Sampling Rate Conversion and Data Synchronization

in Big Merging Unit

Rukui Tao, Baochen Jiang*, Chengyou Wang
School of Mechanical, Electrical & Information Engineering
Shandong University at Weihai
Weihai 264209, P. R. China
taokui1987@163.com, jbc@sdu.edu.cn, wangchengyou@sdu.edu.cn
the data. However, there exists a problem that the sampling rate
conversion and DS process the data respectively.

AbstractIn order to achieve multirate sampling conversion and

Data Synchronization (DS) for multi-channel data from
Electronic Instrument Transformers (EITs) in power system
when the sampled data are outputted to IEDs, Big MU scheme
has been proposed. Big MU consists of modules of MUs,
multirate conversion and DS. Sampling data of MUs from EITs
get through multirate conversion module including interpolation,
low-pass FIR filter and decimation to obtain the desired sequence
values. However, the multi-channel data after conversion are
asynchronous with a unified frequency; DS module is utilized for
syncing the asynchronous data. The experimental result shows
that the scheme can achieve sampling rate conversion and satisfy
the requirement of each harmonic components amplitude
precision in the IEDs by using module of DS in Big MU.

To solve the above problem, this paper proposes Big MU to

integrate the sampling rate conversion and DS, Big MU
focuses on the studies of sampling rate conversion based on
decimation and interpolation achieving the unified frequency
and full digitalization, and DS based on quadratic interpolation
for syncing the asynchronous data.
II.

A digital system typically consists of EITs, MUs, and IEDs.

The common transmission data process is that EITs measure
voltage and current values, and send digitalized measurement
data to MUs. MUs output the data to the protection IEDs [6].

Keywords-MU; interpolation; FIR filter; decimation; data

synchronization.

I.

However, there are important details that need to be

considered when processing the data from EITs.

INTRODUCTION

The sampling rates between EITs and IEDs are different

and the data are asynchronous. To communicate with interface
between EITs and IEDs, Big MU is used; it can solve the
existing problems. Fig. 1 gives a new digital system including
Big MU. In the Big MU, MUs receive data from EITs and
transmit them to multirate conversion module including
interpolation, digital filter (DF) and decimation; and then the
asynchronous data after conversion with unified frequency
input DS module to realize synchronization; finally the
synchronized data are outputted to the protection IEDs.

With the wide application of Electronic Instrument

Transformers (EIT) and IEC61850 [1] in substation automation
systems, Merging Unit (MU) in process level of IEC61850 has
been developed a great deal for digitalized data transmission
[2]. IEC has constituted a series of related standards to digital
output of EITs. As prescribed in IEC60044-8 [3] and
IEC61850, the rated value of output data rate can be 1 kHz, 2.4
kHz, or 4 kHz (50Hz of power frequency system), and digital
data of EITs in process level go through MUs to transmit them
to IEDs (such as the protection IEDs) in bay level.
Electronic Current Transformers (ECTs) of EITs are often
provided by different manufacturers, the sampling rates of
ECTs are various because of different standards of each
manufacture. It is inevitable that the data mismatch situation
appears among ECTs, so that it cannot directly transmit the
data to IEDs. To achieve the data transmission from ECTs to
IEDs, it is necessary to unify the sampling rates, and sync the
data after conversion. The direct way for sampling rate
conversion adopts D/A and A/D converters. First convert all
digitalized data into the analog data through D/A; then use A/D
converter changing the analog data into the digital data. But the
conversion process needs D/A and A/D converters, which
cannot achieve a full digitalization process [4], this paper
therefore uses decimation and interpolation method to achieve
the full digitalization. Meanwhile, the data after conversion are
asynchronous, so Data Synchronization (DS) is used to sync

III.

SAMPLING RATE CONVERSION AND DATA

SYNCHRONIZATION

A. Sampling Rate Conversion

1) Decimation and Interpolation
The process of reducing sampling rate and removing data
redundant is termed as signal decimation [7]. But decimation
reduces the sampling rate, which leads to frequency aliasing to
affect the data process. In order to avoid frequency aliasing,
low-pass filter is needed before debasing sampling rate. The
ideal characteristic of digital filter is

1,
H1 (e j ) =
0,

*Corresponding author: jbc@sdu.edu.cn.

This work was supported by the Independent Innovation Foundation of
Shandong University (No. 2010ZRJD001).

978-1-4577-0365-2/11/$26.00 2011 IEEE

DIGITAL DATA TRANSMISSION PROCESS

531

M ,
otherwise.

