Serious Human Interface™ Platform (SHIP)

HMI, Comms & Control Development & Deployment Platform

These core ingredients form the core of the platform:

HMI



  • Serious Integrated HMI Modules (SIMs), graphic LCD display modules that host your GUI
  • SHIP Total IDE (SHIPTide), our no-cost WYSIWYG GUI development tool
  • SHIPEngine, the embedded run-time firmware on your SIM

Common Platform Elements

  • SHIPBridge Protocol, enabling data transfer and firmware upgrades between the SIM, SCM, and your system
  • SHIPCrane Production Line Tools, for fast and easy firmware and GUI installation on production modules

Comms & Control

Serious Integrated Modules: Off-the-Shelf Embedded Innovation

Want to propel your embedded system architecture into the future?

Leverage the Serious Integrated Modules with integrated firmware and development tools.

Our Serious Integrated HMI Modules (SIMs) deliver amazing and modern graphic/touchscreen user experiences. Serious Comms/Control Modules (SCMs) can replace most of the complex MPU/MCU complexity in your system and add incredible connectivity including Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth 5, and more.

Serious Integrated HMI Modules (SIMs)

SIMs are intelligent Human Machine Interface (HMI) platforms embeddable in Original Equipment Manufacturers’ (OEMs’) products. The modules are capable of delivering modern, responsive, and elegant user experiences. Think of them like an out-of-the-box HMI peripheral to your system.

The latest “Generation 5” SIMs, including the cost-effective SIMx52 and high-performance SIMx62 series, have numerous family members spanning 3.5″ to 10.1″ LCDs. More than just a non-intelligent LCD, these SIMs integrate the LCD with a high-performance Renesas RZ-family MPU, graphical controller, LCD interface technology, touch sensing, and all the storage and processing necessary to deliver a rich user experience.  The off-the-shelf Serious Human Interface™ Platform (SHIP) firmware engine, SHIPEngine, is preloaded to execute user interfaces developed in the SHIPTide GUI development tool.

SIMs can be used stand-alone in a system, connected either directly inside the system chassis to an OEM control subsystem or remotely (for example) over USB, UART or RS422/485.  While primarily designed to deliver the Human Machine Interface (HMI), a SIM is capable of some measure of system control through its powerful built-in scripting language and operating environment. Two protocols are native in the modules: Modbus (Master/Slave, ASCII/RTU) and the more powerful SHIPBridge protocol for bidirectional data movement and firmware management.

Serious Comms/Control Modules (SCMs)

To add rich cloud or network connectivity (including expanded protocols e.g. Ethernet/IP, TCP/IP, CAN, etc.) as well as increase the sophistication and power of the machine control, a Serious Communications/Control Module (SCM) can dramatically change the trajectory of your system design methodology and time-to-features for your products.

For example, the SCM318 can add sophisticated IT, IoT, and industrial/factory network connectivity as well as potentially replace custom system control subsystems and features WiFi, Bluetooth 5, Ethernet, CAN, RS485, on-board processing, and more.

The SCM318 can be used stand-alone or directly docked into a Serious Integrated HMI Module (SIM), such as the new cost-effective SIMx52 and high-performance SIMx62 series.

SHIPTide: the SHIP Total IDE

Rapid GUI Design, Minimal Coding

SHIPTide manages all aspects of your GUI creation task, including:

  • WYSIWYG layout of your GUI screens
  • Importing and organizing your images, fonts, and other digital assets
  • Minimal coding required
  • Integrated event management
  • Simple but powerful actions: integrated SHIP Sail scripting language
  • Project builder
  • SIM connect — direct upload of the GUI to hardware in seconds!
  • and much more…

SHIPTide generates a single binary data file, the “Cargo”, which includes all aspects of the GUI. This Cargo is downloaded to Serious Integrated Modules running SHIPEngine.