Developing Maintaining And Testing Software For Protocol Converter In Substation Automation Systems

Usually construction of substation automation systems is accomplished by several manufacturers together. Because compatibility is hard to realize completely between devices made of different manufacturer, connecting third-party manufacturer devices is an important item of substation automation system construction. Protocol converter is the interface equipment used to connect third-party intelligent devices (intelligent device using communication protocol incompatible with that of substation automation system or using communication medium distinct to that of substation automation system to realize communication) into substation automation systems. Protocol converter does not possess operation interface, so it is necessary to develop maintaining and testing software to realize functions such as parameter configuration and state observation for it. This dissertation deals with developing maintaining and testing software for protocol converter in practical substation automation system research and development circumstance, the aim is to provide complete maintaining and testing solution to protocol converter and solve the key technical problems faced during the development process of maintaining and testing software. The significant achievements are as follows:1. Requirement analysis is made for the maintaining and testing software for protocol converter. On the base of in-depth comprehension to functions and operation circumstance of protocol converter, functions to realize through the maintaining and testing software are defined in detail according to requirement of developers of the protocol converter.2. Ethernet communication protocol used for communication between the protocol converter and its maintaining and testing software is established. Standard communication protocol used in substation automation system can not meet the specific communication requirement between the protocol converter and its maintaining and testing software, so complete communication protocol is established according to Ethernet communication circumstance in which the protocol converter operate. The user-defined communication protocol is encapsulated in application layer transmission protocol used in substation automation system. Hence consistency of the Ethernet message format in substation automation system is insured.3. Maintaining and testing software for the protocol converter is designed and developed using Visual C++ 6.0, functions such as parameters setting and querying, port message displaying for the protocol converter are implemented. Maintaining and testing software for the protocol converter has made its application in practical engineering, nice effect is achieved.4. Key technical problems to develop maintaining and testing software for the protocol converter are solved. Program functions are realized using technologies such as Socket programming, object-oriented, thread and buffer area to full advantage. Real time port message displaying for the protocol converter is realized using thread and buffer area technologies jointly. User friendly program interface is designed for the maintaining and testing software.5. Detailed and complete software testing plan is established to test each function of the maintaining and testing software for the protocol converter, bugs detected during software test are corrected.