Introduction

 A PLC programming device can be:

Programming PLCs  A hand-held device

(Introduction)  A desktop console

 A computer

 Hand-held device: contains enough memory to allow the unit to

retain programs while being carried from one place to another

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Introduction… Introduction…
 Desktop Consoles: have a visual display unit with a keyboard

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 Introduction… Introduction…
 Personal Computers:

 PCs should have appropriate software

 need for special communications cards to interface with the

PLC

 PCs provide a much bigger memory

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PLC Brands PLC Brands…

 PLC Manufacturers have programming software for their PLCs:  Provides offline simulation for all PLC types

 Mitsubishi have MELSOFT GX Developer:  MELSOFT supports programming methods such as:

 Their GX developer supports all MELSEC controllers from the  Instruction List (IL)
compact PLCs of the MELSEC FX series to modular PLCs  Ladder Diagram (LAD/LD)
including MELSEC system Q and uses a Windows based  Sequential Function Chart (SFC)
environment

 The package consists of powerful editors and diagnostics

functions for configuring MELSEC networks and hardware

 Consists of extensive monitoring and testing functions

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 PLC Brands… PLC Brands…
 Siemens have SIMATIC STEP 7 that provides:  SIMATIC STEP 7 supports different programming methods:

 System diagnostic capabilities  Ladder Diagram (LAD)

 Process diagnostic tools  Function Block Diagram (FBD)

 Remote maintenance  Instruction List (IL)

 Plant documentation  Structured Text (ST)

 Sequential Function Chart (SFC)

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PLC Brands… Ladder Programming

 Other manufacturers include:  Programs for microprocessor-based systems have to be loaded in

 Rockell Automation have RSLogix machine code

 Allen Bradley

 GE Fanuc  When assembly language is used, an assembler is used to translate

 Horner Electric mnemonics into machine code

 Telemechanique
 High level languages may be used as well – a compiler is necessary

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 Ladder Programming… Ladder Diagrams
 Ladder programming provides a means of writing programs which  Consider a simple circuit for switching on or off an electronic
can then be converted into machine code by some software for use motor
by the PLC microprocessor

 International Electro-technical Commission (IEC 1131-3) specifies

the following programming languages:

 Ladder Diagrams (LAD)

 Instruction List (IL)

 Sequential Function Block (SFC)

 Structured Text (ST)

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 Function Block Diagrams

Ladder Diagrams… Ladder Diagrams…

 The ladder diagram of the above circuit is as shown below:  The two vertical lines represent the input power rails

 The power rails are like the vertical sides of a ladder with the
horizontal circuit lines like the rungs of the ladder

 The emphasis is on clearly showing how the control is exercised

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 Ladder Diagrams… Ladder Diagrams…
 The figure below shows a ladder diagram for a circuit that is used  In the normal state:
to start and stop a motor using push buttons  Push button 1 is open

 Push button 2 is closed

 When button 1 is pressed the motor circuit is completed and the

motor starts Also, the holding contacts wired in parallel with the
motor close and remain closed as long as the motor is running

 When push button 1 is released the holding contacts maintain the

circuit and hence the power to the motor

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Ladder Diagrams… Conventions for Drawing Ladder Diagrams

 To stop the motor, button 2 is released hence disconnecting power  vertical lines of the diagram represent the power rails between
to the motor and the holding contacts open which circuits are connected. The power flow is taken to be from
the left-hand vertical across a rung

 The motor is therefore started by pressing button 1 and stopped by  each rung on the ladder defines one operation in the control

pressing button 2 process

 a ladder diagram is read from left to right and from top to bottom
When the PLC is in its run mode, it goes through the entire ladder
program to the end, the end rung of the program being clearly
denoted, and then promptly resumes at the start
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Conventions for Drawing Ladder Diagrams… Conventions for Drawing Ladder Diagrams…
 This procedure of going through all the rungs of the program is
termed a cycle

 The end rung might be indicated by a block with the word END or
RET, for return, since the program promptly returns to its
beginning

