Runtime Hardware Configuration Update for Renewable Energy Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems for installing and maintaining renewable energy farm hardware, such as wind turbines and solar panels, require rebooting the software system each time a component is added or removed, leading to lost data and unnoticed alarms, and do not reflect hardware configuration changes in real-time without a restart.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for dynamic installation and uninstallation of renewable energy farm hardware components at runtime, using a reviser with a hardware configuration database and communication device to update real-time objects without rebooting the software system, allowing for incremental commissioning and maintenance without shutting down the entire system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the software system is rebooted to recognize newly added hardware components, then the hardware configuration changes are reflected in the system, but data acquisition stops during the reboot period and valuable data is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware configuration recognitionVSAvoiddata acquisition loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from a static configuration model (requiring reboot to recognize changes) to a dynamic configuration model where the software continuously monitors and automatically detects hardware changes at runtime without interruption, enabling the system to adapt to configuration changes while maintaining continuous operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring and pre-detecting hardware configuration changes before they require system interruption, allowing the software to be ready to recognize new components immediately when they are added without requiring a reboot sequence

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the software system is rebooted to recognize newly added hardware components, then the hardware configuration changes are reflected in the system, but critical system alarms may go unnoticed during the reboot period

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware configuration recognitionVSAvoidalarm notification loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system maintains continuous alarm monitoring and notification functionality throughout hardware configuration changes by implementing runtime detection capabilities that allow the software to remain active and responsive to critical events without interruption, ensuring no alarms are missed during component addition or removal operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Device complexity

If hardware configuration data is only read at startup to generate real-time objects, then the system startup process is simple, but any hardware configuration changes after startup do not get reflected in the real-time objects until the system is restarted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem startup processVSAvoidhardware configuration adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from a static configuration model (reading hardware data only at startup) to a dynamic configuration model where the software continuously monitors and automatically detects hardware configuration changes at runtime, enabling the system to adapt to configuration changes while maintaining continuous operation without requiring restarts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Reliability

If the software system is rebooted each time a hardware component is added or removed, then the system recognizes the new configuration, but the commissioning process becomes time-consuming and operationally inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware configuration recognitionVSAvoidcommissioning efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from a static configuration model (requiring reboot to recognize changes) to a dynamic configuration model where the software continuously monitors and automatically detects hardware configuration changes at runtime, enabling the system to adapt to configuration changes while maintaining continuous operation without interruption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by automatically detecting and adapting to hardware configuration changes without requiring manual intervention or system restart, enabling the software to autonomously recognize new components and update its internal model, thereby eliminating the need for operational staff to perform reboot operations during commissioning or maintenance activities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS7908348B2Dynamic installation and uninstallation system of renewable energy farm hardware

Publication Date: 2011.03.15 GE INFRASTRUCTURE TECH LLC

AI summary

A system for dynamic installation or uninstallation of a plurality of hardware components of a renewable energy software system, including a reviser including a hardware configuration database, at least one communication device that allows the plurality of hardware components to communicate with the hardware configuration database containing hardware configuration data for the plurality of hardware components, and a plurality of real time objects in the renewable energy software system that represent the plurality of hardware components, wherein the plurality of real time objects are automatically updated by the hardware configuration database at runtime.