Standardization of Discrete Measurements follows the same concept of Analog Measurements, but with one difference: Discrete Measurements must transform values into something meaningful to system operators. A typical example are values that inform a Breaker status (open or closed), where the value collected by an automation system can be, for example, 0 (zero) or 1 (one).

From an operator's point of view, 0 (zero) may not have any meaning and therefore this operator may not be sure about a device's current status. In addition, an automation system may have different devices from different manufacturers, where in one of them 0 (zero) means open and in another one this value means closed.

To solve this problem, Elipse Power provides an environment that allows defining types of discrete points in an application, such as Switch Status, Breaker Status, Protection functions, and Indications of Protection operation, among others, as well as relating a meaning for each possible value that such Measurement may display. This environment is available in the Power Configuration object, on the Discrete tab.

The configuration screen for Discrete Measurement standards is divided into three areas, each one with a specific function. The first one, displayed on the next figure, is used to create or edit new types of Discrete Measurements, such as Breaker Status or Recloser Function.

Types of Discrete Measurements

The area to edit Conversions must be used by the user to register or select different types of Conversions that may exist in an application. Conversions are related to constructive features of the automation system and allow Elipse Power to support different ways to interpret values from the field.

Conversions

The third and last area is used to create or edit possible Statuses or Meanings of a Discrete Measurement, such as a switch in an Open, Closed, Intermediate, or Invalid position, as well as link them to Source's value, such as PLC, RTU, or IED, among others, to perform a Conversion at run time. Source's values may vary according to the Conversion selected on the second area, while Meanings and descriptions are fixed for all Conversions and depend only on the type of a Discrete Measurement. The next figure presents the area to create or edit Statuses or Meanings.

Statuses or Meanings