Method and system for determining the compatibility of control software with a wind energy installation

• US 8,260,467 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Senvion SE
• Original Assignee: REpower Systems AG (Senvion SE)
• Inventors: Altemark, Jens, Book, Markus, Kupper, Anton
• Primary Examiner(s): Robertson, Dave
• Application Number:
  US12/235,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20090102196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 700/287, 700/286, 709/221, 709/220, 717170-173, 710/8, 715/772, 307/72
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 7/047 characterised by the controller architecture, e.g. multiple processors or data communications
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2270/32 Wind speeds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A method and a system are for determining of the compatibility of control software, which is designed for standard parameters, with a wind energy installation which is operated using operating parameters. The method is an automatic method in which the operating parameters of the wind energy installation and the standard parameters of the control software are first transmitted to a computation unit. The computation unit determines discrepancies between the operating parameters and the standard parameters. A decision on compatibility is made on the basis of the discrepancies. The system includes a logic module which is designed to make the decision. This method makes it easier to automatically update the control software for a wind energy installation. There is no longer any need to manually check the compatibility of the new version of the control software before the new version of the control software can be installed.

Claims

1. A method for automatically determining compatibility of control software which is designed for standard parameters with a wind energy installation which is operated using operating parameters, comprising:

transmitting the operating parameters of the wind energy installation from the wind energy installation to a computation unit;

transmitting the standard parameters to a computation unit;

determining discrepancies between the operating parameters and the standard parameters by the computation unit;

deciding the compatibility of the control software with the wind energy installation on the basis of the discrepancies; and

transmitting the control software to the wind energy installation only if the result of the compatibility test is positive.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the standard parameters are associated with compatibility classes, and wherein, in the event of a discrepancy between the operating parameters and the standard parameters, the deciding of compatibility is made on the basis of the compatibility classes.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the deciding of compatibility is made by a logic module.

4. A method for automatic updating of control software of a wind energy installation, comprising:

transmitting operating parameters of the wind energy installation from the wind energy installation to a computation unit;

transmitting standard parameters of a new version of the control software to a computation unit;

determining discrepancies between the operating parameters and the standard parameters by the computation unit;

deciding the compatibility of the new version of the control software with the wind energy installation on the basis of the discrepancies;

transmitting the new version of the control software to the wind energy installation only if the result of the compatibility test is positive; and

starting up the wind energy installation with the transmitted new version of the control software.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wind energy installation is kept in operation while the new version of the control software is transmitted to the wind energy installation.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the wind energy installation is kept in operation while switching to the new version of the control software.

7. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the starting up with the transmitted control software is delayed until the wind speed is below a predetermined limit value.

8. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the wind energy installation is taken into operation with the transmitted new version of the control software at a time at which no power is being fed into the connecting grid system.

9. A system for automatic determination of compatibility of control software which is designed for standard parameters with a wind energy installation which is operated using operating parameters, comprising a computation unit for determination of discrepancies between the operating parameters received from the wind energy installation and the standard parameters, a logic module for determining the compatibility on the basis of the determined discrepancies, and a transmission unit for transmitting the control software to the wind energy installation only if the result of the compatibility test is positive.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a farm master to which a plurality of wind energy installations are connected, the computation unit being provided at the farm master.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the farm master has a monitoring unit which is configured to control the computation unit such that discrepancies between the standard parameters and the operating parameters of a plurality of wind energy installations are determined.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the monitoring unit is configured to autonomously transmit a new version of the control software to the wind energy installations in which the compatibility test has had a positive result.

13. The system of claim 9, 10, 11, or 12, comprising a control unit for the wind energy installation with two memory areas which are separated from one another and configured for different versions of the control software.

14. The system of claim 13, comprising a switching module that is configured to switch the operation of the wind energy installation from a version of the control software which is stored in the first memory area to a version of the control software which is stored in the second memory area.

15. A method for automatically updating control software which is designed for standard parameters of a plurality of wind energy installations which are operated using operating parameters and are connected to a farm master, comprising:

transmitting the standard parameters and a new version of the control software to the farm master;

transmitting the operating parameters of each wind energy installation from each wind energy installation to a computation unit;

determining discrepancies between the operating parameters and the standard parameters by the computation unit;

determining compatibility of the new version of the control software with the plurality of wind energy installations being operated by the farm master on the basis of the determined discrepancies;

transmitting the new version of the control software to the wind energy installations only if the compatibility test has led to a positive result, with the farm master controlling the transmission; and

starting up the wind energy installations with the new version of the control software.