Implementing operator-centric cockpit design in the EA-6B ICAP III aircraft

The EA-6B Prowler aircraft was designed and built in the late 1960s by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation for the United States Navy and Marine Corps as a tactical electronic warfare (EW) platform. High losses of U.S attack aircraft to surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) in the Southeast Asia theater led to the requirement for a carrier-based tactical aircraft capable of providing EW support in the form of electronic jamming in support of strike aircraft. The EA-6B became the aircraft that fulfilled the EW requirement. The thirty years that have passed since the introduction of the EA-6B has seen many additional weapons system capabilities added to the aircraft. However, the hardware used by the aircrew to employ these additional capabilities has changed little, resulting in operator information overload during combat operations. This thesis investigated the information overload problem associated with operating a complex integrated weapons system using legacy and non-integrated controls and displays. A review of pertinent literature and military standards, coupled with the author\u27s extensive personal experience as an EA-6B Electronic Countermeasures Officer were used as the basis of research An operator-centric cockpit design methodology utilizing human factors engineering and the systems engineering approach to problem-solving was used to identify problems associated with the contractor\u27s proposed cockpit design for the Improved Capability III (ICAP III) EA-6B Prowler aircraft. The problems identified were. (1) critical weapons system failure alerts can go unnoticed by the ECMOs, (2) a limited display area is available for the presentation of weapons system information, (3) a high operator workload is required to monitor the status of the AN/ALQ-99 jammer pods, (4) navigational situational awareness in the rear cockpit is extremely poor, (5) the current rear cockpit pointing devices increase logistical support requirements and enforce negative habit transfer, and (6) alphanumeric character entry into the integrated weapons system is inefficient Once identified, the methodology was employed by the author to develop a proposed cockpit design that will eliminate the problems and improve operator and system performance. If adopted and implemented by the manufacturers of the ICAP III program, the cockpit hardware and layout changes proposed by the author will result in minimal friction at the system interfaces, thus improving overall system performance Specific recommendations that should be included to the ICAP III cockpit design are: Install a synthesized weapons system voice warning system to provide aural alerts to the ECMO 2/3 crew stations in the event of jammer pod degradations during active Electronic Attack operations. Install 8 5 inches wide by 11 inches tall (93 5 m2) color-capable AMLCD Multifunction Displays at each of the ECMO 2/3 crew stations to provide for operator visual interaction with the weapons system. Install 7 5 inches wide by 65 inches tall (48.75 square inches) color-capable AMLCD Pod Status Displays at each of the ECMO 2/3 crew stations to provide an automated real-time simultaneous status display of the ALQ-99 jammer pods Install 3.9 inches wide by 3.3 inches tall (12.87 square inches) Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicators repeaters at each of the ECMO 2/3 crew stations to assist in navigational situational awareness. Install pointing devices on the ECMO 2/3 consoles that are identical to the pointing devices installed in the forward cockpit to provide for operator tactile interaction with the weapons system Install 4.75 inches wide by 5 75 inches tall (27.3 square inches) touch-sensitive data entry keyboards on the ECMO 2/3 pedestals to serve as a primary alphanumeric entry device and secondary tactile interface with the weapons system

The Most Important Aviation System: The Human Team and Decision Making in the Modern Cockpit

The most critical aviation system is the human operator in the cockpit of modern aircraft. Regardless of the advancements in microelectronics and automated decision-making apparatus, the human will still remain ultimately responsible for the safety of those in the air and on the ground. Humans, however, are not entirely predictable or consistent when functioning in this capacity. The relationship between crewmembers becomes a critical aspect of this system, and this paper focuses on methods to improve both individual and especially crew decision-making in aviation. Concepts and structure from the Navy’s Crew Resource Management program are used as the background for discussion. Initially, the individual is examined, followed by an assessment of the physical systems in the cockpit, and finally methods for improving human interaction are discussed. To understand how decisions (whether good or bad) are made, an examination of the inputs to the human decision maker is required. The methods people use to evaluate their environment and choose a course of action will be discussed, as well as the effects of culture and experience on this process. The physical information and control systems of an aircraft will be briefly reviewed, and suggestions for improving the efficacy of the information provided and aircrew employment will be offered. Finally, the interrelationship between humans involved in the system will be studied, including suggested means to facilitate and improve these interactions. The intent is to provide insight to the human team and methods to improve decision making in the modern cockpit

