US 7,216,043 B2 · Push communications architecture for intelligent electronic devices

Abstract

A power management architecture for an electrical power distribution system, or portion thereof, is disclosed. The architecture includes multiple intelligent electronic devices (“IED's”) distributed throughout the power distribution system to manage the flow and consumption of power from the system using real time communications. Power management application software and/or hardware components operate on the IED's and the back-end servers and inter-operate via the network to implement a power management application. The architecture provides a scalable and cost effective framework of hardware and software upon which such power management applications can operate to manage the distribution and consumption of electrical power by one or more utilities/suppliers and/or customers which provide and utilize the power distribution system. Autonomous communication on the network between IED's, back-end servers and other entities coupled with secure networks, themselves interconnected, via firewalls, by one or more unsecure networks, is facilitated by the use of a back-channel protocol. The back-channel protocol allows a device coupled with a secure network to solicit communications from a device on the unsecure network, thereby opening a back-channel through the firewall through which the unsecure network device may send unsolicited messages to the secure network device. Communications between multiple secure networks is accomplished using a unsecure device on an intermediary unsecure network to relay communications between the secure network devices using the protocol described above.

Claims91

Dependent claims

An electrical power management architecture for managing an electrical power distribution system comprising:

a secure network;
a first power management device coupled with said secure network;
an unsecure network;
a second power management device coupled with said unsecure network;
a firewall coupled between said secure network and said unsecure network and operative to facilitate communications between said secure network and said unsecure network, said firewall further operative to prevent unsolicited communications from said unsecure network to said secure network;
said second power management device operative to send at least one unsolicited message to said first power management device, said at least one unsolicited message comprising at least one of a power management command and power management data;
and
wherein said first power management device is operative to generate a first unsolicited communication to said second power management device and said second power management device is further operative to generate a first solicited communication to said first power management device in response to said first unsolicited communication, said first solicited communication comprising said at least one unsolicited message.

5 more elements

An electrical power management architecture for managing an electrical power distribution system comprising:

a first secure network;
a first power management device coupled with said first secure network;
a second secure network;
a second power management device coupled with said second secure network;
an unsecure network;
a third power management device coupled with said unsecure network;
a first firewall coupled between said first secure network and said unsecure network and operative to facilitate communications between said first secure network and said unsecure network, said first firewall further operative to prevent unsolicited communications from said unsecure network to said first secure network,
a second firewall coupled between said second secure network and said unsecure network and operative to facilitate communications between said second secure network and said unsecure network, said second firewall further operative to prevent unsolicited communications from said unsecure network to said second secure network;
said third power management device operative to receive at least one unsolicited message from said second power management device and send said at least one unsolicited message to said first power management device, said at least one unsolicited message comprising at least one of a power management command and power management data;
and
wherein said first power management device is operative to generate a first unsolicited communication to said third power management device and said third power management device is further operative to generate a first solicited communication to said first power management device in response to said first unsolicited communication, said first solicited communication comprising said at least one unsolicited message.

8 more elements

A method for managing an electrical power distribution system, said method comprising:

(a) coupling a first power management device with a secure network;
(b) coupling a second power management device with an unsecure network, said unsecure network coupled with said secure network via a firewall, said firewall facilitating communications between said secure network and said unsecure network and preventing unsolicited communications from said unsecure network to said secure network,
(c) sending at least one unsolicited message to said first power management device from said second power management device, said at least one unsolicited message comprising at least one of a power management command and power management data;
and
wherein said sending further comprises:
(d) generating a first unsolicited communication to said second power management device by said first power management device;
and
(e) generating a first solicited communication to said first power management device by said second power management device in response to said first unsolicited communication, said first solicited communication comprising said at least one unsolicited message.

5 more elements

A method for managing an electrical power distribution system comprising:

(a) coupling a first power management device with a first secure network;
(b) coupling a second power management device coupled with a second secure network;
(c) coupling a third power management device with an unsecure network, said unsecure network coupled with said first secure network via a first firewall, said first firewall facilitating communications between said first secure network and said unsecure network and preventing unsolicited communications from said unsecure network to said first secure network, said unsecure network coupled with said second secure network via a second firewall, said second firewall facilitating communications between said second secure network and said unsecure network, and preventing unsolicited communications from said unsecure network to said second secure network;
(d) receiving at least one unsolicited message by said third power management device from said second power management device and sending said at least one unsolicited message to said first power management device, said at least one unsolicited message comprising at least one of a power management command and power management data;
and
wherein said sending further comprises:
(e) generating a first unsolicited communication by said first power management device to said third power management device;
(f) generating a first solicited communication by said third power management device to said first power management device in response to said first unsolicited communication, said first solicited communication comprising said at least one unsolicited message.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Push communications architecture for intelligent electronic devices

Life of this patent

Push communications architecture for intelligent electronic devices

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims91