service
The is a service that operates on the server, providing coordinated data collection, data processing, and control functions for groups of meters. This makes distributed operations possible, providing customized solutions to a variety of industrial, commercial, and power utility needs.
warning
unintended equipment operation
Do not use control objects for time-critical functions because delays can occur between the time a control action is initiated and when that action is applied.
Do not create a custom control object in for remote equipment operation without configuring it with the appropriate access level, and without configuring a status object to indicate the status of the control operation.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
The lets you gather the information available from your network of power monitoring devices, and enables you to categorize, manipulate, and/or customize the data before distributing the information to the different departments in your company. You could think of the as a virtual device, capable of collecting and processing data from several power monitoring devices, analyzing the information and performing control functions as required. The 's name implies its characteristics:
Virtual - The runs in the memory of your PC, not as a remote device.
Processor - The contains a wide selection of ION modules, which it uses to process information.
Using the
The is not configured at the factory. To perform data collection, data analysis, Modbus communications, or distributed control, you must first create ION module frameworks, using . Refer to the ION Reference for information on ION modules.
Configuring the with
Use to perform all configuration, including adding new modules, configuring module setup registers, and linking module inputs and output registers to other modules.
Creating a second
Create a second and start it using the following steps:
Open a command prompt window.
Register the as a service from the ...\\system\bin folder by typing: vip.exe -Service -N<custom name>
Open Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services and start the new registered .
Viewing data with
After you have used to add and link modules in the , you can create a user diagram in and link it to the modules in the . You can then use your user diagram to display system data, monitor alarms, and control basic functions in your framework.
Configuring the to interact with the desktop
Open Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
Right-click the and select Properties.
Select the Log On tab.
Select the “Allow service to interact with desktop” check box and click OK.
Stop and restart the .
Distributed control
Distributed Control modules are a means of transferring information between the different devices in your network. These modules can be used to build frameworks for control processes such as alarm annunciation, plant-wide demand control, power factor control, load shedding, paging, and generator switching.
Before you decide to use a to implement a control system, it is important to understand the various factors that influence the speed with which the is able to generate a control action. Some of these factors include network traffic, the number of polled devices in your network, the reliability of your communications network, and the workstation's CPU usage.
warning
unintended equipment operation
Do not use control objects for time-critical functions because delays can occur between the time a control action is initiated and when that action is applied.
Do not create a custom control object in for remote equipment operation without configuring it with the appropriate access level, and without configuring a status object to indicate the status of the control operation.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.
The information presented in this section assumes that you are familiar with the various ION modules and their functions. Refer to the ION Reference for details on Distributed Control and other modules.
Distributed control modules
The uses four modules to implement Distributed Control frameworks. Three types of Distributed Control modules (Distributed Boolean, Numeric, and Pulse modules) receive data from devices or other s within your network and transfer this data to the node address specified in the module's setup registers. The Data Monitoring module is used as a means of disabling a control module, if the data at the source input (which is used to make the control decision) becomes “stale”.
Distributed control module setup registers
All Distributed Control modules (Distributed Boolean, Distributed Numeric, and Distributed Pulse modules) have a Source input and an Activate input. The Activate input must be linked to another module, and it must be on for a Distributed Control module to function. These modules also contain a Destination setup register that specifies the node receiving the data.
Distributed boolean module
All Distributed Boolean modules have one input that must linked to an External Boolean output register. Whenever this register’s Boolean value changes state, the new value is sent to the node defined in the Destination setup register.
Distributed numeric module
A Distributed Numeric module's input must be linked to an External Numeric module. This input’s value is sent to the node specified in the Destination setup register. This module has two additional setup registers that are used to determine when and how often new data is sent to the Destination node.
Distributed pulse module
All Distributed Pulse modules have one input that must link to an External Pulse module. This module’s pulse is sent to the node defined in the Destination setup register.
Data monitoring module
The Data Monitor module provides a means of alerting you to communication problems that may occur between the and any ION node referenced by the Data Monitor's Source inputs.
Note
meters with Advanced Security enabled do not accept control operations from the . In order to enable these control operations, you need to provide a device password in for these applications to use. See "Accessing Meters with Advanced Security" on page 1 for information on configuring Advanced Security.
Distributed control network performance
It is important to maximize the speed at which the receives the data used to make control decisions. The performance of a using Distributed Control is sensitive to factors such as network traffic, the 's global parameters, and the workstation's CPU usage.
The following sections provide some guidelines for improving a distributed control network's performance.
System configuration
Minimize the number of devices per site for sites including devices used for distributed control.
Minimize the number of applications (such as diagrams) that are requesting data from the control site.
Decrease the 's Client Polling Period.
Maximize the site's baud rate.
CPU performance
Dedicate a single for control purposes; an additional can be run for less critical functions.
Do not run CPU intensive functions on the same workstation as your distributed control .
Distributed control applications
The 's Distributed Control frameworks can perform various control processes; two examples are presented below. Ensure that you are familiar with the sections above before using any of these module frameworks in a control system.
