Interoperability Testing Research Articles

BIM/BES INTEROPERABILITY: A CASE STUDY BETWEEN REVIT®, DESIGNBUILDER®, IES-VE®, AND E-QUEST®

Objective: This study proposes a BIM/BES interoperability test through a case study involving Revit® and three BES software programs: DesignBuilder®, IES-VE®, and e-Quest®. Theoretical Framework: For thermo-energy analyses, a recognized combination is the BIM (Building Information Modeling) / BES (Building Energy Simulation) pair. This requires data transfer from one software to another. To export the virtual model, it is necessary to generate the energy analytical model in BIM and use transfer protocols for BES software. Various studies have indicated failures in this process. Method: A case study was used to analyze the interoperability between the software programs, through a 58m² single-family residence. The geometric model was created with its dimensions and layers, input data such as location, thermal properties of materials, and usage data, generating the energy analytical model and exporting it to each BES software. Interoperability was tested based on data transfer analysis, establishing seven criteria. Results and Discussion: The results indicated failures in interoperability, as none of the software programs exported all the criteria correctly. The BES software with the best results was IES-VE®, with 70.90% of the criteria exported, followed by e-Quest® (65.45%) and DesignBuilder® (45.45%). Research Implications: The results of this study demonstrate that interoperability challenges limit the potential of the BIM/BES pair. Originality/Value: Despite studies on this topic, interoperability challenges remain, representing a gap to be filled.

Interoperability Testing for Explicit Demand Response in Buildings

The explicit demand response (DR) is a key program for reinforcing the participation of end customers and making the most out of the potential of the smart grid. The DR is a key topic in the field of buildings to make use of the flexibility that they can offer. However, in order to guarantee the correct functionality of a DR system, it is fundamental to perform interoperability tests among the various components/actors. In this paper, we take into consideration the technological solutions suggested in the framework of the DRIMPAC project to enable the DR in buildings. We consider all actors/devices involved in order to reach the objective of executing a flexibility order by an asset. Following a structured interoperability testing methodology created by the Joint Research Centre, we perform interoperability tests regarding all critical links of the full chain of interacting actors to obtain the DR in buildings. The results show that the system functions properly and the benefits from the DR can be exploited. On the other hand, we provide a concrete example of how to apply the interoperability methodology in the field of testing the DR in buildings.

Open Source Software reference implementations for standards issued by different standards setting organisations: availability, perceptions and practices

Software reference implementations of ICT standards have an important role for verifying that a standard is implementable, supporting interoperability testing among other implementations, and providing feedback to the standard development process. Providing reference implementations and widely used implementations of a standard as Open Source Software promotes wide deployment in software systems, interoperability, longevity of systems and associated digital assets, and avoidance of different lock-in effects. In this paper results are reported on the availability of, and perceptions and practices concerning, reference implementations and widely deployed implementations provided as Open Source Software for standards issued by different standards setting organisations. Specifically, findings draw from observations and analyses related to software implementations for identified standards and policy statements, issued by ETSI, IEC, IEEE, IETF, ISO, ITU-T, OASIS, and W3C.

Implementation and System Architecture Challenges for Event-Based Programmable Logic Controllers - A Literature Review

The integration of the IEC 61499 standard into industrial control systems promises adaptable architectures but poses challenges in knowledge dissemination, process optimization, system compatibility, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance. This paper provides insights into the multifaceted challenges encountered during implementation and offers strategies for addressing them effectively. A comprehensive approach involving technical refinement, procedural adjustments, and educational initiatives is essential. Organizations must invest in training, evaluate processes, manage costs, ensure data security, and adhere to regulations. Overcoming technical hurdles like software compatibility, reliability, scalability, interoperability, and cybersecurity demands rigorous testing, effective collaboration, continuous skill enhancement, and adherence to best practices. Success hinges on prioritizing modular, reliable, and interoperable system designs. Further exploration through case studies, real-time communication understanding, integration with emerging technologies, and education enhancements is crucial for navigating complexities and realizing the standard’s transformative potential in industrial automation.

ZJUT-EIFD: A Synchronously Collected External and Internal Fingerprint Database.

