In, out, and about HMI

Improved displays, operating system support for HMI software, and the results of a new operator interface survey are among the newsmakers in the HMI field this month.

By Control Engineering Staff November 13, 2003

Improved displays, operating system support for HMI software, and the results of a new operator interface survey are among the newsmakers in the HMI field this month.

  • A new line of enhanced display modules is planned by DuPont Display Solutions and NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd . The two companies, which announced the introduction late in October, plan products designed to improve flat-panel display performance in challenging environments such as direct sunlight, moisture, and wide temperature ranges. The collaborative effort will market in particular to the medical, transportation, and instrumentation industries, among others.

  • InTouch HMI software will support the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system, Invensys Wonderware announced recently. InTouch HMI software is designed for industrial automation, process control, and supervisory monitoring environments. Wonderware also plans complete pen and annotation support for table operating systems in its advanced plant intelligence monitoring clients, such as ActiveFactory reporting and analysis tools by the end of the first quarter of 2004.

  • A recent survey conducted by Reed Research and Control Engineering shows strong market growth and wider application of operator interface terminals. Nearly all (95%) respondents said they expected their need for operator interfaces to increase or remain constant in the next year. Read about the study in the Product Focus article in the November issue of Control Engineering magazine and find more results in an expanded version online on the Control Engineering website .

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering, jkatzel@reedbusiness.com