Patents Assigned to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11856703
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus, methods, and techniques of assembly of discrete modules of a control panel are disclosed. The modules can be independently wired, tested, and installed into a control panel. Module definitions are defined specifying components to perform the electrical function, a mechanical arrangement of the components, electrical connections, and logical interactions of the module. A bill of materials can be generated based on a designation of a set of modules for a control panel and the module definitions. Modularly assembled control panels are disclosed. An assembly frame is described herein for temporarily mounting components of a module for independent assembly of a control module and for eventual removal and installation into a control panel frame. The assembly frame may include a faceplate frame and side frames and temporary mounting features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Barber, Michael J. Thompson, Beth Larae Corwin, Julian M. Alzate, Robert I. Jayne
  • Patent number: 11848860
    Abstract: Devices, systems, methods, and techniques for multicast failover handling in a computer communication network are disclosed. The methods herein described are particularly suited to software-defined networks (SDNs), and comply with requirements for assuring delivery of network traffic to each destination from a source engaged in multicast network traffic dissemination, assured delivery of each data packet as introduced into the network by the source device and avoidance of duplicate delivery of data. The methods herein are agile and respond rapidly to changes in a network while traffic is on the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Tristan Lloyd Mullis, Steven D. Herrmann, Robert Meine
  • Patent number: 11843583
    Abstract: An intelligent electronic device (IED) of an electric distribution system includes processing circuitry and a memory having instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to perform operations that include receiving an indication to establish a media access control security (MACsec) communication link in accordance with a confidential mode configured to block access to communication traffic associated with the MACsec communication link, indicating that the MACsec communication link is to be established in accordance with the confidential mode, receiving establishment of the MACsec communication link in accordance with the confidential mode, and communicating data via the MACsec communication link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Colin Gordon
  • Patent number: 11843479
    Abstract: An intelligent electronic device (IED) of an electric power distribution system includes processing circuitry and a memory having instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to determine establishment of setup criteria to operate in a passive mode, operate in the passive mode to communicate data without initiation of a media access control security key agreement (MKA) protocol in response to determination of the establishment of the setup criteria, receive activation data during operation in the passive mode, the activation data being indicative that a media access control security (MACsec) communication link is to be established, and operate in an active mode in response to receipt of the activation data to initiate the MKA protocol to establish the MACsec communication link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Colin Gordon
  • Patent number: 11837862
    Abstract: An arc-flash sensor may provide flexibilities for supporting both surface mounting and peek-through mounting on a panel (e.g., a wall panel or an electrical panel). The arc-flash sensor includes a translucent optical lens, a fiber-optic cable, and a skirt around the back side of the optical lens. The translucent optical lens diffuses the light produced in an arc flash to enhance the detectability of light signals picked by the fiber-optic cable. The fiber-optic cable enters parallel to the panel and perpendicular to principal axis of the optical lens. The parallel fiber-optic cable configuration reduces sensor installation space occupied and potential damage to the sensor. The skirt is used to prevent false tripping caused by unexpected events on the fiber-optic cable side such as camera flashes, lightning, sunlight, or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua E. Hughes, Gerald K. Hein, Aaron B. Burton
  • Patent number: 11838174
    Abstract: Devices, systems, methods, and techniques for multicast failover handling in a computer communication network are disclosed. The methods herein described are particularly suited to software-defined networks (SDNs), and comply with requirements for assuring delivery of network traffic to each destination from a source engaged in multicast network traffic dissemination, assured delivery of each data packet as introduced into the network by the source device and avoidance of duplicate delivery of data. The methods herein are agile and respond rapidly to changes in a network while traffic is on the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Tristan Lloyd Mullis, Steven D. Herrmann, Robert Meine
  • Patent number: 11831529
