the operation block 34.

Finally, the connection of the operation blocks (3) will be described. First, if the operation block spans two pages, connecting the signal lines
On the contrary, the connection is not performed because it hinders the understanding of the operator. The determination is easy if the Y coordinates of the arrangement of the operation blocks are referred to, and this is performed in step 130. FIGS. 11 to 13 show the rules of connection between the operation blocks. In the drawing, the solid squares clearly show the arrangement of the operation blocks, and the broken squares clearly show that the operation blocks are not arranged. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the connection rules between the operation blocks are as follows.
There are three types AG. In addition, each type is shown in the figure including some variations. In this case as well, the connection is made with the shortest distance (shortest route) in principle. 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 an operation 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, connection can be made with the same connection route as in the case of, but a variation is prepared to reduce the bending of the line. The relationship is the same. 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. In step 140, it is determined whether or not there is an operation block corresponding to each of the above types.

By the way, in consideration of the visibility at the time of display on the screen and the resolution of the CRT, a maximum of 8
Restrict the display of book straight lines.

Even when the connection routes correspond to 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, a connection is made between operation blocks in step 160.

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

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

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement of the operation blocks and the connection destinations of the input signal and the output signal are specified on the screen of the CRT 15 in an interactive manner using the CRT 15 and the keyboard 13. Thus, a process control loop can be easily created.

The created control loop can be graphically displayed on a screen, so that the operator can easily understand the contents.

[0028]

As 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, and the operator can easily understand the control system. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the expression of an operation 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 a keyboard.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating 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 an operation block.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a connection rule between an output terminal and an operation 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 display method of connection destinations between operation blocks.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3a-3f Arithmetic block 4 Process 5 Loop controller (controller) 6 Communication line 7 Control loop display 13 Keyboard 15 CRT 16 GRT controller 18 Arithmetic controller 34 Arithmetic block (location planned on screen)

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

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A control loop is formed by selecting a plurality of operation blocks and displaying the selected operation blocks on a screen, and showing the connection relation between the relevant operation blocks among the operation blocks on the screen. In the process control loop display device for displaying a screen, a display means for graphically displaying the control loop on the screen by a signal line representing the operation block and the connection relationship therebetween, and a display block connected to the operation block A signal line representing a connection relationship between the operation blocks is calculated according to information about a connection relationship stored in advance that is determined so that a signal line does not cross another calculation block on a screen and does not overlap with each other. And a display control means for displaying the operation block and the signal line on the screen in accordance with the operation result. Seth control loop display device. 2. The process control loop display device according to claim 1, wherein the information on the connection relationship is based on a reference for connecting a signal line between the operation blocks via a shortest path and a shortest path in advance. A process control loop display device comprising a criterion for selecting a matching connection route from a predetermined connection route 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 of the operation blocks having different functions in the same graphic having input / output terminals and operation block outputs. A process control loop display device. 4. The process control loop display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means calculates an operation result of a signal line representing a connection relationship between the operation blocks and a number of signal lines to be displayed between the operation blocks. When the number exceeds a predetermined number, it is determined that it is impossible to connect the signal lines so that the signal lines do not overlap with each other. A process control loop display device comprising 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 the entirety on one screen because the number of the operation blocks constituting the control loop is large, and displays two or more screens. If the connection is required and the connection between the operation blocks extends over two screens, the reference is replaced with a connection on the screen, and a reference is displayed on the screen to indicate a sign indicating that they are 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 as a solid line when displaying the signal line on the screen.
A process control loop display device for displaying digital signals by broken lines.