SYSTEM, DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR MONITORING COMMUNICATION IN A WIND FARM NETWORK

• US 20100138751A1
• Filed: 08/26/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kumar, Hemanth A., Jose, Chery, Kumar, Vivek
• Granted Patent: US 8,782,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A method for monitoring communication in a wind farm network. A server is attached to one or more network nodes in a wind farm network. The server determines whether it is capable of communicating with each of the network nodes and reports the results as a network state. A graphical representation of the network state may be displayed to a user.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a status of communication in a wind farm network from a remote device, the system comprising:

a first wind turbine comprising a first network node communicatively coupled to the wind farm network; and

,

a server comprising;

a first communication interface communicatively coupled to the wind farm network and programmed to determine a first connection status for the first network node, the first connection status indicating whether the server is capable of communicating with the first network node;

a second communication interface communicatively coupled to the remote device and configured to transmit a network state comprising the first connection status to the remote device; and

,

a first processor operatively coupled to the first communication interface and the second communication interface.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises:

a third communication interface communicatively coupling the second communication interface to the remote device, the third communication interface configured to receive the network state from the server;

a display device configured to display a graphical representation of the network state; and

,

a second processor operatively coupled to the third communication interface and the display device.

3. A system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the graphical representation of the network state comprises:

a graphical representation of the server;

a graphical representation of the first network node; and

,

a graphical representation of the first connection status.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the first wind turbine further comprises a second network node communicatively coupled to the wind farm network;

the first communication interface is further programmed to determine a second connection status for the second network node, the second connection status indicating whether the server is capable of communicating with the second network node; and

,

the network state further comprises the second connection status.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a second wind turbine, wherein:

the second wind turbine comprises a second network node communicatively coupled to the wind farm network;

the first communication interface is further programmed to determine a second connection status for the second network node, the second connection status indicating whether the server is capable of communicating with the second network node; and

,

the network state further comprises the second connection status.

6. A system in accordance with claim 5, wherein:

the first communication interface is further configured to detect the first network node and the second network node;

the server further comprises a memory configured to store a collection of detected network nodes comprising the first network node and the second network node; and

,

the first communication interface determines a connection status for each of the first network node and the second network node in the collection to determine the first connection status and the second communication status.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first connection status further comprises one or more of the following:

a network address of the first network node, a hardware identifier of the first network node, a quantity of data transmitted by the first network node, a quantity of data received by the first network node, an elapsed time since the server became capable of communicating with the first network node, and a date and a time at which the server became capable of communicating with the first network node.

8. A device for displaying a network state of a wind farm network, the wind farm network comprising a server communicatively attached to a plurality of wind farm network nodes, the wind farm network state comprising a plurality of wind farm network node states, each of the plurality of wind farm network node states corresponding to a wind farm network node, each of the plurality of wind farm network node states comprising a link state, the device comprising:

a communication interface communicatively attachable to the server and configured to receive the network state from the server; and

,

a display device configured to display a graphical representation of the plurality of wind farm network node states and a graphical representation of the link states associated with the plurality of wind farm network node states.

9. A device in accordance with claim 8, wherein:

the link state associated with a wind farm network node state comprises a connection indicator having a value of connected if the server is capable of communicating with the wind farm network node corresponding to the link state, and having a value of disconnected if the server is not capable of communicating with the wind farm network node corresponding to the link state; and

,

the display device is further configured to graphically distinguish a link state having a connection indicator of connected from a link state having a connection indicator of disconnected.

10. A device in accordance with claim 9, wherein the link state associated with a wind farm network node state further comprises one or more of the following connection details for the wind farm network node corresponding to the wind farm network node state:

a network address of the wind farm network node, a hardware identifier of the wind farm network node, a quantity of data transmitted by the wind farm network node, a quantity of data received by the wind farm network node, an elapsed time since the server became capable of communicating with the wind farm network node, and a date and a time at which the server became capable of communicating with the wind farm network node.

11. A device in accordance with claim 10, further comprising a user input device configured to allow a user to select one of the displayed link states, wherein the display device is further configured to display at least one connection detail corresponding to the selected link state.

12. A device in accordance with claim 8, wherein:

each of the plurality of wind farm network nodes is associated with a position;

each wind farm network node state further comprises the position of the wind farm network node corresponding to the wind farm network node state; and

,

the display device is configured to depict each wind farm network node state based on the position of the wind farm network node.

13. A device in accordance with claim 12, wherein the position comprises a position of the wind farm network node relative to other devices within the wind farm network.

14. A device in accordance with claim 12, wherein the position comprises a physical location.

15. A method for presenting a communication status in a wind farm network, the wind farm network comprising a server and a plurality of network nodes, the method comprising:

requesting the communication status from the server, the communication status comprising a plurality of connection indicators, each of the plurality of connection indicators indicating whether the server is capable of communicating with a corresponding network node of the plurality of network nodes in the wind farm network;

receiving the communication status from the server; and

,

displaying on a display device a graphical representation of the communication status.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein receiving the communication status from the server comprises receiving an identifier for each corresponding network node.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein receiving the communication status further comprises receiving one or more of the following connection details for each corresponding network node:

a network address of the corresponding network node, a hardware identifier of the corresponding network node, a quantity of data transmitted by the corresponding network node, a quantity of data received by the corresponding network node, an elapsed time since the server became capable of communicating with the corresponding network node, and a date and a time at which the server became capable of communicating with the corresponding network node.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the graphical representation of the communication status comprises a graphical representation of each connection indicator, the method further comprising:

enabling a user to select one of the connection indicators; and

,

displaying at least one connection detail for the selected connection indicator.

19. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein displaying on a display device a graphical representation of the communication status comprises:

displaying on the display device a graphical representation of the server; and

displaying on the display device a graphical representation of each connection indicator.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

each of the plurality of network nodes is communicatively coupled to the wind farm network via a type of network connection;

the communication status further comprises a network topology comprising;

a plurality of expected network nodes, each expected network node corresponding to a network node in the wind farm network; and

,

the type of network connection for each of the expected network nodes; and

,

displaying the graphical representation of the communication status further comprises displaying on the display device a graphical representation of the network topology.