METHOD FOR THE COMMUNICATION OF SYSTEM CONTROL UNITS WITH A PLURALITY OF ENERGY GENERATING SYSTEMS VIA A GATEWAY, AND CORRESPONDINGLY CONFIGURED AND PROGRAMMED DATA SERVER

• US 20160254929A1
• Filed: 05/11/2016
• Published: 09/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
• Original Assignee: SMA Solar Technology AG
• Inventors: Engelhard, Georg, Thiel, Raimund, Schlote, Dirk
• Granted Patent: US 10,079,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex

Abstract

A method for the communication of system control units with a plurality of spatially distributed energy generating systems, which jointly feed into a continuous supply network for electrical energy, includes receiving request data from the system control units and system data from the energy generating systems at a gateway that is operating as a common gateway, managing the system data in the gateway and processing the request data in the gateway, and sending control commands to the energy generating systems and/or data responses to the system control units that result from the processing of the request data via the gateway. The method also includes receiving the request data in at least two different data models of the individual system control units and/or receiving the system data in at least two different data models of the individual energy generating systems at the gateway, translating the request data and the system data from their respective data models into a metadata model in the gateway; and managing the translated system data in the gateway and processing the translated request data in the gateway, wherefrom data responses compiled from system data to specific system control units and/or control commands to specific energy generating systems result in the metadata model. Lastly, the method includes translating the data responses and/or control commands from the metadata model into the data models of the specific system control units and/or energy generating systems in the gateway, and transmitting the translated data responses and/or control commands by the gateway to the specific system control units and/or energy generating systems.

Claims

1. A method for the communication of system control units with a plurality of spatially distributed energy generating systems, which jointly feed into a continuous supply network for electrical energy, comprising:

receiving request data from the system control units and system data from the energy generating systems at a gateway that is operating as a common gateway;

managing the system data in the gateway and processing the request data in the gateway;

sending control commands to the energy generating systems and/or data responses to the system control units that result from the processing of the request data via the gateway;

receiving the request data in at least two different data models of the individual system control units and/or receiving the system data in at least two different data models of the individual energy generating systems at the gateway;

translating the request data and the system data from their respective data models into a metadata model in the gateway;

managing the translated system data in the gateway and processing the translated request data in the gateway, wherefrom data responses compiled from system data to specific system control units and/or control commands to specific energy generating systems result in the metadata model;

translating the data responses and/or control commands from the metadata model into the data models of the specific system control units and/or energy generating systems in the gateway; and

transmitting the translated data responses and/or control commands by the gateway to the specific system control units and/or energy generating systems.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising taking into account, in the gateway, a network model of the supply network and of the feeding-in energy generating systems during the processing of the request data.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gateway, in the absence of corresponding request data from system control units, transmits control commands to the energy generating systems that ask for system data from the energy generating systems.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein state data from measuring devices are received at the gateway and are translated from their respective data model into the metadata model in the gateway, and wherein the translated state data are managed in the gateway.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving and taking into account weather forecast data at the gateway during the processing of the request data of the system control units and/or during the sending of the control commands to the energy generating systems by the gateway.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request data comprise such request data for which resulting control commands are transmitted in a temporal sequence by the gateway and/or repeatedly by the gateway until an objective defined in the request data is achieved.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request data from different system control units are checked for collisions before and/or during processing and, in the event of collisions occurring, are fed jointly to a collision eliminating routine.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the system control units is a further gateway, to which the gateway is connected as an energy generating system.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request data comprise requests for compliance with at least one network parameter at at least one point of the supply network.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the network parameter is a phase angle and/or a voltage and/or a frequency and/or the distribution thereof over the supply network.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request data comprise requests for communication of operating data of the totality of the energy generating systems or of a subset of the energy generating systems that is defined generically in the request data.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system data comprise identification data and present operating parameters of the energy generating systems.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the system data furthermore comprise generic descriptions of the respective energy generating system and/or position indications that indicate at what point the respective energy generating system is connected to the supply network.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the system data in the case of energy generating systems in the form of PV systems furthermore comprise indications concerning the geographical position and/or concerning the alignment of the PV generator assigned to the PV system.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request data and/or the system data and also the translated data responses and/or control commands are received and/or transmitted to the specific system control units and/or energy generating systems by the gateway via protected data connections.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request data from and the data responses to different system control units and/or the system data from and the control commands to different energy generating systems are received and transmitted in accordance with at least two different communication protocols and/or via at least two separate data ports to the system control units and/or energy generating systems.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gateway independently generates control commands to the energy generating systems in order to pursue an objective stored in the gateway and/or a global objective defined in the request data of the system control units.

18. A data server as a gateway configured and programmed to perform a method for the communication of system control units with a plurality of spatially distributed energy generating systems, which jointly feed into a continuous supply network for electrical energy, comprising:

receiving request data from the system control units and system data from the energy generating systems at the gateway as a common gateway;

managing the system data in the gateway and processing the request data in the gateway;

sending control commands to the energy generating systems and/or data responses to the system control units that result from the processing of the request data via the gateway;

receiving the request data in at least two different data models of the individual system control units and/or receiving the system data in at least two different data models of the individual energy generating systems at the gateway;

translating the request data and the system data from their respective data models into a metadata model in the gateway;

managing the translated system data in the gateway and processing the translated request data in the gateway, wherefrom data responses compiled from system data to specific system control units and/or control commands to specific energy generating systems result in the metadata model;

translating the data responses and/or control commands from the metadata model into the data models of the specific system control units and/or energy generating systems in the gateway; and

transmitting the translated data responses and/or control commands by the gateway to the specific system control units and/or energy generating systems.