External fingerprints (EFs) based only on epidermal information are vulnerable to spoofing attacks and non-ideal skin conditions. To solve such shortcomings, internal fingerprints (IFs) collected using optical coherence tomography (OCT) have been proposed and widely researched. However, the development of IF is limited by the lack of in-depth researches on the IF and the EF-IF interoperability, which is partially caused by the lack of public OCT database. The obvious gap in the applications of EF and IF recognition motivated us to design and publish a comprehensive fingerprint database containing both traditional EFs and OCT IFs, denoted as ZJUT-EIFD. To the best of our knowledge, ZJUT-EIFD is the first public database that combines OCT and total internal reflection (TIR) via synchronous acquisition, with 399 different fingers from 60 subjects. In this article, the composition of the database, the quality of EFs and IFs, and the verification performance of different types of fingerprints were detailed. In addition, potential application directions of ZJUT-EIFD were demonstrated. ZJUT-EIFD can serve benchmarks and interoperability tests for EF-IF research, which will promote the research and development of EF and IF.

Non-Contact Thermal and Acoustic Sensors with Embedded Artificial Intelligence for Point-of-Care Diagnostics.

This work involves exploring non-invasive sensor technologies for data collection and preprocessing, specifically focusing on novel thermal calibration methods and assessing low-cost infrared radiation sensors for facial temperature analysis. Additionally, it investigates innovative approaches to analyzing acoustic signals for quantifying coughing episodes. The research integrates diverse data capture technologies to analyze them collectively, considering their temporal evolution and physical attributes, aiming to extract statistically significant relationships among various variables for valuable insights. The study delineates two distinct aspects: cough detection employing a microphone and a neural network, and thermal sensors employing a calibration curve to refine their output values, reducing errors within a specified temperature range. Regarding control units, the initial implementation with an ESP32 transitioned to a Raspberry Pi model 3B+ due to neural network integration issues. A comprehensive testing is conducted for both fever and cough detection, ensuring robustness and accuracy in each scenario. The subsequent work involves practical experimentation and interoperability tests, validating the proof of concept for each system component. Furthermore, this work assesses the technical specifications of the prototype developed in the preceding tasks. Real-time testing is performed for each symptom to evaluate the system's effectiveness. This research contributes to the advancement of non-invasive sensor technologies, with implications for healthcare applications such as remote health monitoring and early disease detection.

Interoperability Forum for Requirements Exchange

ABSTRACTThis article illustrates requirement exchanges based on the STEP AP242 application protocol. These results are the outcomes of the systems engineering interoperability forum (SE‐IF) of the ATLAS program, a working group sponsored by the French industry and the French government. The SE‐IF is composed of manufacturers, who define use cases and assign priorities and solution providers, who implement the standard, carry out interoperability tests and establish recommended practices. The objective of this forum is to enable exchange of requirements and their attributes in a fluid and tool‐agnostic way, to facilitate collaborative work in the context of the extended enterprise. This work gives promising perspectives for standardized transfers of all other systems engineering data.

Practical Implementation of Multithreaded Communication Protocols in Modern Protection Relays

Microprocessor-based protection relays that provide reliable and fast responses to abnormal conditions are of paramount importance to electrical grids. Modern numerical relays constitute communication protocols to facilitate data exchange among protection devices. Though it has become an integral part of electrical substation devices, there has not been any significant article that puts forth a detailed description of the preemptive multithreading implementation of multiple communication protocols for protection relays. Hence, this article is aimed at designing a preemptive multithreading system comprising IEC 61850 Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS), Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE), and Sampled Values (SV) along with Modbus TCP/IP and IEC 60870-5-104 communication protocols for protection relays. Latest products from prominent manufacturers of protection relays adopt preemptive multithreading on a real-time Linux operating system. In this work, the designed multi-protocol communication system is implemented on a real-time embedded Linux-based cortex-A7 core of the STM32MP157D-DK1 device. The designed system is verified by conducting an interoperability test with ABB REF615 and Thytronic NA11 protection relays.

