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1. 702 57 ment Ltd Revision Date May 10 2001 48 pages 6 486 652 B1 11 2002 Ouellette et al 324 142 Electro Industries Gauge Tech DM Series specification brochure 6 493 644 B1 12 2002 Jonker etal 702 61 DMMS 425 Low Cost Multifunction Power Monitoring Outper 6 496 342 Bl 12 2002 Horvath et al 361 65 forms All Others in its Class 4 pages 6 687 698 Bl 2 2004 Nixon et al Motorola Preliminary Information Application Brief Electronic 6 694 270 B2 2 2004 Harb eee 702 57 Energy with Powerline Modem on DSP56F80X Digital DNA from 6 798 190 B2 9 2004 Harding et al 324 142 Motorola 2000 Motorola Inc 2 pages US 7 447 760 B2 Page3 PM130 Serials TrueMeterTM The Low Cost Analog Replacement specifications Satec Inc 2 pages Nexus 1250 Precision Power Meter amp Data Acquisition Node Accu measure Technology Electro Industries Gauge Tech specification 8 pages date unknown but before Nov 13 2003 ION Technology 7500 ION High Visibility 3 Phase Energy amp Power Quality Meter Power Measurement specification pp 1 8 revision date Mar 21 2000 F Momal J Brahy R Saban P Sollander Integrating a Commer cial Industrial Control System to the Accelerator Control System Proc ICALEPCS 1993 Berlin p 464 R Saba P Ciriani A Guiard Marigny H Laeger M Rabany A Swift Equipment Industrially Controlled Pr
2. 2001 now Pat No 7 085 824 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Brinks Hofer Gilson amp Lione 51 Int CI 57 ABSTRACT G06F 15 173 2006 01 S2 UI Ss Cl 709 223 709 220 710 7 T 710 8 707 104 1 714 7 A system for modifying the functionality of intelligent elec 58 Field of Classification Search erae None tronic devices installed and operating in the field is disclosed See application file for complete search history Each of the intelligent electronic devices operates with a 56 References Cited software configuration to monitor electrical energy A copy of the software configurations may be maintained in a database U S PATENT DOCUMENTS Changes to the operation of one or more of the intelligent 4 225 839 A 9 1980 Martincic sss 336 96 electronic devices may be made as a function of modifications 4 377 837 A 3 1983 Matsko et al 361 105 te the database 4 589 075 A 5 1986 Buennagel 4 900 275 A 2 1990 Fasano 439 716 19 Claims 12 Drawing Sheets 100 im 102 MASTER IED Bg IED pn US 7 447 760 B2 Page2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 6 801 920 B1 10 2004 Wischinski 7 085 824 B2 8 2006 Forth etal 709 221 5 548 527 A 8 1996 Hemminger et al 364 492 2001 0001866 Al 5 2001 Kikinis 709 220 5 554 312 A 9 1996 Ward 510 175 2002 0007318 Al 1
3. 380 240 7700 ION Revenue Meter Programming Key pp 1 4 Aug 6 1997 6 219 656 Bl 4 2001 Cain etal 705 412 6200 ION Installation amp Basic Setup Instructions Power Mea 6 246 994 B1 6 2001 Wolven et al 705 14 surement Ltd Revision Date Apr 25 2001 50 pages 6 247 128 Bl 6 2001 Fisher etal 713 100 DSP56F801 803 805 807 16 Bit Digital Signal Processor User s 6 262 672 Bl 7 2001 Brooksby etal 340 870 1 Manual Preliminary Rev 3 0 Motorola Inc 2001 782 pages 6 275 168 Bl 8 2001 Slater etal 340 870 02 1991 Robert Bosch CAN Specification Version 2 0 68 pages 6 301 527 Bl 10 2001 Butland et al 700 286 A Lakshimikanth and Medhar M Morcos Article A Power Quality 6 327 706 B1 12 2001 Amberg etal 717 11 Monitoring System A Case Study in DSP based Solutions for Power 6 363 057 Bl 3 2002 Ardalan et al we 370 252 Electronics EEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measure 6 367 023 B2 4 2002 Kling et al 713 340 ment vol 50 No 3 Jun 2001 8 pages 6 374 084 Bl 4 2002 FOK ene eneten 455 67 4 Niall Murphy article Internet Appliance Design Forget Me Not 6 401 054 B1 6 2002 Andersen 702 179 Embedded Systems Programming Jun 2001 4 pages 6 459 175 B1 10 2002 Potega 307 149 IONG Technology Meter Shop User s Guide Power Measure 6 459 997 B1 10 2002 Andersen
4. 1 FIG 3 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a module operating within the intelligent electronic device illustrated in FIG 1 FIG 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a framework that includes the modules depicted in FIGS 2 and 3 FIG 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a portion of a network distribution system that includes the intelligent electronic device illustrated in FIG 1 FIG 6 is a block diagram of another embodiment of a portion of a network distribution system that includes the intelligent electronic device illustrated in FIG 1 FIG 7 is a first part of one embodiment of a flow diagram illustrating operation of the network distribution systems illustrated in FIGS 5 and 6 FIG 8 is a second part of the flow diagram of FIG 7 FIG 9 is a first part of another embodiment of a flow diagram illustrating operation ofthe network distribution sys tems illustrated in FIGS 5 and 6 FIG 10 is a second part of the flow diagram of FIG 9 FIG 11 is a block diagram of another embodiment of a portion of a power distribution system that includes embodi ments of the intelligent electronic device FIG 12 is a first part of a flow diagram illustrating opera tion ofthe intelligent electronic devices illustrated in FIG 11 FIG 13 is a second part of the flow diagram of FIG 12 FIG 14 is a third part of the flow diagram of FIG 12 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The presently preferred emb
5. 2000 Hinderks et al 370 468 Meter Power Measurement Dec 2000 1 page 6 059 129 A 5 2000 Bechaz al 211 94 01 Brochure The First True Breakthrough In Solid State Residential 6 064 192 A 5 2000 Redmyer 324 127 Metering CENTRON 1998 4 pages 6 078 870 A 6 2000 Windsheimer 702 61 Manual 3300 ACM Economical Digital Power Meter 6 088 659 A 7 2000 Kelley et al Transducer Installation and Operation Manual Power Measure 6 091 237 A 7 2000 Chen 324 142 ment Ltd 1999 79 pages 6 092 189 A 7 2000 Fisher et al 713 1 Brochure SENTINEL Electronic Multimeasurement Meter 6 144 960 A 11 2000 Okada et al 707 10 Schlumberger Mar 2001 4 pages 6 167 383 A 12 2000 Henson 705 26 System Manager Software Setup Guide Version 3 1 p 37 1999 6 169 794 BL 1 2001 Oshimi al 379 221 09 Powerlogic System Manager 3000 Software Family Square D 6 182 170 Bl 1 2001 Lee et al Schneider Electric Bulletin No 3080HO9601T 10 98 Oct 1999 6 182 275 BL 1 2001 Beelitz et al sss 717 1 7700 Ion 3 Phase Power Meter Analyzer and Controller pp 1 8 6 185 508 B1 2 2001 Van Doorn et al 702 60 Nov 30 2000 6 192 470 BL 2 2001 Kelley 713A 7700 ION User s Guide Version 2 0 Appendix pp A1 AS Filed 6 199 068 BL 3 2001 Carpenter as early as Sep 21 1998 6 212 278 BL 4 2001 Bacon etal
6. block 128 At block 130 access to the datafiles is provided to allow modification If the configurations were identical at block 120 access to the datafiles is provided to allow modification at block 130 At block 132 modifications are completed and storage and transfer of the update are initiated The update is provided to a corresponding IED 16 at block 134 At block 136 the IED 16 applies the update and continues operation Referring again to FIGS 5 and 6 in another embodiment updates may be pulled from the master server 86 or the network server 88 by the IEDs 16 The IEDs 16 may be instructed to request updates on a predetermined schedule In this embodiment the IEDs 16 may be activated as a group or individually by the predetermined schedule to contact the master server 86 or the network server 88 and request any available updates Upon receiving such a request the data file may be compared to software configuration currently operat ing in the IED 16 as previously discussed Where the datafile and the software configuration do not match an update may be generated The update may be retrieved by the IED 16 as a function ofthe identifier in an automated fashion Alterna tively the update may be generated and transferred by the master server 86 or the network server 88 as previously described In an another embodiment the IEDs 16 may be activated to check for updates by an email message instruc tion from the browser 72 or manu
7. encryption and decryption software Exemplary encryption and decryption software encrypts commands transmitted across the network 14 and decrypts data received from the network distribution system 70 In one embodiment encryption may be done utilizing Pretty Good Privacy PGP PGP uses a variation of public key system where each user has a publicly known encryption key and a private key known only to that user The public key system and infrastructure enables users of unse cured networks such as the Internet 78 to securely and pri vately exchange data through the use of public and private cryptographic key pairs Authentication applications may also be included in the firewall gateway servers 84 Authentication applications may be performed for commands or data sent or received over the network 14 Authentication is the process of determining and verifying whether the device transmitting data or commands is the device it declares itself to be In addition authentication prevents fraudulent substitution of devices or spoofing of device data generation in an attempt to defraud Parameters such as time date stamps digital certificates physical locat ing algorithms such as cellular triangulation serial or track ing ID s which could include geographic location such as longitude and latitude may be parameters included in authen tication Authentication may also minimize data collection and control errors within the network distribution sys
8. intranet 76 The firewall gateway servers 84 may be a CPU that pro vides a network interfacing function an application launch ing function and a firewall function In the network interfac ing function the firewall gateway servers 84 may be responsible for controlling traffic on the intranet 76 80 and the interface with the Internet 78 In addition the firewall gateway servers 84 may include applications that can be launched by users of the intranet 76 80 and the Internet 78 Anexample traffic controlling function is accepting incoming HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol messages and fulfilling the requests embedded therein Another example would be receiving dynamic HTML Hypertext Markup Language page generation requests and launching the appropriate appli cations to fulfill those requests Other transfer protocols such as file transfer protocols FTP Simple Object Access Proto col SOAP Extensible Markup Language XML or other protocols known in the art may also be controlled by the firewall gateway servers 84 In the application launching function the firewall gateway servers 84 may include applications to manage the logical flow of data and commands and keep track of the state of sessions A session 1s a period of time in which the IED 16 or the browser 72 is interacting with and using the network US 7 447 760 B2 11 distribution system 70 Other applications operating within the firewall gateway servers 84 may include
9. monitor the output pulse line 66 Module D 60 may be an Alert Module configured to provide an electrical signal alerting that a maximum value has been reached It should be realized that the above described exem plary embodiment is merely one example of a portion of one framework and numerous other frameworks as well as mod ule configurations are possible In the presently preferred embodiments the frameworks may utilize the data generated by other frameworks within the IED 16 or external signals provided to the IED 16 to produce useful results and or perform useful functions Frameworks ultimately create and allow manipulation of the functionality of the IED 16 The ease of creation and manipulation permits as well as promotes customization and expansion of the IED 16 As such the functionality of the IED 16 may be modified by simply changing or adding frameworks to the device The highly customizable and configurable nature of the IED 16 lends itself to solutions satisfying the specific needs of a user s power management applications However this requires the user of the IED 16 to configure and tailor the frameworks to their needs It would be impractical for the manufacturer to offer every conceivable combination of options and software Further the capabilities of the IED 16 make it almost impossible to predict the functionality desired by each user It is therefore desirable to provide a system through which a customer can custo
10. particular user or group of users For example where a user selects an identifier for a predeter mined group of IEDs 16 a list would be available of previ ously stored software configurations for that identified group Theuser may selecta configuration and request an upgrade of the group Access to a software design tool is available over the net work 14 in another embodiment The software design tool may be accessed and utilized through the network server 88 to create and modify the frameworks during modification of a datafile An exemplary software design tool is the IONTM Designer software design tool As in the previous embodi ments modifications may be made to copies of the software configuration in the database 92 Other procedures for modification of the functionality of the IEDs 16are contemplated such as for example the ability for a user to select stored software configurations of one or more IEDs 16 and overwrite stored software configurations of one or more other IEDs 16 Another procedure may allow the manufacturer of the IEDs 16 to provide enhancement or repairs ofthe frameworks or firmware by modifications to the datafile of one or more of the IEDs 16 The network server 88 may also maintain the financial accounting associated with modifications and upgrades to IEDs 16 previously installed in the field Financial accounting may include for example providing pricing for various avail able upgrades maintaining charge acc
