AIS' New 7” Multi-Touch Panel PC Supports Linux, Android or Windows Embedded CE Operating Systems, In Addition to a Variety of 3rd Party RTOS Offerings

IRVINE, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — March 17, 2014 — American Industrial Systems, Inc. (AIS), a leader in HMI multi-touch displays, panel PC and operator interface technologies has announced the addition of their new PoE multi-touch conference room scheduling system. The new multi-display utilizes Projective Capacitive Touch (PCT) technology and is powered by a Texas Instruments® (TI) Sitara ARM Cortex-A8 Microprocessor. Available in a 7” 1024 x 600 WSVGA screen size, the new HMI multi-touch display from AIS also touts an expanded set of operating system software options for all the popular operating systems and many third party systems as well. It comes preloaded with one of the following high-level operating systems (HLOSs) including Linux, Android™, or Windows® Embedded Compact 7 OS, and the ability to customize a variety of third-party Real-time Operating System (RTOS) ideal for connecting to Machine to Machine (M2M), Industrial, Home and Building Automation applications.

Android and Windows Embedded CE Industrial Touch Panel PC Computer (Photo: Business Wire)

AIS Open System HMI Technology Fosters “Internet of Things” and M2M Communications

As the world becomes increasingly digital more and more every day, and connectivity is near ubiquitous, new electronic devices, equipment and automated machines in industrial facilities and commercial buildings use the internet to expand and facilitate communication of data for variety of purposes. Machine to machine (M2M) refers to technologies that allow both wireless and wired systems to communicate with other devices of the same type. While not a new concept in the industrial world, M2M communication was primarily used on the factory floor communication and manufacturing execution system level (MES). Today, thanks in part to “internet of things”, M2M communication is becoming more of an integral and important part of the overall network scheme.

Internet connected devices can be used to enhance interpersonal communication, automate complex and/or tedious industrial processes, and provide a wealth of information to the enterprise. With AIS’s open architecture design, their multi-touch HMI displays are far more flexible visualization tools than others using proprietary platforms. In addition, AIS open control and monitoring HMIs enable easy connectivity and communication from M2M up and throughout the enterprise level.

AIS Utilizes TI’s Low Powered Sitara ARM Cortex-A8 Microprocessor for their New 7” PoE HMI

The new AIS 7" HMI Panel PC, which is a fully-integrated‚ Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) unit features a robust and lower-power TI ARM® Cortex™-A8 AM3354 Processor 720 MHz The AM3354 ARM Cortex-A8 processor-based design from Texas Instruments provides high performance processor, graphics and connectivity. It comes with pre-installed Linux, Android™, or Windows® Embedded Compact 7 operating systems, and the added ability to customize a variety of third-party Real-time Operating System (RTOS) offerings to meet the demands of Human Machine Interface (HMI) solution requirements.

AIS HMI Are Equipped with both Power over Ethernet (PoE) & Multi-Touch (PCAP) Technology

AIS HMI multi-touch displays are industrial-grade LCD flat panel displays with a sleek industrial design, and feature Projective Capacitive Touch (PCT or PCAP). Multi-touch refers to the ability of a surface (touchscreen) to recognize the presence of more than one or more than two points of contact with the surface. The sensor in projected capacitive touch allows tracking of two simultaneous touches quickly and accurately across the entire screen. The AIS 7” flat panel mount multi touch PC is accurate, responsive and easy-to-use, enabling migration of existing single touch applications to a gesture-based interface that creates and delivers popular user interactions such as pan, zoom and rotate.

In addition to incorporating multi-touch technology, the AIS 7” comfort control panel PC is Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) unit that features PoE Technology. This technology features a system that safely transfers electrical power, along with data, to remote devices over standard category 5 cable in an Ethernet network. It does not require modification of existing Ethernet cabling infrastructure, so deployment is simplified. The AIS 7” HMI panel offers a cost effective solution by bringing power and data transfer, via a standard twisted pair Ethernet cabling in a network for faster time to market.

AIS Dual-touch Capabilities Are Built-in to Linux, Android, or Windows Embedded CE Operating Systems, and Other Popular Programming Languages Below:

AIS HMIs Powered by Android Platform Development

Android is an open source project initially developed by Google but later a large group of technology and mobile companies including Google formed the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). The main goal of the OHA is to further improve and to make the open source Android platform a commercial success. Android provides many Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for developing projects. Android features a Plugin for the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Eclipse, making it easy to develop and debug applications on a virtual emulator as well as on real hardware. It is also possible to create native C/C++ applications and accessing them from within the Java context. Easy scalability, enabled by software compatibility within an AIS 7" HMI terminal can quickly expand market opportunities for connected M2M, industrial, home and building automation solutions as well as reduce project development time.