Performance analysis of rectangular and double-D transmitters with various receivers for electric vehicle static charging

The inductive charging stations of the future should be able to charge any car, regardless of the type of coil configuration attached to it. In this study the performance of different configurations of coils is investigated. Where the principle of interoperability is studied between the most common types of coils in the IPT system (rectangular and double-D) recommended by Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) J2954. This interoperability analysis is done at a power level of 11.1 kVA and Z3-class ground clearance using the two types of coils on the side of the car, while double D (DD) is used as a general transmitter in one case, and in the other case, a rectangle (R) is used as a general transmitter. Four 3D finite-element models (FEMs), along with compensation circuits, are built to perform the interoperability tests. The circuit models are utilized to determine the frequency of operation and the parameters of compensation circuit that realize the rated power at highest efficiency. The concept of interoperability has been verified through multiple performance indicators, namely coupling coefficient, transmitted power, and transmission efficiency. These indicators were calculated at ideal alignment and the different cases of misalignment, whether lateral or angular. The findings prove that the two different types of receivers (R and DD) can work efficiently and smoothly with the general transmitter, whether DD pad or rectangular pad are used. At the same time, the nominal power can be transmitted at high efficiency, above the limits permitted by SAE j2954 (>85 % at alignment conditions and >80 % at misalignment conditions).

Real-time digital simulation and IEC 61850 standard: interoperability test between OPAL-RT and typhoon HIL simulators

Real-time digital simulation and IEC 61850 standard: interoperability test between OPAL-RT and typhoon HIL simulators

Micro SIDs: A Solution for Efficient Representation of Segment IDs in SRv6 Networks

The Segment Routing (SR) architecture is based on source routing. Within an SR enabled network, a list of instructions called segments can be added to the packet headers to influence the forwarding and the processing of the packets. In SRv6 (Segment Routing over IPv6 data plane) the segments are represented with IPv6 addresses, which are 16 bytes long. There are some SRv6 service scenarios that may require to carry a large number of segments in the IPv6 packet headers. Reducing the size of these overheads is useful to minimize the impact on MTU (Maximum Transfer Unit) and to enable SRv6 on legacy hardware devices with limited processing capabilities that could suffer from the long headers. In this paper we present the Micro SID solution for the efficient representation of segment identifiers. The proposed Micro SID solution has been implemented on three different architectures (VPP, Linux, P4) and interoperability tests have been performed. We also analyze the reduction of the header size that can be achieved with Micro SIDs and compare it with other proposals for segment list compression. Our results show that the header size can be reduced up to 75%. Finally, we mention that a fundamental asset of the proposed Micro SID solution is the full compatibility and seamless interoperability with existing SRv6 architecture.

IEC 61850-Based Protection Scheme for Multiple Feeder Faults and Hardware-in-the-Loop Platform for Interoperability Testing

The existing Overcurrent Protection Function (OCPF) of distribution systems is vulnerable to Multiple Feeder Faults (MFF), which involve at least two feeders simultaneously, leading to the incoming feeder relay trip faster than the faulted feeder relays, although the OCPF of the relays can be coordinated for all fault current values. In this case, all feeders connected to the power transformer are de-energized, even the healthy ones, directly impacting the network reliability, service quality and availability of the electricity utilities and ultimately leading to outage costs for the customers. In light of this, an IEC 61850-based OCPF scheme with the directional element is proposed to support existing OCPF to deal with MFF and encompass the integration of distributed generation, and can be directly implemented in the digital substations without requiring further equipment installation. Moreover, an hardware-in-the-loop platform is developed for testing the interoperability of the proposed scheme with multi-vendor protection relays, which can assist electricity utilities also in the validation of their protection and control schemes based on their requirements before the field implementation. Test cases are specifically elaborated to study the interoperability of the proposed scheme with three real devices—whose configuration details are also provided to aid protection engineers—in a real distribution system, under different conditions such as switching operations, MFF types, resistance and location, integration of distributed generation. The results show that the proposed scheme manages to enhance the selectivity and reliability of the digital substation protection system, hence representing a valuable complement to existing OCPF schemes.

Structural Considerations for Generating and Handling LTP Report Segments from an Interoperability Testing

Delay- and disruption-tolerant networking (DTN) technology is increasingly being considered for deep space exploration missions. In particular, DTN is being considered for trunk-line communications between ground and lunar elements of the Artemis program. Licklider transmission protocol (LTP) is a DTN protocol that supports reliable data transmission within a network and, as such, functions as a necessary “convergence-layer” protocol in the architecture. Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has recently developed an LTP reference implementation and performed an interoperability test with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Interplanetary Overlay Network (ION) DTN software. The test revealed that there can be significant variation in issuing report segments and data segment retransmission, which can lead to errors or malfunction during LTP transaction. This paper presents the results of the interoperability test between different implementations of LTP together with some implementation considerations suggested by the results to overcome the issues of the interoperability among different LTP implementations.