11. the IED 16 and transferred to the master server 86 The master server 86 may receive and apply the update to a datafile as a function of the identifier associated with the IED 16 In yet another embodiment the IED 16 may be used to initiate an upgrade to the software configuration currently operating in that IED 16 The upgrade may be for example to add additional functionality to the IED 16 To initiate the upgrade a user may communicate with the network server 88 using the user interface 18 FIG 1 The user may select the desired upgrade from for example a list residing within the IED 16 or by interacting with the network server 88 as in the previously discussed embodiments Once the user has selected an upgrade the network server 88 may retrieve the currently operating software configura tion and provide pricing data to the IED 16 The user may be prompted by the IED 16 to provide billing information that may be transferred to the network server 88 by the IED 16 Following authentication ofthe billing information the mas ter server 86 or the network server 88 may initiate the creation of an update and subsequent transfer to the IED 16 as previ ously discussed In one embodiment the IED 16 may be activated by the network server 88 to request the update as previously discussed In another embodiment the upgrade may already exist in a disabled state within the software configuration The upgrade may be enabled by the master serve
12. the Internet 78 The servers 74 are the primary interface to clients such as for example the IED 16 and the browser 72 for all interac tions with the applications or services available within the network distribution system 70 The servers 74 may operate to authenticate the clients establish a secure connection from the clients to the servers 74 and allow applications the clients are using to transparently access other resources of the net work distribution system 70 In another embodiment the IED 16 may perform some or all of the functions of the servers 74 In the exemplary embodiment the servers 74 include at least one email server 82 a plurality of firewall gateway servers 84 at least one master server 86 and a network server 88 The master server 86 further comprises a master server machine 90 and a database 92 in operable communication with each other In other embodiments additional servers fewer servers or an individual server may be used to fulfill these functions The email server 82 may be any CPU that includes associ ated communications hardware and an application capable of handling incoming and outgoing mail for the first intranet 76 An example embodiment is a computer that operates with Single Mail Transfer Protocol SMTP and Post Office Pro tocol 3 POP3 using applications such as for example MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT and MICROSOFT EXCHANGE SERVER The email server 82 communicates over the network 14 using the first
13. the database Further the method comprises transferring data from the first intelli gent electronic device and data from the second intelligent electronic device over the network from the database to the first intelligent electronic device A system for modifying the functionality of an intelligent electronic device previously installed in the field and operat ing is disclosed by another embodiment The system com prises a server computer an intelligent electronic device and a storage device The intelligent electronic device is in com munication with the server over the network The intelligent electronic device is operated with a software configuration stored therein The storage device is also in communication with the server The data storage device comprises a database A copy of the software configuration is stored in the database The server modifies the operation ofthe intelligent electronic device as a function of modifications to the database Further aspects and advantages of the invention are dis cussed below in conjunction with the preferred embodiments 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a block diagram of a portion of a power distribu tion system that includes one embodiment of an intelligent electronic device FIG 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a module operating within the intelligent electronic device illustrated in FIG
14. the feature or may operate behind the scenes and automatically enable the feature once the billing data has been authorized In the previously described embodiments updates for the IED 16 may be transferred via the network 14 In one embodi ment the use of email is the mechanism for transferring the update to the IED 16 The identifier associated with the update may also be associated with the email address ofthe particular IED 16 The master server 86 or network server 88 of this embodiment is capable of sending an email that includes the update Since the update is transferred via email the firewall gateway server 84 for the IED 16 may require no additional configuration to allow the message to be delivered to the IED 16 Upon receipt of the email message the email server 82 may forward the message to the identified IED 16 The IED 16 may extract and apply the update to the software configu ration currently operating in the IED 16 The IED 16 may then store the updated software configuration Alternatively the email may include an executable that the IED 16 executes to extract apply and store the update In another embodiment the email server 82 is the desig nated recipient of the update In this embodiment the email server 82 is a translation device The translation device includes an application that may extract the update from the email message and download the update to the IED 16 via the first intranet 76 In addition the e
15. the update to the intelligent electronic devices over the network In addi tion the method comprises modifying the software configu ration in each of the intelligent electronic devices with the update A method of adding functionality to an intelligent elec tronic device installed and operating in the field is described by another embodiment The method comprises specifying functionality to be added to the intelligent electronic device with a user interface and selecting payment for the function ality using the user interface The method further comprises upgrading the functionality of the intelligent electronic device Another embodiment describes a method of maintaining the integrity of data collection in an intelligent electronic device operating in the field to monitor electrical energy The method comprises operating a first intelligent electronic device and a second intelligent electronic device at a location to monitor electrical energy The method further comprises transferring data collected by the first intelligent electronic device over a network to a database and terminating the operation of the first intelligent electronic device to perform maintenance of the first intelligent electronic device In addi tion the method comprises activating the first intelligent elec tronic device following the maintenance to monitor electrical energy at the location and transferring data collected by the second intelligent electronic device to
16. to storage may be lost during the switch In another embodiment one or more status messages may be supplied to the user during the transfer and revision of the software configuration currently operating in the IED 16 The status messages may provide ongoing status during the opera tion as well as indication that the upgrade was successful In addition upgrade or data transfer logging may occur within the IED 16 the master server 86 or the network server 88 The logging may allow the user to access a stored log of informa tion regarding the status of update transfers and upgrades For example a user may specify a batch upgrade of several IED s 16 The upgrade status and error logging may be utilized to aid the user in confirming successful completion of or errors within the upgrade process in each of the IEDs 16 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 18 In addition the IED 16 the master server 86 or the net work server 88 may allow for revision control Revision con trol may include the capability to revert to the previously operating software configuration option In addition revision control may allow the user to manage view and evaluate changes and discrepancies between new upgrades existing configurations and previous configurations The ability to revert to the previous software configuration may allow a user to view the previous configuration and switch the IED 16 to operation with the previous configur
17. to the first IED 170 The transfer may be performed at the request of the first IED 170 by a user request made to the master server 86 and or the network server 88 or any other previously dis cussed method to initiate the transfer If at block 198 no additional data is transferred from the second IED 172 the data stored in master server 86 is transferred to the first IED 170 at block 202 Referring now to FIG 14 the first IED 170 receives and analyze the data to determine if additional data to that cur rently stored in the first IED 170 exists at block 204 If additional data exists the additional data is appended to the data stored in the first IED 170 at block 206 The additional data may be included in one combined data set from the database or may be the first data set and the second data set At block 208 the first IED 170 continues to monitor and store data If no additional data exists in the data received at block 204 the first IED 170 deletes the data received at block 210 At block 208 the first IED 170 continues to monitor and store data In another embodiment the first IED 170 may be removed from service for maintenance and physically replaced by the second IED 172 on a temporary basis In other words the second IED 172 may be connected in place of the first IED 170 The data contained in the first IED 170 is transferred to the database 92 FIG 5 as a first data set prior to removal The second JED 172 may installed in p
18. tor electrical energy the method comprising operating a first intelligent electronic device at a location to monitor electrical energy and collect data related thereto operating a second intelligent electronic device at the loca tion to monitor the same electrical energy and collect data related thereto transferring the data collected by the first intelligent elec tronic device over a network to a database terminating the operation of the first intelligent electronic device to perform maintenance of the first intelligent electronic device activating the first intelligent electronic device following the maintenance to again monitor electrical energy at the location and collect additional data related thereto transferring the data collected by the second intelligent electronic device to the database and from the database transferring the data from the first intel ligent electronic device and the data from the second intelligent electronic device over the network to be stored in the first intelligent electronic device in con junction with the additional data 2 The method of claim 1 wherein transferring the data collected by the first intelligent electronic device and the second intelligent electronic device comprises transferring data to the database wherein the database is located within the second intelligent electronic device 3 The method of claim 1 wherein transferring data col lected by the first intelligent ele
19. 106 INTERNET FIREWALUGATEWAY FIG 6 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 5 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 110 ACCESS NETWORK SERVER 112 ENTER SECURITY PASSWORD ENTER IDENTIFIER TRANSFER CONFIGURATION SOFTWARE ACCESS DATAFILES FIG 7 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 6 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 120 NO mcn 122 NOTIFY USER YES 124 128 RECONCILE DIFFERENCES MODIFY DATAFILE 132 TRANSFER UPDATE 134 APPLY UPDATE FIG 8 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 7 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONALITY DESIRED 140 142 SPECIFY FUNCTIONALITY ESTABLISH NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS 144 IED CONTAINS TRANSFER REQUEST amp SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION PRICING DATA TO IED FIG 9 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 8 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 156 SUPPLY BILLING DATA 160 BILLING UTHENTICATED 164 TRANSFER UPDATE TO IED BILLING PROCESS IED UPGRADED FIG 10 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 9 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 FIRST IED SECOND IED NETWORK MASTER SERVER NETWORK SERVER FIG 11 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 10 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 180 INSTALL 2ND IED 182 2ND IED ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION 184 UPDATE 2ND IED 186 PLACE 2ND IED IN SERVICE 188 TRANSFER DATA FROM 1ST IED 190 REMOVE 1ST IED FROM SERVICE FIG 12 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 S
