General Electric Company

Patrick Meagher

Geoff F Butland

James V Petrizzi

Radoslaw Narel

Sunil Mathur

Robert P Thomas

Rajaiah Karanam

Drew Baigent

A computerized power management control system () includes a virtual modular relay device () for providing input and output data to and from a corresponding, actual modular relay device (or). Virtual modular relay device () is displayed in a window (), with the upper left-hand corner of window () including a graphical depiction () of the modular relay device. Immediately below the graphical depiction () is a communications status indicator (), which shows the status of communications (connected/disconnected) between the virtual device () and an inter-process communications server (). Various fields () appear along the left-hand side of window to identify the modular relay unit (or). Below identification fields () are a plurality of buttons (), each of which allow the user to activate a program module. Buttons (and) can be customized by the user to activate any program module. Tabbed pages () allow the user to quickly view numerous functions without cluttering the computer screen. The functions depicted on each of the tabbed pages () are user-defined. A program utility automatically configures the virtual modular relay device () graphic and links the virtual intelligent electronic device () to its actual counterpart (or) so that input and output signals may be sent between the two.

Virtual modular relay device

Software (,) is loaded into the host computer (,) and includes an Ethernet server (,), a Modbus (DDE) server (,), an MMS server (,), and a third-party proprietary protocol server (,). Each of these servers (,, and,) allows external programs (,) running on the host and view node computers (,, and,) to access power management data from the various devices (,) in the power management control system (,). Modbus server (,) allows external programs (,) to access power management data from devices (,), which communicate using the Modbus protocol. MMS server (,) allows external programs (,) to access power management data from MMS/UCA2 compliant devices (,), which communicate using the MMS protocol. Ethernet server (,) provides for network layer TCP/IP encapsulation for communications over Ethernet networks (,) and (,). Third party server (,) allows communications between external programs (,) and device (,), which uses any proprietary protocol. Power management control system (,) implements the UCA Version 2 architecture, having an Ethernet physical layer, a Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network layer, and a Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS) application layer.

Utilities communications architecture compliant power management control system

Growing community of inventors

Cromwell, CT, United States of America

Patrick Meagher