SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FREE FORM COMMENTS FOR A PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC CONTROLLER

• US 20100313128A1
• Filed: 06/03/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Energy & Automation Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Phillips, Scotty R., Schaer, Stephan, Pfahlmann, Lothar, Opaterny, Thilo
• Application Number:
  US12/477,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20100313128A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/715
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/05 Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13038 Comment, message data displayed with program instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13047 Display data on chart with comment, message about type of data

Abstract

A method of annotating a specification of a programmable logic controller is provided that includes displaying a graphical element in a first graphical language for programming the programmable logic controller, and displaying a comment associated with the graphical element. A method for converting a specification for a programmable logic controller in a first language to a second language is provided that includes converting a first instruction in the first language to a second instruction in the second language, and converting a first comment associated with the first instruction to a second comment associated with the second instruction. A computer-readable recording medium is provided.

Claims

1. A method of annotating a specification of a programmable logic controller, comprising:

displaying a graphical element in a first graphical language for programming the programmable logic controller; and

displaying a comment associated with the graphical element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical element represents at least one of an input, an output, an operation, an operand, a function, an instruction, a comparison, a test, a wire, a network, a branch, a rung, and a code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the comment explains at least one of an identity, a purpose, a task, an activity, a status, data, and an arrangement of the graphical element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the comment is arranged in a bubble attached by an anchor line to the graphical element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of a size of the bubble and one of a font and a font size of the comment is adjustable.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying a second comment with one of the graphical element and a second graphical element, the second comment being in a second bubble attached by a second anchor line to the one of the graphical element and the second graphical element.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the comment and the second comment overlap, an order of the first comment and the second comment being adjustable front to back.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a transparency of the comment is adjustable.

9. A method for converting a specification for a programmable logic controller in a first language to a second language, comprising:

converting a first instruction in the first language to a second instruction in the second language; and

converting a first comment associated with the first instruction to a second comment associated with the second instruction.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising associating the comment with the first instruction.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein one of the first and second languages is a graphical language.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the comment is displayed in a bubble when the one of the first and second language is the graphical language.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the first language is a text-based language and the second language is a graphical language; and

the converting of the first comment to the second comment includes identifying a graphic equivalent of the first instruction and displaying a bubble for the second comment, the bubble being visually associated with the graphic equivalent.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

when the first instruction is one of a load instruction and a transfer instruction, the bubble for the second comment is associated with a wire;

when the first instruction is a main instruction, the bubble for the second comment is associated with a box; and

when the first instruction is an ENO handling instruction, the bubble for the second comment is merged to the box.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the first language is a graphical language and the second language is a text-based language; and

the converting of the first comment to the second comment includes identifying a text equivalent of the first instruction and displaying the second comment on a line immediately following the text equivalent.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

when the first instruction is a wire, the second comment is displayed proximate to one of a load instruction and a transfer instruction; and

when the first instruction is a box, the second comment is displayed proximate to a main instruction.

17. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon an executable program, the program when executed causing a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical element in a first graphical language for programming the programmable logic controller; and

displaying a comment associated with the graphical element.

18. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon an executable program, the program when executed causing a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

converting a first instruction in the first language to a second instruction in the second language; and

converting a first comment associated with the first instruction to a second comment associated with the second instruction.