Controller system and control method
AssigneeFanuc Corporation
InventorMotoyoshi MIYACHI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A PLC system includes a plurality of I/O devices each connecting a control target of each of a plurality of PLCs to each of the plurality of PLCs, and a PC. Each one of the plurality of PLCs stores first output data obtained by executing a self-assigned program to control the control target connected to each PLC, and stores second output data obtained when the PC or another PLC executes another program allocated to the PC or the other PLC to control the control target connected to the one PLC. Each of the plurality of PLCs outputs one of the first output data and the second output data to the I/O device connected to each PLC based on selection information transmitted from the PC.
Claims15
A controller system comprising:
- a plurality of controllers;
- a plurality of I/O devices configured to connect a control target of each of the plurality of controllers and each of the plurality of controllers, and transmit necessary information between the control target and each of the controllers;
- and
- a higher level control device configured to control and manage the plurality of controllers, wherein:
- the higher level control device includes
- a storage unit configured to store each of a plurality of programs executed by each of the plurality of controllers, and
- a processor configured to allocate each of the plurality of programs stored in the storage unit as a self-assigned program to each of the plurality of controllers to cause each of the plurality of controllers to control the control target connected to each controller via the I/O device, and further allocate all or part of the plurality of programs as another program to the higher level control device and the plurality of controllers to cause the higher level control device and the plurality of controllers to doubly execute the all or part of the plurality of programs stored in the storage unit in parallel in one execution cycle;
- and
- each one of the plurality of controllers includes a communication unit including:
- a first input buffer memory configured to store input data transmitted from the control target connected to the one controller via the I/O device,
- a first output buffer memory configured to store first output data obtained by executing the self-assigned program allocated to the one controller to control the control target connected to itself via the I/O device, and
- a second output buffer memory configured to store second output data obtained when the higher level control device or another of the controllers executes the other program allocated to the higher level control device or the other of the controllers to control the control target connected to the one controller via the I/O device, and
- the one controller is configured to output one of the first output data and the second output data to the control target connected to the one controller via the I/O device, based on selection information transmitted from the higher level control device, the first output data being stored in the first output buffer memory, the second output data being stored in the second output buffer memory.
A control method of a controller system that comprises:
- a plurality of controllers;
- a plurality of I/O devices each configured to connect a control target of each of the plurality of controllers to each of the plurality of controllers, and transmit necessary information between the control target and each of the controllers;
- and
- a higher level control device configured to control and manage the plurality of controllers, wherein:
- the higher level control device includes a storage unit configured to store each of a plurality of programs executed by each of the plurality of controllers;
- and
- each of the plurality of controllers includes a communication unit including a first input buffer memory, a first output buffer memory and a second output buffer memory;
- the control method comprises:
- an allocating step of, at the higher level control device, allocating each of the plurality of programs stored in the storage unit as a self-assigned program to each of the plurality of controllers to cause each of the plurality of controllers to control the control target connected to each controller via the I/O device, and further allocating all or part of the plurality of programs as another program to the higher level control device and the plurality of controllers to cause the higher level control device and the plurality of controllers to doubly execute the all or part of the plurality of programs stored in the storage unit in parallel in one execution cycle;
- and
- a first inputting/storing step of, at each one of the plurality of controllers, storing input data in the first input buffer memory, the input data being transmitted from the control target connected to the one controller via the I/O device;
- a first outputting/storing step of, at the one controller, storing first output data in the first output buffer memory, the first output data being obtained by executing the self-assigned program allocated to the one controller to control the control target connected to the one controller via the I/O device;
- a second outputting/storing step, at the one controller, storing second output data in the second output buffer memory, the second output data being obtained when the higher level control device or another of the controllers executes the other program allocated to the higher level control device or the other controller to control the control target connected to the one controller via the I/O device;
- and
- an outputting step of, at the one controller, outputting one of the first output data and the second output data to the control target connected to the one controller via the I/O device, based on selection information transmitted from the higher level control device, the first output data being stored in the first output buffer memory, the second output data being stored in the second output buffer memory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.