WiFi TSN: Enabling Deterministic Wireless Connectivity over 802.11

New applications are emerging that bring new and stricter requirements for WiFi. Smart factories, mobile and collaborative robots, and Extended Reality (XR) demand deterministic wireless connectivity with ultra-low latency. This article focuses on the challenges and enhancements supporting Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) that enable WiFi to support usages that require deterministic operation. The article reviews existing and future time-sensitive applications and their connectivity requirements. It discusses the evolution of the TSN capabilities supported by various WiFi generations, from legacy standards to the latest 802.11ax specification and the ongoing progress in the 802.11be Task Group specific to deterministic operation. The article also discusses the open challenges for next generation WiFi, including ultra-low latency (sub-millisecond) with higher efficiency. The article concludes with a review of the TSN ecosystem activities toward interoperability testing and certification of WiFi TSN and discusses testbed results demonstrating the 802.11ax and 802.11be tools to achieve deterministic operation.

Interoperability Testing of a Smart Home Automation System under Explicit Demand Response Schemes

Interoperability becomes a key issue for smart grid systems, as the interaction between diverse components needs to lead to a normal system operation. In this paper, we test interoperability issues with respect to home automation. In particular, interaction of a home energy management system (HEMS) is examined with an external actor for home/building remote control. We show the importance and the feasibility of remotely controlling domestic loads from outside the house premises, which can be crucial for energy saving operations, such as demand response. The Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) is used, where the different actors are depicted. The interoperability testing methodology for smart grids, developed by our unit, is followed in order to design the necessary tests and execute them. For the experimental part, we develop an HEMS in our lab along with a Home Automation End Device (HAED), used to transform two normal plugs, and consequently, normal loads into smart ones, thus creating a system for home automation and control. The described configuration is only one possible configuration out of the available ones existing in the market for home automation. LabVIEW programming is used in order to realize the actual explicit demand response program through remote load control and scheduling. The results show that explicit demand response can be achieved by an external actor with success and interoperability is preserved.

Gaining trust by tracing security protocols

In this article, a novel form of white-box testing is used to test an implementation of the Noise Cryptographic Protocol Framework, which is used as an integral component in a commercial blockchain. Our approach extends the normal interoperability testing, where the noise implementation under test, written in the Erlang programming language, is tested against an implementation of the Noise protocol framework written in the C programming language. Testing typically performs a noise protocol handshake between the two implementations. If successful, then both implementations are considered compatible. However, such testing does not, for example, detect whether the Erlang implementation incorrectly reuse session keys that should have been newly generated. In this article, such interoperability testing is extended to also check that keys and information transmitted in protocol handshakes is correctly constructed, e.g., that session keys are freshly generated by calling the correct low-level cryptographic libraries. Such extended, white-box testing, begins by tracing the Erlang Noise implementation during protocol handshakes with the C programming protocol implementation. The resulting protocol trace is refactored, obtaining as the end result a symbolic description (a functional term) of how key protocol values are constructed using cryptographic operations and keys. Thereafter, this symbolic term is compared, using term rewriting, with another symbolic term representing the ideal symbolic execution of the tested Noise protocol handshake, i.e., the “semantics” of the handshake. The semantic symbolic term is obtained by executing a symbolic implementation of the noise protocol that we have developed, which very closely follows the semi-formal authoritative description of the Noise protocol framework.

Interoperable Test Cases to Mediate between Supply Chain’s Test Processes

Heterogeneous test processes with respect to test script languages are an integral part of the development process of mechatronic systems that are carried out in supply chains. Up to now, test cases are not exchangeable between test processes because interoperability is not given. The developed approach enables the source-to-source compiling of test cases between test script languages. With this, the interoperability of test cases is achieved, and seamless integration within the supply chain is possible. The developed approach uses transcompilers as a baseline. In doing so, an interoperability model for test cases is presented. Based on the interoperability model, a source-to-source compiling for test cases is shown. The outcome is a prototype that handles test script languages, which are different with respect to type safety and applied programming paradigms. The approach ensures that test cases are still understandable and usable for test reports. The evaluation confirms the translation capabilities as well as the readability of the generated test case for the high-lift scenario from aviation. The interoperability of test cases within the supply chain enables the formalisation of procedural test knowledge to be used in a broad range of future scenarios, such as test automation, digital twins and predictive maintenance.

