Patent ID: 9654345
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: H02J,H04L,Y02B,Y02E,Y02P,Y04S

Claim:
1. A method for analyzing communication of Logical Nodes (LNs) of a plurality of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) in an operating Process Control (PC) system for controlling an industrial process or in an operating Substation Automation (SA) system for controlling an electric power substation, wherein the PC or SA system includes a plurality of operational aspects, and wherein sender LNs of the plurality of IEDs are configured to send data packets to predetermined receiver LNs of the plurality of IEDs via a communication network of the PC or SA system, the method comprising: analyzing data packets transmitted via the communication network and identifying data packets including data indicative of events of the PC or SA system, wherein the identifying comprises comparing a data object value of a data object of the data packet being analyzed with a data object value of a same previous data object, and identifying the event in case the values diverge; determining, for each identified data packet, a sender LN and a receiver LN; retrieving, from a formal configuration representation of the PC or SA system, for each sender LN and for each receiver LN an operational aspect; generating a time sorted graphical representation of the events and the sender and receiver LNs of corresponding identified packets; and grouping the LNs according to the operational aspects retrieved.