Well Construction Communication and Control

An apparatus comprising:

• a communications network including one or more processing systems and a common data bus, wherein:
• each of the one or more processing systems comprises a processor and a memory including computer program code;
• at least one of the one or more processing systems is configured to implement subsystem virtual networks in the communications network;
• each of the subsystem virtual networks is operable to communicatively couple together equipment controllers of equipment of a respective control subsystem of a well construction system;
• at least one of the one or more processing systems is operable to implement a configuration manager that is operable to translate communications from the subsystem virtual networks to a common protocol and to make data of the communications accessible through the common data bus;
• at least some of the equipment controllers are operable to access data from the common data bus through respective subsystem virtual networks;
• at least one of the one or more processing systems is operable to implement a process application that is operable to access data from the common data bus;
• at least one of the one or more processing systems is operable to implement a human-machine interface that is operable to access data from the common data bus;
• and
• at least one of the one or more processing systems is operable to implement a coordinated controller that is operable to issue a command to one or more of the equipment controllers.

A method comprising:

• operating a communications network including one or more processing systems and a common data bus, wherein operating the communications network comprises:
• implementing subsystem virtual networks using at least one of the one or more processing systems, wherein via each of the subsystem virtual networks, equipment controllers of equipment a respective control subsystem of a drilling system are coupled together;
• operating a configuration manager using at least one of the one or more processing systems, wherein operating the configuration manager comprises:
• translating communications from the subsystem virtual networks to a common protocol;
• and
• providing data of the translated communications to the common data bus, wherein the data includes sensor data, status data, of a combination thereof;
• operating a process application using at least one of the one or more processing systems, wherein operating the process application comprises accessing data from the common data bus;
• operating a human-machine interface using at least one of the one or more processing systems, wherein operating the human-machine interface comprises accessing data from the common data bus;
• and
• operating a coordinated controller using at least one of the one or more processing systems, wherein operating the coordinated controller comprises issuing a command to at least one of the equipment controllers of the control subsystems.