Push communications architecture for intelligent electronic devices

• US 7,734,380 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2003
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Hancock, Martin A., Forth, J. Bradford, Blackett, Andrew W., Ransom, Douglas S., Hart, Ronald G., Teachman, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): VON BUHR, MARIA N
• Application Number:
  US10/666,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20040138835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,454 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/291, 700295-298, 702 57- 62, 713300-340, 375/219, 375/223, 709217-219, 709/230, 709/250, 455/3.01, 455/3.06, 455/456.1, 342/450, 380/258
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0061 concerning transmission of signals transmission of measured quantities or switching orders; sectionalised protection involving signal transmission between at least two stations H02H7/261; comparison of the voltage or current values at two spaced portions of a single system H02H3/28; transferring the output of a sensing member to another variable G01D5/00; electrical measuring arrangements using modulation of electromagnetic waves, e.g. light beams G01R15/24, G01R15/26
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0004 involved in a protection system
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/16 Electric power substations
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/18 using switches, relays or circuit breakers, e.g. intelligent electronic devices [IED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A power management architecture for an electrical power distribution system, or portion thereof, is disclosed. The architecture includes multiple intelligent electronic devices (“IED'"'"'s”) distributed throughout the power distribution system to manage the flow and consumption of power from the system using real time communications. Power management application software and/or hardware components operate on the IED'"'"'s and the back-end servers and inter-operate via the network to implement a power management application. The architecture provides a scalable and cost effective framework of hardware and software upon which such power management applications can operate to manage the distribution and consumption of electrical power by one or more utilities/suppliers and/or customers which provide and utilize the power distribution system. Autonomous communication on the network between IED'"'"'s, back-end servers and other entities coupled with secure networks, themselves interconnected, via firewalls, by one or more unsecure networks, is facilitated by the use of a back-channel protocol. The back-channel protocol allows a device coupled with a secure network to solicit communications from a device on the unsecure network, thereby opening a back-channel through the firewall through which the unsecure network device may send unsolicited messages to the secure network device. Communications between multiple secure networks is accomplished using a unsecure device on an intermediary unsecure network to relay communications between the secure network devices using the protocol described above.

Claims

1. An energy management device for use in an energy management architecture for managing the flow of energy in an energy distribution system, said energy management architecture comprising a network, said energy management device comprising:

a sensor coupled with said energy distribution system and operative to measure an energy parameter from said energy distribution system;

a processor coupled with said sensor and operative to generate power management data based on said measured energy parameter, wherein said processor further is operative to determine a geographical location of said energy management device; and

a network interface coupled with said processor and said network and operative to facilitate communications of said power management data and said geographical location over said network,

wherein said power management data may be authenticated based on said geographical location.

2. The energy management device of claim 1, wherein said energy distribution system comprises an electrical power distribution network.

3. The energy management device of claim 1, wherein said network interface further comprises at least one of an Ethernet interface, a wired modem, Bluetooth, or an AC power line data network interface.

4. The energy management device of claim 3, wherein said wired modem comprises at least one of a modem using the serial line interface protocol (“

SLIP”

), a modem using point to point protocol (“

PPP”

), an integrated services digital network (“

ISDN”

) modem, or digital subscriber line (“

DSL”

) modem.

5. The energy management device of claim 1, wherein a cellular modem is operative to determine said geographical location of the energy management device.

6. The energy management device of claim 5, wherein said geographical location is determined by RF triangulation.

7. The energy management device of claim 1, wherein said communications over said network interface are via Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“

TCP/IP”

).

8. The energy management device of claim 1, wherein said network interface is operative to facilitate communications of said power management data and said geographical location over said network without requiring a specific request for said power management data and said geographical location.

9. An energy management architecture for managing the flow of energy in an energy distribution system comprising:

a network;

at least one energy management device coupled with a portion of said energy distribution network, each of said at least one energy management device operative to at least one of generate power management data or respond to a power management command, each of said at least one energy management devices comprising;

a processor operative to process at least one of said power management data or said power management command, and further operative to determine a geographical location of said energy management device; and

a network interface operative to couple said processor and said network, further operative to at least one of facilitate transmission of said power management data and said geographical location over said network, or receive said power management command over said network, wherein said power management data may be authenticated based on said geographical location;

said architecture further comprising;

a power management application coupled with said network and operative to at least one of receive and process said power management data from said at least one energy management device, or generate said at least one power management command to said at least one energy management device.

10. The energy management architecture of claim 9, wherein said energy distribution system comprises an electrical power distribution network.

11. The energy management architecture of claim 9, wherein said network interface further comprises at least one of an Ethernet interface, a wired modem, Bluetooth, or an AC power line data network interface.

12. The energy management architecture of claim 11, wherein said wired modem comprises at least one of a modem using the serial line interface protocol (“

SLIP”

), a modem using point to point protocol (“

PPP”

), an integrated services digital network (“

ISDN”

) modem, or digital subscriber line (“

DSL”

) modem.

13. The energy management architecture of claim 9, wherein a cellular modem is operative to determine said geographical location of the energy management device.

14. The energy management architecture of claim 13, wherein said geographical location is determined by RF triangulation.

15. The energy management architecture of claim 9, wherein said communications over said network interface are via Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“

TCP/IP”

).

16. A method of managing an energy distribution system, said energy distribution system comprising a network, at least one energy management device coupled with said energy distribution system and further coupled to said network, said method comprising:

implementing a power management function with each of said at least one energy management device wherein said power management function comprises at least one of generating power management data, receiving power management data, generating a power management command, or receiving a power management command;

transmitting at least one of said power management data or said power management command, along with a geographical location of said energy management device, over said network; and

authenticating at least one of said power management data or said power management command based on said geographical location.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said energy distribution system comprises an electrical power distribution network.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said network is further coupled to said energy management device by at least one of an Ethernet interface, a wired modem, Bluetooth, or an AC power line data network interface.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said wired modem comprises at least one of a modem using the serial line interface protocol (“

SLIP”

), a modem using point to point protocol (“

PPP”

), an integrated services digital network (“

ISDN”

) modem, or digital subscriber line (“

DSL”

) modem.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein a cellular modem is operative to determine said geographical location of the energy management device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said geographical location is determined by RF triangulation.

22. An energy management device for use in an energy management architecture for managing the flow of energy in an energy distribution system, said energy management architecture comprising a network, said energy management device comprising:

a sensor coupled with said energy distribution system and operative to measure an energy parameter from said energy distribution system;

a processor coupled with said sensor and operative to generate power management data based on said measured energy parameter, wherein said processor further is operative to determine, a geographical location of said energy management device; and

a network interface coupled with said processor and said network and operative to facilitate communications of said power management data and said geographical location over said network,

wherein said power management data may be authenticated based on said geographical location.

23. The energy management device of claim 22, wherein said energy distribution system comprises an electrical power distribution network.

24. The energy management device of claim 22, wherein said network interface comprises at least one of an Ethernet interface, a cellular modem, a wired modem, Bluetooth, or an AC power line data network interface.

25. The energy management device of claim 24, wherein said wired modem comprises at least one of a modem using the serial line interface protocol (“

SLIP”

), a modem using point to point protocol (“

PPP”

), an integrated services digital network (“

ISDN”

) modem, or digital subscriber line (“

DSL”

) modem.

26. The energy management device of claim 24, wherein a cellular modem is operative to determine said geographical location of the energy management device.

27. The energy management device of claim 26, wherein said geographical location is determined by RF triangulation.

28. The energy management device of claim 22, wherein said communications over said network interface are via Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“

TCP/IP”

).