PROGRAMMING

LANGUAGES

TYPES OF PLC LANGUAGES

The three types of programming languages
used in PLCs are:
Ladder
Boolean
Grafcet

LADDER LANGUAGE

Enhanced functional block format

PLC Instruction Set Classifications

These instruction categories

include:

ladder relay
timing
counting
program/flow control
arithmetic
data manipulation
data transfer
special function (sequencers)
network communication
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BOOLEAN
Some PLC manufacturers use Boolean language,
also called Boolean mnemonics, to program a
controller.

GRAFCET
Grafcet (Graphe Fonctionnel de Commande
tape Transition) is a symbolic, graphic
language, which originated in France, that
represents the control program as steps or
stages in the machine or process.
In fact, the English translation of Grafcet
means step transition function charts.
As the IEC 1131 standards sequential
function charts (SFCs), which allow several
PLC languages to be used in one control8

Grafcet translation

10

LADDER DIAGRAM FORMAT

A ladder rung is TRUE when it has logic continuity.

Logic continuity exists when power flows through
the rung from left to right.
The execution of logic events that enable the
output provide this continuity.
11

Illustration of several different

continuity paths in a ladder
rung

12

Monitoring device showing

(a)Power continuity through the runginputs 11
and 12 are ON, turning output 40 ON.
(b)Power continuity through only input 12, thus
output 40 is not ON.

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Functional block instructions

(a) one enable line and one output
(b) one enable line, a start timing command, and
two outputs.

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A functional block instruction that is

always enabled
To make a block active at all times without any
driving logic, the user can omit all contact logic
and place a continuity line in the block during
programming

15

The ladder rung matrix

It determines the maximum number of ladder
contact elements that can be used to program a
rung.
The size of this matrix differs among both PLC
manufacturers and the programming devices used

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Ladder matrix
(a)functional block instructions
(b)Enhanced ladder format functional instructions.

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One rule, which is present in almost all

PLCs, prevents reverse (i.e., right-to-left)
power flow in a ladder rung.
PLC logic does not allow reverse power to
avoid sneak paths.
Sneak paths occur when power flows in a
reverse direction through an undesired field
device, thus completing a continuity path.
If a PLCs logic requires reverse power flow,
the user must reprogram the rung with
forward power flow to all contact elements.

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19

20

EXAMINE-ON/NORMALLY OPEN

EXAMINE-OFF/NORMALLY CLOSED

21

OUTPUT COIL

22

LATCH/UNLATCH OUTPUT COIL

23

ONE-SHOT
OUTPUT

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TRANSITIONAL CONTACT

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Ladder rung where all

outputs turn ON in the
same scan

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Ladder rung where the

outputs turn ON in
different scans

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TIMER INSTRUCTIONS

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29

Hardwired circuit with

time-delay and
instantaneous contacts

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ON-DELAY ENERGIZE/ DE-ENERGIZE TIMER

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OFF-DELAY ENERGIZE/ DE-ENERGIZE TIMER

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COUNTER INSTRUCTIONS

33

Counter function block with

up, down, and reset counter
instructions

34

Automatically resetting counter

35

Program/flow control
instructions
They direct the flow of operations, as
well as the execution of instructions,
within a ladder program.
They perform these functions using
branching and return instructions,
which are executed when certain
already programmed control logic
conditions occur.

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37

38

Example of an MCR instruction

39

Example of a jump to instruction

40

PLC with assigned

subroutines at the end of
the program

41

User-created subroutine area

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ARITHMETIC INSTRUCTIONS

43

Arithmetic Instructions
(a) Coil

(b) contact
(c) block format.

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DATA MANIPULATION INSTRUCTIONS

45

DATA TRANSFER INSTRUCTIONS

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SPECIAL FUNCTION INSTRUCTIONS

47

A sequencer (SEQ) block

48

Sequencer instruction block

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DIAGNOSTICS
A diagnostics (DIAG) block
compares two memory blocks.

instruction

50

PID functional block

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52

Operation of a network output coil

and a network contact instructions.
Note that contact 20 in PLC #2 is a local
contact

53

Network Send/Receive

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BOOLEAN MNEMONICS
It is a PLC language based primarily on the
Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE IEC

1131
The
International
Electrotechnical
Commission
(IEC)
SC65B-WG7
committee developed the IEC 1131
standard in an effort to standardize
programmable controllers.
One of the committees objectives
was to create a common set of PLC
instructions that could be used in all

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It defines two graphical languages and two

text-based languages for use in PLC
programming.
The graphical languages use symbols to
program control instructions, while the textbased languages use character strings to
program instructions.
Graphical languages
ladder diagrams (LD)
function block diagram (FBD)
Text-based languages
instruction list (IL)

