A Standardized Shipboard Data Acquisition System

A simple digital data transmission standard is described which is suitable for acquisition and distribution of local sensor data aboard ship, at per sensor throughputs of several samples per minute or less. The standard protocol, using bit serial ASCII characters and a polled address control structure, allows a two wire current loop to serve as a multi-access channel for transmission of ship parameter data. Sensors and display devices are located at convenient points throughout the ship and interfaced to the loop with modular low-cost microprocessor hardware, using a well-defined interface specification. Data are acquired from and distributed to these modules by a centrally located controller, which can be any one of a wide variety of devices. Interface modules, controllers and other equipment conforming to the standard can be freely interchanged among users, ships and institutions, allowing a data acquisition system to be easily created by interconnecting functional elements.