What is a Human Machine Interface? HMI is an abbreviation of human-machine interfaces. This type can be applied in many fields, more than in computing. And what kind of benefit we can enjoy via this technology? This post on MiniTool Website will give you an introduction.
What Is Human Machine Interface (HMI)?
HMI generally refers to the human-machine interface. The human-machine interface is the control circuit of information transmission between a computer and man-machine interaction equipment, used as a user interface or dashboard that connects a person to a machine, system, or device.
It can accomplish two tasks together with human-computer interaction equipment: (1) information form conversion; (2) control of information transmission.
At present, the information transmission between human-machine interaction equipment and human-machine interface mostly adopts parallel communication.
Apart from computing, such as computer monitors and tablets, HMI can be applied in the industrial industry. For example, when you can check and control the room temperature by interacting with your air-conditioning system.
HMI products consist of hardware and software. The hardware part includes a processor, display unit, input unit, communication interface, data storage unit, and so on.
The performance of the processor, the core unit of HMI, determines the performance of the HMI product. Depending on the product class of the HMI, you can choose from 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit processors.
While the HMI software is generally divided into two parts: system software running on HMI hardware and screen configuration software running on PC Windows operating system.
Users must use the screen configuration software of the HMI to create the project file, and then download the prepared project file to the processor of the HMI through the serial communication interface between the PC and the HMI.
What Is the Developing Trend in HMI Technology?
Human Machine Interface has been developed for a long period of history. Before it, there are three predecessors of HMI.
Non-Interactive User Interface (Batch Interface)
Just as its name implies, there is no manual intervention required when you are using Batch Interface and you do not directly interact with the computer.
Operating systems use batch processing to collect data and programs together in a single batch before processing them.
Command-Line Interface
Command-Line Interface allows users to interact with the device and system with the help of various commands. It is a text-based User Interface (UI) used to run programs, manage computer files and interact with the computer.
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
A graphical User Interface allows users to interact with the device or system with the help of graphical elements, such as Windows. It is a system of interactive visual components for computer software.
What Are the Common Uses of HMI?
As we mentioned, the HMI (Human Machine Interface) has been applied in many fields. For example, it can be used to display data, monitor machine inputs and outputs, and oversee production time, trends, and tags. Besides, many industries, such as energy, manufacturing, recycling, transportation, and power, have HMI applied.
It is kind of similar to GUI (Graphical User Interface) which allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons.
HMIs are essential resources for these professionals, who use them to review and monitor processes, diagnose problems, and visualize data.
You can use HMIs to optimize an industrial process by digitizing and centralizing data or perform more sophisticated operations, like switching machines off or increasing production speed.
HMI technology reduces many costly problems caused by a lack of information or human error.
Advantages of an HMI
HMI performs well in many aspects, especially in the industry and computing. Its functionality makes it used for simple tasks and remote access. And another advantage of an HMI is its customizability. The user can personalize the user interface for maximum ease of use.
You can enjoy the convenience that comes with an HMI and the functionality achieved by digitizing a system with an HMI. Simplicity is also an important factor in HMI usability. Screens and features provide easy-to-use monitoring of automated lines.
Besides, an HMI can fully support the most complex applications, with multiple screens and several routines running.
Bottom Line:
Human Machine Interface is usually used in some specified fields and to understand this definition, this article may give you a straightaway explanation.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Anna is an editor of the MiniTool Team. She worked in this big family since her graduation. Her articles mainly focus on data backup and recovery, disk cloning, and file syncing, committed to resolving the data loss issues users may encounter on their PCs. Besides, more related computer articles are shared here. In her leisure time, she enjoys reading and watching movies. Travel can also be a good choice for her.