20. 13418 3 1999 5 880 927 A 3 1999 Kentetal 361 634 WO WO 00 79452 A2 12 2000 5 896 393 A 4 1999 Yard etal 371 10 2 WO WO 01 01079 1 2001 5 897 607 A 4 1999 Jenney et al WO WO 01 01154 1 2001 5 907 476 A 5 1999 Davidsz 361 732 WO WO 01 01155 1 2001 5 909 492 A 6 1999 Payne et al 380 24 WO WO 01 01156 1 2001 5 933 004 A 8 1999 Jackson et al wee 324 142 WO WO 01 01157 A1 1 2001 5 936 971 A 8 1999 Harari et al 371 10 2 WO WO 01 01159 Al 1 2001 5 960 204 A 9 1999 Yinger etal 395 712 WO WO 01 01160 Al 1 2001 5 963 734 A 10 1999 Ackerman etal 395 500 39 WO 01 55733 8 2001 5 963 743 A 10 1999 Amberg et al 395 712 WO WO 01 73651 A2 10 2001 5 978 590 A 11 1999 Imai et al wee 395 712 5 991 543 A 11 1999 Amberg et al 395 712 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 5 994 892 A 11 1999 Turino et al 324 142 d isi 5 995911 A 11 1999 Hart PLC Solutions Substation Automation Transparent Utility Schneider 6 000 034 A 12 1999 Lightbody etal 713 202 Electric Jun 1999 4 pgs 6 6 008 711 A 12 1999 Bolam 336 92 PLC based Automation Electric Power Process and Substation Con 6 009 406 A 12 1999 Nick 705 10 trol Products Schneider Electric Apr 1999 16 pgs 6 023 160 A 2 2000 Colburn 324 142 Quick Facts Sheet 6200 ION Compact Modular Power amp Energy 6 049 551 A 4
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22. United States Patent US007447760B2 12 10 Patent No US 7 447 760 B2 Forth et al 45 Date of Patent Nov 4 2008 54 SYSTEMS FOR IN THE FIELD 4 957 876 9 1990 Shibata etal 437 209 CONFIGURATION OF INTELLIGENT 5 001 420 A 3 1991 Germer etal 324 142 ELECTRONIC DEVICES 5 056 214 A 10 1991 Holt 29 602 1 75 Inventors J Bradford Forth Victoria CA 5 192 227 A 3 1993 Bales 439 532 Jordon M Dagg Victoria CA Martin 5 248 967 A 9 1993 Daneshfar 340 931 A Hancock Victoria CA Markus F 5 301 122 A 4 1994 Halpern 364 483 Hirschbold Victoria CA Geoffrey T 5 418 752 A 5 1995 Harariet al 365 218 Hyatt Victoria CA Simon H 5 418 837 A 5 1995 Johansson etal 379 58 Lightbody Victoria CA 73 Assignee Power Measurement Ltd Saanichton BC CA Continued Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 95 days CA 2 299 002 9 2004 21 Appl No 11 454 480 22 Filed Jun 16 2006 Continued 65 Prior Publication Data OTHER PUBLICATIONS US 2006 0230394 A1 Oct 12 2006 U S Appl No 11 899 769 filed Sep 6 2007 Bryan J Gilbert et al Related U S Application Data Continued 62 Division of application No 09 792 701 filed on Feb Primary Examiner Eron J Sorrell 23
23. ail message is sent to the IED 16 and the IED 16 retrieves the datafile the firewall gateway server 84 may require no additional configuration FIG 6 illustrates a portion of another embodiment of the network distribution system 70 The network distribution sys tem 70 includes the email server 82 the firewall gateway server 84 a master IED 100 a first IED 102 and a second IED 104 that operatively communicate over the Internet 78 and an intranet 106 as illustrated In this embodiment the master first and second IEDs 100 102 104 may be physically located at the same location or may be dispersed among multiple locations The master IED 100 may be configured to communicate by email and or data file transfer in the manner described by the previous embodiments In addition the master IED 100 may communicate with the first and second IED 102 104 via the intranet 106 During operation updates transferred to the master IED 100 include information identifying the final destination The master IED 100 may use the information to route the updates to itself the first IED 102 or the second IED 104 In addition the master IED 100 may operate as a trans lation device to translate the update into a compatible format or otherwise unpack and reconfigure the update received In this embodiment the IEDs 100 102 104 may also com municate using peer to peer communications One of the IEDs 100 102 104 may contain functionality that may be tran
24. al requests entered through the user interface 18 FIG 1 In another embodiment the IED 16 may include security measures as part of the update process In this embodiment when the IED 16 is contacted to accept an update the IED may notify a system administrator ofthe pending update The system administrator may be the owner ofthe IED 16 or some other individual overseeing operation The IED 16 may notify US 7 447 760 B2 19 the system administrator by an email message an alarm mes sage a pulse output a pager message or any other form of notification The IED 16 may require some form of approval by thesystem administrator priorto accepting the update The update may be received by the IED 16 and held without implementation until approval by the system administrator In another embodiment the IED 16 may be disabled by the system administrator from accepting updates The IED 16 of another embodiment may initiate the modi fication of the datafiles in the database 92 Modifications to the software configuration of the IED 16 may be performed manually using the user interface 18 FIG 1 Following completion ofthe modifications the IED 16 may be triggered to contact the master server 86 using the network 14 The IED 16 may be triggered by the act of storing the modified soft ware configuration a user entered command or any other technique for triggering the transfer The update to the soft ware configuration may then be packaged by
25. ates to monitor electrical energy following purchase by a user An intelligent electronic device IED is operated with a software configuration A copy of the software configuration is maintained in a database The database is accessible with a network The intelligent electronic device may communicate over the network A server or other central processing unit CPU in communication with the intelligent electronic device and the database is also coupled with the network The server provides a virtual meter site where modifications to the functionality of the intelligent electronic device may be per formed over the network using the database Modifications performed at the server may be packaged as an update and transferred over the network to one or more of the intelligent electronic devices in an automated fashion The updates received by the intelligent electronic devices may be applied to the software configuration currently operating in the intel ligent electronic devices One embodiment describes a method of modifying the operation of an intelligent electronic device installed in the field The method comprises operating the intelligent elec tronic device with a software configuration to monitor elec trical energy The method further comprises accessing a vir tual meter site via a network and selecting modifications for the software configuration with the virtual meter site In addi tion the method comprises revising the software confi
26. ation if deemed neces sary Management of the changes and discrepancies may include identification of discrepancies suggested fixes for the discrepancy as well as error identification within the software configuration FIG 7 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of one embodiment of the network distribution system 70 The operation will be described with reference to the devices identified in FIGS 5 and 6 Operation begins with accessing the network server 88 via the network 14 at block 110 At block 112 a password or other security protection is entered to access the virtual meter site within the network server 88 The identifier for the IED 16 or group of IEDs 16 of interest is entered at block 114 At block 116 a copy of the software configuration currently in operation in the IED 16 or each of the IEDs 16 associated with the identifier is transferred to the network server 88 The datafiles from the database 92 are accessed by the network server 88 at block 118 Referring now to FIG 8 at block 120 a comparison is made ofthe datafiles and the corresponding software configu rations currently in operation to determine if they are identi cal If the configurations are different the user is notified at block 122 of differences At block 124 the user is prompted to continue Ifthe user elects not to continue the modification session ends at block 126 If the user elects to continue reconciliation of the differences may be performed at
27. ce with data transferred to the database from the second intelligent elec tronic device 10 The method of claim 1 wherein activating the first intelligent electronic device following the maintenance com prises combining within the first intelligent electronic device data transferred to the database from the first intelligent elec tronic device with data transferred to the database from the second intelligent electronic device 11 The method of claim 1 wherein operating a first intel ligent electronic device at a location to monitor electrical energy further comprises applying power to the first intelligent electronic device executing a first portion of a software configuration stored in the first intelligent electronic device retrieving a second portion of the software configuration from elsewhere in the network as a function of instruc tions within the first portion of the software configura tion and executing the first and second portions of the software configuration within the first intelligent electronic device 12 The method of claim 1 wherein transferring the data from the first intelligent electronic device and the data from the second intelligent electronic device over the network comprises the initial step of deleting data transferred from the second intelligent electronic device that is redundant to the data transferred from the first intelligent electronic device and appending any remaining data transferred fr
28. cessing of the pulse input signals may be functions such as for example an AND OR NOT or any other Boolean function In addition the PM module 38 may further process the pulse output signals to generate an event output signal on an event output line 46 The event output signal may for example be written to an event log or trigger further processing in the IED 16 In this embodi ment the PM module 38 does not require configuration set tings and therefore no setup register lines are included FIG 4 is an exemplary embodiment of a portion of a framework 50 within the IED 16 FIG 1 The framework 50 includes a Module A 52 a Module B 54 a Module C 56 a Pulse Merge PM Module 58 and a Module D 60 that are connected as illustrated The Modules A D 52 54 56 58 are similar to the module 30 previously discussed with reference to FIG 2 In addition the PM Module 58 is similar to the PM module 38 previously discussed with reference to FIG 3 Inthe exemplary embodiment Modules A B and C 52 54 56 may be Maximum Modules each configured to monitor an input line 62 for input signals During operation if one ofthe input signals reaches a pre set value the corresponding Mod ule 52 54 56 may output an output pulse signal on a corre sponding output line 64 The PM module 58 may monitor the output lines 64 and upon receipt of one of the output pulse signals may generate an output pulse signal on an output pulse line 66 Module D 60 may
29. ctronic device and the second intelligent comprises transferring data to the database wherein the database is located within a server communica tively coupled with the network 4 The method of claim 3 wherein transferring data col lected by the second intelligent electronic device comprises transferring data over the network to the server 5 The method of claim 1 further comprising removing the second intelligent electronic device from service 6 The method of claim 1 wherein operating the second intelligent electronic device comprises transferring a software configuration operating in the first intelligent electronic device over the network to the sec ond intelligent electronic device and operating the second intelligent electronic device with the software configuration 7 The method of claim 1 wherein operating a second intelligent electronic device comprises electrically replacing the first intelligent electronic device with the second intelli gent electronic device US 7 447 760 B2 23 8 The method of claim 7 wherein activating the first intelligent electronic device comprises electrically replacing the second intelligent electronic device with the first intelli gent electronic device 9 The method of claim 1 wherein activating the first intelligent electronic device following the maintenance com prises combining within the database data transferred to the database from the first intelligent electronic devi
