System and method for keyword-based PLC programming
OwnerYounes Farajinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to generally to programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and more particularly to a system and method to enables a user to accelerate the generation of PLC programs. The system includes a set of specific keywords and an internal algorithm that in combination with the industrial process information provided by the user, creates a methodology for PLC program generation, which is flexible enough to adapt to the user, PLC programming strategies, and other standards and practices.
Claims16
A computer-implemented method of programming one or more hardware Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) using keywords to generate a PLC program for the one or more PLCs, comprising:
- receiving a device list, the device list comprising a file containing a list of devices to be controlled and/or monitored by the PLCs;
- receiving a cause and effect list, the cause and effect list comprising a file generated from a control narrative for the PLCs, the control narrative comprising one or more parameters used within a process controlled by the PLCs;
- applying a control algorithm to assign one or more controls to each of the devices on the device list according to the cause and effect list, each of the one or more controls defined by a keyword from a keyword database of keywords, each keyword based on a fixed internal algorithm, the control algorithm using a combination of an internal programming model created from one or more of the keywords, and a user-provided custom programming model, created from user-selected keywords;
- generating a control logic for the PLCs from the control algorithm;
- generating the PLC program via a PLC program generator, the PLC program generator combining the control logic and the keywords to generate the PLC program in a PLC programming language;
- and
- outputting the PLC program as a file, the file usable to program the PLCs,
- wherein the PLCs are used in a process-based operation.
A system for programming one or more hardware Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) using keywords to generate a program for the PLCs, the system comprising a server to implement:
- a user interface, the user interface coupled to a display;
- and
- a PLC program generator running on a computing device accessible through the user interface, the PLC program generator coupled to the user interface and the display, the PLC program generator operative to generate a PLC program via:
- receiving a device list, the device list comprising a file containing a list of devices to be controlled and/or monitored by the PLCs;
- receiving a cause and effect list, the cause and effect list comprising a file generated from a control narrative for the PLCs, the control narrative comprising one or more parameters used within a process controlled by the PLCs;
- applying a control algorithm to assign one or more controls to each of the devices on the device list according to the cause and effect list, each of the one or more controls defined by one or more user-selected keywords from a keyword database of keywords, the control algorithm using a combination of an internal programming model, and a user-provided custom programming model, with the user-selected keywords;
- generating a control logic for the PLCs from the control algorithm;
- generating the PLC program within the PLC program generator by combining the control logic and the keywords;
- and
- outputting the PLC program as a file, the file usable to program the PLCs,
- wherein the user interface and display are operative to enable a user to monitor and modify the PLC program generator during PLC program generation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.