(1)

3) Design of Low-pass Filter

The design of low-pass filter h(n) is imperative when
achieving sampling rate conversion [7]. The general
requirements in designing the low-pass filter are: pass area
should be as flat as possible; transition area should be as steep
as possible; and a filter should be linear phase. FIR filter will
be the first choice because it has FIR linear phase
characteristic. The frequently-used methods of designing FIR
filter include window method, frequency sampling method and
Chebyshev approximation optimum equiripple method. The
former two methods are easy to design and use. However,
shortcomings of the filter using the two methods are that bandpass and stop-pass edge frequencies are not controlled
accurately. On the contrary, filter is designed based on
Chebyshev approximation optimum equiripple, it can solve the
previous problems and obtain better band-pass and stop-pass
edge frequencies. The low-pass FIR design is mentioned as in
[7].

Figure 1. A new digital system with EITs, Big MU and IEDs.

The decimation process of signal is shown in Fig. 2(a),

where M means M times decimation.

B. Data Synchronization (DS)

1) Interpolation Method
Interpolation method, which is different from the previous
interpolation, is that each channel data among EITs are
asynchronous data with the same frequency and transmit to
MUs, which enroll a time tag for each data frame, and then
data frames are measured at the identical moment by
interpolation technology [8]. Fig. 4 depicts sketch map of
synchronization using interpolation method, the 1st sampling
wave values and the 2nd values are asynchronous with unified
frequency. In the 1st wave, is calculated by several around
via different interpolation methods. Likewise, in the 2nd wave,
is calculated by several around. Hence, we can get the
calculated values and at the same moment. However, it
must be ensured that each channel data from EITs to MUs have
the same time delay or time delay can be measured, which is
used to compensate time. In this case, data synchronization can
be achieved. Compared with unified clock method, the
realization is simpler and the cost is lower.

Figure 2. Decimation and interpolation.

The process of increasing sampling rate so as to add data is

termed as interpolation [7]. But interpolation increases the
sampling rate, which result in frequency mirror images to
hamper the data process. Low-pass filter is used to filter mirror
images after adding zeros. The ideal characteristic of the digital
filter is
L,
H 2 (e j ) =
0,

L,
otherwise.

(2)

The process of signal interpolation is shown in Fig. 2(b),

where L means L times interpolation.
2) Sampling Rate Conversion
In IEC60044-8, sampling frequencies of output data in
MUs are 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 2.4 kHz, 4 kHz, or 10 kHz. However,
the sampling rate is not always integer between MUs and IEDs,
so it needs sampling rate conversion to achieve a unified
sampling rate. This paper needs multi-channel data for
conversion in Big MU. In Fig. 3, x1(n) and x2(n) stand for two
channel data from MU1 and MU2, sampling frequencies are
f1=4 kHz and f2=2.4 kHz respectively. The two data are
interpolated by L1, L2 times; filtered by a low-pass filter h(n)
which is designed in the following; decimated with a decimator
for M times decimation. At last, the data sequence y(m) are
obtained with sampling rate fp= L1f1/M.

Figure 4. Sketch map of interpolation synchronization.

There are various DS methods. Linear interpolation of DS

methods has been applied in data synchronization for
measuring error as in [5], [9]. However, the precision of linear
interpolation is very low, especially measuring higher
harmonic, which may make the verdict wrong. So the paper
uses quadratic interpolation.
2) Quadratic Interpolation
Fig. 5 depicts sketch map of quadratic interpolation. Its
principle is: given the function i(t) values: i(t0), i(t1) and i(t2),
where t=t0, t1, t2 respectively, using the values can obtain

Figure 3. Sampling rate conversion.

532

quadratic polynomial; then the theoretical value can be

calculated at t moment by the obtained polynomial, as shown
in Fig. 5. The actual sampling values have been measured
before interpolation. Difference between the actual sampling
value and the theoretical value at t moment is the interpolation
error. When the interpolation error is small, it is very good for
the actual sampling value to fit the theoretical value; otherwise
it is very poor. This shows that error magnitude reflects the
performance of quadratic interpolation [8].

Big MU syncs the asynchronous data after conversion at the

unified frequency.
A. Convert Multirate into Uniform Sampling Rate
In this section, fault currents I1 and I2 with 4 kHz and 2.4
kHz will be converted into I10=I20 with 2 kHz. According to the
previous analysis, the interpolation factors L1 and L2 are set to
3, 5 respectively and the decimation factor M is set to 6. The
low-pass filter is designed by using Chebyshev approximation
optimum equiripple. By changing filter length N and
comparing with calculated results, it is appropriate to take
N=45.
The first original signal by L1 times interpolation, DF, M
time decimation converts to the low sampling rate signal,
shown as in Fig. 7(a); the second original signal also converts
to the low sampling rate signal, which equals the first low
sampling rate, shown as in Fig. 7(b). Frequency spectrums of
the first original signal I1(f) and the corresponding low
sampling rate signal I10(f) are shown in Fig. 7(c). There is a
good match in the frequency range from 0 Hz to 500 Hz
between I1(f) and I10(f). Simultaneously, the results of the
second original signal I2(f) and the corresponding low sampling
rate signal I20(f) are similar shown as in Fig. 7(d). The results
show that sampling rate conversion process reserves the low
frequency of the first original signal and the second original
signal accurately and filters the high frequency successfully.

