Systems and methods for communications devices having multiple interfaces

• US 8,929,391 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Rhett, Bradetich, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): Van, Jenkey
• Application Number:
  US13/166,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/602 Multilayer or multiprotocol switching, e.g. IP switching

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a communication switch may create and/or manage a variety of configurable network relationships between intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) connected via disparate network interfaces using a variety of communication protocols. Accordingly, a communication switch may provide media translation between various types of physical network ports and communication protocol conversion between various communication protocols. For example, a communication switch may be used to create a networked group of IEDs in which some IEDs are connected via Ethernet ports and other IEDs are connected via D-subminiature ports and/or optical ports. The communication switch may create and/or manage network relationships such as publisher/subscriber, master/slave, multidrop configurations, star configurations, and/or other complex network relationships between two or more IEDs or groups of IEDs.

Claims

1. A method for providing configurable switching between a plurality of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) comprising:

connecting a first plurality of IEDs to a communication switch via a first type of physical network port associated with a first communication protocol;

connecting a second plurality of IEDs to the communication switch via a second type of physical network port associated with a second communication protocol;

creating a group of IEDs comprising at least one IED from the first plurality of IEDs and at least one IED from the second plurality of IEDs;

configuring at least one IED within the group of IEDs as a publisher IED configured to publish communications;

configuring at least one IED within the group of IEDs as a subscriber IED to subscribe to communications transmitted by the publisher IED; and

enabling IEDs connected via the first type of network port to communicate with IEDs connected via the second type of network port in a multidrop configuration by;

the communication switch determining whether the publisher IED and the subscriber IED are connected using different types of network ports;

when the publisher IED and the subscriber IED are connected using the same type of network ports, the communication switch transmitting communications between the plurality of IEDs; and

when the publisher IED and the subscriber IED are connected using different types of network ports;

in a data conversion step, the communication switch converting data transmissions between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol; and

in a physical translation step, the communication switch translating data transmissions between the first type of physical network port and the second type of physical network port.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting a third plurality of IEDs to the communication switch via a third type of physical network port using a third communication protocol; and

enabling IEDs connected via the third type of network port to communicate with IEDs connected via the first and second types of network ports by;

converting data transmissions between the third communication protocol and the first and second communication protocols; and

translating data transmissions between the third type of physical network port and the first and second types of physical network ports.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of physical network port comprises an Ethernet port and the second type of physical network port comprises a D-subminiature port.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a group of IEDs comprising at least one IED from the first plurality of IEDs and at least one IED from the second plurality of IEDs;

configuring one of the IEDs in the group of IEDs to function as a master device; and

configuring at least one other IED in the group of IEDs to function as a slave device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the IED configured to function as the master device provides proxy services to each slave device within the group of IEDs.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein at least two IEDs in the group of IEDs are configured to function as slave devices;

and further comprising;

enabling the slave devices to communicate in a star configuration with respect to the IED configured to function as the master device.

7. A communication switch comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of physical network ports of a first type configured to allow for the connection of a first plurality of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs);

a plurality of physical network ports of a second type configured to allow for the connection of a second plurality of IEDs;

a media translation module configured to translate between the first type of physical network port and the second type of physical network port;

a protocol conversion module configured to convert between a first communication protocol associated with the first type of physical network port and a second communication protocol associated with the second type of physical network port;

a group management module configured to create a group of IEDs comprising at least one IED connected to the communication switch via a physical network port of the first type and at least one IED connected to the communication switch via a physical network port of the second type;

a publisher module configured to manage at least one IED within the group of IEDs configured to publish communications to at least one other IED within the group of IEDs; and

,

a subscriber module configured to manage at least one IED within the group of IEDs configured to subscribe to communications from at least one other IED within the group of IEDs; and

a connection configuration module configured to enable each of the IEDs within the group of IEDs to communicate with one another as if the IEDs were connected in a multidrop communication bus;

wherein the processor is configured to enable IEDs connected via the plurality of physical network ports of the first type to communicate with the IEDs connected via the plurality of physical network ports of the second type by;

the communication switch determining whether the plurality of IEDs are connected using different types of physical network ports;

when the plurality of IEDs are connected using the same type of network ports, the communication switch transmitting communications between the plurality of IEDs; and

when the plurality of IEDs are connected using different types of network ports;

the media translation module translating between the first type of physical network port and the second type of physical network port; and

,

the protocol conversion module converting data transmissions between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

8. The communication switch of claim 7, further comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium in communication with the processor; and

wherein the media translation module and the protocol conversion module are implemented as software modules within the computer-readable storage medium.

9. The communication switch of claim 7, further comprising a third plurality of physical network ports of a third type configured to allow for the connection of a third plurality of IEDs:

wherein the media translation module is further configured to convert between the third type of physical network port and the first and second types of physical network ports; and

wherein the protocol conversion module is further configured to convert between a communication protocol associated with the third type of physical network port and the first and second communication protocols associated with the first and second types of physical network ports.

10. The communication switch of claim 7, wherein the first type of physical network port comprises an Ethernet port and the second type of physical network port comprises a D-subminiature port.

11. The communication switch of claim 7, further comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium in communication with the processor, comprising;

a group management module configured to create a group of IEDs comprising at least one IED connected to the communication switch via a physical network port of the first type and at least one IED connected to the communication switch via a physical network port of the second type;

a master device module configured to manage an IED within the group of IEDs configured to function as a master device within the group of IEDs; and

a slave device module configured to manage at least one IED within the group of IEDs configured to function as a slave device within the group of IEDs.

12. The communication switch of claim 11, wherein the IED functioning as the master device provides proxy services to each slave device within the group of IEDs.

13. The communication switch of claim 11, wherein the slave device module is configured to manage at least two IEDs configured to function as slave devices within the group of IEDs;

and

wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises a connection configuration module configured to enable the slave devices to communicate with one another as if they were connected in a star configuration with respect to the IED configured to function as the master device.

14. The communication switch of claim 7, wherein one of the plurality of physical network ports of the first type comprises an access device port.

15. The communication switch of claim 7, wherein one of the plurality of physical network ports of the second type comprises an access device port.

16. A method for providing configurable switching between a plurality of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) comprising:

connecting a first plurality of IEDs to a communication switch via a first type of physical network port associated with a first communication protocol;

connecting a second plurality of IEDs to the communication switch via a second type of physical network port associated with a second communication protocol;

creating a plurality of groups of IEDs in a database of the communication switch, each group comprising IEDs from the first plurality of IEDs and IEDs from the second plurality of IEDs; and

the communication switch enabling IEDs within each group of the plurality of groups connected via the first type of network port to communicate with IEDs within the same group connected via the second type of network port in a multidrop configuration by;

configuring at least one IED within a group as a publisher IED to publish communications;

configuring at least one IED within the group as a subscriber IED to subscribe to communications transmitted by the publisher IED;

determining whether the publisher and subscriber IEDs are connected using the same type of network ports;

when the publisher and subscriber IEDs are connected using the same type of network ports, the communication switch transmitting communication between the publisher and subscriber IEDs; and

,

when the publisher and subscriber IEDs are connected using different types of network ports;

in a data conversion step, the communication switch converting data transmissions between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol; and

in a physical translation step, the communication switch translating data transmissions between the first type of physical network port and the second type of physical network port.