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The five IEC 61131-3 Programming languages

graphical languages
Function Block Diagram (FBD)
AUTO

CALC1

DI

CALC

PUMP
>=1

IN1 OUT

MAN_ON
IN2

ACT

DO

Sequential Flow Chart (SFC)

START STEP
T1
STEP A
T2
STEP B

Ladder Diagram (LD)

CALC

PUMP

IN2
MAN_ON

Instruction List (IL)

A: LD

%IX1 (* PUSH BUTTON *)

ANDN %MX5 (* NOT INHIBITED *)

ST

%QX2 (* FAN ON *)

N ACTION D3 D3_READY

T3

IN1 OUT

ACT

D ACTION D2 D2_READY

D ACTION D4 D4_READY

CALC1
AUTO

N ACTION D1 D1_READY

textual languages
Structured Text (ST)
VAR CONSTANT X : REAL := 53.8 ;
Z : REAL; END_VAR
VAR aFB, bFB : FB_type; END_VAR
bFB(A:=1, B:=OK);
Z := X - INT_TO_REAL (bFB.OUT1);
IF Z>57.0 THEN aFB(A:=0, B:=ERR);
ELSE aFB(A:=1, B:=Z is OK);
END_IF
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59

Limit switch addressed

(a) a standard PLC environment

(b) an IEC

1131-3 environment

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Ladder diagram language (LD)

uses a standardized set of ladder
programming symbols to implement
control functions.
Instruction list (IL) is a low-level
language similar to the machine or
assembly
language
used
with
microprocessors. This type of language
is useful for small applications, as well
as applications that require speed
optimization of the program or a

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62

Structured text (ST) is a high-level

language
that
allows
structured
programming, meaning that many complex
tasks can be broken down into smaller ones.
ST resembles a BASIC- or PASCAL-type
computer language.
Structured text programming is particularly
suited to applications involving data
handling,
computational
sorting,
and
intensive mathematical applications utilizing
floating-point values.
ST is also
implementing

the best language

artificial intelligence

for
63
(AI)

64

SEQUENTIAL FUNCTION
CHARTS (SFC)
Sequential functional chart, or SFC, is a
graphical language that provides a
diagrammatic representation of control
sequences in a program.
Basically, sequential function chart is a
flowchart-like
framework
that
can
organize the subprograms or subroutines
(programmed in LD, FBD, IL, and/or ST)
that form the control program.
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The SFC programming framework contains

three main elements that organize the
control program:
steps
A step is a stage in the control process.
transitions
After the PLC executes a step/action, it
must receive a transition before it will
proceed to the next step.
actions
Each step may or may not have an action
associated with it. An action is a set of
control instructions prompting the PLC to66

Sequential function
chart of a mixing
process

67

Comparison of an
SFC diagram and a
flowchart

68

Macrostep within an SFC program

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Graphic symbols used in SFCs

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(a)Level 1 SFC
level 2 SFC

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PROGRAMMING
NORMALLY CLOSED
TRANSITIONS

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DIVERGENCES AND CONVERGENCES

A divergence is when an SFC element has many
links going out of it, while a convergence is when an
element has many links coming into it.

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OR Divergences and Convergences

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AND Divergences and Convergences

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I/O NETWORKS

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General PLC architecture

RS 232

CPU

Real-Time
Clock

ROM

flash
EPROM

Ethernet

serial port ethernet

controller controller
extension
bus

parallel bus

fieldbus
controller

field bus

buffers

analogdigital
converters

digitalanalog
converters

Digital Output

Digital
Input

signal
conditionin
g

power
amplifiers

relays

signal
conditioning

external
I/Os

direct Inputs and Outputs

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I/O bus network block diagram

78

Connection between a PLC, a

local area network, and an I/O
bus network

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TYPES OF I/O BUS NETWORKS

I/O bus networks can be separated into two
different categoriesone that deals with
low-level devices that are typical of discrete
manufacturing operations and another that
handles high-level devices found in process
industries.
These bus network categories are:
device bus networks
process bus networks
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I/O bus network classification diagram

81

Network and protocol standards

82

InterBus-S I/O network

interface connected to a
Siemens PLC

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An InterBus-S network
with a host controller
interface to a PLC

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ASI bit-wide device bus network

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I/O bus network

using the CANbus
and ASI networks

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Process bus configuration

87

Bridge connecting lowspeed and high-speed

Fieldbus networks

88

Profibus hierarchy

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DeviceNet I/O bus port connections

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THE END

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