30. d Access to the database 92 may allow the selection of one or more of the datafiles for a particular JED 16 or group of IEDs 16 The datafiles may be selected from the database 92 as a function of the identifier Prior to allowing access to the database 92 the master server 86 may perform verification Verification ensures that requestor has US 7 447 760 B2 13 the authority to access the datafiles being requested The verification could be in the form of a password entry of the identifier or any other technique for verifying authorization Requests to access the database 92 may be made using the network server 88 The network server 88 may be any CPU running applica tions for use within the network distribution system 70 In one embodiment the network server 88 operates an application that forms an interface The interface may be referred to as a virtual meter site The virtual meter site provides an interface for a user to access and manipulate the software configuration of an IED 16 that is already operating in the field In one embodiment the IED 16 the browser 72 or the master server 86 may access the network server 88 using the network 14 It will be appreciated that there may be many alternative meth ods of accessing and manipulating the software configura tions both manual and automated and all such methods are contemplated The virtual meter site operated by the network server 88 is preferably implemented as an Internet
31. d by reference in its entirety In this embodiment the user when ordering modifications or features for an IED 16 may be given the option of enabling the feature instead of uploading and installing the feature as previously described This allows the user the flexibility of 0 5 20 40 45 50 60 16 having faster access to additionally functionality within the IED 16 Faster access may take place since an update to enablea feature may take considerable less timeto implement than an update that includes the entire software configuration or modifications to the existing software configuration For example when the IED 16 is prompted to enable a feature that is disabled the IED 16 after processing the billing data as previously discussed contacts the network server 88 to receive an update It can be appreciated that transferring an update that includes only an enabling mechanism may be much less time consuming than uploading an entire modifi cation or software configuration In another embodiment the IED 16 includes the software configuration and the enabling mechanism As such the user may once the billing data is processed have access to the enabling mechanism to enable the features without requiring the transfer of an update as previously described It can be appreciated that the enabling mechanism may be in the form of a code that is displayed for the user to re enter through the user interface to enable
32. derive the measure ment parameters The processor operates based on a software configuration The software configuration is typically instruction sets stored in the intelligent electronic device The instruction sets may be software firmware or some other form of operating code and includes device specific data used to configure a particular intelligent electronic device The software configu ration of an intelligent electronic device is used during moni toring ofthe electrical energy and the derivation of measured parameters Typically the software configuration of an intel ligent electronic device is determined during manufacturing Following installation of the intelligent electronic device in 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 the field additional site specific data may be entered to com plete or modify the configuration based on the operational functionality desired typical consumer or supplier of electrical energy may have many intelligent electronic devices installed and oper ating throughout their operations The intelligent electronic devices may operate individually or may operate as part of a monitoring system Each of the intelligent electronic devices may require unique software configurations or multiple devices may include the same software configuration In the prior art modification of the software configuration of previously installed and operating devices may be a tedious and labor
33. e one or more soft ware programs designed to derive display utilize and manipulate the data within the IED 16 Applications software may include measurement and recording applications deri vation applications measurement and control applications communications applications and any other applications pro viding functionality to the IED 16 The applications software may also include standard applications software and custom applications software Standard applications software includes those applications developed by the manufacturer that may be provided as standard functionality within the IED 16 Standard applications software typically performs the more usual and customary functions for which the IED 16 is designed Custom applications software includes those applications specifically tailored to the needs of an end user or group of end users operating the IED 16 in the field Any applications software that is not off the shelf software may be consid ered custom applications software Custom applications soft ware may be developed by the end users third parties or by the manufacturer of the IED 16 In the one embodiment the applications software may be organizationally described as a plurality of frameworks The frameworks may be an object oriented software architecture allowing the organization of the various operations per formed by the IED 16 Accordingly each of the frameworks inasoftware configuration may represent one
34. e operating IEDs 16 based on the identifier The configuration application performs an assess ment such as through an interactive hierarchical series of interrogatories presented via a display page to determine the needs of the particular user Once the needs are assessed the configuration application adds the appropriate framework or modifies an existing framework to include additional func tionality specified by the user The modifications and additions are performed on the copy ofthe datafile s containing the software configuration of one or more IEDs 16 already in operation in the field For example a user specifies a group of IEDs 16 and requests an upgrade in functionality to include detection and measure ment of harmonics The configuration application analyzes the software configurations of each of the IEDs 16 in the group and modifies the existing frameworks to implement the upgrade Implementation among the IEDs 16 in the group may vary depending on the existing functionality of the IEDs 16 For example some of the IEDs 16 may need an additional framework while others merely need modification of an existing framework In yet another embodiment a modification to an existing software configuration may be selected from a selection list s of previously stored software configuration upgrades listed in the virtual meter site The previously stored software configurations may be publicly available to any user or may be exclusive to a
35. e the entire software configurations incorporating the modifications Alternatively the update may include only the modifications to the software configu ration currently operating in the corresponding IEDs 16 Where the updates include only the modifications a compari son of the modified datafile and the software configuration currently in operation in a corresponding IED 16 are com pared to generate the update The differences are packaged as the update and transferred to the corresponding IED 16 In another embodiment the IED 16 may contain a software configuration that includes all or a large part of the function ality and features available for the IED 16 However only functionality and features previously purchased by the user are currently operational in the IED 16 The remaining func tionality and features may be disabled in the software con figuration of the IED 16 A modification to the software configuration of this embodiment involves enabling those portions of the software configuration that correspond to the modification requested Updates transferred to the IED 16 of this embodiment may be a software key an enabling code or any other enabling mechanism or technique for activating disabled functionality within the IED 16 The use ofthis type ofenabling mechanism is disclosed in U S patent application Ser No 09 791 421 filed on Feb 23 2001 entitled MULTI FEATURED POWER METER WITH FEATURE KEY which is herein incorporate
36. ed from the second intelligent electronic device 17 The method of claim 16 where downloading to the first intelligent electronic device comprises the server combining the stored power parameter related data received from the first intelligent electronic device and the stored power parameter related data received from the second intelligent electronic device by eliminating redundant data prior to the download 18 The method of claim 16 further comprising after the download is complete the first intelligent electronic device combining the downloaded power parameter related data of the first intelligent electronic device and the downloaded power parameter related data of the second intelligent elec tronic device by eliminating redundant data 19 The method of claim 16 further comprising after the download is complete the first intelligent electronic device operating with the software configuration to measure power parameters of said power conductor and collect additional data related thereto the first intelligent electronic device operable to append the additional data to the downloaded data
37. eral modules together The modules may represent logic tasks performed to manipulate derive store transfer or otherwise process data The data input to the modules may be received by the framework from data inputs to the IED 16 or may be the data output from another framework An IED 16 may have several frameworks operating independently or in combination with other frameworks to perform various man agement control derivation storage communication and or other functions ofthe IED 16 In one embodiment the frame works may be created in a software design tool called ION Designer ION Designer is a component of a PEGA SYS software system manufactured by Power Measure ment Ltd located in Saanichton B C Canada FIG 2 depicts an example of a module 30 operating within a framework not shown of the IED 16 FIG 1 The module 30 includes at least one input 32 at least one output 34 and at least one setup register input 36 The quantity and signal type ofthe inputs 32 the outputs 34 and the setup register inputs 36 are dependent on the function of the module 30 The setup register inputs 36 may include configuration settings for the module 30 The configuration settings determine how the module 30 processes the data received on the inputs 32 and generates data on the outputs 34 The module 30 may be designated to perform any of a number of functions within one of the frameworks For example the module 30 may be an Arith
38. gura tion with the virtual meter site as a function of the selected modifications US 7 447 760 B2 3 Another embodiment describes a method of modifying the configuration of an intelligent electronic device installed in the field The method comprises operating the intelligent electronic device with a first software configuration to moni tor electrical energy In addition the method comprises com municating over a network to modify a copy of the first software configuration stored in a database and generating a first software revision as a function of the modification The method further comprises initiating the transfer of the first software revision over the network to the intelligent elec tronic device and updating the first software configuration with the first software revision to create a second software configuration In addition the method comprises operating the intelligent electronic device with the second software configuration to monitor electrical energy Yet another embodiment describes a method of modifying the functionality ofa plurality of intelligent electronic devices installed and operating in the field The method comprises accessing a virtual meter site via a network and specifying an identifier for the intelligent electronic devices The method further comprises initiating the creation of an update to a software configuration of each of the intelligent electronic devices with the virtual meter site and transferring
39. heet 11 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 192 MONITOR AND STORE DATA WITH 2ND IED 194 PLACE 1ST IED IN SERVICE 196 TRANSFER DATA TO MASTER SERVER APPEND DATA TO PREVIOUSLY STORED DATA ADDITIONAL DATA 202 TRANSFER DATA TO 1ST IED FIG 13 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 12 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 204 ADDITIONAL DATA DELETE DATA RECIEVED APPEND DATA CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND STORE DATA FIG 14 US 7 447 760 B2 1 SYSTEMS FOR IN THE FIELD CONFIGURATION OF INTELLIGENT ELECTRONIC DEVICES RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a divisional of U S patent application Ser No 09 792 701 filed Feb 23 2001 now U S Pat No 7 085 824 B2 The following and commonly assigned U S patent applications were filed on the same date as U S patent application Ser No 09 792 701 now U S Pat No 7 085 824 B2 These applications relate to and further describe other aspects of the embodiments disclosed in the present applica tion and are herein incorporated by reference U S patent application Ser No 09 791 340 now U S Pat No 6 853 978 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING AND CONFIGURING INTEL LIGENT ELECTRONIC DEVICES TO ORDER filed on Feb 23 2001 USS patent application Ser No 09 792 699 now U S Pat No 6 671 635 SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVED MONI TORING ACCURACY OF INTELLIGENT ELEC TRONIC DEVICES filed Feb 23 2001 U S patent applicatio
