Suppression of Biodynamic Interference by Adaptive Filtering

Preliminary experimental results obtained in moving base simulator tests are presented. Both for pursuit and compensatory tracking tasks, a strong deterioration in tracking performance due to biodynamic interference is found. The use of adaptive filtering is shown to substantially alleviate these effects, resulting in a markedly improved tracking performance and reduction in task difficulty. The effect of simulator motion and of adaptive filtering on human operator describing functions is investigated. Adaptive filtering is found to substantially increase pilot gain and cross-over frequency, implying a more tight tracking behavior. The adaptive filter is found to be effective in particular for high-gain proportional dynamics, low display forcing function power and for pursuit tracking task configurations

Voluntary Pilot Action Through Biodynamics for Helicopter Flight Dynamics Simulation

This work presents the integration of detailed models of a pilot controlling a helicopter along the heave axis through the collective control inceptor. The action on the control inceptor is produced through a biomechanical model of the pilot’s limbs, by commanding the activation of the related muscle bundles. Such activation, in turn, is determined by defining the muscle elongations required to move the control inceptor in order to obtain the control of the vehicle according to a high-level model of the voluntary action of the pilot acting as a regulator for the vehicle. The biomechanical model of the pilot’s limbs and the aeromechanical model of the helicopter are implemented in a general-purpose multibody simulation. The helicopter model, the biomechanical model of the pilot’s limbs, the cognitive model of the pilot, and their integration are discussed. The integrated model is applied to the simulation of simple, yet representative, mission task elements

Twentieth Annual Conference on Manual Control, Volume 1

The 48 papers presented were devoted to humanopeator modeling, application of models to simulation and operational environments, aircraft handling qualities, teleopertors, fault diagnosis, and biodynamics

Advanced piloted aircraft flight control system design methodology. Volume 1: Knowledge base

The development of a comprehensive and electric methodology for conceptual and preliminary design of flight control systems is presented and illustrated. The methodology is focused on the design stages starting with the layout of system requirements and ending when some viable competing system architectures (feedback control structures) are defined. The approach is centered on the human pilot and the aircraft as both the sources of, and the keys to the solution of, many flight control problems. The methodology relies heavily on computational procedures which are highly interactive with the design engineer. To maximize effectiveness, these techniques, as selected and modified to be used together in the methodology, form a cadre of computational tools specifically tailored for integrated flight control system preliminary design purposes. While theory and associated computational means are an important aspect of the design methodology, the lore, knowledge and experience elements, which guide and govern applications are critical features. This material is presented as summary tables, outlines, recipes, empirical data, lists, etc., which encapsulate a great deal of expert knowledge. Much of this is presented in topical knowledge summaries which are attached as Supplements. The composite of the supplements and the main body elements constitutes a first cut at a a Mark 1 Knowledge Base for manned-aircraft flight control

Twelfth Annual Conference on Manual Control

Main topics discussed cover multi-task decision making, attention allocation and workload measurement, displays and controls, nonvisual displays, tracking and other psychomotor tasks, automobile driving, handling qualities and pilot ratings, remote manipulation, system identification, control models, and motion and visual cues. Sixty-five papers are included with presentations on results of analytical studies to develop and evaluate human operator models for a range of control task, vehicle dynamics and display situations; results of tests of physiological control systems and applications to medical problems; and on results of simulator and flight tests to determine display, control and dynamics effects on operator performance and workload for aircraft, automobile, and remote control systems

Cancelling biodynamic feedthrough requires a subject and task dependent approach

Vehicle accelerations may feed through the human body, causing involuntary limb motions which may lead to involuntary control inputs. This phenomenon is called biodynamic feedthrough (BDFT). Signal cancellation is a possible way of mitigating biodynamic feedthrough. It makes use of a BDFT model to estimate the involuntary control inputs. The BDFT effects are removed by subtracting the modeled estimate of the involuntary control input from the total control signal, containing both voluntary and involuntary components. The success of signal cancellation hinges on the accuracy of the BDFT model used. In this study the potential of signal cancellation is studied by making use of a method called optimal signal cancellation. Here, an identified BDFT model is used off-line to generate an estimate of the involuntary control inputs based on the accelerations present. Results show that reliable signal cancellation requires BDFT models that are both subject and task dependent. The task dependency is of particular importance: failing to adapt the model to changes in the operator's neuromuscular dynamics dramatically decreases the quality of cancellation and can even lead to an increase in unwanted effects. As a reliable and fast on-line identification method of the neuromuscular dynamics of the human operator currently does not exist, real-time signal cancellation is currently not feasible

Engineering data compendium. Human perception and performance, volume 3

The concept underlying the Engineering Data Compendium was the product of a research and development program (Integrated Perceptual Information for Designers project) aimed at facilitating the application of basic research findings in human performance to the design of military crew systems. The principal objective was to develop a workable strategy for: (1) identifying and distilling information of potential value to system design from existing research literature, and (2) presenting this technical information in a way that would aid its accessibility, interpretability, and applicability by system designers. The present four volumes of the Engineering Data Compendium represent the first implementation of this strategy. This is Volume 3, containing sections on Human Language Processing, Operator Motion Control, Effects of Environmental Stressors, Display Interfaces, and Control Interfaces (Real/Virtual)

Aeronautical Engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes

This bibliography lists 725 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in April 1985

Multibody dynamics 2015

This volume contains the full papers accepted for presentation at the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015 held in the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, on June 29 - July 2, 2015. The ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics is an international meeting held once every two years in a European country. Continuing the very successful series of past conferences that have been organized in Lisbon (2003), Madrid (2005), Milan (2007), Warsaw (2009), Brussels (2011) and Zagreb (2013); this edition will once again serve as a meeting point for the international researchers, scientists and experts from academia, research laboratories and industry working in the area of multibody dynamics. Applications are related to many fields of contemporary engineering, such as vehicle and railway systems, aeronautical and space vehicles, robotic manipulators, mechatronic and autonomous systems, smart structures, biomechanical systems and nanotechnologies. The topics of the conference include, but are not restricted to: Formulations and Numerical Methods, Efficient Methods and Real-Time Applications, Flexible Multibody Dynamics, Contact Dynamics and Constraints, Multiphysics and Coupled Problems, Control and Optimization, Software Development and Computer Technology, Aerospace and Maritime Applications, Biomechanics, Railroad Vehicle Dynamics, Road Vehicle Dynamics, Robotics, Benchmark Problems. The conference is organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona. The organizers would like to thank the authors for submitting their contributions, the keynote lecturers for accepting the invitation and for the quality of their talks, the awards and scientific committees for their support to the organization of the conference, and finally the topic organizers for reviewing all extended abstracts and selecting the awards nominees.Postprint (published version