IED Quick Start Basic Mode During Reboot Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

IEDs experience prolonged downtime during firmware updates or power supply failures, leading to potential damage of power system components due to unavailability of functionality, and existing solutions like uninterruptible power supplies and redundant devices introduce additional complexity and cost.

Innovation Solution

Implement a method and device for IEDs that enable a basic mode of operation to be executed during reboot, allowing immediate protection and control of connected power system components, using a secondary processing unit or hypervisor to provide quick start functionality before the full operating system is loaded.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the IED is restarted during firmware updates or power supply failures, then the functionality becomes unavailable, but the reboot process can last for several minutes leading to potential damage of power system components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveavailability of IED functionalityVSAvoidreboot duration
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the IED operation into two distinct modes: a basic mode that provides essential protection functions and a normal mode that provides full functionality. During reboot, the basic mode is executed immediately while the operating system is reloaded, ensuring continuous protection without the full overhead of the normal mode. This segmentation allows the system to maintain critical functions during the reboot period.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary action by preparing and executing the basic mode before the operating system is fully reloaded. The basic mode contains pre-configured protection functions that can operate independently immediately upon reboot initiation, eliminating the wait time that would otherwise be required for the full operating system to load before protection functions become available.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If uninterruptible power supplies are used to eliminate restarts caused by power supply failures, then the failure of individual IED during restart is mitigated, but additional system complexity, system costs, and maintenance requirements are introduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection during power supply failuresVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the essential protection functions from the full operating system and places them in a standalone basic mode that can execute independently. This extracted basic mode contains only the critical protection logic needed during reboot, separating it from the complex operating system and eliminating the need for additional hardware like uninterruptible power supplies or redundant devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If redundant devices are used to mitigate the failure of an individual IED during restart, then the same functionality is provided, but the boot time interval when the system is not protected still occurs in case of power supply failure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection during restartVSAvoidboot time interval without protection
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by ensuring the basic mode is already prepared and can execute immediately upon reboot initiation. This eliminates the boot time interval without protection that plagues redundant device solutions, as the basic mode provides continuous protection from the moment reboot starts, without requiring the system to wait for any device to initialize.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4372552B1Quick start for ieds
Publication Date: 2025.12.31 HITACHI ENERGY LTD
  • EP4372552B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling an intelligent electronic device, IED, for power system components, the method comprising: rebooting the IED, wherein rebooting comprises reloading an operating system, executing, while the IED is rebooting, a basic mode of the IED, wherein the basic mode comprises at least one function for protecting a power system component connected to the IED, executing a normal mode, after the operating system is reloaded, wherein the normal mode comprises functions for protecting and controlling the power system component.