Configuring of intelligent electronic device

1. A configuration arrangement comprising:

means for providing a group of function blocks defining at least a part of a configuration of an intelligent electronic device, wherein each function block is for executing a function in the intelligent electronic device;

means for defining connection lines between the function blocks;

means for locating, in the group of function blocks, a fixed function block having a fixed cycle time value; and

means for defining configuration settings of the configuration by setting a configuration setting for a function block connected to the fixed function block, wherein:

the defining means is comprised in a processor of a computer processing device;

the defining means is configured to set a cycle time of the function block connected to an input of the fixed function block to a cycle time value which is the same as or smaller than the cycle time value of the fixed function block; and

the defining means is configured to set an execution order of the function blocks of the configuration such that a function block connected to an input of the fixed function block is executed before the fixed function block.

2. A configuration arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the defining means is configured to set, for each function block in a chain of function blocks preceding a fixed block until another fixed function block or a physical input of the electronic device, a cycle time value from a set of allowable cycle time values of each function block which is smaller than or equal to the cycle time value of the fixed block.

3. A configuration arrangement according to claim 1 , comprising:

means for identifying a loop in the configuration; and

means for setting for each function block in the loop a cycle time value from a set of allowable cycle time values of the function block which is smaller than or equal to the cycle time value of the fixed block.

4. A configuration arrangement according to claim 3 , comprising:

means for starting the configuration setting, if more than one loop exists in the configuration, from a loop having a function block connected to a physical input of the intelligent electronic device if such a loop is available.

5. A configuration arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein

the defining means is configured to set a configuration setting first for a function block connected to the fixed function block furthest away when measured as the number of connections from a physical input of the intelligent electronic device if more than one fixed block exists in the configuration.

6. A configuration arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the defining means is configured to set an execution order of function blocks such that a function block connected to a physical input of the device has the smallest execution number and a function block connected to an input of a function block has a smaller execution number than the function block connected to the fixed function block of the configuration to be executed.

7. A configuration arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the defining means is configured to set a sub execution order based on the execution order of function blocks of the configuration to be executed at a certain execution time.

8. A configuration arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the defining means is configured to store all different sub execution orders of different execution times and apply the relevant execution order at the relevant execution time.

9. A configuration arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the defining means is configured to set an execution order of the function blocks of the configuration such that a function block connected to an output of the fixed function block is executed after the fixed function block.

10. A configuration arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the defining means is configured to define an execution order of the function blocks of the configuration such that the one or more function blocks connected to the fixed function block closest to a physical input of the intelligent electronic device are executed before the function blocks connected to other fixed blocks.

11. A method comprising:

providing a group of function blocks defining at least a part of a configuration of an intelligent electronic device, wherein each function block is for executing a function in the intelligent electronic device;

defining connection lines between the function blocks;

locating, in the group of function blocks, a fixed function block having a fixed cycle time value; and

defining, in a processor of a computer processing device, configuration settings of the configuration by setting a configuration setting for a function block connected to the fixed function block, wherein:

the defining of the configuration settings comprises setting a cycle time of the function block connected to an input of the fixed function block to a cycle time value which is the same as or smaller than the cycle time value of the fixed function block; and

the defining of the configuration settings comprises setting an execution order of the function blocks of the configuration such that a function block connected to an input of the fixed function block is executed before the fixed function block.

12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein in defining the configuration settings, the method comprises setting for each function block in a chain of function blocks preceding the fixed function block until another fixed function block or a physical input of the electronic device, a cycle time value from a set of allowable cycle time values of each function block which is smaller than or equal to the cycle time value of the fixed function block.

13. A method according to claim 11 , comprising:

identifying a loop in the configuration; and

setting for each function block in the loop a cycle time value from a set of allowable cycle time values of the function block which is smaller than or equal to the cycle time value of the fixed block.

14. A method according to claim 13 , comprising:

starting the configuration setting, if more than one loop exists in the configuration, from a loop having a function block connected to a physical input of the intelligent electronic device if such a loop is available.

15. A method according to claim 11 , comprising:

defining first a configuration setting for a function block connected to the fixed function block furthest away when measured as number of connections from a physical input of the intelligent electronic device if more than one fixed function block exists in the configuration.

16. A method according to claim 11 , wherein an execution order of function blocks is set such that a function block connected to a physical input of the device has the smallest execution number and a function block connected to an input of a function block has a smaller execution number than the function block connected to the fixed function block of the configuration to be executed.

17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein a sub execution order is defined based on the execution order of function blocks of the configuration to be executed at a certain execution time.

18. A method according to claim 17 , wherein all different sub execution orders of different execution times are stored and applied at the relevant execution time.

19. A method according to claim 11 , wherein in defining the configuration settings, the method comprises setting an execution order of the function blocks of the configuration such that a function block connected to an output of the fixed function block is executed after the fixed function block.

20. A method according to claim 11 , wherein in defining the configuration settings, the method comprises defining an execution order of the function blocks of the configuration such that the one or more function blocks connected to the fixed function block closest to a physical input of the intelligent electronic device are executed before the function blocks connected to other fixed blocks.