The status of equipment and operations in a system, as well as their relationships, are displayed on a master control panel.

Panel of Graphics

a fictitious representation of an object controlled by symbols and indicators on the front of a control panel or on special panels in front of a controller’s console It depicts the state (status) of an object or the progress of a manufacturing process graphically. The object’s equipment and internal linkages are depicted using standard electrical, technological, transportation, and other diagram notation. Signaling devices automatically display the status of the process being controlled on the panel.

A graphic panel is a simplified representation of an object that makes it easier to recall its structure, as well as the functions of the various instruments, equipment, and control members, as well as the modes of operation under various operating conditions.

These panels are used in situations where an object has a complex structure, a production process is controlled by a large number of parameters, and an object’s rapidly changing condition necessitates operational control that is difficult, if not impossible, to perform from memory. They are also used as educational aids and as demonstration models at technical exhibitions, where the arrangement and sequence of load application and removal, the flow of raw materials and finished products, traffic movement, and the functional relations and operating rhythm of individual parts and elements of the simulated object are graphically indicated.

The complexity and scale of the objects represented (in the first case, the object is usually a concentrated technological system; in the second, the object is spread over an area and is composed of many objects and technical systems), the detail of representation of individual objects, and the presence of built-in control members in operator panels are all differences. A distinction is also made between mimic, luminous, and combination (semi luminous) types, based on the operation principle and manufacturing technology.

The traditional notations and connecting lines are painted on or laid out in colored markers on a mimic graphic panel. Signal lamps, usually in two colors, are placed next to the individual devices and objects represented. Red indicates that the circuit, machine, or apparatus is operating, and green indicates that it is not. Various mechanical indicators, such as the deflection of a pointer, the displacement of a marker, or the rotation of disks with colored sectors on them, can also be used to show a change in the status of an object being monitored. Mimic panels are primarily used in situations where the nature of a manufacturing process requires only the indication of a change in the condition or status of an object (for example, indicating “open” or “closed” for a damper or “current” or “no current” in a circuit)—that is, where the control information is discrete.

The graphic potential of luminous panels is much greater, as information about the condition of the object being controlled is depicted by a change in the color or brightness of the elements on the panel, a displacement of a spot of light, the nonuniform intensity of illumination of the panel’s sections (lines or sectors), or a change in the configuration or dimensions of a spot of light. Electroluminescent and projection panels are examples of such panels (including motion-picture and television types). For such panels, advances in optoelectronics and fiber optic elements are promising.

Only the main elements of combination panels are illuminated; the rest is done in paint or markers, similar to mimic panels.

The type of panel to use is determined by the control system’s structure and the nature of the manufacturing processes, as well as the functional diagram and the purpose and degree of automation of the object to be controlled. A graphic panel is frequently used in conjunction with measuring instruments and devices, which improves the conditions for object observation while also increasing the quantity and quality of data on the panel.