Method and apparatus for configuring an intelligent electronic device for use in supervisory control and data acquisition system verification

• US 5,963,734 A
• Filed: 04/03/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ABB Power T&D Limited (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Power T&D Limited (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Ackerman, William J., Kunsman, Steven A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fiul, Dan
• Application Number:
  US08/825,756
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 364/578, 364/165, 370/466, 702/125, 702/60-62, 707/104, 455/507, 395/500
• US Class Current: 703/18
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24036 Test signal generated by microprocessor, for all I-O tests
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24215 Scada supervisory control and data acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0256 injecting test signals and analyzing monitored process response, e.g. injecting the test signal while interrupting the normal operation of the monitored system; superimposing the test signal onto a control signal during normal operation of the monitored system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

Method and apparatus for performing point to point verification of devices in a SCADA system are provided. An intelligent electronic device (IED), having two modes of operation--normal and simulation--provides simulated IED data to a SCADA device on command. The IED is capable of continuing to perform its normal functions of monitoring a process under control during the simulation mode. The IED accepts simulation data either locally through a user interface or from a SCADA device over/through a communication port. The simulation data is then stored in a memory area of the IED. During simulation mode, the IED does not update the memory area but rather provides data from this area to a SCADA device on command.

Claims

1. A method for verifying the functionality of a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, the SCADA system comprising a SCADA device, an intelligent electronic device (IED) and a communication link therebetween, wherein the IED measures a physical process and stores digital data representative of the measurement in a memory area for transmission via the communication link to the SCADA device, the method comprising the steps of:

a) communicating a verification enable command from the SCADA device to the IED via the communication link such that a verification mode is enabled in said IED;

b) communicating simulated digital data representative of measurement data from one of the SCADA device and a local input device to the IED for storage in said IED;

c) transmitting said simulated digital data back from the IED to one of the SCADA device and a local input device in place of actual digital data representative of the measurement.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the SCADA system functionality is verified without the use of primary signal injection equipment.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said IED comprises:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for measuring the physical process and converting the measurements into a digital representation of the measured values;

a memory area for storing digital values;

at least one processor in electrical communication with said ADC and said memory area, said processor operating upon said digital representation values according to a predetermined function, and said processor selectively moving said digital values to said memory area;

a command register for storing verification enable commands, said command register being in electrical communication with said processor such that said processor does not move said digital values to said memory area when the command register contains a verification enable command;

an output port in electrical communication with the SCADA device for transmitting said digital values from said memory area to said SCADA device;

and an input port for selectively receiving substitute digital values from the SCADA device for storage in said memory area such that said processor transmits said substitute digital values to the SCADA device instead of said measured digital values.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said input and output ports comprise a single input/output port.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein said IED comprises one of a relay, an electronic meter and a transducer.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said IED continues measuring said physical process.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein said IED continues controlling said physical process.

8. An intelligent electronic device (IED) for use with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) device, the IED comprising:

conversion means for measuring a physical process and converting the measurements into digital representation values of the measurement;

memory for storing digital values;

processor means in communication with said conversion means for operating upon said digital representation values according to a predetermined function;

said processor further being in communication with said memory for storing the digital representation values;

first communication means in communication with said memory and said SCADA device for selectively transferring said digital representation values to the SCADA device;

second communication means in communication with said memory and one of said SCADA device and another external device for storing simulated digital representation values into said memory in place of the measured digital representation values such that said simulated digital representation values are transferred to said SCADA device in place of the measured digital representation values.

9. The IED as recited in claim 8 wherein said first and second communication means comprise a single input/output port.

10. The IED as recited in claim 8 wherein said conversion means comprises an analog-to-digital converter.

11. The IED as recited in claim 8 further comprising a command register in communication with said second communication means and said processor means such that a first predetermined value stored in said command register indicates to said processor not to store digital representative values of the measurements.

12. The IED as recited in claim 8 wherein said IED comprises one of a relay, an electronic meter and a transducer.

13. An intelligent electronic device (IED) for use with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) device, the IED comprising:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for measuring a physical process and converting said measurements to a digital representation of said measurement values;

a memory area capable of storing digital values;

at least one processor in electrical communication with said ADC and said memory area, said processor operating upon said digital representation values according to a predetermined function, and said processor selectively moving said digital values to said memory area;

a command register in electrical communication with said processor such that said processor does not move said digital values to said memory area when the command register contains a predetermined command instruction;

an output port in electrical communication with the SCADA device for transmitting said digital values from said memory area to said SCADA device;

and an input port for selectively receiving substitute digital values from one of the SCADA or another device for storage in said memory area such that said processor transmits said substitute digital values to said SCADA instead of said measured digital values.

14. The IED according to claim 13 wherein said input and output ports comprise a single input/output port.

15. The IED according to claim 13 wherein said IED comprises one of a relay, an electronic meter and a transducer.

16. The IED according to claim 13 wherein said IED continues measuring said physical process.

17. The IED according to claim 16 wherein said IED continues controlling said physical process.

18. A method for providing verification data for use with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) device from an intelligent electronic device (IED), comprising the steps of:

when said IED is in a first mode;

measuring a physical process to obtain measured values;

operating upon said physical process as required by said IED functionality;

storing said measured values in a memory area for later transmission to the SCADA device;

retrieving said measured values from said memory area and transmitting said measured values to the SCADA device;

when said IED is in a second mode;

receiving simulated measured values and storing said values in said memory area in place of said measured values;

continue measuring the physical process to obtain measured values;

operating upon said measured values as required by said IED functionality;

discontinuing the storage of said measured values in said memory area; and

,

retrieving said simulated measured values from said memory area and transmitting said simulated measured values to the SCADA device.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein said IED comprises one of a relay, an electronic meter and a transducer.

20. The method according to claim 18 further comprising the step of receiving a command to enter one of the first or the second mode.