DYNAMIC INSTALLATION AND UNINSTALLATION SYSTEM OF RENEWABLE ENERGY FARM HARDWARE

• US 20100146087A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Wind & Energy Services (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: PURAVANKARA, Vinish, JOSE, Chery, KUMAR, Vivek, KUMAR, A. Hemanth
• Granted Patent: US 7,908,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31342 Design of process control system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A system for dynamic installation or uninstallation of a plurality of hardware components of a renewable energy software system, including a reviser including a hardware configuration database, at least one communication device that allows the plurality of hardware components to communicate with the hardware configuration database containing hardware configuration data for the plurality of hardware components, and a plurality of real time objects in the renewable energy software system that represent the plurality of hardware components, wherein the plurality of real time objects are automatically updated by the hardware configuration database at runtime.

Claims

1. A system for dynamic installation or uninstallation of a plurality of hardware components of a renewable energy software system, comprising:

(a) a reviser including a hardware configuration database;

(b) at least one communication device that allows the plurality of hardware components to communicate with the hardware configuration database containing hardware configuration data for the plurality of hardware components; and

,

(c) a plurality of real time objects in the renewable energy software system that represent the plurality of hardware components, wherein the plurality of real time objects are automatically updated by the hardware configuration database at runtime.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the renewable energy software system is selected from a wind farm software system, a solar farm software system, and combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reviser further includes a graphical user interface.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the hardware components are selected from a plurality of wind farm components and a plurality of solar farm components, wherein the plurality of wind farm components include wind turbines, wind farm hardware microcontrollers, wind farm management system components, and meteorological mast components, and wherein the plurality of solar farm components include a plurality of solar panels in a solar array, at least one inverter, a plurality of programmable logic controllers, and a plurality of solar farm management system components.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the hardware configuration database stores a plurality of hardware configuration data that correspond to the plurality of wind farm hardware components, solar farm components, and combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of hardware components provide a plurality of I/O signals via the communications device to the hardware configuration database to update the hardware configuration data.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the graphical user interface further includes an interactive editor that allows a user to view and edit the hardware configuration data of the plurality of hardware components.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive editor provides the user with access to the hardware configuration database to modify the hardware configuration data of the plurality of hardware components to install the plurality of hardware components in a renewable energy software system at runtime.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive editor provides the user with an option to uninstall the plurality of hardware components from the renewable energy software system at runtime.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive editor further includes a security level control to limit changes to the hardware configuration data.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the interactive editor limits the number of hardware components to be installed in the renewable energy software system.

12. A method for dynamic installation of a plurality of renewable energy farm hardware components into a renewable energy software system, comprising:

(a) providing the plurality of hardware components to be installed in a renewable energy farm;

(b) providing a reviser, wherein the reviser further includes a hardware configuration database and a graphical user interface in communication with the hardware configuration database;

(c) providing a communication device to send a hardware component status signal to the hardware configuration database;

(d) sending the hardware component status signal of the hardware component from the communication device to the hardware configuration database;

(e) receiving the hardware component status signal at the hardware configuration database;

(f) updating a plurality of hardware configuration data that corresponds to the plurality of hardware components in the hardware configuration database based on the hardware component status signal, wherein the hardware configuration database is configured to automatically initiate a change in a plurality of real time objects of the renewable energy software system; and

,

(g) automatically initiating a change in the plurality of real time objects of the renewable energy farm software system to reflect the installation of the plurality of hardware components at runtime.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically displaying on the graphical user interface updated information about the plurality of real time objects of the renewable energy software system.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the graphical user interface further includes an interactive editor, wherein the interactive editor includes at least a computer with a display screen.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the renewable energy farm is a wind farm, a solar farm, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the hardware components are selected from wind farm components and solar farm components, wherein the wind farm components include wind turbines, hardware microcontrollers, wind farm management system components, and meteorological mast components, and wherein the solar farm components include a plurality of solar panels in a solar array, at least one inverter, a plurality of programmable logic controllers, and a plurality of solar farm management system components.

17. A method for the dynamic uninstallation of a plurality of renewable energy farm hardware components from a renewable energy software system, comprising:

(a) providing a reviser, wherein the reviser further includes a hardware configuration database and a graphical user interface in communication with the hardware configuration database;

(b) providing an option to uninstall the plurality of hardware components through the graphical user interface;

(c) selecting the option to uninstall the plurality of hardware components;

(d) providing a communication device to send a hardware component status signal to the hardware configuration database;

(e) sending the hardware component status signal of the hardware component from the communication device to the hardware configuration database;

(f) receiving the hardware component status signal at the hardware configuration database;

(g) updating hardware configuration data of the hardware configuration database based on the hardware component status signal, wherein the hardware configuration database is configured to automatically initiate a change in a plurality of real time objects of the renewable energy software system; and

,

(h) automatically initiating a change in the plurality of real time objects of the renewable energy software system to reflect the removal of the plurality of hardware components at runtime.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying status information about the plurality of real time objects of the renewable energy software system on the graphical user interface.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the graphical user interface further includes an interactive editor, wherein the interactive editor provides a user with an option to remove hardware configuration data for the renewable energy farm hardware components being removed from the renewable energy farm software system.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the renewable energy farm is selected from a wind farm, a solar farm system, and combinations thereof.