One global precise time and one maximum transmission time

• US 8,239,702 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2010
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
• Original Assignee: Vestas Wind Systems A/S
• Inventors: Bengtson, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Connolly, Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/787,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 713/375, 713/600
• US Class Current: 713/375
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/047 characterised by the controller architecture, e.g. multiple processors or data communications
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/048 controlling wind farms
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2240/96 as part of a wind turbine farm
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25479 Synchronize controllers using messages, add transmission time afterwards
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25483 Synchronize several controllers using messages over data bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0638 Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation synchronization for ring networks H04L12/422; data switching networks with synchronous transmission H04L12/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0652 Synchronisation among time division multiple access [TDMA] nodes, e.g. time triggered protocol [TTP] bus network with centralized control in which slots are of a TDMA packet structure H04L12/4035
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0658 Clock or time synchronisation among packet nodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

Method of controlling a wind power system including a plurality of system elements, the wind power system including a plurality of data processors distributed in the system elements, the method including the steps of: synchronizing at least a part of the data processors to at least one reference signal distributed to the data processors from a time synchronization arrangement, associating the data processors with local clock generation circuitries, wherein the local clock generation circuitries associated with data processors of a first subset of the data processors have a peak-to-peak tracking jitter higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold value and wherein a second subset of the data processors have a peak-to-peak tracking jitter less than the predetermined threshold value, controlling at least one of the system elements at least partly by means of a data processor from the first or second subset of data processors.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a wind power system comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of data processors distributed in said nodes, the method comprising:

synchronizing at least a part of said data processors to at least one reference signal distributed to said data processors from a time synchronization arrangement;

associating at least one of said synchronized data processors with a controller node of the plurality of nodes in the wind power system and associating at least another one of said synchronized data processors with each of a plurality of remote nodes of the plurality of nodes in the wind power system;

establishing respective transmission time estimates between said controller node and each of said remote nodes;

generating an armed control signal comprising an execution instruction associated with a time of execution, the execution instruction defining instructions to be executed by a data processor associated with one of the remote nodes at a time defined by the time of execution;

comparing the time of execution to the respective transmission time estimates to identify at least one of the remote nodes that is capable of receiving the armed control signal before the time of execution; and

transmitting the armed control signal from the controller node to the identified remote node prior to the time of execution by a time interval at least as long as the respective transmission time estimate associated with the identified remote node.

2. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission time estimate is established on the basis of a plurality of transmission and processing delay representations.

3. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 1, wherein said armed control signal comprises an instruction to perform a measurement and wherein said transmitting of said armed control signal from said controller node to said identified remote node is performed prior to a time where a result from the measurement is needed by said controller node by a time interval which corresponds to or is greater than twice the established transmission time estimate of the identified remote node plus a measurement time.

4. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 1, wherein said data processors are part of a wind turbine controller node, substation controller node or a central controller node of a wind power plant.

5. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a low delay subset of the remote nodes that is characterized by respective transmission time estimates that enable execution of an execution instruction at a predefined time of execution.

6. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 5, wherein said low delay subset of the remote nodes is utilized for high precision control of aerodynamic control of blades of wind turbines of the wind power system.

7. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 5, wherein said low delay subset of the remote nodes is utilized for high precision control of power converters of wind turbines or substations of the wind power system.

8. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 1, wherein a transmission attribute is associated with said armed control signal, and wherein said establishing respective transmission time estimates between said controller node and said remote nodes comprises establishing separate transmission time estimates for different values of said transmission attribute.

9. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 1, wherein said controlling said wind power system comprises executing a prediction algorithm or a simulation algorithm to predict control acts that may be significant to carry out at a future time, and wherein a prediction time period is determined at least partly on the basis of said respective transmission time estimates.

10. The method of controlling a wind power system according to claim 1, wherein a time represented by said reference signal is precise to the nearest microsecond.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the execution time is set based on a need of a utility grid connected to the wind power system.

12. A system for controlling a wind power plant comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of data processors distributed in said nodes, the system comprising:

a synchronizer for synchronizing at least a part of said data processors to at least one reference signal distributed to said data processors from a time synchronization arrangement;

an associator for associating at least one of said synchronized data processors with a controller node of the plurality of nodes in the wind power plant and associating at least another one of said synchronized data processors with each of a plurality of remote nodes of the plurality of nodes in the wind power plant;

an establisher for establishing respective transmission time estimates between said controller node and each of said remote nodes;

an instruction generator for generating an armed control signal comprising an execution instruction associated with a time of execution, the execution instruction defining instructions to be executed by a data processor associated with one of the remote nodes at a time defined by the time of execution;

a comparing element for comparing the time of execution to the established transmission time estimates to identify at least one of the remote nodes that is capable of receiving the armed control signal before the time of execution; and

a transmitter for transmitting the armed control signal from the controller node to the identified remote node prior to the time of execution by a time interval at least as long as the respective transmission time estimate associated with the identified remote node.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the execution time is set based on a need of a utility grid connected to the wind power plant.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein said armed control signal comprises an instruction to perform a measurement and wherein said transmitting of said armed control signal from said controller node to said identified remote node is performed prior to a time where a result from the measurement is needed by said controller node by a time interval which corresponds to or is greater than twice the established transmission time estimate of the identified remote node plus a measurement time.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein said data processors are part of a wind turbine controller node, substation controller node or a central controller node of a wind power plant.

16. The system according to claim 12, further comprising:

before establishing the armed control signal, identifying a low delay subset of the remote nodes that is characterized by respective transmission time estimates that enable execution of an execution instruction at a predefined time of execution.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said low delay subset of the remote nodes is utilized for high precision control of aerodynamic control of blades of wind turbines of the wind power plant.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein said low delay subset of the remote nodes is utilized for high precision control of power converters of wind turbines or substations of the wind power plant.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein a transmission attribute is associated with said armed control signal, and wherein said establishing respective transmission time estimates between said controller node and said remote nodes comprises establishing separate transmission time estimates for different values of said transmission attribute.

20. The system according to claim 12, wherein said controlling said wind power system comprises executing a prediction algorithm or a simulation algorithm to predict control acts that may be significant to carry out at a future time, and wherein a prediction time period is determined at least partly on the basis of said respective transmission time estimates.