Apparatus to interface process automation and electrical automation systems

• US 10,303,127 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Mazur, David C., Day, Scott D., Venne, Bruce K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US15/382,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20170097615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 891 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34012 Smart, intelligent I-O coprocessor, programmable sensor interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0658 Clock or time synchronisation among packet nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0667 Bidirectional timestamps, e.g. NTP or PTP for compensation of clock drift and for compensation of propagation delays arrangements for monitoring round trip delays in packet switching networks H04L43/0864
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/18 : using switches, relays or circuit breakers, e.g. intelligent electronic devices [IED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 : Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 : characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus are disclosed for interfacing process controllers in a process automation system with one or more intelligent electrical devices of an electrical automation system to use process and electrical control space information to perform actions and make decisions regarding actions in a connected enterprise system to facilitate energy management goals as well as process control goals in view of electrical control space information and process control space information. Some embodiments include an enclosure for a Motor Control Center unit, comprising: a DC power supply; an Ethernet switch; a network gateway module; and a controller.

Claims

1. An apparatus to interface a process automation system including one or more process automation system devices connected to a first network with an electrical automation system including an intelligent electrical device (IED) connected to a second network, the apparatus comprising:

an enclosure with an interior;

a network switch disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the first network;

a process controller disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the network switch; and

a network gateway module disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the second network and with the network switch, the network gateway module operative to translate IED data sent on the second network by the IED for the process controller into a message format (Ethernet/IP) of the first network and to provide the translated first data to the network switch;

the process controller being configured to;

execute an add-on instruction (AOI) to selectively convert unsigned IED data into signed IED data, and

scale raw IED data from the TED according to user-defined scale factors to provide scaled data values for use by the process controller in controlling at least one process.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process controller is further configured to execute the AOI to scale the data from the IED in the form of unsigned integers to signed real values or floating point values.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process controller is further configured to execute the AOI to interface a signed data type to an industrial controller tag within a computing system environment.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a redundant process controller.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is a NEMA enclosure.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the enclosure is an IEC enclosure.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process controller is further configured to:

send an add-on profile (AOP) program to a processor to define data to be exchanged between the IED of the electrical automation system and the process controller in a communication stream over a networked communications protocol according to information from an electronic data sheet (EDS) file corresponding to the IED.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IED is disposed in the interior of the enclosure.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the IED comprises an air circuit breaker.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a motor drive disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled to the first network.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the IED is configured to provide power to a soft starter.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the process controller is further configured to execute the AOI to scale the data from the IED in the form of unsigned integers to signed floating point values.

13. An apparatus to interface a process automation system including one or more process automation system devices connected to a first network with an electrical automation system including an intelligent electrical device (IED) connected to a second network, the apparatus comprising:

an enclosure with an interior;

a network switch disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the first network;

a process controller disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the network switch; and

a network gateway module disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the second network and with the network switch, the network gateway module operative to translate IED data sent on the second network by the IED for the process controller into a message format (Ethernet/IP) of the first network and to provide the translated first data to the network switch;

the process controller being configured to;

send an add-on profile (AOP) program to a processor to define data to be exchanged between the IED of the electrical automation system and the process controller in a communication stream over a networked communications protocol according to information from an electronic data sheet (EDS) file corresponding to the IED; and

send the add-on profile (AOP) program to the processor to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for at least one of;

configuring a requested packet interval (RPI) for class 1 connections, and filtering of real time data tags from the IED.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the networked communications protocol includes at least one of IEC 61850 MMS, GOOSE, SV, DNP 3.0, IEC 60870-5, Modbus TCP, Ethernet IP and DeviceNet.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the process controller is further configured to send the add-on profile (AOP) program to the processor to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for all of:

assignment of an IP address for the IED, configuring a requested packet interval (RPI) for class 1 connections, and filtering of real time data tags from the IED.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a redundant process controller.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the enclosure is a NEMA enclosure.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the enclosure is an IEC enclosure.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the IED is disposed in the interior of the enclosure.

20. A system to interface a process automation system including one or more process automation system devices connected to a first network with an electrical automation system including an intelligent electrical device (IED) connected to a second network, comprising:

an enclosure with an interior;

a network switch disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the first network;

a process controller disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the network switch;

a soft starter configured to receive power from the IED; and

a network gateway module disposed in the interior of the enclosure and operatively coupled with the second network and with the network switch, the network gateway module operative to translate IED data sent on the second network by the IED for the process controller into a message format (Ethernet/IP) of the first network and to provide the translated first data to the network switch;

a high accuracy timing device in communication with the switch, the high accuracy timing device configured for;

distributing a time signal through the first network operatively coupled with the process controller of the process automation system; and

distributing the time signal through the second network operatively coupled with the IED of the electrical automation system;

wherein the process controller is in communication with the switch, and the process controller is configured to;

execute an add-on instruction (AOI) of the process automation system to selectively convert unsigned data from IED into signed data and to scale raw data from the IED according to user-defined scale factors to provide scaled data values for use by the process controller in controlling at least one process.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the process controller is in communication with the switch, and the process controller is configured to:

send an add-on profile (AOP) program to a processor to define data to be exchanged between the IED of the electrical automation system and the process controller in a communication stream over a networked communications protocol according to information from an electronic data sheet (EDS) file corresponding to the IED.