SWITCHES, DISPLAYS AND UIs
Optimising user interface designs By Robert Davies, EAO Ltd.
T
here’s much more to designing the optimal machine user interface than the simple choice of which push-button switch, knob or LED illumination to use. Today, components such as digital keypads, joysticks and touch-screen displays are often incorporated into vehicular and machinery controls because of their convenience and space- saving multi-functionalism. The panel will usually also accommodate more basic components such as analogue & digital meters and emergency-stop switches. The enhanced level of complexity of a modern control panel design has increased the focus on operator(s) and onlooker safety and its no surprise that functional safety has become a distinguishing feature in their layout and design and, together with aesthetics, haptics and usability, has become one of the key criteria by which the success of a modern machine operator control-panel layout is judged. Functional Safety, (the part of the overall safety of a system or piece of equipment that depends on automatic protection correctly operating in response to inputs or failures) must be designed to promptly and efficiently handle system and hardware faults. For applications where risk assessments mandate compliance with safety performance D (PLd) designers need to ensure fail-safe operation, particularly in heavy duty and special vehicle applications where many movement sequences of vehicle bodies or attachments are being automated. The avoidance of dangerous situations for the operator, onlookers and the environment calls for enhanced error checking and monitoring, placing special demands on the HMI applications.
CANopen safety
The extension to the Controller Area Network (CAN) communication protocol developed to ensure off-the-shelf interoperability in automotive, industrial automation and other sectors, the CANopen Safety protocol EN50325-5 was specially developed for safety-critical applications. In addition to providing the same advantages as the highly regarded CANopen communication protocol - flexibility, real-time capability and scalability - CAN Safety provides high- level diagnostics and, by applying various
mechanisms for error detection and error correction, also ensures that the network complies with international safety standards, in particular with DIN EN ISO 13849, Ensuring compatibility and interoperability between existing systems and newly implemented safety measures has proven to be a complex and time-consuming process. Integrating safety-critical control components such as emergency stop systems, safety interlocks and safety- related communications in demanding equipment control applications requires careful planning and validation to ensure seamless operation and prevent unintended consequences. CANopen Safety enables the network to comply with the latest legal requirements and ensures that it has a long service life with a low maintenance coefficient.
CAN safety compliant keypads Designed to meet the highest safety requirements for operators and manufacturers and developed in accordance with DIN EN ISO13849, the PREMIUM version of EAO’s Series 09 Rugged Keypads feature the CANopen Safety protocol and integrates innovative safety architectures in the hardware and software that ensures that the switching signal is always transmitted safely, ensuring smooth operation and all but eliminating errors. The pushbuttons and rotary controllers in the unit have been certified as functionally safe in accordance with ISO 13849. Most importantly, DEKRA Testing and Certification has certified that the new keypad meets Performance Level D (PLd) for functional safety.
14 OCTOBER 2025 | ELECTRONICS FOR ENGINEERS
The pushbuttons and rotary controllers that comprise PREMIUM Series 09 keypads feature four segment LED halo illumination: The user only has to press a button to change menus or button colours to fully appraise the operating status of the vehicle and its equipment. Engineers benefit from a faster time to market and reduced development and certification costs while operating downtime is significantly reduced thanks to the keypad’s low-maintenance coefficient. And because the pushbuttons and rotary controllers are easily customised with a choice of thousands of off-the-shelf ISO 7000 legends, the keypad can be simply configured to suit almost any vehicle variant.
Better in-process and development
Typically associated with websites, apps and IT systems, UX (user experience) support has become a major consideration when designing physical applications such as operator HMIs and is today a fundamental process component that helps deliver safety, convenience and satisfaction to the machine operator.
EAO is always happy to advise customers on the development of the optimum solution for a particular application, however challenging. The enhanced industrial and UX design support expertise recently added by EAO has enabled its customer service teams to provide this support early in the design phase. It is a customer driven service that ranges from informal advice on an initial design concept to the creation of detailed layout sketches and control panel layouts. Visit
https://eao.com/id-ux/ for more information.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42
