A programmable logic controller (10) is connected to external equipment (40) through a serial communication unit (30), and the programmable logic controller (10) includes: a memory (7), including a user program (11) and a setting document (13), where the user program (11) records both of a command for the communication interface device and command target information thereof, and the setting document (13) saves address information corresponding to the command target information; and a processor (8), reading the user program (11) and the setting document (13) to execute the command.

Methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for a web browser accessible data file system on a programmable logic controller (PLC). The invention includes a PLC which includes a controller module; a file system module coupled to the controller module and adapted to persistently store archive data files; a memory module that stores binary data coupled to the controller module; and a user program module that stores instructions adapted to be executed by the controller module. The instructions may include creating an archive file in a user application format in the file system module; storing binary data in the memory module; converting the binary data to the user application format of the archive file; and storing the converted binary data as an entry in the archive file in the file system module. Numerous additional aspects are disclosed.

Methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for a web browser accessible data file system on a programmable logic controller (PLC). The invention includes a PLC which includes a controller module; a file system module coupled to the controller module and adapted to persistently store archive data files; a memory module that stores binary data coupled to the controller module; and a user program module that stores instructions adapted to be executed by the controller module. The instructions may include creating an archive file in a user application format in the file system module; storing binary data in the memory module; converting the binary data to the user application format of the archive file; and storing the converted binary data as an entry in the archive file in the file system module. Numerous additional aspects are disclosed.

Provided is a support device that supports easier data exchange between PLCs without relying on a type of a PLC of the other communication party. The support device includes: a first input unit for receiving information defining, on a data-by-data basis, variables for data handled by the first programmable logic controller; a second input unit for receiving a source program expressing processing executed on the first programmable logic controller using the defined variables; a third input unit for receiving information that identifies a type of a second programmable logic controller in association with a first variable; and a generation unit that generates the executable program using the information defining the variables and the source program. The generation unit adapts a data structure of first data secured in the memory in correspondence with the first variable in accordance with the type of the second programmable logic controller.

A sequence program creation device includes a search-key-circuit specification unit specifying a search key circuit; a search-area specification unit specifying a search area for searching for a circuit similar to the search key circuit; a search-index specification unit specifying an index in a process of calculating a similarity to the search key circuit; a similarity calculation unit calculating a similarity to the search key circuit, based on the index, for each circuit included in the search area; a search-target-part determination unit determining whether the similarity is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold for each circuit for which the similarity calculation unit has calculated the similarity; and a search-result display-screen display unit displaying on a search-result display screen a circuit whose similarity is determined to be equal to or more than the predetermined threshold by the search-target-part determination unit.

To provide an appearance inspection system capable of reduce labor for setting an imaging condition by a designer when a plurality of inspection target positions on a target is sequentially imaged. An appearance inspection system includes an imaging condition decision part and a route decision part. The imaging condition decision part decides a plurality of imaging condition candidates including a relative position between a workpiece and an imaging device for at least one inspection target position among a plurality of inspection target positions. The route decision part decides a change route of an imaging condition for sequentially imaging the plurality of inspection target positions by selecting one imaging condition among the plurality of imaging condition candidates so that a pre-decided requirement is satisfied.

To provide an appearance inspection system capable of reduce labor for setting an imaging condition by a designer when a plurality of inspection target positions on a target is sequentially imaged. An appearance inspection system includes an imaging condition decision part and a route decision part. The imaging condition decision part decides a plurality of imaging condition candidates including a relative position between a workpiece and an imaging device for at least one inspection target position among a plurality of inspection target positions. The route decision part decides a change route of an imaging condition for sequentially imaging the plurality of inspection target positions by selecting one imaging condition among the plurality of imaging condition candidates so that a pre-decided requirement is satisfied.

A network system, and a method of use thereof, includes a first network subscriber arranged in an automation network of an automation system, a second network subscriber having a cloud computing infrastructure, and a communication unit for transmitting acquired data from the first network subscriber to the second network subscriber. The communication unit includes a first interface, which is configured as an input/output module and connected to the first network subscriber, and a second interface, which is configured as an agent and connected to the second network subscriber.

It is possible to make data for manufacturing devices available in a standard format using an adapter that would automatically interrogate the device and use the information gained from the machine to generate a data translation file. The data translation file could subsequently be used by an agent to interpret a data stream provided by the adapter for the manufacturing device.

A novel and useful acknowledgement and adaptive frequency hopping mechanism for use in wireless communication systems such as IO-Link Wireless. One or two additional acknowledgement bits are added to packet transmissions. One is a current acknowledgment bit which indicates whether a packet was successfully received anytime during the current cycle. The second bit is a previous acknowledgment bit which indicates whether packets were received successfully anytime during the previous cycle. An adaptive hopping table is constructed using a greedy algorithm which chooses frequencies with the best PER for transmission of higher priority packets, while equalizing the PER products across cycles. A last resort frequency mechanism further improves transmission success by switching to a better performing channel for the last subcycle when previous attempts to transmit a high priority packet have failed.