Systems and methods for the configuration of substation remote terminals with a central controller

• US 8,451,753 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Digital Holdings LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Vanga, Venu Gopala Reddy, Vuriti, Suneel Kumar, Achanta, Anjani Prasad V. V. S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/881,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20120063354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 370254-259, 370/270, 370/282
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

Systems and methods for the configuration of substation remote terminals with a central controller are provided. A message identifying a current status of a remote terminal unit (“RTU”) associated with a remote power substation may be received by a central controller associated with a power system. Based upon an analysis of the received message, a request for configuration data associated with the RTU may be communicated by the central controller to the RTU. In response to the request, the configuration data may be received by the central controller from the RTU. Based upon the received configuration data, the central controller may update a configuration database comprising information associated with the configuration of the RTU. In this regard, supervisory control and data acquisitions operations with the RTU by the central controller may be facilitated.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a substation remote terminal with a central controller, the method comprising:

receiving, by a central controller associated with a power system from a remote terminal unit (RTU) associated with a remote power substation, a message identifying a current status of the RTU;

communicating, by the central controller to the RTU based upon an analysis of the received message, a request for configuration data associated with the RTU, wherein the analysis comprises determining that a configuration associated with the RTU has been altered based at least in part on a comparison between a configuration identifier in the received message and a stored configuration identifier;

receiving, by the central controller from the RTU in response to the request, the configuration data;

storing, by the central controller, the configuration data in a configuration queue for validation, wherein at least a first portion of the configuration data is associated with one or more substation devices in communication with the RTU;

determining, by the central controller, whether the configuration associated with the RTU is valid based at least in part on the configuration data;

if the configuration associated with the RTU is not valid, then deleting from the configuration queue, by the central controller, at least a second portion of the configuration data associated with at least one of the one or more substation devices; and

if the configuration associated with the RTU is valid, then updating, by the central controller based upon at least a portion of the received configuration data, a configuration database comprising information associated with the configuration of the RTU in order to facilitate supervisory control and data acquisition operations with the RTU by the central controller.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the configuration data comprises receiving the configuration data in one of (i) a Common Information Model (CIM) format or (ii) a specified format in Extensible Markup Language (XML).

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the central controller, a desired format for receiving the configuration data,

wherein communicating a request for configuration data comprises communicating a request for configuration data formatted in accordance with the identified desired format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating a request for configuration data comprises:

determining, based upon an analysis of the received message, that the RTU has not previously been configured with the central controller; and

communicating the request based upon the determination that the RTU has not previously been configured with the central controller.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a message identifying a current status of the RTU comprises receiving a message including an identifier of a configuration version number associated with the RTU, and wherein determining that a configuration of the RTU has been altered comprises:

comparing the configuration version number to a stored configuration version number associated with the RTU; and

determining that the configuration version number does not match the stored configuration version number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the received configuration data was not deleted from the configuration queue.

7. A system for configuration of a substation remote terminal with a central controller, the system comprising:

a central controller associated with a power system; and

a remote terminal unit (RTU) situated at a power substation associated with the power system, the remote terminal unit configured to (i) communicate, to the central controller, a message identifying a current status of the RTU, (ii) receive, from the central controller, a request for configuration data associated with the RTU, and (iii) communicate the requested configuration data to the central controller,

wherein the central controller is configured to (i) receive the message communicated by the RTU, (ii) communicate the request for configuration data based upon an analysis of the received message, wherein the analysis comprises determining that a configuration associated with the RTU has been altered based at least in part on a comparison between a configuration identifier in the received message and a stored configuration identifier, (iii) receive the configuration data, and (iv) store the configuration data in a configuration queue for validation, wherein at least a first portion of the configuration data is associated with one or more substation devices in communication with the RTU;

(v) determine whether the configuration associated with the RTU is valid based at least in part on the configuration data;

(vi) if the configuration associated with the RTU is not valid, then delete from the configuration queue, by the central controller, at least a second portion of the configuration data associated with at least one of the one or more substation devices; and

if the configuration associated with the RTU is valid, then update, by the central controller based upon at least a portion of the received configuration data, a configuration database comprising information associated with the configuration of the RTU in order to facilitate supervisory control and data acquisition operations with the RTU by the central controller.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the configuration data is formatted in accordance with one of (i) a Common Information Model (CIM) format or (ii) a specified format in Extensible Markup Language (XML).

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the central controller is further configured to identify a desired format for receiving the configuration data, and

wherein the request comprises an identification of the desired format.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the central controller is further configured to determine, based upon an analysis of the received message, that the RTU has not previously been configured with the central controller, and

the request is communicated based at least in part on the determination that the RTU has not previously been configured with the central controller.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the received message comprises an identifier of a configuration version number associated with the RTU, and

wherein the central controller determines that the configuration of the RTU has been altered by (i) comparing the configuration version number to a stored configuration version number associated with the RTU and (ii) determining that the configuration version number does not match the stored configuration version number.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least a portion of the received configuration data was not deleted from the configuration queue.

13. A method for configuring a substation remote terminal with a central controller, the method comprising:

configuring a remote terminal unit (RTU) associated with a remote power substation, the remote power substation associated with a power system;

detecting, by the RTU, a network connectivity with a central controller associated with the power system;

communicating, by the RTU to the central controller based at least in part on the detected network connectivity, a message identifying a current status of the RTU;

receiving, by the RTU from the central controller based upon an analysis of the message by the central controller, a request for configuration data associated with the RTU, wherein the analysis comprises determining that a configuration associated with the RTU has been altered based at least in part on a comparison between a configuration identifier in the message and a stored configuration identifier;

communicating, by the RTU to the central controller in response to the request, the configuration data associated with the RTU;

wherein the central controller utilizes the configuration data to;

store the configuration data in a configuration queue for validation, wherein at least a first portion of the configuration data is associated with one or more substation devices in communication with the RTU;

determine whether the configuration associated with the RTU is valid based at least in part on the configuration data;

if the configuration associated with the RTU is not valid, then delete from the configuration queue at least a second portion of the configuration data associated with at least one of the one or more substation devices; and

if the configuration associated with the RTU is valid, then update a configuration database comprising information associated with the configuration of the RTU in order to facilitate supervisory control and data acquisition operations with the RTU by the central controller.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein communicating the configuration data comprises communicating the configuration data in one of (i) a Common Information Model (CIM) format or (ii) a specified format in Extensible Markup Language (XML).

15. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving a request for configuration data comprises receiving a request indicating a desired format for the configuration data, and further comprising:

formatting, by the RTU prior to communicating the configuration data, the configuration data in accordance with the desired format.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting, by the RTU, a change in the configuration of the RTU based at least in part on a configuration version number associated with the RTU,

wherein communicating a message comprises communicating a message based at least in part upon the detection.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein detecting a change in the configuration of the RTU comprises detecting at least one of (i) an initialization of the RTU, (ii) a connection of one or more substation devices to a substation network managed by the RTU, (iii) a disconnection of one or more substation devices from the substation network, (iv) an initialization of the central controller, or (v) an alteration of software executed by the RTU.