Patent ID: 8341304

Claim:
An intelligent electronic device for provision in Substation Automation or Distribution Automation systems and having a structuring of its own functionality according to a communication standard, which standard provides a series of elements (LD, LN 1 , LN 2 , LN 3 , LN 4 , LN 5 , LN 6 , DO 1 , DO 2 , DO 3 , DO 4 , DO 5 , DO 6 , DA 1 , DA 2 , DA 3 , DA 4 , DA 5 , DA 6 ) hierarchically linked to each other and including a device related element (LD), a number of function elements (LN 1 , LN 2 , LN 3 , LN 4 , LN 5 , LN 6 ) linked to the device related element (LN) and a number of data provision elements (DO 1 , DO 2 , DO 3 , DO 4 , DO 5 , DO 6 , DA 1 , DA 2 , DA 3 , DA 4 , DA 5 , DA 6 ) linked to the function elements, characterized in that the device comprises: mechanically separable, replaceable hardware modules interconnected via an inter-module bus said modules implementing functionality related to the function related elements (LN 1 , LN 2 , LN 3 , LN 4 , LN 5 , LN 6 ) of the standard and including a communication module for communicating with other devices of the system via a computer communication network and at least one I/O module for direct communication with local system equipment, where said intelligent electronic device includes elements of the communication standard comprising one device related element (LD) and replaceable function related elements (LN 1 , LN 2 , LN 3 , LN 4 , LN 5 , LN 6 ) of all the functions provided by said modules, and where said communication module includes a control unit providing the device related element (LN) of the communication standard, function elements (LN 1 ) associated with the function of the communication module and at least one function element (LN 3 , LN 4 , LN 5 , LN 6 ) associated with functions provided by all the I/O modules, all I/O modules providing data related functions include data provision elements (DA 3 , DA 4 , DA 5 , DA 6 ) according to the standard and being associated with a corresponding function element (LN 3 , LN 4 , LN 5 , LN 6 ) in the communication module, the I/O modules provide the data related elements at the lowest hierarchical level of the linked elements providing attributes of data defined by a corresponding higher level data provision element (DO 3 , DO 4 , DO 5 , DO 6 ), said higher level data provision element and corresponding function related element (LN 3 , LN 4 , LN 5 , LN 6 ) are provided by the communication module and the control unit of the communication module is arranged to associate, at powering up of the device, the data provision elements (DA 3 , DA 4 , DA 5 , DA 6 ) of the I/O modules with corresponding elements (LN 3 , LN 4 , LN 5 , LN 6 ) associated with the function of the I/O modules in the communication module.