40. ic device main taining the remaining data transferred from the database in one data set and the additional data collected by the first intelligent electronic device in another data set 16 A method of maintaining integrity of data collection in an intelligent electronic device operating in the field to moni tor electrical energy the method comprising operating a database to store power parameter related data receiving and storing in the database power parameter related data from a first intelligent electronic device operable with a software configuration to measure power parameters of a power conductor and collect data related thereto storing the software configuration in the database downloading the software configuration to a second intel ligent electronic device receiving and storing in the database power parameter related data from the second intelligent electronic device operable with the software configuration to measure power parameters of said power conductor and collect data related thereto removing from service and then later returning to service the first intelligent electronic device while the second intelligent electronic device is operable and after the first intelligent electronic device is returned to service downloading to the first intelligent electronic device the stored power parameter related data received from the first intelligent electronic device and the stored power parameter related data receiv
41. iguration may be modified locally using the user interface 18 The user interface 18 may include one or more buttons levers switches display screens keypads touch screens or any other device s capable of providing an interface to a user of the IED 16 As illustrated in FIG 1 the user interface 18 is connected with and acts as an interface to the processor 20 As such the user interface 18 may provide display of the electrical parameters derived by the processor 20 In addition commands for the processor 20 may be entered using the user interface 18 The processor 20 may be for example a microprocessor an electronic control unit or any other device capable of executing instructions monitoring electrical inputs and pro viding electrical outputs The processor 20 may perform cal culations operations and other logic related tasks to operate the IED 16 Inone embodiment the processor 20 may operate as a function of the software configuration The software configuration may be stored in the memory 22 connected with 40 45 50 6 the processor 20 The processor 20 and the memory 22 coop eratively operate to form the central processing unit CPU for the IED 16 The memory 22 may be a non volatile memory such as for example a flash memory device or other similar memory storage device in communication with the processor 20 The memory 22 may store the electrical parameters derived by the IED 16 during operation The memo
42. intensive task Prior art intelligent electronic devices are reconfigured individually Individual reconfigu ration may involve manually inputting data and instruction sets into the device at the site where device is installed e g in the field Similarly in those prior art devices that include remote communication via a modem each intelligent elec tronic device must be individually contacted and changes to the configuration initiated via the modem connection Where it is desirable to revise the software configuration of a large number of intelligent electronic devices the length of time required to perform the revisions greatly increases Further maintaining a record of the current software configuration of an intelligent electronic device may be difficult Accordingly a need exists for systems capable of performing efficient modification of the software configuration of multiple intel ligent electronic devices and maintaining a record of the current software configurations BRIEF SUMMARY The present invention is defined by the following claims and nothing in this section should be taken as a limitation on those claims By way of introduction the preferred embodi ments described below include a system for modification of the software configuration of field installed intelligent elec tronic devices As used herein the term field should be construed to mean the site where the intelligent electronic device is installed and oper
43. intranet or extranet accessible site The virtual meter site may be a secure site requiring customers to register or log in for access Alterna tively the virtual meter site may be implemented as an elec tronic mail interface as will be hereinafter discussed Further the virtual meter site may be implemented using telephony based services such as automated telephone or operator assisted interfaces or facsimile based interfaces A similar interface is disclosed in U S patent application Ser No 09 791 340 filed on Feb 23 2001 now U S Pat No 6 853 978 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANUFAC TURING AND CONFIGURING INTELLIGENT ELEC TRONIC DEVICES TO ORDER which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety The network server 88 may provide functionality for a user of one or more IEDs 16 to access the database 92 using the virtual meter site The datafiles within the database 92 may be displayed by the virtual meter site and modified by the user In addition the network server 88 may request the correspond ing software configuration from the currently operating IED 16 that corresponds to the datafile being displayed The net work server 88 may perform verification that the software configuration in the datafile matches the software configura tion currently operating in the IED 16 In an another embodi ment the master server 86 may perform the verification Where the software configurations do not match the user may be prom
44. lace of the first IED 170 and operated to save data in a similar fashion to the first IED 170 as previously discussed The data collected by the second IED 172 may be transferred to the database 92 in a second data set prior to removal from service The first IED 170 may be installed in place of the second IED 172 and returned to service following completion of the maintenance The com bination ofthe first data set and the data set may be transferred to the first IED 170 as in the previously discussed embodi ments In this embodiment data would be lost for the period of time when the first and second IEDs 170 172 are being connected and disconnected However the data collected by the first and second IEDs 170 172 may be error free and readily accessible from the single location of the first IED 170 In yet another embodiment the database 92 may reside within the second IED 172 As such the first IED 170 com municates with the second IED 172 via the network 14 to transfer data for storage in the database 92 In addition the data from the second IED 172 may be stored in the database 92 Following completion of the maintenance when the first IED 170 is returned to service the data from the first and second IEDs 170 172 may be transferred over the network from the second IED 172 to the first IED 170 The previously discussed embodiments allow a user to track retrieve and modify the software configuration of one or more IEDs 16 that are cu
45. le power distribution sys tem protection management of power generation manage ment of energy distribution and management of energy con sumption In one embodiment the IED 16 includes a user interface 18 a processor 20 a memory 22 and a communica tion port 24 connected as illustrated in FIG 1 It will be appreciated that the IED 16 may include other hardware components such as for example metering sensors power supplies signal processing circuits logic circuits or any other hardware useful in performing electrical energy monitoring As used herein the term IED may be used interchangeably with the term IEDs For example the term TED may be used to discuss aspects involving one IED 16 and IEDs may be used to discuss aspects involving multiple IEDs 16 During operation of the power distribution system 10 the IED 16 monitors the electrical energy flowing within the conductors 12 The IED 16 may process the electrical energy to derive store and display data for various electrical param eters indicative of the electrical energy flowing in the conduc tors 12 The IED 16 may also provide outputs to and receive inputs from the power distribution system 10 Processing within the IED 16 may be performed with a software con figuration As will be hereinafter described the software con figuration within the IED 16 may be modified remotely with out removing the IED 16 from service In addition the software conf
46. lling Meters www pml com 1999 Power Measurement New MeterM ail and WebMeter fea tures connect power meters over the Internet http www pwrm com company news a51 asp 2000 Power Measurement Power Measurement Enhances Web Commu nications and Security Functions on IOI Energy and Power Quality Meters http www pwrm com company news a62 asp 2001 Electro Industries User s Installation amp Operation and User s Pro gramming Manual www electroind com 1995 Power Measurement ION MeterM il Technical Note www pwrm com 2001 Electro Industries Gaugetech Nexus 1250 Performance Power Meter amp Data Acquisition Node www electroind com Electro Industries Gaugetech Nexus 1250 Installation amp Operation Manual Revision 1 20 www electroind com 2000 Power Measurement 7700 ION Xpress Card Installation amp Basic Setup Guide www pwrm com 1997 Power Measurement 8400 ION 8500 ION Instructional Leaflet www pwrm com 1999 Electro Industries Gaugetech Futura Series Advanced Power Monitoring and Analysis for the 21 Century www electroind com Electro Industries Gaugetech Nexus 1250 Precision Power Meter amp Data Acquisition Node www electroind com 1999 Power Measurement 3720 ACM 3 Phase Power Instrumentation Package www pwrm com 1998 Power Measurement 3720 ACM Installation amp Operation Manual www pwrm com 2000 Dranetz BMI Signature S
47. lling data that may be trans ferred to the network server 88 or some other payment authentication server as previously described at block 156 At block 158 authentication ofthe billing data occurs If authen tication fails the upgrade operation ends at block 160 If the authentication is successful at block 158 the update may be transferred to the IED 16 at block 162 At the same time the billing process is initiated at block 164 At block 166 the update is received the IED 16 is upgraded and operation continues FIG 11 illustrates another embodiment of a portion of a power distribution system 10 The power distribution system 10 includes the conductors 12 the network 14 the master server 86 the network server 88 a first IED 170 and a second IED 172 connected as illustrated The first and second IEDs 170 172 are similar in operation and functionality to the previously discussed IED 16 100 102 104 FIGS 1 5 and 6 In addition the conductors 12 the network 14 the master server 86 and the network server 88 maintain the same iden tifying numbers to illustrate similarity with the previous dis cussed embodiments of the same name and identifying num ber This embodiment involves maintenance such as for example an upgrade or recalibration of the first IED 170 which is permanently installed and operating in the field The second IED 172 may be installed on a temporary basis The first IED 170 is required to be taken out of ser
48. lock 184 At block 186 the second IED 172 is placed in service with the same software configuration as the first IED 170 and begins collecting data Prior to removing the first IED 170 from service the data stored in the first IED 170 is transferred as a first data set to the master server 86 for storage using the network 14 at block 188 The transfer may also include use of the network server 88 The master server 86 stores the first data set as a function of the identifier associated with the first IED 170 At block 190 the first IED 170 is taken out of service for upgrade or recalibration Referring now to FIG 13 the second IED 172 continues to monitor and store the electrical energy on the conductors 12 at block 192 The first IED 170 is placed back in service follow ing completion of the maintenance at block 194 At block 196 the data collected by the second IED 172 is transferred to the US 7 447 760 B2 21 master server 86 in the form ofa second data set The master server 86 checks the second data set to determine if data in addition to that from the previously stored first data set is present at block 198 If additional data is present the addi tional data is appended to the data from the first IED 170 previously stored in the master server 86 at block 200 Alter natively the master server 86 may maintain the first data set and the second data set separately At block 202 the data stored in the master server 86 is transferred