Survey of multi-function display and control technology

The NASA orbiter spacecraft incorporates a complex array of systems, displays and controls. The incorporation of discrete dedicated controls into a multi-function display and control system (MFDCS) offers the potential for savings in weight, power, panel space and crew training time. The technology applicable to the development of a MFDCS for orbiter application is surveyed. Technology thought to be applicable presently or in the next five years is highlighted. Areas discussed include display media, data handling and processing, controls and operator interactions and the human factors considerations which are involved in a MFDCS design. Several examples of applicable MFDCS technology are described

Tactons: structured tactile messages for non-visual information display

Tactile displays are now becoming available in a form that can be easily used in a user interface. This paper describes a new form of tactile output. Tactons, or tactile icons, are structured, abstract messages that can be used to communicate messages non-visually. A range of different parameters can be used for Tacton construction including: frequency, amplitude and duration of a tactile pulse, plus other parameters such as rhythm and location. Tactons have the potential to improve interaction in a range of different areas, particularly where the visual display is overloaded, limited in size or not available, such as interfaces for blind people or in mobile and wearable devices. This paper describes Tactons, the parameters used to construct them and some possible ways to design them. Examples of where Tactons might prove useful in user interfaces are given

Transport airplane flight deck development survey and analysis: Report and recommendations

Results of a survey and analysis of research and development work related to improving transport airplane flight deck equipment and aircrew performance is reported. Research and development related to flight deck advancement in general, as well as that concerned directly with terminal area operations, is described and discussed

Effects of location of information presentation in pedestrian detection system on visibility and performance

A few pedestrian warning systems for automobiles are in practical use. It has not been clarified where is best suited for the location of pedestrian information presentation. The most effective location of information presentation in pedestrian detection system was investigated. In other words, the location that assured the fastest cognition of pedestrian information was clarified. The locations of information presentation in pedestrian detection system were front glass, front display of cockpit module, and left side display of cockpit module (like car navigation system). The participants were required to pay attention to the predetermined front area as well as the randomly presented pedestrian information while carrying out a virtual driving task (tracking task) and a secondary switch pressing task such as selection of wiper function. We also investigated the effect of alarm sound presented to the participants together with the visual pedestrian information on the cognition time of pedestrian information. As a result, the front glass was most suitable for the presentation of pedestrian information. The presentation of pedestrian information to the front glass led to high visibility and faster pedestrian cognition time

A survey of new technology for cockpit application to 1990's transport aircraft simulators

Two problems were investigated: inter-equipment data transfer, both on board the aircraft and between air and ground; and crew equipment communication via the cockpit displays and controls. Inter-equipment data transfer is discussed in terms of data bus and data link requirements. Crew equipment communication is discussed regarding the availability of CRT display systems for use in research simulators to represent flat panel displays of the future, and of software controllable touch panels

Driver Advocate™ Tool

Using scenario driven research, a Driver AdvocateTM (DA) [1] system has been designed to advise the driver about potentially unsafe situations based on information from environmental sensors [2]. DA is an intelligent dynamic system that monitors, senses, prioritizes, personalizes, and sends alerts to the driver appropriate to the moment. This has the potential to sharply decrease driver distraction and inattention. To support the realization of DA, a DA Tool (DAT) has been developed to coordinate with a KQ (previously Hyperion) virtual driving simulator and allow the merging of the simulated driving performance, the enviormental sensors, and the intelligent use of audio, visual, and tactile feedback to alert the driver to potential danger and unsafe driving behavior. DAT monitors the traffic, lane following, forward and side clearances, vehicle condition, cockpit distractions, Infotainment use, and the driver affective behavior. The DAT is designed to be highly configurable, flexible, and user friendly to facilitate creative freedom in designing usability and human factors experiments and rapid prototyping

A first investigation into the effectiveness of Tactons

This paper reports two experiments relating to the design of Tactons (or tactile icons). The first experiment investigated perception of vibro-tactile "roughness" (created using amplitude modulated sinusoids), and the results indicated that roughness could be used as a parameter for constructing Tactons. The second experiment is the first full evaluation of Tactons, and uses three values of roughness identified in the first experiment, along with three rhythms to create a set of Tactons. The results of this experiment showed that Tactons could be a successful means of communicating information in user interfaces, with an overall recognition rate of 71%, and recognition rates of 93% for rhythm and 80% for roughness