Figure 5. Sketch map of quadratic interpolation.

Quadratic interpolation error has higher precision than the

linear interpolation, as in [8]. It is more suitable to measure
higher harmonic for DS, and the interpolation error can be
controlled in the range of allowable error in power system.
ALGORITHM SIMULATION

500

500

I10/A

In standard IEC60044-8, sampling frequency of MUs is 2

kHz, 2.4 kHz, 4 kHz, or 10 kHz. Sampling rates of the IEDs
are 1.2 kHz, 1.6 kHz, 2 kHz, and 3.2 kHz. Fig. 6(a) and (b)
shows fault currents I1 and I2 from two actual waveforms,
whose sampling rates are 4 kHz and 2.4 kHz respectively. It is
assumed that the sampling rates of MU1 from EIT1 data is 4
kHz, and MU2 from EIT2 data is 2.4 kHz. The sampling time is
0.04s including fault current time. Meanwhile, the requirement
of sampling rate in the protection IEDs is 2 kHz.

I20/A

IV.

-500

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

-500

0.01

0.02

t/s

(a)
The 1st Original Signal

200

200

100

100

-100

-200

-200

-300

-300

-400

-400

-500

0.01

0.02

t/s

(a)

0.03

0.04

-500

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

0.035

0.04

t/s

(b)

I20 (f)

200

150

150

100

100

50

50

I2 (f)

250

200

-100

I10 (f)

I/A

300

300

I1 (f)

250

I/A

300

I2 /A

400

I1 /A

500

400

0.04

(b)

300

The 2nd Original Signal

500

0.03

t/s

500

1000

1500

2000

200

400

600

f/Hz

f/Hz

(c)

(d)

800

1000

Figure 7. Sampling rate conversion of I1 and I2 to I10 and I20.

Figure 6. Fault currents from actual waveforms.

B. Data Synchronization
According to the previous multirate sampling, I10 and I20
can be obtained as shown in Fig. 8. But these sampling data are

Apparently, on one hand, Big MU converts the different

sampling rates into uniform sampling rate. On the other hand,

533

1200

asynchronous with the unified frequency. In the following, DS

module is used to sync the asynchronous data in Big MU.
500

V.

In this paper, the sampling rate conversion based on

interpolation, decimation and DS for digital relay protection
have been studied. Big MU including modules of MUs,
sampling conversion and data synchronization has also been
proposed, aiming at improving the calculation efficiency.
When the data from EITs transmit to the protection IEDs, Big
MU processes the data to the protection IEDs for
synchronization with unified frequency. Big MU converts the
multirate data to the same sampling rate from EITs; syncs the
asynchronous data with the same frequency and transmits to
the IEDs. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme
has higher efficiency in achieving the sampling rate conversion
and data synchronization, and it can satisfy the requirement of
power system.

I 10

400

I 20

300
200

I/A

100
0
-100
-200
-300
-400
-500

0.005

0.01

0.015

0.02

0.025

0.03

0.035

0.04

t/s

Figure 8. Asynchronous data I10, I20 with the unified frequency.

Asynchronous data I10, I20 with the unified frequency are

synchronized by using quadratic interpolation. I1s and I2s are
the synchronized data, as shown in Fig. 9 (a) and (b), where I10
and I20 are the converted data. Compared with I1s and I10, I2s
and I20, the instantaneous errors are obtained respectively, as
shown in Fig. 9(c) and (d). The maximum instantaneous error
requirement of power system for the protection IEDs is less
than 0.1 from fundamental harmonic to quintuple harmonic. It
is obvious that the error is fit for the requirement of power
system.
500

500

I 1s

[2]

I 20

I/A

I/A

REFERENCES
[1]

I 2s

I 10

[3]
[4]

[5]
-500

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

-500

0.01

0.02

t/s

t/s

(a)

(b)

0.03

0.04

[6]

( )
0.012

0.014
0.012

Error of I20 and I 2s

Error of I10 and I1s

0.01
0.008
0.006
0.004

0.01

[7]

0.008

[8]

0.006
0.004

0.002

0.002

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.01

0.02

t/s

t/s

(c)

(d)

0.03

CONCLUSION

0.04

Figure 9. I10 and I1s, I20 and I2s, and the corresponding instantaneous errors.

534

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