49. mail server 82 may format the update prior to download In another embodiment the update may be supplied in a data file from the master server 86 or the network server 88 In this embodiment the firewall gateway server 84 may be con figured to allow the data file to pass through to the first intranet 76 The data file containing the update may be transferred to a designated recipient device such as for example the browser 72 the firewall gateway server 84 or some other translation device in communication with the network 14 The translation device may be compatible with the IED 16 and contain an application that functions to communicate with and download the update to the IED 16 via the network 14 In another embodiment the IED 16 may include capabil ity to obtain or be assigned an IP address In this embodiment the data file may be transferred directly to the IED 16 Upon receipt the IED 16 may translate the data file to a compatible format store and begin operating with the update In yet another embodiment a combination of e mail and datafiles may be used to initiate the transfer For example the IED 16 may be contacted by an e mail from the master server 86 or the network server 88 The e mail message may indicate that an update has been generated Following receipt of the US 7 447 760 B2 17 e mail the IED 16 may retrieve the update in the form of a datafile from the master server 86 or the network server 88 Since an e m
50. metic Module that performs mathematical and logical functions such as multi plication addition square root etc to data supplied on the inputs 32 and provides the result on the outputs 34 Further examples may include a Display Module that allows for the creation of custom front panel display screens and a Sag Swell Module that monitors the voltage inputs for distur bances and upon detection of a disturbance breaks the dis turbance into discrete components to perform a more detailed analysis Further exemplary modules of one embodiment may be found in an ION Reference Manual printed by Power Measurement Ltd located in Saanichton B C Canada FIG 3 is an exemplary embodiment of a Pulse Merge PM Module 38 operating within a framework not shown of the IED 16 FIG 1 The PM module 38 receives at least one pulse input signal on at least one pulse input line 40 The pulse input signals may be from an external input not shown to the IED 16 or from one or more other modules not shown The PM module 38 may commence with processing the pulse input signals upon receipt of an enable signal on an enable line 42 Following processing the PM module 38 may pro vide at least one pulse output signal on at least one pulse output line 44 The pulse output signals may be an input to 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 another module within the frameworks or may be an external output from the IED 16 The pro
51. mize edit and update the software configuration of one or more IEDs 16 that are pre viously installed and operating in the field The IEDs 16 may also include an identifier to uniquely identify each of a plurality of IEDs 16 not shown Alterna tively the identifier may uniquely identify a predetermined group of IEDs 16 Further an IED 16 may include a number of identifiers both for unique identification as well as for any number of predetermined groups The identifiers may for example be an identification number such as a serial number or a part number Alternatively the identifiers may be letters numbers or a combination of both The manufacturer may determine the identifiers for an IED 16 or a predetermined group of IEDs 16 Alternatively a user may develop identifi ers following installation in the field US 7 447 760 B2 9 Referring again to FIG 1 the IED 16 also includes the communication port 24 The communication port 24 may be for example an Ethernet card a network interface card or some other network compatible communication device capable of creating a communication link In addition the communication port 24 may include wireless communication capability such as for example a wireless transceiver not shown The communication port 24 may operatively coop erate with the processor 20 to format and pass commands and information The IED 16 may send and receive data and commands using transfer protocols such a
52. n Ser No 09 791 421 now U S Pat No 7 249 265 MULTI FEATURED POWER METER WITH FEATURE KEY filed Feb 23 2001 BACKGROUND 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates to systems for monitoring electrical energy in electrical distribution systems and more particu larly to systems for reconfiguring and upgrading the software configuration in previously installed and operating intelligent electronic devices 2 Description of the Related Art Monitoring of electrical energy by consumers and provid ers of electric power is a fundamental function within any electric power distribution system Electrical energy may be monitored for purposes ofusage equipment performance and power quality Electrical parameters that may be monitored include volts amps watts vars power factor harmonics kilowatt hours kilovar hours and any other power related measurement parameters Typically measurement of the voltage and current at a location within the electric power distribution system may be used to determine the electrical parameters for electrical energy flowing through that loca tion Devices that perform monitoring of electrical energy may be electro mechanical devices such as for example a resi dential billing meter or may be intelligent electronic devices IED Intelligent electronic devices typically include some form of a processor In general the processor is capable of using the measured voltage and current to
53. nclude frameworks In addition the database 92 may include one or more datafiles that include software configurations As previously dis cussed the software configuration may include both firmware and frameworks The database may also include characteris tic curves for each of the IEDs 16 as disclosed in U S patent application entitled SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVED MONI TORING ACCURACY OF INTELLIGENT ELECTRONIC DEVICES Ser No 09 792 699 filed on Feb 23 2001 now U S Pat No 6 671 635 which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety The frameworks software configu rations and characteristic curves may be represented by indi vidual datafiles contained as groups within a plurality of datafiles or all contained in a single datafile in the database 92 The database 92 may also include a second portion of the software configuration for one or more of the IEDs 16 In this embodiment the second portion of the software configura tion may be transferred at the request of the corresponding IED 16 As previously discussed the memory 22 FIG 1 of the IED 16 may include volatile and non volatile portions As such the second portion ofthe software configuration may be transferred from the database 92 and stored in the volatile memory when the IED 16 is activated and the first portion of the software configuration stored in the non volatile memory is executed In operation this enables an IED 16 to have minimal amounts of software configurati
54. ned Aug 27 2007 7 pgs International Search Report F Momal C Into Pereira Using World Wide Web for Control Systems AT Division CERN 1211 Geneva 23 F Momal J Brahy R Saban P Sollander Integrating a commercial industrial control system to the accelerator control system a case study Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 352 1994 464 466 R Saban P Ciriani A Guiard Marigny H Laeger M Rabany A Swift Equipment industrially controlled Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 352 1994 461 463 F Mormal D Bienvenu D Brahy D Lavielle R Saban B Vul lierme L Walckiers Control System based on Industrial Com ponents for Measuring and Testing the Prototype Magnets for LHC CERN AT CH 1211 Geneva 23 R Saban D Brahy J Casas Cubillos M Grippeling D Lavielle G Leo L Madaro A Rijllart M Skiadelli The Control and Data Acquisition of the LHC Test String AT Division CERN 1211 Geneva 23 Peter M Corcoran Joe Desbonnet and Karl Lusted CEBus Net work Access via the World Wide Web IEEE 1996 236 237 Technical Overview Ethernet SCAN IITM Module ATI Systems Inc Milwaukee WI 1994 Press Release AT amp T forms expert team to design utility industry solutions http www lucent com press 0195 950123 mma html 1995 Newsbytes TECO amp IBM The Smart House Is Here http filebox vt edu users mikemike smart ho
55. oc ICALEPS 1993 Berlin p 461 F Momal D Bienvenu D Brahy D Lavielle R Saban B Vuillerme L Walckiers A Control System based on Industrial Components for Measuring and Testing the Prototype Magnets for LHC Proc EPAC 94 London p 2322 Web Utility User Manual for Quantum and Premium 890 USE 152 00 Version 1 0 Groupe Schneider Oct 1998 18 pgs Class 3020 Powerlogic Power Meter Square D Groupe Schneider Oct 1998 4 pgs Press Release Feb 23 2000 entitled Connect One and Nams create the World s First Dial Up Energy Meter that Sends and Receives E mail Without A Gateway available at http www connectone com PressFiles 58 press htm obtained Aug 17 2004 4 pgs Online Article Apr 26 2000 entitled Embedded Systems Confer ence Provides a Connection to the Web available at http www technoline com community ed resource feature article 6341 obtained Aug 26 2004 3 pgs Online Article Mar 13 2000 entitled Your Electricity Meter Read Over the Internet by Newsbytes available at http exn ca stories 2000 03 13 04 asp obtained Aug 17 2004 2 pgs Exemplary Invoices ofthe 7500 Meter Showing Purchase Order and Shipping Information Dec 16 1999 6 pgs Jeff Tyson How OSI Works available at http computer howstuffworks com osi htm printable obtained Aug 27 2007 2 pgs SCADA from Wikipedia the free encyclopedia available at http en wikpedia org wiki SCADA obtai
56. odiments disclose a system for performing modification of the software configuration of intelligent electronic devices that are installed in the field The modification may be performed on an individual intelligent electronic device In addition groups of intelligent electronic devices may be identified for modification Further a copy of the software configuration of the intelligent electronic devices may be maintained in a database Upgrades or changes to the software configuration of an intelligent elec tronic device may be performed with the database followed by transfer ofthe changes to the intelligent electronic device Conversely changes at the intelligent electronic device may be transferred to the database FIG 1 illustrates a block diagram representation of an embodiment of a portion of a power distribution system 10 The power distribution system 10 includes a plurality of con ductors 12 a network 14 and at least one intelligent electronic device IED 16 The conductors 12 and the network 14 may be connected with the IED 16 as illustrated As used herein the term connected or coupled may mean electrically connected optically coupled or any other form of coupling allowing the flow of data electricity or some representation thereof between devices and components that are connected or coupled The conductors 12 may be for example electric transmission lines electric distribution lines power cables bus duct or any o
57. om the sec ond intelligent electronic device to the data transferred from the first intelligent electronic device 13 The method of claim 1 further comprising the first intelligent electronic device receiving from the network the data transferred from the database the first intelligent elec tronic device deleting data transferred from the second intel ligent electronic device that 1s redundant to the data trans ferred from the first intelligent electronic device and the additional data and the first intelligent electronic device appending any remaining data transferred from the second intelligent electronic device to the data transferred from the first intelligent electronic device and to the additional data 14 The method of claim 1 further comprising the first intelligent electronic device receiving the data transferred from the database deleting that portion of the data transferred from the database that already exists in the first intelligent electronic device and appending the remaining data trans ferred from the database to the additional data collected by the first intelligent electronic device 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 24 15 The method of claim 1 further comprising the first intelligent electronic device receiving the data transferred from the database deleting that portion ofthe data transferred from the database that already exists in the first intelligent electronic device and the intelligent electron
