Reconfigurable extended communication interface devices for monitoring and control of power system devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10412200-B2
Application number	US-201715783864-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2017
Priority date	Oct 13, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

Unique systems, methods, techniques and apparatuses of a configurable extended interface device are disclosed. One exemplary embodiment is an interface device for coupling a power system device of a microgrid with a microgrid controller utilizing a data communication standard incompatible with the power system device, the interface device comprising three input ports configured to receive input from a power system device; a microgrid interface configured to provide output formatted according to any of a plurality of communication protocols, each being compatible with the data communication standard and configured to receive input defining microgrid configuration characteristics; data mapping logic structured to convert any of the input to output formatted according to any of the plurality of communication protocols; and parsing logic configured to parse the received input defining microgrid configuration characteristics effective to cause the data mapping logic to perform mapping of the received input to one of the plurality of communication protocols.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An interface device for operatively coupling a power system device of a microgrid with a microgrid controller utilizing a data communication standard otherwise incompatible with the power system controller, the interface device comprising:
a plurality of ports configured to receive input from a power system device including a first port configured to receive input in a power system device-native analog format, a second port configured to receive input in a power system device-native digital format, and a third port configured to receive input formatted according to a first communication protocol;
a microgrid interface configured to provide output formatted according to any of a plurality of communication protocols, each of the plurality of communication protocols being different from the first communication protocol and each plurality of communication protocols being compatible with the data communication standard, and configured to receive input defining microgrid configuration characteristics;
data mapping logic operatively coupled with the plurality of ports, operatively coupled with the microgrid interface, and structured to convert any of the input in the power system device-native analog format, the input in the power system device-native digital format, and the input according to the first predetermined communication protocol to output formatted according to any of the plurality of communication protocols; and
parsing logic configured to parse the received input defining microgrid configuration characteristics effective to cause the data mapping logic to perform mapping of a selected one of the input in the power system device-native analog format, the input in the power system device-native digital format, and the input according to the first predetermined communication protocol to one of the plurality of communication protocols.

2. The device of claim 1 comprising an internal applications logic structured to receive data from an external microgrid device using the fourth port, generate a command using the received data, and transmit the command to the power system device using the plurality of ports.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the microgrid interface includes a fourth port configured to receive input defining a microgrid configuration characteristic update and the parsing logic is configured to parse the received input defining microgrid configuration characteristic update effective to cause the data mapping logic to update mapping the selected one of the input in the power system device-native analog format, the input in the power system device-native digital format, and the input according to the first predetermined communication protocol to one of the plurality of communication protocols.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the data mapping logic includes a data model including a plurality of nodes and data objects corresponding to a plurality of external devices and a plurality of pre-defined functions.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication protocols being compatible with the data communication standard include IEC 61850 protocols.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the received input defining microgrid configuration characteristics includes an XML file identifying a plurality of power system devices of the microgrid and commands to transmit data received with the plurality of ports to a portion of the plurality of power system devices using the fourth port.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the power system device includes a distributed energy resource (DER) and a DER controller structured to communicate with the interface device by way of the plurality of ports.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the device is structured to receive a command from a microgrid controller and transmit the command to the DER controller using the data mapping logic.

9. A method for operatively coupling a power system device of a microgrid with a microgrid controller utilizing a data communication standard otherwise incompatible with the power system device, the method comprising:
receiving, with one of a plurality of ports of a configurable extended interface device, input data from a power system device structured to output according to one of a power system device-native analog format, a power system device-native digital format, and a first communication protocol;
converting, with a digital mapping logic of the configurable extended interface device, any of the input in the power system device-native analog format, the input in the power system device-native digital format, and the input according to the first predetermined communication protocol to output formatted according to any of the plurality of communication protocols, each of the plurality of communication protocols being different from the first communication protocol and each plurality of communication protocols being compatible with the data communication standard;
transmitting, with a microgrid interface of the configurable extended interface device, an output formatted according to one of the plurality of communication protocols;
receiving, with the microgrid interface of the configurable extended interface device, input defining microgrid configuration characteristics; and
parsing the received input defining microgrid configuration characteristics effective to cause the data mapping logic to perform mapping of a selected one of the input in the power system device-native analog format, the input in the power system device-native digital format, and the input according to the first predetermined communication protocol to one of the plurality of communication protocols.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising receiving input defining a microgrid configuration characteristic update; parsing the received input defining microgrid configuration characteristic update effective to cause the data mapping logic to update mapping the selected one of the input in the power system device-native analog format, the input in the power system device-native digital format, and the input according to the first predetermined communication protocol to one of the plurality of communication protocols.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the plurality of communication protocols being compatible with the data communication standard include IEC 61850 protocols.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the power system device is a distributed energy resource controller.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the data mapping logic performs mapping of the selected one of the input by generating an information model using information received from an SCD file.

14. The method of claim 9 comprising:
receiving input from an external device according to one of the plurality of communication protocols; and
mapping the input from the external device received according to one of the plurality of communication protocols to the power system device-native analog format, the power system device-native digital format, or the first predetermined communication protocol.

15. A microgrid system comprising:
a power system device;
a power system device controller structured to measure electrical characteristics of the power system device;
a microgrid control system utilizing a data communication standard incompatible with the power system device controller; and
an interface device for operatively coupling the power system device and the microgrid control system, the interface device comprising:
a plurality of ports configured to receive input from a power system device including a first port configured to receive input in a power system device-native analog fo

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Hong Junho
• Kondabathini Anil
• Ishchenko Dmitry

Classifications

• H02J13/333

  the equipment forming part of substations · CPC title

• H02J13/13 Primary

  characterised by the transmission of data to equipment in the power network · CPC title

• H04L69/18

  Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols · CPC title

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• H02J13/0017

  Electricity · mapped topic