Automatic machine application program development system and computer product

• US 6,735,764 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2002
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakai, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hartman, Jr., Ronald D
• Application Number:
  US10/232,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20030167096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/18, 700/83, 700/86, 345/762-763, 345/965-967, 717/114, 717/119, 717/129, 717/156-157, 717/105, 717/109, 717/113
• US Class Current: 717/156
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/056 Programming the PLC
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13001 Interrupt handling
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13005 Subroutine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13108 Flow diagram, sequential function chart with transitions and states SFC Grafcet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/13144 GUI graphical user interface, icon, function bloc editor, OI operator interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The automatic machine application program development system has a tool area in which a new component as an element for describing a program as a flowchart is installed, and a drawing area in which a flowchart is created using this new component. The new component includes at least one of a parallel execution component and a parallel execution waiting component paired with this parallel execution component, an interruption component, and a subroutine component in which a subroutine program can be described.

Claims

1. An automatic machine application program development system comprising a program development unit which includes:

a graphical tool area in which a plurality of new components, being elements for describing a program as a flowchart, are depicted; and

a drawing area for creating a flowchart using these new components, wherein the new components include;

a parallel execution component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area and having a single input and a plurality of outputs, and a parallel execution waiting component paired with the parallel execution component and having a plurality of inputs and a single output;

an interruption component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area but placed outside of a main stream of the flowchart, and connected to the main stream of the flowchart using an interruption line extending in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the flowchart; and

a subroutine component intervening in the flowchart and including a subroutine program.

2. The system according to claim 1, comprising a program development unit which allocates chances of execution in the parallel execution component and the parallel execution waiting component equally to parallel execution flow lines described in the drawing area.

3. The system according to claim 1, comprising a program development unit which evaluates an interruption condition, for the interruption component, described in a window in a part of the drawing area.

4. The system according to claim 1, comprising a program development unit which describes sequence processing and lastly describes, in a window in a part of the drawing area, one of

a subroutine termination component in a subroutine program of the subroutine component, and

an interruption component in a subroutine program of a subroutine component using an interruption line extending in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the subroutine program, and a subroutine termination component, downstream of the interruption component, to which the processing shifts in response to establishment of a condition while evaluating an interruption condition with respect to the main stream of the subroutine program.

5. The system according to claim 4, comprising a program development unit in which the subroutine component has a plurality of outlets and a plurality of outlet numbers set to the subroutine termination component.

6. The system according to claim 1, comprising a program development unit in which the interruption component includes at least one object to be controlled, which is set as an interruption condition, and wherein

a software module of the object to be controlled includes at least one of one icon displayed in a display area, a unit which describes a method of controlling the object to be controlled, and a unit which describes the object to be controlled as an object for condition comparison, and

the software module of the object to be controlled is specified by a global ID or corresponding data.

7. An automatic machine application program development system comprising:

a program execution unit which executes a flowchart developed in a drawing area using a plurality of new components, wherein the new components which are elements for describing a program as a flowchart, and include;

a parallel execution component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area and having a single input and a plurality of outputs, and a parallel execution waiting component paired with the parallel execution component and having a plurality of inputs and a single output,

an interruption component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area but placed outside of a main stream of the flowchart, and connected to the main stream of the flowchart using an interruption line extending in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the flowchart, and

a subroutine component intervening in the flowchart and including a subroutine program.

8. The system according to claim 7, comprising a program execution unit which allocates chances of execution for the parallel execution component and the parallel execution waiting component equally to parallel execution flow lines described in the drawing area.

9. The system according to claim 7, comprising a program execution unit which evaluates an interruption condition, for the interruption component, described in a window in a part of the drawing area.

10. The system according to claim 7, comprising a program execution unit which describes sequence processing in a subroutine program of the subroutine component that is described in a window in a part of the drawing area and executes lastly one of

a subroutine termination component, and

a subroutine termination component, described downstream of an interruption component, to which the processing shifts in response to establishment of a condition while evaluating the interruption component described using an interruption line extending in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the subroutine program.

11. The system according to claim 10, comprising a program execution unit which executes the program based on a description in which the subroutine component has a plurality of outlets and a plurality of outlet numbers set to the subroutine termination component.