58. ons stored in non volatile memory Upon initial startup of the IED 16 the remainder of the software configuration may be loaded into the volatile memory For example an IED 16 may have a minimum amount of software that includes a boot file stored in the non volatile portion of memory by the manufacturer of the IED 16 The boot file may include instructions for the IED 16 to contact the manufacturer retrieve and store the remain der of the software configuration in volatile memory and execute the entire software configuration to operate the IED 16 The frameworks and software configurations stored in the database 92 may be associated with one or more of the IEDs 16 by one or more identifiers The identifiers may identify for example frameworks or software configurations that may be used for a group of the IEDs 16 such as for example a particular model of the IEDs 16 Alternatively the frame works or software configurations may be associated with a particular IED 16 As such each of the IEDs 16 previously installed in the field may have a copy of the currently operat ing software configuration stored in the database 92 The database 92 may be accessed to perform changes additions upgrades patches or any other type of modification to the copy of the existing software configuration operating in one or more of the IEDs 16 The database 92 may be accessed by the IED 16 and the browser 72 via the network 14 as will be hereinafter discusse
59. or more parts of the applications software For example a framework identi fied as a setpoint framework may contain operating instruc tions for the IED 16 pertaining to setpoints for the various electrical parameters derived by the IED 16 Other exemplary frameworks may include a historic data logging framework a harmonic measurement framework a display framework a digital inputs framework an alarm framework a revenue US 7 447 760 B2 7 framework or any other framework representing some por tion of the functionality of the IED 16 The software configuration of this embodiment may be comprised of the firmware and the frameworks The frame works may represent both applications software referred to as Core frameworks and custom applications software referredto as Custom frameworks Accordingly the IED 16 is a highly customizable device capable of performing a wide variety of monitoring and power management functions While the IED 16 may utilize the object oriented framework architecture it will be appreciated that the applications soft ware may also be developed in non object oriented format and still provide a highly customizable device Each of the frameworks of one embodiment includes a plurality of modules The modules may operate within an object oriented software construct known as an integrated object network ION that will be hereinafter discussed Development of a framework may be accomplished by link ing sev
60. ounts for different users and providing methods ofonline payment For example where a user wishes to upgrade the software configuration of a group of IEDs 16 to include historical data logging the network server 88 may determine the cost for the upgrade to each IED 16 and present a total price to the user The IEDs 16 the network server 88 or a combination of both may supply pricing for the upgrade Following selection of payment method and entry of billing information the user may be allowed to proceed with the transfer ofthe modification to the corresponding IEDs 16 Methods of online payment may include for example pre authorized payment structures that may further include US 7 447 760 B2 15 user credit systems or authorized billing codes Direct or pre authorized payment plans may occur through an interface on the network server 88 Further communication with other payment authorization services such as for example dial up authorizations or other online credit card networked servers may also be utilized to provide and authorize online pay ments Exemplary well known payment authorization ser vices include for example Visa MasterCard debit cards electronic payment cards or any other authentication systems for financial information It may be appreciated that the actual billing authentication may take place independent of the browser 72 and network server 88 For example the IED 16 may initiate contact with a serve
61. pted to continue or end the modification session If the user opts to continue the user may have the opportunity to reconcile the differences by updating one or more of the datafiles Where the software configurations do match the user may perform modification of the datafile In one embodiment modification of one or more selected datafiles may be performed at the direction of the user using display pages The display pages may provide a selection list such as for example pull down menus pick lists or text entry fields to perform the modifications All modifications may be performed on copies of the software configurations stored in the database 92 For example a user wishing to change an alarm setpoint in a group of IEDs 16 may select the identifier for the group That part of the software configuration com mon to the group would display on the virtual meter site The user may then select the alarm setpoint and enter the new value The new value may be stored in datafiles representing the software configuration for each of the IEDs 16 in the group Inanother embodiment the network server 88 operates the virtual meter site using interactive pages capable of process ing and applying a users request In this embodiment the 0 5 20 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 14 network server 88 includes one or more configuration appli cations capable of analyzing the copy of the software con figuration of one or mor
62. r not shown per forming payment authentication and upon receipt of authen tication contact the network server 88 to transfer the billing data and the requested upgrade to the software configuration In the presently preferred embodiments the master server 86 and the network server 88 may cooperatively operate to generate and transfer an update that includes the modifica tions Alternatively a server or a plurality of servers perform ing some or all ofthe functions ofthe master server 86 and the network server 88 may generate and transfer an update Fol lowing completion of the modifications to the datafile the user may request the revised copy of the software configura tion be stored in the database 92 Upon storage ofthe datafile the master server 86 may be triggered to initiate the genera tion and transfer ofthe update The network server 88 may be triggered to initiate the generation and transfer of the update by storage ofthe datafile In addition a command by the user payment or any other user initiated triggering mechanism may initiate the generation and transfer of the update to the corresponding IEDs 16 In the previously discussed embodi ments the generation and transfer of an update to the software configuration of one or more IEDs 16 currently operating in the field is an automated process that may be initiated by activities of the user The master server 86 or the network server 88 may trans fer updates that includ
63. r 86 or the network server 88 by transfer of a software key or other similar enabling technique as previously dis cussed Following completion of the upgrade the network server 88 performs the financial accounting to bill the user FIG 9 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of the pre viously discussed embodiment where the user may upgrade a software configuration from the user interface 18 FIG 1 of a corresponding IED 16 The upgrade operation begins at block 140 where the user requires additional functionality within the IED 16 At block 142 a desired upgrade is speci fied The IED 16 is checked to determine if the pricing is contained within the IED 16 at block 144 If no pricing is found the IED 16 may establish network communications with the network server 88 at block 146 At block 148 the upgrade request a pricing request and the current software configuration operating in the IED 16 is transferred to the network server 88 The pricing data result ing from the request is transferred to the IED 16 at block 150 At block 152 the user is queried to accept the pricing on the upgrade If it is determined at block 144 that the IED 16 contains pricing the user is similarly queried to accept the pricing at block 152 If the user does not accept the pricing the upgrade operation ends at block 154 0 30 40 45 65 20 Referring now to FIG 10 if the user accepts the pricing at block 152 the user provides bi
64. rrently installed and operating In addition the update of the software configuration currently operating in one or more of the IEDs 16 may occur in an automated fashion Transfer of the updates to one or more IEDs 16 may occur as a function ofa request from the IED 16 itself the user of the IED 16 or the manufacturer of the IED 16 Further the versatility in monitoring with one or more of 0 5 20 40 45 50 55 22 the IEDs 16 may be improved due to the relative ease of upgrading or modifying the functionality through changes to the software configuration during operation Accordingly the user of the IEDs 16 may maintain better control of the cur rently operating software configurations as well as easily and efficiently perform reconfiguration and upgrade While the invention has been described above by reference to various embodiments it will be understood that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be understood as an illus tration of the presently preferred embodiments of the inven tion and not as a definition of the invention It is only the following claims including all equivalents which are intended to define the scope of this invention What is claimed is 1 A method of maintaining integrity of data collection in an intelligent electronic device operated in the field to moni
65. ry 22 may also store the software configuration of the IED 16 In addition the memory 22 may be used to store other information pertaining to the functionality or operation of the IED 16 or the network 14 In another embodiment the memory 22 may include both non volatile memory and volatile memory The memory 22 may store a first portion of the software configuration in the non volatile memory and a second portion of the software configuration in volatile memory In this embodiment the volatile memory may be is used to limit the amount of more costly non volatile memory required The first portion of the software configuration may include instructions that instruct the IED 16 to retrieve the second portion of the software configuration from another location As such when power is applied to activate the IED 16 the instructions in the non volatile memory are executed and the remaining software configuration is transferred from the remote location as later discussed to the non volatile memory In the presently preferred embodiments the software con figuration includes firmware software and applications soft ware Firmware is the low level operating code providing the basic functionality or operating capability of the IED 16 The firmware may be referred to as an operating system of the IED 16 The firmware may include standard as well as optional components to support the basic functions of the IED 16 The applications software may includ
66. s for example file transfer protocols FTP Simple Object Access Protocol SOAP Extensible Markup Language XML or any other protocols know in the art The communication port 24 of one embodiment allows the IED 16 to be a node on the network 14 The IED 14 commu nicates with other nodes on the network 14 The other nodes on the network 14 may be other network devices such as another IED 16 a server or any other central processing unit CPU operable to communicate over the network 14 As such the IED 16 is capable of peer to peer communication with other IEDs 16 as well as communication with other CPUs communicatively coupled with the network 14 FIG 5 illustrates a portion ofone embodiment ofa network distribution system 70 The network distribution system 70 includes at least one IED 16 at least one browser 72 and a plurality of servers 74 forming nodes on the network 14 The nodes are connected and operatively communicating with each other over the network 14 as illustrated In the illustrated exemplary network distribution system 70 the network 14 includes components of a first intranet 76 an Internet 78 and a second intranet 80 Communication within network 14 may be performed with a communication medium that is included in wireline based communication systems and or wireless based communication systems The communication medium may be for example a communication channel radio waves microwave wire transmissions fiber optic
