Intelligent Electronic Device for Receiving and Sending Data at High Speeds Over a Network

• US 20080235355A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EI Electronics LLC (Hubbell, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electro Industries/Gaugetech
• Inventors: Wang, Wei, Spanier, Joseph, Siqueira da Silva, Dulciane
• Granted Patent: US 9,080,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1847 specifically adapted to static storage, e.g. adapted to flash memory or SSD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1865 Transactional file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0688 Non-volatile semiconductor memory arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for improving a data transfer rate from an intelligent electronic device (IED) to external PC clients, via a network interface. In one embodiment, an FTP based approach is disclosed which allows for significant optimization of download speeds providing as much a 100 times the download speed capability. In accordance with one aspect of present disclosure, an improved data rate is achieved by utilizing a high-speed transfer protocol, such as the FTP protocol in conjunction with a novel file system incorporated into the IED.

Claims

1. An internal file system for use in an intelligent electronic device (IED), the internal file comprising an internal log system further comprising:

I.) a plurality of logs, each of said plurality of logs further comprising at least one log file, each of said at least one log file further comprising at least one log record;

II.) a plurality of log header files, each of said plurality of log header files being associated with one of said plurality of logs in a one-to-one relationship, each of said plurality of log header files including statistics on each of said plurality of log files.

2. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said configuration of said internal log system is user defined.

3. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of logs is allocated contiguously in a memory of said IED.

4. An internal log system according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of logs are allocated in said memory during a low level formatting operation.

5. An internal log system according to claim 3, wherein said memory is a non-volatile memory.

6. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one record of said at least one log file is of a fixed record size in said internal log system.

7. An internal log system according to claim 6, wherein said record size is user defined.

8. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein records are written to said at least one log file data in a circular wrap-around style format.

9. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of logs are user configurable via programmable settings.

11. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of log files are remotely accessible via low-level access methods.

12. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of log files are stored in the internal log system in a single directory.

14. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said log files are only created or deleted following a low-level formatting of the internal log system.

15. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of log files are remotely retrievable by an external FTP client via an FTP interface.

16. An internal log system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one log record is comprised of a record header part and a record data part, wherein said record header part includes an internal index for said at least one log record and timestamp information.

10. An internal log system according to claim 10, wherein said programmable settings are selected from the group consisting of:

(1) record size, (2) log memory allocation, (3) CT and PT Ratios, (4) items assigned to the Log.

13. An internal log system according to claim 13, wherein said internal log file system is structured as a flat file system.

17. A method for enabling a remote client to perform Log retrieval of Logs stored in a storage file system of an IED, the method comprising:

(a) polling, by the remote client, the status of the Logs stored in said storage file system to obtain feedback data concerning the current state of said Logs;

(b) parsing the feedback data at the remote client to determine a range of records to be retrieved for each of said Logs;

(c) connecting to the IED from the remote client via an IED connection port;

(d) transmitting identifying indicia to the IED from the remote client;

(e) retrieving IED identification indicia from the IED by the remote client to enable a determination of supported features of the IED;

(f) retrieving a programmable settings file from the IED by the remote client;

(g) calculating, at the remote client, a file mapping of said Logs stored in said storage file system, wherein said calculation is based on said retrieved programmable settings;

(h) creating a log storage directory at the remote client;

(i) retrieving a log header file from the IED, wherein said log header files are associated with the Logs in a one-to-one relationship, said log header files including layout information of records in the Logs;

(j) retrieving log file records based on information included in the retrieved log header files;

(k) parsing the retrieved log records from the retrieved log files.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising storing the retrieved programmable settings in a non-volatile memory in the IED.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the IED identification comprises firmware version data.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein the step of parsing the retrieved log records further comprises the step of initializing internal data structures allocated to accommodate data fields of the parsed log records.

21. A method according to claim 17, wherein the IED identification indicia comprises a factory assigned IED meter designation and serial number.

22. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of storing the retrieved log records in an intermediate data format at the remote client subsequent to the step of parsing the retrieved log records from the retrieved log files.

23. A method for circumventing the overwriting of records to a Log at capacity, during a download process. The method comprising:

(a) receiving from an external client, a request to perform a download of log records of a requested Log;

(b) determining that the requested Log is at full capacity;

(c) preventing the request Log from accepting new records;

(d) downloading the existing records from the requested Log to the external client.

24. A method for preventing the inadvertent overwriting of existing records of a Log in an IED by new records during a Log download, the method comprising:

(a) configuring said Log into an available record segment having a first record size and a reserve record segment having a second record size, wherein the available record segment has associated therewith a lower record pointer identifying a lower record boundary of the available record segment and an upper record pointer defining an upper record boundary of the available record segment;

(b) incrementing said lower and upper record pointers whenever a new record is received in the available record segment of said Log;

(c) receiving a request from an external client to perform a download of said Log;

(d) determining whether the available data segment is full;

(e) freezing the lower record pointer if said determination is true;

(f) downloading those records contained within the available data segment starting from a record position associated the frozen lower record pointer and terminating with a record position defining the first record size;

(g) simultaneously receiving new records in the reserve record segment during said download until said Log reaches capacity;

(h) incrementing said upper record pointer upon receiving each new record.

25. A method according to claim 24, further comprising resetting said lower pointer upon termination of said download to re-establish said available record segment and said reserve record segment.

26. A method according to claim 24, wherein the second record size of the reserve data segment is smaller than the first data size of the first data segment.