Instrumented Metering Sheave Software
NEW SHEAVE SOFTWARE FOR CTD ROSETTE OPERATIONS
Software has been developed that permits the sheave to operate within Sea-Bird Electronic's Seasave software. One of the benefits is the ability, through a shared file, to display rosette altitude and depth at the sheave remote display. The software also allows messages to be sent from the lab PC to the winch operator. The messages can be acknowledged by the winch operator as well. This software can be customized for other applications as required.
For CTD rosette operations, a significant benefit is the ability to display depth and altitude at the remote display. This will allow the winch operator to avoid contact with the bottom and accurately position the rosette at any depth requested by the lab operator. Also, by displaying sheave information on the Sea-Bird PC, the requirement for a 2nd PC or a remote display to display sheave information in the lab is eliminated.
Seasave Software with IMS Display Screen (Function Keys Hidden)
Information from the sheave is sent serially to the lab PC using ASCII characters at RS-485 signal levels. This information is shown in an IMS display panel which is displayed within the SeaSave software screen. The IMS display panel has three different view settings: (1) open with the function keypad displayed (2) open with the function key pad hidden and (3) collapsed.
IMS Display Panel (Function Keys Displayed)
As with the original software, a feature has been provided to allow the lab operator to communicate with the remote displays. For example, the lab operator can instruct the winch operator to lower the instrument to a specific depth at a specific speed.
The lab operator sets the destination depth and speed and sends the command using the mouse or function keys on the keyboard. Several "canned" messages can also be sent such as UP SLOWLY or ON BOARD, which can be sent to the winch operator very quickly.
The message appears on the remote display(s), along with an audible signal from a sonalert to get the winch operator's attention. The winch operator may then send a reply signal back to the lab operator indicating that he has received the message by pressing the [ACK] key.
  ODIM Brooke Ocean has collaborated with L-3 Communications / Klein Associates (www.l-3klein.com) to interface the Instrumented Metering Sheave output with the sidescan sonar data output from their sonar products. Please contact ODIM Brooke Ocean for more details. |
Remote Display
The remote display LCD's are equipped with 4 lines of 20 characters each and display the following information:
Remote Display Output
The second line is reserved for commands and messages. A typical message might consist of the following line:
| DOWN TO 0012 M AT 04 M/MIN |
Typed or canned messages can also be sent on this line. When a message is sent the sonalert is activated alerting the winch operator that a message has been sent. All messages on this line will remain until another message has been sent or the system is reset.
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URL: http://www.brooke-ocean.com/imssoftware.html (Last Updated: Mar 27, 2008)