Performance Analysis of Overcurrent Protection in a Digital Substation with Process Bus

The digitization of electrical substations brings great challenges for the commissioning of electrical protections, and interoperability tests must be performed with different equipment. Therefore, this work evaluates the response time of an electrical protection relay operating with sampled values in a digital substation with a process bus. A test scheme is proposed to emulate the process bus based on analyzing the main components in a digital substation with multi-vendor device interoperability. In addition, the delay times of the protection relay with the process bus are measured, considering interoperable infrastructure as a fundamental factor in the system performance. The results are compared with the response times of a conventional relay that operates with analog signals to identify the impact of the digitalization of signals in electrical substations with a process bus. Each relay has an instantaneous overcurrent function adjusted to operate with the same pickup currents at different fault current levels. The results show that tripping times are admissible for the operation of the protection relays, considering three-time measuring points in the test scheme. The time delays found are related to high data traffic in the communication network and the traffic saturation according to the time measuring point. Other delays related to processing SVs in an MU do not represent a risk for the protection scheme. For the industry, the methods presented in the research are useful for configuring and testing electrical substations with different equipment and topologies. In addition, the results presented here seek to generate confidence in companies and engineering teams when migrating to systems with digital substations.

Measures and Methods for the Evaluation of ATO Algorithms

There is increasing interest in automating train operations of mainline services, e.g., to increase network capacity. Automatic train operation (ATO) is already achieved by several pilot projects, but is still not implemented on a large scale. Functional, interoperability and performance tests are necessary before ATO can be introduced generally. Virtual preliminary analysis will contribute to the validation process to ensure a safe and successful implementation. This paper aims to present an approach that applies to the performance testing of ATO systems. Therefore, methods and test standards for technologies enabling automatic operation in other transport sectors are reviewed. The main findings have been adapted, transformed and combined to be used as a general strategy for virtual performance testing in the railway sector. Specifically, universal performance indicators commonly used in the railway sector, namely punctuality, accuracy, energy consumption, safety and comfort, are presented. They are refined by adding sub-indicators specific to the performance evaluation of ATO algorithms. A layer model for scenario description is adapted from the automotive sector, as well as the definition of different scenario types. Lastly, factors that can influence the performance of an ATO algorithm are identified. For demonstration purposes, a simple case study is conducted. Thereby we exemplarily show-cased the approach for ATO performance testing using a microscopic train simulator in combination with an ATO algorithm.

A Cloud-Based Simulation and Testing Framework for Large-Scale EV Charging Energy Management and Charging Control

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">The emerging need of building an efficient Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure requires the investigation of all aspects of Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI), including the impact of EV charging on the grid, optimal EV charging control at scale, and communication interoperability. This paper presents a cloud-based simulation and testing platform for the development and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing of VGI technologies. Although the HIL testing of a single charging station has been widely performed, the HIL testing of spatially distributed EV charging stations and communication interoperability is limited. To fill this gap, the presented platform is developed that consists of multiple subsystems: a real-time power system simulator (OPAL-RT), ISO 15118 EV Charge Scheduler System (EVCSS), and a Smart Energy Plaza (SEP) with various types of charging stations, solar panels, and energy storage systems. The subsystems can communicate with each other via message queuing telemetry transport communication (MQTT) protocol. The OPAL-RT is used to perform grid simulation and optimal EV charging energy management at the distribution grid level. It communicates with node level EVCSS and the SEP to collect real-time charging data and send charging power commands. The OPAL-RT can also communicate with transmission level controllers to provide grid services, such as frequency regulation. The EVCSS manages regional EV charging to limit the effects of clustered EV charging on the distribution grid. It uses standardized communication protocols: Open Charge Point Protocol 2.0 for charging station networks and ISO 15118 between EVs and charging stations. The modular open systems design approach of the platform allows the integration of EV charging control algorithms and hardware charging systems for performance evaluation and interoperability testing. The experimental test results show that the communication links of the platform work properly, and the EV charging control algorithms can respond to transmission level grid service request with minimal impact on local operations.</div></div>