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Touch Screen Technology For Shipboard Monitors

If you have seen the movie Minority Report, then you probably know how amazing touch screen technology can become in the future. Touch screens allow users to quickly and conveniently get what they need out of a system without having to use a mouse or a keyboard. This system not only saves time but helps keep focus on the task at hand, which in most cases is the screen and what is happening on it. QSI Corporation, manufacturer of rugged operator interface and mobile data terminals, was selected by Ships Company, Ltd., developers of custom-designed shipboard monitor and alarm systems, to provide the graphic human machine interface (HMI) on their Watch Master integrated monitor and alarm system.

This technology has recently been implemented by Western Towboat Company, Pacific Mariner Inc, Puget Sound Pilots Association, J.M.Martinac Shipbuilding Corp and other companies with vessels of various sizes and system requirements. Ships Company?s Watch Master Central Processor, using QSI?s QTERM-G75 display, tracks many shipboard systems and gives the crew a single point to track the current vessel status. The unit can handle up to 62 total inputs. Each input can be software configured. Monitoring can occur in differing conditions, including monitoring any battery voltage for high or low condition, main engine RPM for related higher and lower oil pressure conditions, etc.

Multiple display units can be configured for use with the central processor. This allows for installations of displays in the engineering section, wheelhouse, and engineers cabin of the vessel. The QTERM-G75 uses an object-based graphic terminal programming language called Qlarity?. Designing a simple control panel interface or a complete stand-alone application has never been easier. The ability to use pre-defined objects, edit existing objects or author your own objects, provides flexibility to the novice and expert alike. Qlarity Foundry?, a PC-based design tool, provides a Windows? environment for screen creation, application simulation, debugging and downloading to the QTERM-G75 terminal.