System and method for routing power management via XML firewall

• US 20050138432A1
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Hart, Ronald G., Blackett, Andrew w., Hancock, Martin A., Forth, J. Bradford, Ransom, Douglas S., Teachman, Michael E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,248,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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 electronic devices 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 electronic devices 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 an XML firewall using SOAP. SOAP allows a device to communicate without knowledge of how the sender'"'"'s system operates or data formats are organized.

Claims

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

a network interface operative to couple said energy management device with said network and communicate in Single Object Access Protocol (“

SOAP”

) via said network;

an energy distribution system interface operative to couple said energy management device with said energy distribution system, said energy management device further operative to measure an energy management quantity via said energy distribution system interface;

a processor coupled with said network interface and said energy distribution system interface operative to process said energy management quantity to manage the flow of energy in said energy distribution system and, related thereto, one of generate a message in SOAP for transmission over said network or interpret a message in SOAP received over said network; and

an XML firewall coupled with said network interface and operative to mediate said communications of messages in SOAP between said network and said energy management device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the communication of the SOAP message includes at least one of transmitting said SOAP message, receiving said SOAP message, or combinations thereof.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said network interface is further operative to receive said SOAP messages over said network using a first protocol and transmit said SOAP message over said network using a second protocol.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein each of said first and second protocols comprise at least one of HTTP, HTTP Polling, HTTP Rendezvous, SMTP, RS-485, Ethernet, UDP, wireless, or combinations thereof.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said XML firewall performs a security check on said SOAP message.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said XML firewall routes said SOAP message.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said XML firewall inspects said SOAP message.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said SOAP message comprises a SOAP header and a SOAP body and wherein said XML firewall modifies at least said SOAP header.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said SOAP message is generated by said processor.

10. The device of claim 1 further comprising a TCP/IP firewall coupled with said network.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein said SOAP message is operative to facilitate interaction via said network between object oriented elements executing on said energy management device and network accessible object oriented elements using a non-antagonistic protocol.

12. An energy management architecture for managing an energy distribution system comprising:

(a) a network;

(b) a first device comprising;

(1) a first network interface operative to couple said first device with said network and communicate over said network using Simple Object Access Protocol (“

SOAP”

);

(2) an energy distribution system interface operative to couple said first device with said energy distribution system, said energy management device further operative to measure an energy management quantity via said energy distribution system interface;

(3) a processor coupled with said first network interface and said energy distribution system interface operative to process said energy management quantity;

(c) a second device comprising a second network interface operative to couple said second device with said network and communicate with said first device over said network using SOAP; and

(d) an XML firewall coupled with said network and operative to mediate communications in SOAP between said network, said first device and said second device.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said second device further comprises an energy management device.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein said first device transmits a SOAP message to said XML firewall in a first protocol and said XML firewall transmits said SOAP message to said second device in a second protocol.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein each of said first and second protocols comprise at least one of HTTP, HTTP Polling, HTTP Rendezvous, SMTP, RS-485, RS-232, Ethernet, UDP, wireless, or combinations thereof.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein said XML firewall comprises an energy management device.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein said XML firewall is operative to modify data contained within said SOAP message.