Styresignalene

Styresignalene are signals designed to influence the state or operation of a system. They may be physical signals such as lamps, markers and audible alerts placed in the environment, or digital messages transmitted over control networks. The common goal is to guide actions, ensure safety, and improve coordination and efficiency by communicating intended states, permissions or restrictions from a control layer to equipment, subsystems or operators.

In railway systems, styresignalene form part of the signaling and interlocking infrastructure. They translate plan instructions into track-side signals, route indicators, and speed commands that determine whether a section of track may be occupied or a train may proceed. A failure or misinterpretation of these signals can affect safety, so redundancy and regular testing are integral.

In process automation and other industrial applications, control signals from a supervisory system (SCADA or DCS) drive actuators such as valves, motors and pumps. Signals may be binary on/off or multi-level, and can be analog or digital, transmitted through wired or wireless networks. The design emphasizes reliability, latency, and fault tolerance.

Standards and practice emphasize clear semantics, fail-safe behavior, and traceability of signals. Modern systems often employ standardized protocols and layered architectures to separate control logic from field devices. The term is used primarily in Norwegian technical literature and is closely related to broader concepts of control signaling and automation.