Industrial Monitor – What is it?
An industrial monitor is an LCD-TFT display housed in an enclosure with an appropriate level of sealing, ready to be installed in its intended location. These monitors are specifically designed for industrial applications. They stand out from other products due to various factors, including:
- High-performance parameters (such as resolution, brightness, and contrast) that ensure proper visibility of displayed content,
- Durability,
- Reliability,
- Resistance to extreme conditions in the implementation environment (such as exposure to dust, water, vibrations, shocks, and operating in extremely low or high temperatures).
Industrial monitors are available in various sizes, ranging from a few inches to several dozen inches, and they come in different shapes. In addition to standard formats, there are widescreen variants with aspect ratios such as 16:2.2, 16:3, 16:4, 16:4.5, or 16:5.
Applications of Industrial Monitors
When referring to “industrial monitors,” we mean a wide range of products that are used not only in the industrial sector but also in various other industries. Some examples include solutions for digital signage systems, as well as devices used in fields such as healthcare and military.
How to Choose the Right Industrial Monitor from Our Offer
When selecting an industrial monitor, after determining the desired size and resolution, it’s essential to pay attention to parameters such as brightness, contrast, viewing angles, operating temperature range, and available interfaces.
Industrial monitors are typically designed for continuous operation, 24/7. These models have an extended lifespan, with LED backlight lifetimes reaching up to 100,000 hours. Under proper conditions, they can operate without failures for several years.
Furthermore, some industrial monitors are specifically designed for use in certain industries. For example, there are models that comply with the PN-EN 50155 standard, also known as the “railway standard,” making them suitable for railway applications.
Brightness of Industrial Monitors
Brightness, measured in cd/m² (candelas per square meter), is a critical parameter of an industrial monitor. It represents the intensity of the emitted light from the screen. It is especially important when the device is deployed in brightly lit environments, regardless of the light source (natural or artificial). For applications such as digital signage, it is necessary to use monitors with high brightness levels: at least 750 cd/m² for indoor applications and at least 1000 cd/m² for outdoor applications*.
*Note that for sunlight-exposed locations, it is recommended to use industrial monitors with a brightness level of at least 2500 cd/m². In such cases, it is also beneficial to use monitors with hiTNI technology, which prevents the appearance of “black spots” caused by temporary degradation of liquid crystals due to intense sunlight.
In our product offering, we have industrial monitors available with different brightness levels ranging from 600 to 4500 cd/m².
Contrast of Industrial Monitors
Contrast, defined as the ratio of the brightness of the white point to the black point on the screen, affects the image quality. A higher contrast ratio results in a greater distinction between bright and dark areas on the screen, enhancing the readability of displayed content. Our product range includes industrial monitors with contrast ratios ranging from 400:1 to 10000:1.
Viewing Angles of Industrial Monitors
Viewing angles determine the optimal position for observing the screen. The market offers LCD-TFT TN (Twisted Nematic) displays with limited viewing angles, typically at 12:00 (when viewed from above) or 6:00 (when viewed from below). There are also displays with full viewing angles, known as IPS (In-Plane Switching), which allow for viewing the content from any direction. Wider viewing angles provide better accessibility to displayed content. Industrial monitors typically have wide viewing angles (89°/89°/89°/89°).
Operating Temperature Range (°C) of Industrial Monitors
Industrial monitors are often used in extreme conditions. Therefore, it is crucial for their parameters, including the operating temperature range, to align with the environmental factors in which they will be installed. The monitors should withstand not only extremely low and high temperatures (e.g., freezing cold or scorching heat) but also sudden temperature changes (e.g., when opening a door of a heated/cooled vehicle in cold/hot weather conditions). The typical operating temperature range for industrial monitors is from -20 to 70°C, ensuring reliable operation in various indoor and outdoor applications.
Interfaces Used in Industrial Monitors
The choice of interface depends on the intended use of the industrial monitor. In our product offering, we provide solutions that support various interface technologies, including LVDS, VGA, DP, DVI, HDMI, USB, and Vx1 (V-by-1/V-by-One).
Interfaces used in industrial monitors can be divided into two groups:
- Internal solutions, where the elements of the same device are directly connected (typically located within the same enclosure), such as RGB, LVDS, eDP, MIPI DSI, and Vx1 (V-by-1/V-by-One).
- External solutions, where two separate devices, such as a computer and a monitor, are connected using cables. This category includes interfaces like HDMI, DVI, VGA, and DP.
Learn more about interfaces used for data transmission from our guides: Part 1 and Part 2.
Manufacturers of Industrial Monitors
Our product offering includes industrial monitors from reputable manufacturers, including solutions provided by Litemax. For example, we offer models from the Durapixel series, where “durable” is reflected in the name.