ABSTRACT
A DP system is a complex system consisting of seven components. The components include the sensors, position reference sensors, thruster and power systems, etc. All these must communicate with the DP controllers always with a required rate of update. All this is achieved by the sharing of certain signals to and from the DP controller. Depending on the system, several signals may be used for this purpose. It is particularly important for all DP professionals to understand these signals so that the functioning of the DP system is easy to understand.
One quite common way of information sharing is by serial signals or serial communication. Most of the sensors use this format. The thruster, power system and many sensors also use a “Ready” signal or “Available” signal which indicates that the particular sensor or equipment is now available for DP use. For thrusters, the command or setpoint and feedback signals are explained in simple ways for every reader of this book.
