SEANET: INTEGRATING THE BRIDGE WITH A TOKEN RING NETWORK

In 1986, Sperry Marine Inc., of Charlottesville, Virginia, and the University of Virginia Computer Networks Laboratory proposed to build an Integrated Bridge System (IBS) using a token ring network. The network would integrate all of a ship's bridge equipment, including sensors, navigation systems, display devices, radar, collision avoidance system and gyrocompass. It is related how, two years following that proposal, token ring networks were being installed on eight newbuildings, and the system, known as SeaNET, is described. SeaNET gives great flexibility, allowing equipment to be added by plugging the new devices into the wiring centers without any need to shut down the network or make extensive wiring changes. This discussion of SeaNET was originally presented as a paper at the NMEA [National Marine Electronics Association] Annual Meeting, 1988.