    Abstract: Systems and methods to send or receive redundant Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) messages are described. An intelligent electronic device may obtain power system data from a power system. The IED may publish the power system data in a first GOOSE message and publish the same power system data in a second GOOSE message. The second GOOSE message may have different header information than the first GOOSE message to allow the subscriber to determine that the redundant GOOSE messages are both received. If the first and second GOOSE message are duplicates with identical header information but unique trailer information methods allow the subscriber to determine that the duplicate GOOSE messages are both received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: David J. Dolezilek, Ricardo L. Abboud, Amandeep Singh Kalra
  • Patent number: 11828805
    Abstract: A condition-based monitoring system receives a plurality of measurements from sensors measuring mechanical and electrical aspects of a prime mover and a synchronous machine. The condition-based monitoring system determines a correlation between the mechanical measurements and electrical measurements to estimate parameters of the model. The condition-based monitoring system also updates the model as sensors obtain additional measurements during operation of the prime mover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott M. Manson, Ellery A. Blood, Gregary C. Zweigle
  • Patent number: 11808824
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for determining the number of open phases and which particular phases may be open in capacitor bank system. Detecting open phases may include determining a neutral current of the capacitor bank system. According to one detection method, in response to a magnitude of the neutral current being greater than a threshold value, an IED may calculate an aggregate power phasor for the phases of the capacitor bank system with respect to each rotation. According to another detection method, in response to the magnitude of the neutral current being greater than a threshold value, an IED may calculate an individual power phasor for each of the phases of the capacitor bank system with respect to each rotation. Based on the magnitude and angles of the power phases, the IED may determine the presence of open phases and which particular phases may be open, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Kei Hao, Jeremy William Blair
  • Patent number: 11811947
    Abstract: An intelligent electronic device (IED) of an electric power delivery system includes processing circuitry a memory that includes instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, are configured to cause the processing circuitry to receive first data via parallel redundancy protocol (PRP), generate a first integrity check value using a media access control security (MACsec) integrity check function based on the first data, receive second data via PRP, generate a second integrity check value using the MACsec integrity function based on the second data, compare the first integrity check value and the second integrity check value with one another, and output a notification in response to determining that the first integrity check value and the second integrity check value do not match one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Colin Gordon
  • Publication number: 20230344743
    Abstract: A device may include a loop detection subsystem to place a network flow on a first switch to forward any received open flow discovery protocol (OFDP) packets to the software-defined network (SDN) controller. The device may cause the first switch to egress a query OFDP packet out of a first port of the first switch. The device may detect that the first port on the first switch is attached to a network loop based on the same query OFDP packet being ingressed by the first port of the first switch. The device may implement a remedial action in response to the detected network loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Tristan Lloyd Mullis
  • Publication number: 20230333153
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems for determining a broken conductor condition in a multiple-phase electric power delivery system. It has been observed that broken conductors pose a safety concern when occurring in the presence of people or vulnerable environmental conditions. Broken conductor conditions disclosed herein may be used to detect and trip the phase with the broken conductor, thus reducing or even eliminating the safety risk. Broken conductors may be determined using detected phase series arcing differences in one phase without commensurate differences in other phases. In various embodiments the phase series arcing attributes may be phase current monitored for decrement and/or phase resistance monitored for increase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Kanchanrao Gangadhar Dase, James Burton Colwell, Matchyaraju Alla, Shreenivas Pai
  • Publication number: 20230336347
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to token-based authentication that uses authentication data including a personal identification number (PIN). For example, an issuer may obtain privilege information including the PIN. The issuer may combine the privilege information with authentication information. The issuer may determine an issuer hash value based on the combined privilege information and authentication information. The issuer may determine an encrypted hash value based on the issuer hash value and a private key of the issuer. The issuer may combine the privilege information with the encrypted hash value as a token. The issuer may then issue the token. The receiver can restrict allowed operations appropriately based on success decrypting the encrypted hash.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2022
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: George W. Masters
  • Publication number: 20230324936
    Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to devices, systems, and methods for monitoring a direct current (DC) system. In one specific embodiment, a system may include a centralized protection and control (CPC) system. The CPC system may include a DC interface configured to be in electrical communication with a first DC system and a communication subsystem configured to receive a first measurement, from a remote device, of at least one electrical parameter of the first DC system. The CPC system may also include a DC monitor subsystem to generate a second measurement of at least one electrical parameter of the first DC system based on the electrical communication between the DC interface and the first DC system and generate a comparison of the first measurement and the second measurement. An action subsystem may generate an action based on the comparison between the first measurement and the second measurement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Erin C. Jessup, Austin Edward Wade
  • Publication number: 20230327979
    Abstract: This disclosure pertains to identifying and configuring an in-band controller operating on a host in a software defined network (SDN), the host configured to use a parallel redundancy protocol (PRP). In one embodiment, a system may include a network in communication with the host, the network comprising a plurality of switches interconnected with a plurality of physical links. The in-band controller is in communication with the network and includes a PRP identification subsystem to generate a packet configured such that the network forwards the packet back to the in-band controller, to analyze the packet and determine that the packet conforms to PRP, and to identify a first communication host in communication with the network and configured to operate using PRP. A traffic routing subsystem of the in-band controller may create a plurality of PRP communication flows between the in-band controller and the first communication host.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Tristan Lloyd Mullis, Rhett Smith, Kylan T. Robinson
  • Publication number: 20230318341
    Abstract: An active capacitor discharge tool may include circuitry for efficiently discharging a capacitor. The active capacitor discharge tool may include batteries (or regulated voltage sources) for actively discharging a capacitor using multiple discharge paths. The active capacitor discharge tool may alternatively short the capacitor to a ground connection using the multiple discharge paths based on a timing associated with a clock frequency of a clock signal. Discharging a capacitor by alternatively grounding the capacitor using different discharge paths may distribute a generated discharging heat and may discharge the capacitor faster. Moreover, when a capacitor includes stored electrical charges corresponding to a capacitor voltage lower than a sufficiently discharged voltage to enable an operator to handle the capacitor, the active capacitor discharge tool may short an anode and a cathode of the capacitor to discharge the capacitor to the ground connection voltage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2022
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin R. Rogerson, Anthony L. Zarate, Johnathan A. Hubert
  • Patent number: 11777931
    Abstract: A system includes an intelligent electronic device (IED) and a proxy device communicatively coupled to the TED via a Media Access Control (MACsec) communication link. The proxy device is configured to perform operations that include receiving permissions data, receiving a request to perform an action associated with the TED, determining whether the action is authorized based on the permissions data, and transmitting data to the TED via the MACsec communication link in response to determining that the action is authorized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Colin Gordon, Dennis Gammel
  • Patent number: 11777426
    Abstract: A controller may use energy packets to control a prime mover of a machine. The controller may include an energy packet measurement control to calculate energy packets, perform post-processing actions on the energy packets to generate processed energy packets, and convert the processed energy packets into a fuel valve reference. Post-processing may include a calibration correction to remove measurement artifacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, Gregary C. Zweigle, Scott M. Manson, Ellery A. Blood
  • Patent number: 11764969
    Abstract: A key server may establish an initial media access security (MACsec) connectivity association (CA) between a set of devices on a communication network of a power system. The key server may identify a device in the set of devices on the initial CA as a suspect device. The key server may communicate a new connectivity association key (CAK) of an independent CA to one or more other devices in the set of devices to cause the one or more other devices to join an independent CA without the suspect device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Colin Gordon, William Herrmann
  • Patent number: 11762447
    Abstract: A power supply includes a Primary or “high voltage” side and a Secondary or “low voltage” side. The primary side has boost stage circuitry that includes a boost stage controller that causes the boost stage circuitry to provide electrical energy, at least at a minimum boost voltage, to an energy storage capacitor. The energy storage capacitor may be charged by electrical energy at the minimum boost voltage and discharge electrical energy during a ride through event to power the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Josh Carver, Robert Lopez, Jr., Arkanatha Sastry, Veselin Skendzic