Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.

Ryan Bradetich

Rhett Smith

David James Dolezilek

Jerry J Bennett

Benjamin S Day

Christopher Ewing

Bogdan Zdzislaw Kasztenny

Shankar V Achanta

Colin Gordon

Dennis Gammel

Jason A Dearien

Arun Shrestha

Kylan T Robinson

George W Masters

Barry Jakob Grussling

Karen S J Wyszczelski

Timothy P Tibbals

Hidayatullah Ahsan

Nathan Paul Kipp

Kimberly Ann Yauchzee

Gavin Remaley

An intelligent electronic device (IED) of an electric power distribution system includes processing circuitry and a memory that includes a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable comprising instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to receive operating data associated with the electric power distribution system, determine whether the operating data matches with expected operating data, generate a connectivity association key (CAK) based on the operating data in response to a determination that the operating data matches with the expected operating data, and establishing a connectivity association based on the CAK.

Systems and methods for establishing a secure communication link in an electric power distribution system

Systems and methods are disclosed that provide for managing transient assets used in connection with an access-controlled area of a distribution site of an electric power delivery system. In some embodiments, one or more users entering and access-controlled area may be identified via physical access control credentials provided to an associated access control system. Transient assets brought within an access-controlled area may be detected via one or more wired and/or wireless communication channels and may be associated with the one or more identified users located within the access-controlled area.

Transient asset management systems and methods

The present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for establishing communication with a remote communication device in a software defined network (SDN) during time when an SDN controller is unavailable. In one embodiment, a local communication device may be configured to receive a plurality of data flows from an SDN controller and to store the plurality of data flows in a persistent data memory. The device may generate a unique identifier for the local communication device that is transmitted to a remote communication device. Following a disruption the results in the SDN controller being unavailable, the local communication device may recover into a default configured state based on the plurality of data flows in the persistent data memory. The local communication device may then transmit the unique identifier to the remote communication device after the disruption to begin a process of reestablishing communication with the remote communication device.

Communication device with persistent configuration and verification

Systems and methods are presented for managing communication between devices in an electric power generation and delivery system. In certain embodiments, a method for managing communication messages performed by a network device included in an electric power generation and delivery system may include receiving a message including an identifier and data state information via a communications interface. A determination may be made that that the message represents a data state change associated with the identifier. The message may be stored in a message buffer associated with the identifier. Finally, the stored message may be transmitted from the message buffer to an intelligent electronic device.

Systems and methods for communicating data state change information between devices in an electrical power system

Disclosed herein are various systems and methods that may improve the transmission of data over low-bandwidth communication channels in an electric power delivery system. Devices communicating across a low-bandwidth communication channel may implement several approaches, according to various embodiments disclosed herein, to reduce the data transmitted across the low-bandwidth communication channel and to prioritize the transmission of time-sensitive and/or more important information with respect to other data. Various embodiments disclosed herein may inspect packets to be transmitted across a low-bandwidth communication channel in order to identify high priority data. High priority data may be time-sensitive information, and accordingly, transmission of such data may be prioritized over other data in order to reduce transmission latency of the higher priority data.

Transmission of data over a low-bandwidth communication channel

Systems and methods are presented for exchanging messages between devices in an electrical power generation and delivery system. In certain embodiments, a method for exchanging messages between devices may include transmitting messages included in a message stream that includes multiple redundant copies of the messages. An indication may be received that at least one message of the message stream was received by an intended receiving device. Transmission of further redundant copies of the message included in the message stream may be determined based on receipt of the indication.

Exchange of messages between devices in an electrical power system

According to various embodiments, a communication switch may create and/or manage a variety of configurable network relationships between intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) connected via disparate network interfaces using a variety of communication protocols. Accordingly, a communication switch may provide media translation between various types of physical network ports and communication protocol conversion between various communication protocols. For example, a communication switch may be used to create a networked group of IEDs in which some IEDs are connected via Ethernet ports and other IEDs are connected via D-subminiature ports and/or optical ports. The communication switch may create and/or manage network relationships such as publisher/subscriber, master/slave, multidrop configurations, star configurations, and/or other complex network relationships between two or more IEDs or groups of IEDs.

Systems and methods for communications devices having multiple interfaces

According to various embodiments, a session manager generates, stores, and periodically updates the login credentials for each of a plurality of connected IEDs. An operator, possibly via an access device, may provide unique login credentials to the session manager. The session manager may determine the authorization level of the operator based on the operator's login credentials, defining with which IEDs the operator may communicate. According to various embodiments, the session manager does not facilitate a communication session between the operator and a target IED. Rather, the session manager maintains a first communication session with the operator and initiates a second communication session with the target IED. Accordingly, the session manager may forward commands transmitted by the operator to the target IED. Based on the authorization level of the operator, a session filter may restrict what may be communicated between an operator and an IED.

Systems and methods for managing secure communication sessions with remote devices

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for remote device management. According to various embodiments, a local intelligent electronic device (IED) may be in communication with a remote IED via a limited bandwidth communication link, such as a serial link. The limited bandwidth communication link may not support traditional remote management interfaces. According to one embodiment, a local IED may present an operator with a management interface for a remote IED by rendering locally stored templates. The local IED may render the locally stored templates using sparse data obtained from the remote IED. According to various embodiments, the management interface may be a web client interface and/or an HTML interface. The bandwidth required to present a remote management interface may be significantly reduced by rendering locally stored templates rather than requesting an entire management interface from the remote IED. According to various embodiments, an IED may comprise an encryption transceiver.

Growing community of inventors

Pullman, WA, United States of America

Ryan Bradetich