Method and system for distributed energy generator message aggregation

• US 8,428,783 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enphase Energy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Enphase Energy Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, Benjamin, Fornage, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US13/327,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/295, 700/297, 702 60- 62, 323/211, 323/318
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/123 the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A method and system for aggregating messages. In one embodiment, the system comprises a plurality of distributed generators (DGs) and a controller, communicatively coupled to the plurality of distributed generators, for (i) receiving a plurality of messages from the plurality of DGs, (ii) correlating at least two messages in the plurality of messages based on at least one time parameter, and (iii) generating a summary message based on the at least two messages.

Claims

1. A system for aggregating messages, comprising:

a plurality of distributed generators (DGs); and

a controller, communicatively coupled to the plurality of DGs, for (i) receiving a plurality of messages from the plurality of DGs, (ii) correlating at least two messages in the plurality of messages based on at least one time parameter and a selected message type, and (iii) generating a summary message based on the at least two messages.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two messages are correlated based on start times of the at least two messages and end times of the at least two messages.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of messages are generated by a plurality of power modules in the plurality of DGs.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each power module in the plurality of power modules is coupled to at least one photovoltaic (PV) module.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each power module in the plurality of power modules is a DC/DC converter.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein each power module in the plurality of power modules is a DC/AC inverter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein correlating the at least two messages comprises (a) sorting the plurality of messages by message type to generate sorted messages;

(b) selecting, from the sorted messages, messages having a particular message type to generate selected messages;

(c) ordering the selected messages by start times to generate time-ordered messages; and

(d) forming, based on the start times of the time-ordered messages, at least one alarm group.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein correlating the at least two messages further comprises (e) disassociating, from an alarm group of the at least one alarm group, all messages having end times that fail to meet a time-window criteria.

9. A method for aggregating messages, comprising:

receiving, at a controller, a plurality of messages from a plurality of distributed generators (DGs);

correlating, by the controller, at least two messages in the plurality of messages based on at least one time parameter and a selected message type; and

generating, by the controller, a summary message based on the at least two messages.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least two messages are correlated based on start times of the at least two messages and end times of the at least two messages.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating, by a plurality of power modules in the plurality of DGs, the plurality of messages.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each power module in the plurality of power modules is coupled to at least one photovoltaic (PV) module.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each power module in the plurality of power modules is a DC/DC converter.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein each power module in the plurality of power modules is a DC/AC inverter.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein correlating the at least two messages comprises (a) sorting the plurality of messages by message type to generate sorted messages;

(b) selecting, from the sorted messages, messages having a particular message type to generate selected messages;

(c) ordering the selected messages by start times to generate time-ordered messages; and

(d) forming, based on the start times of the time-ordered messages, at least one alarm group.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein correlating the at least two messages further comprises (e) disassociating, from an alarm group of the at least one alarm group, all messages having end times that fail to meet a time-window criteria.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a program that, when executed by a processor, performs a method of aggregating messages, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages from a plurality of distributed generators (DGs);

correlating at least two messages in the plurality of messages based on at least one time parameter and a selected message type; and

generating a summary message based on the at least two messages.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of messages are generated by a plurality of power modules in the plurality of DGs, and wherein the plurality of messages pertain to operation of the power modules.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein each power module in the plurality of power modules is a DC/AC inverter and is coupled to at least one photovoltaic (PV) module.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein correlating the at least two messages comprises (a) sorting the plurality of messages by message type to generate sorted messages;

(b) selecting, from the sorted messages, messages having a particular message type to generate selected messages;

(c) ordering the selected messages by start times to generate time-ordered messages;

(d) forming, based on the start times of the time-ordered messages, at least one alarm group; and

(e) disassociating, from an alarm group of the at least one alarm group, all messages having end times that fail to meet a time-window criteria.