A control panel is a flat, often vertical, area where control or monitoring instruments are displayed or it is an enclosed unit that is the part of a system
that users can access, such as the control panel of a
security system (also called control unit).
They are found in factories to monitor and control machines or production lines and in places such as
nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...
s,
ship
A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...
s,
aircraft
An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
and
mainframe computer
A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise ...
s. Older control panels are most often equipped with push buttons and analog instruments, whereas nowadays in many cases
touchscreen
A touchscreen (or touch screen) is a type of electronic visual display, display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device (a touch panel) and an output device (a visual display). The touch panel is typically l ...
s are used for monitoring and control purposes.
Gallery
Flat panels
File:FS Clemenceau (R98), engine control panel.jpg, Control panel of the engines of the '' Clémenceau'' aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
File:INS Shivalik IVCS.JPG, Control panel with touchscreen for the frigate INS Shivalik
File:Kontrollpult Flammrohrkessel 1.jpg, Control panel from two Horizontal Return Tubular boiler
File:S-IB_Networks_panel.jpg, One of the control panels from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Control Center Firing Room during the Apollo era
File:controls.of.lifeboat.17-31.arp.jpg, Some of the control panels of a Severn class lifeboat
File:00-bma-automation-operator-panel-with-pushbuttons.JPG, HMI of a machine for the sugar industry with pushbuttons
Enclosed control unit
File:Honeywell home alarm.JPG, Wireless home alarm system control panel
See also
*
Control stand
*
Dashboard
A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel or IP, or fascia) is a control panel (engineering), control panel set within the central console of a vehicle, boat, or cockpit of an aircraft or spacecraft. Usually located directly ahead of the ...
*
Electric switchboard
*
Fire alarm control panel
*
Front panel
*
Graphical user interface
A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a form of user interface that allows user (computing), users to human–computer interaction, interact with electronic devices through Graphics, graphical icon (computing), icons and visual indicators such ...
**
Control panel (computer)
Many computer user interfaces use a control panel metaphor to give the user control of software and hardware features. The control panel (computer software), panel consists of multiple settings including display settings, network settings, user acc ...
**
Dashboard (software) virtual
*
Lighting control console
*
Mixing console
A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for Audio mixing (recorded music), mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals fro ...
*
Patch board
*
Plugboard
*
Telephone switchboard
A telephone switchboard is a device used to connect circuits of telephones to establish telephone calls between users or other switchboards. The switchboard is an essential component of a manual telephone exchange, and is operated by switchboard ...
References
Control devices
{{Engineering-stub