 The scan time depends on the number of rungs in the program,

taking about 1ms per 1000 bytes of program and so typically
ranging from about 10ms up to 50ms

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Conventions for Drawing Ladder Diagrams… Conventions for Drawing Ladder Diagrams…
 each rung must start with an input or inputs and must end with at  a particular device can appear in more than one rung of a ladder.
least one output: For example, we might have a relay that switches on one or more

 Input: is used for a control action, such as closing the contacts devices. The same letters and/or numbers are used to label the

of a switch device in each situation

 Output: is used for a device connected to the output of a PLC,

such as a motor  the inputs and outputs are all identified by their addresses; the

 electrical devices are shown in their normal condition. Thus a notation used depends on the PLC manufacturer. This is the

switch that is normally open until some object closes it is shown as address of the input or output in the memory of the PLC

open on the ladder diagram. A switch that is normally closed is

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shown closed.

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 PLC Scan Cycle PLC Scan Cycle…

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PLC Scan Cycle… PLC Scan Cycle…

 A PLC works by continuously scanning a program

 The scan cycle consists of three major steps:

 Check input status

 Execute program

 Update output status

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 PLC Scan Cycle… PLC Scan Cycle…

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PLC Scan Cycle… PLC Scan Cycle…

 Because the inputs can change at anytime, it constantly repeats this  House Keeping: perform internal checks on memory, speed and
cycle as long as the PLC is in the RUN mode operation. Service any communications requests.

 The PLC also carries out some housekeeping duties  The time it takes to complete a scan cycle is called the scan cycle

 Input Scan: the status of external inputs is written to the input time and indicates how fast the controller can react to changes in

image table inputs

 Program Scan: each ladder rung is scanned and solved. The  The time required to make a single scan can vary from about 1ms

resulting logic is written to the output image table to 20ms

 Output Scan: the output image data is transferred to the external

output circuits, turning the output device ON/OFF
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 PLC Scan Cycle… PLC Scan Cycle…
 If the controller has to react to an input signal that changes states  For each rung executed, the PLC processor will:
twice during the scan time, it is possible that the PLC will never be  Examine the status of the input image table bits
able to detect this change.  Solve the ladder logic in order to determine logical continuity
 The scan time is a function of the following:  Update the appropriate output image table bits, if necessary
 Speed of the processor module  Copy the output image table status to all the output terminals.
 The length of the ladder program Power is applied to the output device if the output image table
 The type of instruction executed bit has been previously set to a 1

 The actual ladder true/false condition  Copy the status of all the input terminals to the input image
table. If an input is active, the corresponding bit in the input
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image table will be set to a 1

PLC Scan Cycle… PLC Scan Cycle…

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 PLC Scan Cycle… PLC Scan Cycle…

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PLC Scan Cycle… Standard IEC 1131-3 Symbols

 Below are the standard IEC 1131-3 symbols that are used for input
and output devices

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 Standard IEC 1131-3 Symbols… Example 1
 Some slight variations occur between the symbols when used in  Consider a situation where the energizing of an output device
semigraphic form and when in full graphic, the semigraphic form depends on a normally open start switch being activated by being
being the one created by simply typing using the normal keyboard, closed
whereas the graphic form is the result of using drawing tools

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Example 1… Example 1…
 In drawing ladder diagrams the names of associated variable or  The more descriptive the name, the better, such as pump motor
addresses of each element are appended to its symbol control switch rather than just input, and pump motor rather than
just output.

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 Example 2 Example 3
 If there had been a normally closed switch with the output there  Suppose we have a hydraulic unit and we wish to give a “Healthy
would have been an output until that switch was opened. Only Lamp” indication when:
while there was no input to the contacts would there have been an  The pump is running: sensed by an auxiliary contact on the
output pump starter

 There is oil in the tank – sensed by a level switch which

closes when the switch is covered

 There is oil pressure – sensed by a pressure switch which

makes for adequate pressure

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Example 3…

END

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