PLUG AND PLAY ENERGY EFFICIENCY SOLUTION AND AUTOMATIC DATA-PUSH METHOD FOR SAME

• US 20100082792A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Johnson, Jeffrey Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

An energy efficiency solution for automatically pushing data measured by IEDs in a utility system to an Internet server. Before the utility system is commissioned, the manufacturer pre-configures each IED to automatically push measured data to the server at regular intervals and associates each IED with a unique identifier that is transmitted with the data and with a customer who has purchased the solution. After commissioning, the IEDs come online and begin to automatically push their measured data to the server. The customer logs into the website via a manufacturer-provided access code to access the measured data instantly. Requests to change the type of data pushed from IEDs and other configuration changes can be made via the website. Periodically, the IEDs ask whether any configuration updates exist, and if so, the server makes available to the IEDs the updated configuration. By having IEDs initiate communications for data transmission and configuration updates, intervening firewalls are bypassed.

Claims

1. A method of automatically uploading data indicative of a characteristic of a utility measured by a plurality of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) in a utility system to a central server via the Internet, comprising:

prior to commissioning of a first of the IEDs in the utility system,

configuring the first IED to automatically push first data indicative of the characteristic of the utility measured by the first IED to the central server via the Internet; and

configuring the first IED with a unique identifier that is distinct from all other identifiers associated with every other one of the IEDs in the utility system and storing the unique identifier in a memory of the first IED;

responsive to installing the first IED in the utility system, automatically pushing the first data by the first IED to the central server and storing the first data on the central server; and

hosting a website on the central server, the website including a webpage for displaying information based on the first data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically pushing is carried out via an Internet Protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically pushing includes transmitting from the first IED to the central server the unique identifier associated with the first IED, the method further comprising associating, at the central server, the unique identifier with a customer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication, via the website, of a modification to a configuration of the first IED and transmitting, via the Internet, configuration information indicative of the modified configuration to the first IED to cause the configuration of the first IED to be changed responsive to the first IED sending to the central server a request for a configuration change.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring the first IED to automatically push first data includes storing in the first IED a uniform resource identifier corresponding to an IP address or name of the central server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the commissioning of the first IED, associating the unique identifier with a customer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, on the central server, a data-type database that includes a type of data measured by each type of the IEDs and the device type of each of the IEDs, wherein the data type includes energy or power.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the automatically pushing is carried out via a web service client installed on the first IED.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting, via the website, a change in the amount or type of data automatically pushed by the first IED, and, responsive thereto, causing the first IED to change the amount or the type of the data automatically pushed to the central server.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating, via the website, a periodicity of automatic pushes of the first data by the first IED to the central server or a periodicity of sampling or measuring of the characteristic of the utility by the first IED, and, responsive thereto, causing the first IED to change the periodicity of automatic pushes of the first data or the sampling or measurement of the characteristic of the utility by communicating information indicative of the periodicity from the central server to the first IED via the Internet.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically pushing includes:

requesting, via the first IED, whether a configuration update exists for the first IED; and

, if so,

requesting of the central server by the first IED the configuration update via the Internet,

communicating the configuration update from the central server to the first IED responsive to the request by the first IED,

updating in the first IED a configuration corresponding to the configuration update, and

automatically pushing the first data according to the updated configuration.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the utility includes current, voltage, energy, demand, or power.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to installation of a second of the IEDs in the utility system,

configuring the second IED to automatically push second data indicative of the characteristic of the utility measured by the second IED to the central server via the Internet; and

configuring the second IED with a unique identifier that is distinct from all other identifiers associated with every other one of the IEDs including the first IED in the utility system and storing the unique identifier associated with the second IED in a memory of the second IED;

responsive to installing the second IED in the utility system, automatically pushing the second data by the second IED to the central server and storing the second data on the central server; and

displaying, via the central server, information based on the second data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first data is associated with a first customer of the utility system and the second data is associated with a second customer of the utility system, the method further comprising hosting a second website on the central server, the second website including a webpage for displaying the information based on the second data.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving first authentication information from a user accessing the website for displaying the information based on the first data;

authenticating the first authentication information; and

responsive to the authenticating, allowing or disallowing access to the website.

16. A method of automatically communicating data indicative of a characteristic of a utility measured by a plurality of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) in a utility system to a central server via the Internet, comprising:

prior to installation of the IEDs in the utility system,

configuring each of the IEDs to automatically push respective data indicative of the characteristic of the utility measured by each respective ones of the IEDs to the central server via the Internet;

configuring each of the IEDs with a unique identifier that is distinct from all other identifiers associated with every other one of the IEDs in the utility system and storing the unique identifier in a respective memory of each of the IEDs;

associating, at the central server, at least some of the unique identifiers with a first customer;

responsive to installing the IEDs in the utility system, automatically pushing the respective data by each of the IEDs to the central server via an Internet Protocol and storing the respective data on the central server, wherein the automatically pushing includes transmitting from each of the IEDs to the central server the unique identifier associated with each respective one of the IEDs;

hosting a website on the central server, the website including at least one webpage for displaying information based on the data automatically pushed by at least one of the IEDs.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the configuring to automatically push includes storing in at least some of the IEDs a uniform resource identifier corresponding to an IP address of the central server, and wherein the characteristic of the utility includes energy, the method further comprising:

storing, on the central server, a database that includes configuration parameters or settings corresponding to each type of the IEDs; and

receiving an indication, via the webpage, of a modification to a configuration of the first IED and transmitting, via the Internet, configuration information indicative of the modified configuration to the first IED to cause the configuration of the first IED to be changed.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the automatically pushing includes:

requesting, via a first one of the IEDs, whether a firmware update exists for the first IED; and

,

if so,

requesting of the central server by the first IED the firmware update via the Internet,

communicating the firmware update from the central server to the first IED responsive to the request by the first IED,

updating in the first IED a configuration corresponding to the firmware update, and

automatically pushing the first data according to the updated firmware.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising requesting, via the webpage, a change in the amount or type of the first data automatically pushed by a first one of the IEDs, and, responsive thereto, causing the first IED to change the amount or the type of the first data automatically pushed to the central server.