Integration of PLC Communication Middleware and PLC-Compatible OPC Server

摘要

The newly developed OPC server for a PLC connects to OPC clients that are generally adopted by commercial surveillance software, by making the PLC middleware (communication manager) compatible with all PLC data types and various networks, and by facilitating communication between multiple OPC (OLE for Process Control) clients and multiple OPC servers through making the communication with PLC faster. Past development activities included improvements of PLC program productivity and quality, unification of GUIs, and the development of reusable communication middleware that enables the shared use of communication devices and integration into each application software. The OPC server that has been developed this time around has inherited the features of the communication software, and therefore provides the advantages of using the same communication device for other PLC application software. This results in an efficient debugging environment where changes to the surveillance software can be checked while monitoring the progress of the PLC program during a system debug operation.