The present disclosure is directed to systems, methods and devices for facilitating object-based industrial automation control. An automation control library comprised of a plurality of objects may be maintained in association with one or more industrial automation applications. Code defining the execution of an industrial automation process may be received. A plurality of objects in the object library for implementing the industrial automation control process may be identified. The plurality of identified objects may be matched to one or more hardware components based on one or more operational requirements included in the code, and available hardware resources for performing the automation control process.

According to the present invention, an input operation unit receives an input related to generation and editing of a ladder diagram program. A partial circuit search unit searches and extracts a partial circuit corresponding to a ladder circuit of an inputted command name when the input operation unit receives the command name of the ladder circuit to be inserted into the ladder diagram program. A display unit outputs an input candidate corresponding to the partial circuit extracted by the partial circuit search unit. A replacement processing unit receives selection of the input candidate outputted from the display unit, and replaces, with the selected input candidate, the ladder circuit, the command name of which has been inputted by the input operation unit.

A method for calling a program module in a programmable logic controller (PLC) ladder programming environment comprises: determining a first feature to be called in a PLC ladder programming environment and a second feature not to be called from features implemented by an artificial intelligence (AI) module compiled by a computer programming language; configuring the first feature as an interface conforming to an interface specification of the PLC ladder programming environment; configuring the second feature as a non-call method; packaging the non-call method and the interface into a dynamic link library (DLL); importing the DLL into the PLC ladder programming environment.

A program development support unit includes an arithmetic unit and a storage unit. A ladder diagram editing program and an edited ladder diagram program are stored in the storage unit. The arithmetic unit is configured to execute the ladder diagram editing program to edit the ladder diagram program, and store the ladder diagram program in the storage unit. The arithmetic unit is configured to allocate two-dimensional coordinates to a ladder diagram expressed by the ladder diagram program. The arithmetic unit is configured to detect two-dimensional coordinates and types of circuit elements included in the ladder diagram, and detect two-dimensional coordinates of any vertical connection lines included in the ladder diagram. The arithmetic unit is configured to store the circuit elements, the vertical connection lines, the two-dimensional coordinates of the circuit elements, and the two-dimensional coordinates of the vertical connection lines in the storage unit in association with each other.

The present disclosure is directed to systems, methods and devices for facilitating object-based industrial automation control. An automation control library comprised of a plurality of objects may be maintained in association with one or more industrial automation applications. Code defining the execution of an industrial automation process may be received. A plurality of objects in the object library for implementing the industrial automation control process may be identified. The plurality of identified objects may be matched to one or more hardware components based on one or more operational requirements included in the code, and available hardware resources for performing the automation control process.

A partial circuit selector selects a partial circuit comprising a plurality of contacts in a ladder diagram program. A replacement circuit generator generates a replacement circuit comprising a smaller number of contacts than in the selected partial circuit. An auxiliary circuit generator generates an auxiliary circuit that causes the replacement circuit to perform the same action as the partial circuit. A program editor performs, on the ladder diagram program, a replacement process for replacing a partial circuit appearing in the ladder diagram program with the replacement circuit, and performs an auxiliary circuit insertion process for inserting the auxiliary circuit into the ladder diagram program.

A controller of a PC displays program elements of a ladder program and an electrical connection state thereof on a display, detects an instruction designating a first program element, determines whether the first program element is in an electrically connected state or an electrically disconnected state, specifies one or more causal elements according to whether the first program element is in an electrically connected state or an electrically disconnected state, and displays the specified one or more causal elements on the display in a state discernible from other program elements.

The present disclosure is directed to systems, methods and devices for facilitating object-based industrial automation control. An automation control library comprised of a plurality of objects may be maintained in association with one or more industrial automation applications. Code defining the execution of an industrial automation process may be received. A plurality of objects in the object library for implementing the industrial automation control process may be identified. The plurality of identified objects may be matched to one or more hardware components based on one or more operational requirements included in the code, and available hardware resources for performing the automation control process.

According to the present invention, an input operation unit receives an input related to generation and editing of a ladder diagram program. A partial circuit search unit searches and extracts a partial circuit corresponding to a ladder circuit of an inputted command name when the input operation unit receives the command name of the ladder circuit to be inserted into the ladder diagram program. A display unit outputs an input candidate corresponding to the partial circuit extracted by the partial circuit search unit. A replacement processing unit receives selection of the input candidate outputted from the display unit, and replaces, with the selected input candidate, the ladder circuit, the command name of which has been inputted by the input operation unit.

A tracing apparatus that is connected to a PLC for inputting and outputting signals based on a ladder program includes: a ladder program analysis unit that analyzes an order in which nets in the ladder program are arranged so as to produce an execution order signal table indicating an order in which the nets are executed; a trace target setting unit that sets one or more nets to be traced; a trace data acquisition unit that acquires trace data in a predetermined sampling cycle; a compensation determination unit that determines, based on the table, whether or not the state (reference signal) of a signal at a contact included in a ladder circuit to be traced needs to be compensated for; and an output unit that outputs a ladder diagram of a trace result which has been compensated for based on the result of the determination of the compensation determination unit.