What to call an image-displaying unit which is integrated into a machine?

Question

I'm writing a technical document for a large wall-mounted machine. The machine has one or more of what we would normally call "screens" integrated into it. I'm looking for a word, or a phrase, which I can use for unambiguously referring to the "screens".

Here's some background context:
Each "screen" unit consists of a display and a touchscreen. The unit is manufactured by disassembling a monitor, which is serially produced in very large quantities, and extracting needed components from the monitor.
To make things even more interesting, the unit will be displaying screens, such as pop-up screens, menu screens and so on. I'll most likely need to use all 3 words in the same document.

So up until now, the terms monitor, display and screen are already reserved. I could use something like "video display unit", "physical display", "display/touchscreen assembly", but I'm looking for something that is less cumbersome to use and a bit shorter.

So is there any alternative word, or short commonly understood phrase, which can be used to refer to what I have?

Answer 1

If I understand you correctly, there is a touch-screen device accompanied by at least one monitor-like device.

If you consistently refer to these devices as follows, hyphenated and in mixed upper-and-lower case, you can avoid ambiguous references to Reactor Temperature Control Screen or whatever.

Display-Screen

Touch-Screen

You could substitute "Device" for "Screen" if the hyphenated reuse of the word gives you the willies.

Answer 2

A display and touchscreen can be thought of as a (modern) terminal:

2 : a combination of a keyboard and output device (such as a video display unit) by which data can be entered into or output from a computer or electronic communications system

Note: The definition of the adjective is the first shown at the linked webpage. Scroll down to get to the noun.

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As an update, I have discovered a definition for kiosk that does not imply "screen-only," but provides for the addition of user input (something which I had not understood it to mean until now). This could be a more modern take on terminal.

2 : a small stand-alone device providing information and services on a computer screen · a museum with interactive kiosks

Answer 3

If I understand your configuration correctly, you have a component that is a normal monitor/display (no touch capabilities) and another component that is a touch-input device. You then connect these two* components into an assembly your documents refer to as a screen.

If I have the scenario correct, then here are my thoughts:

These components are hardware, first and foremost. When hardware is invented, the intent is to build something that will perform a specific function. These early versions of the device are usually "bare-bones" as far as abilities go.

Over time, features are added to the hardware device either by

1. software (drivers, firmware, etc)
2. adding hardware (adding a button, or an antenna, etc)

Over time, we end up with a piece of hardware that is "feature-rich"

I think, for your scenario, try to go back to the roots of the actual hardware devices - for instance, after reading your question, the phrase that popped in to my head was "view-port" or "viewing-portal."

I would also seek to eliminate the word "screen" from the term used to describe the touch-input device. In my opinion, the word "screen", when added to "touch", evokes the idea that data will be displayed, which can be interacted with by touching it.

So, with all that said, here are some words/phrases that might be closer to what you are looking form, for the various components:

View port viewing portal output portal display-output touch-input

I would plug these into a thesaurus - you might find exactly what you need.

*other parts of assembly not important to this question.

Answer 4

I would suggest "control panel".

(by extension) A computer display offering a number of controls or options.

A second option is "human-machine interface" which is just shortened to "HMI".

Both of these suggestions have the disadvantage of being generic terms that can refer to many different similar things. However, in my experience they are frequently used to refer to a specific thing in a particular context. Since you are writing the documentation, you have the opportunity to define the term for your context.

Control panel can also refer to a panel with physical buttons or dials, so you should take care to avoid confusion if the machine also has something like that.

In my industry (water treatment, USA), these touchscreen controls like you describe are frequently called human-machine interfaces, which is shortened to HMI or colloquially, HMI screens. This may be regional or industry specific.