12. The system according to claim 7, comprising a program execution unit in which the interruption component includes at least one object to be controlled, which is set as an interruption condition, and wherein

a software module of the object to be controlled includes at least one of a unit which executes a method of controlling the object to be controlled, and a unit which executes a method of comparing conditions of the objects to be controlled, and

the software module of the object to be controlled is specified by a global ID or corresponding data.

13. A computer-executable program for describing a program development method, the method comprising:

depicting a plurality of new components being elements for describing a program as a flowchart, in a graphical tool area; and

developing a flowchart using the new components in a drawing area, wherein the new components include;

a parallel execution component intervening in the flowchart in a drawing area and having a single input and a plurality of outputs, and a parallel execution waiting component paired with the parallel execution component and having a plurality of inputs and a single output,

an interruption component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area but placed outside of a main stream of the flowchart, and connected to the main stream of the flowchart using an interruption line extending in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the flowchart, and

a subroutine component intervening in the flowchart and including a subroutine program.

14. A recording medium which stores a computer-executable program in which a program development method is described, the method comprising:

depicting a plurality of new components, which are elements for describing a program as a flowchart, in a graphical tool area; and

developing a flowchart using the new components in a drawing area, wherein the new components include;

a parallel execution component intervening in the flowchart in a drawing area and having a single input and a plurality of outputs, and a parallel execution waiting component paired with the parallel execution component and having a plurality of inputs and a single output,

an interruption component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area but placed outside of a main stream of the flowchart, and connected to the main stream of the flowchart using an interruption line extending in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the flowchart, and

a subroutine component intervening in the flowchart and including a subroutine program.

15. An automatic machine application program development system comprising a program development unit which includes:

a graphical tool area in which a plurality of new components, which are elements for describing a program as a flowchart, are depicted; and

a drawing area for creating a flowchart using these new components, wherein the new components include

a start component;

a parallel execution component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area and having a single input and a plurality of outputs, and a parallel execution waiting component paired with the parallel execution component and having a plurality of inputs and a single output, wherein the parallel execution component and the parallel execution waiting component are connected to the start component using parallel flow lines; and

an interruption component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area but placed outside of a main stream of the flowchart, and connected to the main stream of the flowchart using an interruption line extending from the start component in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the flowchart.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a subroutine component intervening in the flowchart and including a subroutine program.

17. An automatic machine application program development system comprising:

a program execution unit which executes a flowchart developed in a drawing area using a plurality of new components, wherein the new components are elements for describing a program as a flowchart and include

a start component;

a parallel execution component in the flowchart in the drawing area and having a single input and a plurality of outputs, and a parallel execution waiting component which is paired with the parallel execution component and having a plurality of inputs and a single output, wherein the parallel execution component and the parallel execution waiting component are connected to the start component using parallel flow lines; and

an interruption component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area but placed outside of a main stream of the flowchart, and connected to the main stream of the flowchart using an interruption line extending from the start component in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the flowchart.

18. The system according to claim 17, further comprising a subroutine component intervening in the flowchart and including a subroutine program.

19. A computer-executable program for describing a program development method, the method comprising:

depicting a program as a flowchart, in a graphical tool area; and

developing a flowchart using a plurality of new components in a drawing area, wherein the new components include

a start component;

a parallel execution component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area and having a single input and a plurality of outputs, and a parallel execution waiting component paired with the parallel execution component and having a plurality of inputs and a single output, wherein the parallel execution component and the parallel execution waiting component are connected to the start component using parallel flow lines; and

an interruption component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area but placed outside of a main stream of the flowchart, and connected to the main stream of the flowchart using an interruption line extending from the start component in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the flowchart.

20. The system according to claim 19, further comprising a subroutine component intervening in the flowchart and including a subroutine program.

21. A recording medium which stores a computer-executable program in which a program development method is described, the method comprising:

depicting a plurality of new components, which are elements for describing a program as a flowchart, in a graphical tool area; and

developing a flowchart using the new components in a drawing area, wherein the new components include

a start component;

a parallel execution component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area and having a single input and a plurality of outputs, and a parallel execution waiting component paired with the parallel execution component and having a plurality of inputs and a single output, wherein the parallel execution component and the parallel execution waiting component are connected to the start component using parallel flow lines; and

an interruption component intervening in the flowchart in the drawing area but placed outside of a main stream of the flowchart, and connected to the main stream of the flowchart using an interruption line extending from the start component in a direction perpendicular to the main stream of the flowchart.

22. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a subroutine component intervening in the flowchart and including a subroutine program.