Example: Passing a value between devices
The following example shows how the numeric output of the Integrator modules in meter “A” is sent to an External Numeric module in meter “B”.
Note that the Distributed Numeric module is disabled if the Data Monitor module detects a communication problem between the meter “A” and the (for example, timeouts or slow network connections). As a result, control actions are only performed based on up-to-date data.
Example: Device control
This example framework monitors total harmonic distortion (THD), which could cause a piece of equipment (like a power transformer) to overheat. When a setpoint is reached, the system sends a network message to a workstation and turns on a fan.
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Modbus communications
Modicon Modbus RTU is an industry standard communications protocol used in control and power monitoring industries. The devices in a Modbus network have a Master/Slave relationship with communication transactions occurring between the Master and one or many slaves (up to 247 slave devices can exist in one site).
The can act as a Modbus Slave by responding to requests from a Modbus Master and providing it with power monitoring system data.
Providing data for a modbus master
The following diagram illustrates how the can make values in ION module registers available to a Modbus Master device. Assume the Modbus Slave module's source inputs are linked to numeric or Boolean output registers from other ION modules. In this example, the values obtained from those registers are converted to the proper Modbus format (according to how the Modbus Slave module's setup registers are configured). The Modbus Slave module responds to a read request from the remote Modbus Master device and sends the Modbus data to the specified Modbus registers (again, according to how the Modbus Slave module's setup registers are configured).
The 's modbus slave module
A standard Modbus Slave module can take up to 16 ION register values and make them available to a Modbus master. In the , the Modbus Slave module can also be used to bring Modbus data into your power monitoring system (it permits a Modbus master to push data into the ).
Note
Refer to the ION Reference for more information on the Modbus Slave module.
When a Modbus Slave module in the has no links to its inputs, the output registers of the module show the contents of the Modbus register map. Currently, only the Modbus Slave modules in the have this additional capability (the Modbus Slave modules in meters cannot do this).
Use the Modbus Slave module to bring Modbus data into your power monitoring system as follows:
Start the and open it in .
Drag a Modbus Slave module from the toolbox.
Leave the inputs of the Modbus Slave module unlinked. The Modbus Slave module will not read the Modbus register map if any of its inputs are linked (the module provides the linked data to the Modbus register map).
Configure the Modbus Slave module's setup registers.
The Modbus Slave module reads the register map starting at the address specified in BaseAddr setup register until each output register is filled.
If the Format setup register is a
16 bit format, 16 bit data is put into each of the ModVal output registers.
32 bit format, two pieces of 16 bit data are combined into one 32 bit ModVal output register.
Packed Boolean, then the data is put into the ModVal 1 output register in Packed Boolean form.
Ignore the Scaling, InZero, InFull, and OutZero, OutFull setup registers; there is no scaling applied to any of the Modbus register map values.
Link the outputs of the Modbus Slave module to the inputs of other modules in the .
Three examples of modules to link to are:
Data Recorder modules for data logging
Setpoint and Relative Setpoint modules for alarming
Distributed Numeric module for redistribution to meters (for automated plant-wide demand or power factor control)
Common applications
The can be used to create numerous analysis, recording, and control functions. This section describes three common applications:
Event Driven Report Generation using
Data Aggregation
Logging Data from Meters
The examples shown on the following pages assume that you understand the functions and options of the various modules used. Refer to the ION Reference for module details. See the previous sections for common Modbus and Distributed Control applications.
Example: Event driven report generation using
The can be used in conjunction with a device and the to generate reports in response to system events. In the following example, a Power Quality report is automatically generated in the event of a system disturbance.
As transients often occur in groups, the five minute delay setup with the One-Shot timer module allows multiple transients to appear in one Power Quality report.
Note
The Launching module only supports non-interactive processes. This is an operating system limitation. Using the ’s Launching module may require that the be run as an application instead of a service. Running the as an application may not work in all cases. Contact if you require more information.
Example: Data aggregation
In the following example, meters monitor average current values (I avg). Every day at a specified time (determined by the Periodic Timer module), the Data Recorder Module stores the maximum average current value for each meter.
Example: Logging data from meters
The can be used to log data from meters that do not have Data Recorders. In the following example, the total kWh from a meter’s Integrator module is recorded every 15 minutes by a 's Data Recorder module.
Note that the holds only 100 records at a time, that is, it holds about one day of 15 minute data. If the stops operating, data logging also stops.
Setting global parameters
The global operating parameters and Modbus network setup are configured using Setup.
The global parameters do not need to be changed for normal operation. The operates properly in most applications with the default settings. See "Modifying the Global Parameters" on page 1 for details.
To set up the ’s Modbus network, see "Configuring the 's Modbus Service" on page 1.
Note
The must be restarted for any changes to take effect, as the only reads the vipsys.dat file once on startup. The can be restarted, like any other service, using the Services window found via the Control Panel service applet.