67. s and various computing devices network cards cables hubs routers etc that are used to interconnect various computing devices and provide a communication path The term intra net as used herein should be broadly construed to include any and all hardware and software applications that allow the 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 IEDs 16 the browser 72 the servers 74 and other computing devices to be communicatively coupled to share and transfer data and commands Intranets are not limited to a particular physical location and may include multiple organizations using various communication protocols Although not illus trated other devices such as for example printers may be connected with the intranet 76 80 to make these devices available to users of the network 14 As known in the art various types of intranets 76 80 exist and may be used with the presently preferred embodiments The browser 72 may be any application running on a CPU that is capable of communicating over the network 14 The browser 72 may be an Internet browser proprietary software orany other application capable of forming a connection with theservers 74 to send and receive information In addition the browser 72 may be capable of sending data to and receiving data from the IED 16 The browser 72 may include an intra net a server or any other devices and applications discussed herein to interface with and communicate via
68. sferred to another one of the IEDs 100 102 104 For example where the software configuration of the first IED 102 includes functionality not present in the second IED 104 the functionality may be transferred to the second IED 104 Similarly an enabling mechanism present in the first IED 102 may be transferred to the second IED 104 Referring now to FIGS 1 5 and 6 within the previously discussed embodiments the IED 16 100 102 104 may con tinuously monitor the electrical energy in the conductors 12 during the transfer and revision of the software configuration currently operating in the IED 16 100 102 104 For purposes of the remainder of this discussion the IED 16 100 102 104 illustrated in FIGS 1 5 and 6 will hereinafter be referred to simply as IED 16 or IEDs 16 unless otherwise noted During operation the IED 16 may receive the update by one of the previously discussed techniques The IED 16 may then create a new version of the software configuration as a function of the update while continuing to operate on the existing soft ware configuration When the new version of the software configuration is completed the IED 16 may perform a hot transfer to instantaneously switch from the existing software configuration to the new version of the software configura tion As such the IED 16 may continuously monitor the electrical energy It should be recognized that data associated with derived parameters or parameters subject
69. tem 70 by verifying that data is being generated and that the appro priate devices are receiving commands The firewall function performs network security by isolat ing internal systems from unwanted intruders In the example embodiment the firewall gateway server 84 for the first intra net 76 may isolate the IED 16 the email server 82 and the firewall gateway server 84 from all Internet traffic that is not relevant to the operation of the network distribution system 70 In this example the only requests allowed through the firewall may be for services pertaining to the IED 16 the email server 82 and the firewall gateway server 84 AII requests not validated and pertaining to the IED 16 the email server 82 and the firewall gateway server 84 that are received from the Internet 78 may be blocked by the firewall gateway server 84 As used herein the term Internet 78 should be broadly construed to include any software application and hardware device that is used to connect the IED 16 the browser 72 and the servers 74 with an Internet service provider not illus trated The Internet service provider may establish the con nection to the Internet 78 The IED 16 the browser 72 and the servers 74 may establish a connection to the Internet 78 with the Internet service provider using for example modems cable modems ISDN connections and devices DSL connec tions and devices fiber optic connections and devices satel lite connections and de
70. ther material capable of conducting electri cal energy The conductors 12 are operable to allow the flow ofelectrical energy therethrough The conductors 12 are illus US 7 447 760 B2 5 tratively depicted in FIG 1 in a three phase circuit configu ration however the phase configuration is not limited to three phases The network 14 may be the Internet a public or private intranet an extranet or any other network configuration to enable transfer of data and commands An example network configuration uses the Transport Control Protocol Internet Protocol TCP IP network protocol suite however other Internet Protocol based networks are contemplated Commu nications may also include IP tunneling protocols such as those that allow virtual private networks coupling multiple intranets or extranets together via the Internet The network 14 may support application protocols such as for example telnet POP3 Mime HTTP HTTPS PPP TCP IP SMTP proprietary protocols or any other network protocols known in the art During operation the IED 16 may communicate using the network 14 as will be hereinafter discussed The IED 16 may be a programmable logic controller PLC a remote terminal unit RTU an electronic power meter a protective relay a fault recorder or other similar intelligent device installed in the field and capable of moni toring electrical energy In addition the IED 16 may perform other functions such as for examp
71. transmissions or any other communication medium capable of transmitting data in wireline and wireless based communication systems The number and configuration of the components forming the network 14 are merely an illustrative example and should not be construed as a limitation on the almost unlimited possibilities for configuration of the network 14 In addition hardware within the network 14 may perform one or more of the functions described herein as well as other well known network functions and therefore should not be construed as limited to the configuration described For example the func tion performed by the servers 74 are illustratively described as different servers for purposes of clarity however a single server or more than one server may perform the functions of the servers 74 Further the general form of the architecture is connectionless thereby allowing for substantially simulta neous communications between a substantial number of devices such as for example multiple IEDs 16 and browsers 72 within the network distribution system 70 This form of scalability eclipses architectures that utilize point to point connections such as for example those provided by tele phony networks where a limited number of simultaneous communications may take place In the embodiment illustrated in FIG 5 the IED 16 may communicate via the first intranet 76 As generally known in the art intranets are comprised of software application
72. trol Center Software pp 1 2 http www munet com MunetProducts IcisSpec htm muNet Inc muNet Demonstrates End to End IP Based Energy Management System at DistribuTECH pp 1 2 http www munet com muNetNewPressReleases0205001 htm Feb 5 2001 muNet Inc muNet s WebGate IRIS Deployed for Utility Trials Across US pp 1 2 http www munet com muNetNewPressReleases121300 htm Dec 13 2000 muNet Inc muNet s WebGate System Finds a Home on the Internet pp 1 2 http www munet com muNetNewPressReleases031899 htm Mar 18 1999 cited by examiner U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 1 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 32 4 30 P adi INPUT MODULE OUTPUT SETUP 36 REGISTER FIG 2 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 2 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 44 40 4 38 PULSE IN PULSE PULSE OUT gt MERGE ENABLE MODULE EVENT 42 4 46 FIG 3 62 52 INPUT gt MODULE A 64 54 PULSE INA INPUT MODULE B PULSE IN B INPUT MODULE C 66 56 A7 PULSE OUT MODULE D 29 FIG 4 US 7 447 760 B2 Sheet 3 of 12 Nov 4 2008 U S Patent vl 6 Old 3 35 MYOMLAN EJ x f p Un J 0 U S Patent Nov 4 2008 Sheet 4 of 12 US 7 447 760 B2 yc 100 104 pg Ei L 102 MASTER IED IED E unn 29992 IED REESE CUNTRANETC E SES SUSE ee
73. use infotrac article4 txt 1995 Power Measurement 8500 ION 8400 ION Advanced Socket Mount Meter www pml com 1999 Power Measurement 7500 ION 7600 ION High Visibility Energy and Power Quality Compliance Meters www pml com 2000 Power Measurement 7500 ION User s Guide www pml com 1999 Wally Klingensmith Coordination and System Reliability Choos ing the Right Software http www cooperpower com Products Systems pdf sys rely asp 2001 John D Ramboz and Oskars Petersons A Calibration Service for Current Transformers U S G P O 1991 281 557 40033 Power Measurement Multi Port Communications Card MPCC Multi Port Ethernet Communications Card MPE Installation and Operation Instructions 1997 Power Measurement 7500 ION Installation amp Basic Setup Instructions www pml com 2000 Power Measurement Addendum to the User s Guide Addendum v206 What s New in the 7500 ION www pml com 2000 Power Measurement 7700 ION Xpress Card Installation amp Basic Setup Guide www pml com Power Measurement 7700 ION 3 Phase Power Meter Analyzer and Controller www pml com 1998 Power Measurement 7700 ION Installation amp Operation Manual www pml com 1996 Power Measurement ION 8000 Series Meter Meter Connectiv ity www pml com 2001 Power Measurement Technical Documentation 8500 ION 8500 ION and 850 ION PQ Advanced Intelligent Bi
74. vice to perform the upgrade or recalibration To maintain continuous moni toring the upgrade or recalibration may be performed using the master server 86 and or the network server 88 and the network 14 in communication with the first and second IEDs 170 172 It will be appreciated that the hardware and network components illustrated in FIG 5 may be included as part of the operation of the network 14 the master server 86 and the network server 88 In this embodiment the first IED 170 may be taken out of service for an extended period of time without lost data or the possibility of errors that are typically associ ated with this type of upgrade or recalibration The presently preferred embodiments maintain the integrity and continuity ofthe data using the combination of the first IED 170 and the second IED 172 throughout the outage of the first IED 170 FIG 12 is a flow diagram for the operation of the portion of the power distribution system illustrated in FIG 10 The upgrade or reconfiguration begins at block 180 where the second IED 172 is installed by connection with the conduc tors 12 and the network 14 At block 182 the second IED 172 may establish communication with the master server 86 using the network 14 In addition communication may include the network server 88 The data file that includes the software configuration of the first IED 170 is selected to generate an update for the software configuration of the second IED 172 at b
75. vices wireless connections and devices Bluetooth connections and devices two way pagers or any other communication interface device For the purpose of the presently preferred embodiments it is important to understand that the IED 16 the browser 72 and the servers 74 may operatively communicate with one another through the Internet 78 The master server machine 90 of the master server 86 may be any CPU in communication with the database 92 The master server machine 90 runs applications that store main tain and allow interface to the data within the database 92 Applications such as for example a database management system DBMS or other similar application may organize and coordinate the storage and retrieval of data from the database 92 The database 92 may be stored in a storage 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 12 device such as for example at least one hard drive an optical storage media or any other data storage device allowing read write access to the data The data in the database 92 may be communicated by the master server machine 90 through out the network distribution system 70 using the network 14 The data within the master server 86 may be centralized on one master server 86 or may be distributed among multiple master servers 86 that are distributed within the network distribution system 70 Inone embodiment of the master server 86 the database 92 may include one or more datafiles that i
76. ystem Basics Here s How Signature Sys tem Works pp 1 2 http www signaturesystem com sigbasics html Copyright 1997 1998 1999 2000 Dranetz BMI Dranetz BMI Signature System Infonodes Communications Options pp 1 2 http www signaturesystem com infonode html Copyright 1997 1998 1999 2000 Dranetz BMI G E Power Management enerVista com Utility Enterprise Manage ment pp 1 8 http www serv02 enervista com enervista pdf from brochure Printed in Canada enerVista com It qrk Jan 30 2001 GE Power Management enerVista com opens window to a whole new world of web enabled SCADA and substation management services pp 1 4 http www serv02 enervista com nav new enerVista pdf Markham ON Sep 6 2000 Engage Networks Inc Internet Protocol Card for Revenue Meters pp 1 2 http www engagenet com datasheets ipcard pdr muNet Inc WebGate Iris Internet Residential Information Sys tem pp 1 http www munet com MunetProducts IrisIndex htm Products copy pp 1 3 http www munet com MunetProducts Iris htm Preliminary Specifications pp 1 2 http www munet com MunetProducts IrisSpec htm US 7 447 760 B2 Page4 muNet Inc WebGate Icis Internet Commercial Information Sys tem pp 1 http www munet com MunetProducts IcisIndex htm Products WebGate ICIS Internet AMR Now pp 1 2 http www munet com MunetProducts Icis htm Products WebGate ICIS Con

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