Distributed intelligence engineering casualty and damage control management system using an AC power line carrier-current lan

A distributed intelligence data acquisition and equipment control system for communicating data and control information over AC power lines, comprising:

• an electrical power distribution line;
• a plurality of carrier-current communication means positioned at predetermined locations on said power distribution line and forming a local area network (LAN) for transmitting and receiving information;
• at least one of said carrier-current communication means including a distributed artificial intelligence controller (DAIEC) means for controlling the exchange of information with other carrier-current communication means in the LAN, maintaining a local data base of stored information, and for providing an interactive user interface to said local data base and said plurality of carrier-current communication means in the LAN;
• said DAIEC means comprising a main processor connected to a non-volatile addressable memory and a user operable I/O device means for allowing a user to input information onto and obtain information from the LAN.

A distributed intelligence data acquisition and equipment control system for communicating shipboard engineering casualty and damage control information over the AC power lines of a vessel, comprising:

• an electrical power distribution line located throughout the vessel;
• a plurality of carrier-current communication units which are positioned at predetermined locations throughout said vessel and connected to said power line to form a local area network (LAN);
• said LAN of carrier-current communication units comprising at least one Terminal Unit and one Data and Control Unit;
• said Terminal Unit comprising:
• a power line carrier current (PLCC) transceiver for sending and receiving electric signals constituting LAN messages over said power distribution line;
• a slave processing unit for interfacing and controlling communication with sensors and equipment located aboard said vessel;
• an input/output (I/O) touch-screen display device;
• an intelligent controller means for providing an interactive user-friendly operator interface via said touch-screen display and for maintaining a data base of said shipboard engineering casualty and damage control information in a local non-volatile memory;
• a master processing unit connected to said slave processing unit, to said PLCC transceiver and to said intelligent controller for controlling the exchange of information between said slave processing unit, said intelligent controller and any other carrier-current communications units in the LAN via said PLCC transceiver, including the formation, transmission and reception of said LAN messages;
• said Data and Control unit comprising:
• a second PLCC transceiver;
• a second slave processing unit;
• a second master processing unit connected to said second slave processing unit and said second PLCC transceiver for controlling the exchange of information between said second slave processing unit and other carrier-current communications units in the LAN via said second PLCC transceiver, including the formation, transmission and reception of said LAN messages.

A distributed intelligence data acquisition and equipment control system for communicating shipboard engineering casualty and damage control information over the AC power lines of a vessel, comprising:

• an electrical power distribution line located throughout the vessel;
• a plurality of carrier-current communication means for transmitting and receiving data and control information positioned at predetermined locations throughout said vessel and connected to said power line to form a local area network (LAN);
• said LAN of carrier-current communication means comprising at least one Terminal Unit and one Data and Control Unit;
• said Terminal Unit comprising:
• a power line carrier current (PLCC) transceiver means for sending and receiving electrical signals constituting a LAN message over said power distribution line;
• a slave processing means for interfacing and controlling communication with a first plurality of sensors and equipment located aboard said vessel;
• a user operable terminal means for inputting, outputting and displaying data and control information;
• an intelligent controller means for providing an interactive user-friendly operator interface via a display of said terminal means and for maintaining a data base of said shipboard engineering casualty and damage control information in a local non-volatile memory;
• a master processing means for controlling the exchange of information between said slave processing means, said intelligent controller means and said PLCC transceiver means, and for controlling the formation, transmission and reception of LAN messages with any other carrier-current communications means in said LAN via said PLCC transceiver means;
• said Data and Control means comprising:
• a second PLCC transceiver means for sending and receiving electrical signals constituting a LAN message over said power distribution line;
• a second slave processing means for interfacing and controlling communication with a second plurality of sensors and equipment located aboard said vessel;
• a second master processing means, connected to said second slave processing means and said second PLCC transceiver means, for controlling the exchange of information between said second slave processing means and said PLCC transceiver means, and for controlling the formation, transmission and reception of LAN messages with any other carrier-current communications means in sand LAN via said PLCC transceiver means.

A distributed intelligence data acquisition and equipment control system for communicating shipboard engineering casualty and damage control information over the AC power lines of a vessel, comprising:

• an electrical power distribution line located throughout the vessel;
• a plurality of carrier-current communication units which are positioned at predetermined locations throughout said vessel and connected to said power line to form a local area network (LAN);
• said LAN of carrier-current communication units comprising at least one Terminal Unit;
• said Terminal Unit comprising:
• a power line carrier current (PLCC) Transceiver for sending and receiving electrical signals constituting LAN messages over said power distribution line;
• a slave processing unit for interfacing and controlling communication with sensors and equipment located aboard said vessel;
• an input/output (I/O) touch-screen display device;
• an intelligent controller means for providing an interactive user-friendly operator interface via said touch-screen display and for maintaining a data base of said shipboard engineering casualty and damage control information in a local non-volatile memory;
• and
• a master processing unit connected to said slave processing unit, to said PLCC transceiver and to said intelligent controller for controlling the exchange of information between said slave processing unit, said intelligent controller and any other carrier-current communications units in the LAN via said PLCC transceiver, including the formation, transmission and reception of said LAN messages.

