Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Safety and protection of systems and devices – Feeder protection in distribution networks
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-29
2001-06-05
Sherry, Michael J. (Department: 2836)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Safety and protection of systems and devices
Feeder protection in distribution networks
C361S066000, C361S068000, C361S079000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243244
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to improvements in control of a distribution system, and more specifically to the use of intelligent autonomous nodes to monitor and control the distribution of material or energy.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a distribution system comprises one or more sources connected through a distribution network to one or more delivery points. As the commodity (material or energy) is transported through the network, abnormalities (e.g., faults) may develop that can lead to a disruption of the normal flow of the commodity or a loss of the commodity from the system. In order to help minimize the effects of these abnormalities, a distribution system will typically have nodes at various locations throughout the network which operate to monitor or control the flow of the commodity through the system.
It is desirable to not only minimize the loss of the commodity when an abnormality occurs, but also to minimize the number of users who experience an interruption of the delivery of the commodity due to any abnormality. In order to reduce the loss of the commodity, the nodes in a system may have the capability to respond individually to system abnormalities without coordinating with other nodes. In such a system, nodes can prevent the commodity from flowing through the part of the distribution system where the abnormality exists. However, this system may interrupt service to more users than is absolutely necessary.
Each node may also communicate with a central control location which gathers information from each node and coordinates a system-wide response. In such centrally controlled systems, the central controller typically maintains a detailed map of the system topology, and this map must be updated whenever the system is reconfigured or new nodes are added. This can make such centrally controlled systems difficult and costly to implement and maintain. Additionally, for small systems with few nodes, the need to include a central controller can significantly add to the cost of the system.
Furthermore, once an abnormality is rectified, the nodes typically must be transitioned to a normal state or to a specified state. Once the abnormality is corrected, it is generally desired to place the nodes in the original configuration or a specified configuration, at present this is typically done manually.
What is needed is a distribution system in which nodes can be easily added, subtracted, or reconfigured and which can control the nodes of a distribution system in order to configure them to minimize the loss of the commodity and maximize the number of users served in the presence of an abnormality. Additionally, what is needed is a control system that can restore nodes into their normal operating state or any other specified state after the abnormality has been rectified.
Also what is needed is a distribution system in which the nodes can act independently and without a central controller. Preferably the nodes would locally store information about the system required to enable a node to react to system abnormalities and the information would be coded to ensure its reliability.
Furthermore, what is needed is a distribution system in which nodes that malfunction can remove themselves from coordinated system activities. Preferably when the malfunction in a node is rectified the node should be able to resume normal operation as part of the system.
Additionally, what is needed is a system that requires only one Messaging step in order to begin restoring service to users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the invention, the system in accordance with the present invention detects and responds to abnormalities in a distribution system by reconfiguring the nodes of the system to minimize the effects of the abnormality without the requirement of communicating with a central controller. In the present invention, the nodes in the system coordinate a response to a system abnormality through a process of self-organization in which each node acts based on its own programming, sensors, and stored data. Each node keeps other nodes apprised of its actions so that they may in turn decide what actions are appropriate for them to take.
In another aspect of the invention, each node maintains a database of information on each of the other nodes. This database contains state information about other nodes in the system. This allows each node to ascertain, based solely on the information in the database, what actions are appropriate for it to take. The information contained in the record for each node in the database can be tailored depending on the type of distribution system to be controlled, the priorities of the system operators, and any other parameters deemed to be appropriate. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the distribution system that can be controlled is a single loop distribution system with two sources as shown in FIG.
1
. It would not deviate from the present invention to have either more simple or more complex node topologies represented in the database.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the data exchanged between nodes is coded to ensure reliability and accuracy of the data exchanged between nodes. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the exchanged data is time and sequence encoded to allow each node to ascertain, on its own, the reliability of the data.
Another feature of the present invention is that if nodes are physically moved to different points in the distribution system, the present invention only requires that the database of node records be reordered to reflect the current physical ordering of the nodes in the system.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is that it is easily scalable. A system can be initially configured with any number of nodes. At a later time nodes can be physically added or subtracted from the system. Removed nodes are simply deleted from the database while added nodes are added into the database. The process used by each node to determine its actions need not be altered when nodes are added or subtracted from a system.
Another aspect of the present invention is that it will also put the nodes in any desired state once the abnormality in the distribution system has been cleared. In one particular incarnation of the present invention, the controller can be configured to return the nodes of the distribution system to the state they were in prior to the occurrence of the abnormality.
Still another aspect of the present invention is that a set of nodes in one distribution system (a “team” of nodes) can be linked with a team of nodes from another distribution system in order to coordinate the response of the two teams of nodes.
Yet another feature of the present invention is that a team of nodes can be configured to operate even if one or more nodes in the team malfunctions. Malfunctioning nodes can be configured to remove themselves from coordinated system activities and to resume coordinated activities once the malfunction has been corrected.
Still another feature of the present invention is that the nodes can be configured such that only one message must be sent in order to restore service to users after an abnormality. In a centrally controlled system, often a node affected by the abnormality must signal the central controller that an abnormality has occurred. The central controller receives this message and then must decide what the appropriate response is. The central controller then signals the appropriate node to begin restoring service to users. In one incarnation of the present invention, nodes can be configured such that a node affected by the abnormality directly signals the appropriate node that an abnormality has occurred, and the signaled node can then immediately begin restoring service to users.
These and other purposes and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings.
REFERENCES:
pa
Berkowitz Donald S.
Bik Witold
Brasher Ed
Nelson William Christian Tracy
Partridge Daniel
EnergyLine Systems, Inc.
Sherry Michael J.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
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