A distributed intelligence data acquisition and equipment control system for communicating data and control information over the AC power lines of a vessel, comprising:

• an electrical power distribution line located throughout said vessel;
• a plurality of carrier-current communication means for transmitting and receiving data and control information positioned at predetermined locations throughout said vessel and connected to said power line to form a local area network (LAN);
• said LAN of carrier-current communication means comprising at least one Terminal Unit;
• said Terminal Unit comprising:
• a power line carrier current (PLCC) transceiver means for sending and receiving electrical signals constituting a LAN message over said power distribution line;
• a slave processing means for interfacing and controlling communication with a first plurality of sensors and equipment located aboard said vessel;
• a user operable terminal means for inputting, outputting and displaying data and control information;
• an intelligent controller means for providing an interactive user-friendly operator interface via a display of said user operable terminal means and for maintaining a data base of said shipboard engineering casualty and damage control information in a local non-volatile memory;
• and
• a master processing means for controlling the exchange of information between said slave processing means, said intelligent controller means and said PLCC transceiver means, and for controlling the formation, transmission and reception of LAN messages with any other carrier-current communications means in said LAN via said PLCC transceiver means.

A system for monitoring conditions of predetermined areas and equipment and for communicating information over existing on-site power lines, comprising:

• a plurality of carrier-current communication means positioned at predetermined locations on said power lines and forming a local area network (LAN) for transmitting and receiving information, wherein at least one of said carrier-current communication means comprises:
• a slave processor means for interfacing and controlling communications with sensors and equipment in a predetermined area,
• a transceiver means for transmitting and receiving electrical signals over said power lines;
• and
• a master processor means connected to said transceiver means and said slave processor for controlling exchange of information between said slave processor and other communication means in the LAN via said transceiver means.

A system for communicating information over a power line, comprising:

• a plurality of communication means positioned at predetermined locations on said power line for transmitting and receiving information;
• said plurality of communication means comprising at least one terminal unit communication means;
• said terminal unit communication means comprising:
• a power line transceiver for sending and receiving electrical signals over said power line;
• a non-volatile memory for storing information local to said Terminal Unit;
• a user operable I/O device for inputting information and obtaining information from said Terminal Unit communication means for local storage or for transmission to other communication units via said power line transceiver;
• a terminal unit controller for providing an interactive user interface via said user operable I/O device and for maintaining a data base of communications information in said local non-volatile memory;
• and
• a master processor for controlling the exchange of information between said controller means and other said communications units via said power line transceiver.

In a phase locked loop circuit for a receiver, an improved VCO circuit comprising:

• input means form providing a VCO circuit input control voltage;
• a pair of high frequency crystal-stabilized voltage controlled oscillators each including a frequency determining network means for setting a preferred operational frequency;
• said frequency determining network means comprising at least one varactor diode and a crystal and each of said oscillators set to operate at a different frequency;
• oscillator frequency pulling means for equally and oppositely varying the operational frequencies of said pair of crystal-stabilized voltage controlled oscillators slightly in direct response to said VCO circuit input control voltage;
• and
• demodulator circuit means connected to said pair of crystal-stabilized voltage controlled oscillators for providing a VCO circuit output frequency corresponding to the difference between operational frequencies of each oscillator of said pair of crystal-stabilized voltage controlled oscillators.

A method for monitoring and controlling conditions of predetermined areas and equipment and for communicating data and control information over existing on-site power lines, said method comprising:

• providing a plurality of carrier-current communication units positioned at predetermined locations on said power lines for transmitting and receiving information;
• electronically monitoring conditions of predetermined areas and equipment;
• providing data regarding said conditions and equipment to an associated communication unit;
• maintaining a local data base of damage control information at predetermined communication units;
• exchanging said data and control information between carrier-current communication units;
• and
• providing a user interface to said local data base and to said plurality of carrier-current communication means via an I/O device operatively connected to one of said communication units.

A method for exercising damage control management aboard a vessel, said method comprising:

• providing a plurality of electrically interconnected communication units distributed throughout said vessel;
• monitoring conditions and equipment within predetermined areas of said vessel corresponding to locations of said distributed communication units, said units receiving data regarding monitored conditions and equipment in said corresponding areas;
• providing said data and further damage control information to other predetermined interconnected communication units;
• creating at least one data base of damage control information operatively connected to one of said communication units, said data base comprising operational parameterscorresponding to monitored conditions and equipment for said predetermined areas;
• maintaining and updating said data base with data obtained by said monitoring and with damage control information provided from other communication units;
• and
• providing interactive user access to said damage control information stored in said data base via an I/O device operatively connected to one of said communication units.