The Remote Systems Development Section of the Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Japan's Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) recently collaborated in the development of a control room concept for remote operations. This report describes design methods and the resulting control room concept. The design project included five stages. The first was compilation of a complete function list; functions are tasks performed by operators in the control room while operating equipment located in the remote area. The second step was organization of the function list into ''function groups;'' function groups are sets of functions that operate one piece of equipment. The third stage was determination of crew size and requirements for supervision. The fourth stage was development of conceptual designs of displays and controls. The fifth stage was development of plans for placement of crew stations within the control room. 5 figs., 1 tab

Draper, J. V.

Handel, S. J.

Kawatsuma, S.

Kring, C. T.

UNT Digital Library

Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing ProgramDESIGN OF A MULTISYSTEM REMOTE MAINTENANCE CONTROL ROOMJ. V. Draper*S. J. Handel*C. T. Kring CONF-880202—1Fuel Recycle Division DE88 005067Oak Ridge National LaboratorytOak Ridge, Tennessee 37831andS. KfcwatsumaPower Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development CorporationTokyo, JapanPaper to be presentedat theInternational Atomic Energy AgencyInternational Conference onMan-Machine Interface in the Nuclear IndustryTokyo, JapanFebruary 15-19, 1968*comam«oa mii<n». *• us.•*•• M «• W. Mr US.MASTER•Under subcontract with Human Machine Interfaces, Inc.,Knoxville, Tennessee.tOperated by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., for theU.S. Department of Energy, under contract No. DE-A005-840R21400.DISTRIBUTION Of TKJS DOCUMENT l 5 v W l « I I T E 0IAEA-CN-49/71PConsolidated Riel Reprocessing ProgramDESIGN OF A MULTISYSTEM REMOTE MAINTENANCE CONTROL ROOM*J. V. DraperS. J. HandelC. T. KringFuel Recycle DivisionOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak Ridge, Tennessee 37831andS. KawatsumaPower Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development CorporationTokyo, JapanABSTRACTThe Remote Systems Development Section of the ConsolidatedFuel Reprocessing Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory(ORNL) and Japan's Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel DevelopmentCorporation (PNC) recently collaborated in the development of acontrol room concept for remote operations. This report describesdesign methods and the resulting control room concept. The designproject included five stages. The first was compilation of acomplete function list; functions are tasks performed by operatorsin the control room while operating equipment located in the remotearea. The second step was organization of the function list into"function groups;11 function groups are sets of functions thatoperate one piece of equipment. The third stage was determinationof crew size and requirements for supervision. The fourth stagewas development of conceptual designs of displays and controls.The fifth stage was development of plans for placement of crewstations within the control room.•Research sponsored by the Power Reactor and Nuclear FuelDevelopment Corporation (PNC) of Japan under U.S. Department ofEnergy Project No. ERD-86-6G0.INTHODUCTIONThe human-machine interface has a profound effect on systemperformance, especially for remotely controlled systems. Remotemanipulation requires information from an array of remote sourcesand requires skilled responses from operators. For optimal remotesystem performance, displays and controls must match the capabilitiesand avoid the limitations of human operators.The PNC is planning a plant for vitrifying liquid, radioactivewaste. It will be necessary to repair and maintain the plant byremote control. PNC and ORNL's Remote Systems Development Sectionrecently collaborated in developing a control room concept forvitrification plant remote maintenance systems.METHODSThe design process included five stages: (1) function listdevelopment; (2) function organization; (3) crew requirementsdetermination and function allocation; (4) conceptual design ofcontrol panels; and (5) panel integration into workstations,workstations into teams, and teams into control room layout.Ihe first stage was identification of the equipment operatedfrom the control room and functions necessary for control of theequipment. Ibe second was organization of functions into functiongroups. A function group is a set of functions necessary tooperate a piece of equipment. Each piece of equipment has at leastone function group, but may have more. For example, manipulatorshave two function groups, one for routine remote handling functionsand the other for setting manipulator operating parameters.The third stage was crew size determination and functionallocation. The control room concept features two-person workteams. Information provided by function group organization,probable course of work flow, and operational experience at ORNLindicated that this was the best arrangement. Each team includesan operator responsible for manipulation and transporter movementand a support operator responsible for crane motion and televisioncontrol. Ihe support operator can also do secondary manipulatorfunctions and control the transporter. The control room willinclude three two-person teams, one single-person workstation(crane functions only), and a supervisor.Ihe fourth stage was function group assignment to controlpanels and panel conceptual design. Panels integrate similarfunctions and segregate dissimilar functions. For example, cranesand transporters have similar control requirements; a single panelincludes controls for both. Television control is different,requiring a separate panel. Each function was given an inputdevice and panel location based on the type of function (continuousor discrete), frequency of use, Importance to safety, and ergonomicguidelines.The fifth stage was integration of workstations into teamstations and team stations into a control room layout plan. Work-station integration emphasized ccnomunication between team members.Team station integration flflnpha«i?Kyj oocnunication between thesupervisor and support operators.OONTflOL ROOM LAYOUTThe control room layout is the arrangement of workstationswithin the control room. Several issues were important to developingthe layout of workstations, including interoperator communication,movement of personnel within the control room, and access to thecontrol room. Figure 1 is a layout plan for the control room.uuuuI METERSCALEFig. l. Plan view of control room concept.Maintenance team placement allows communication between supervisorand support operators, comnunicatior between support operators ofteams that might work together, and supervisor observation ofteams.Team stations include two workstations with the operatorsfacing one another. This orientation facilitates teamwork andprovides a direct line of sight between the two operators while inthe primary working positions. Hie centerlines cf the workstationsare offset at a 45° angle, which allow the support operator to makeeye contact with the manipulator operator across the manipulatoroperator's television console. Figure 2 shows the positions of theprimary and support operators.The supervisor's console is in the middle of the control room,which allows visibility of all support operator consoles.WORKSTATION CONCEPTUAL DESIGNSDESIGN CONSIDERATIONSViewing angles and anthropometry are the key issues in work-station design. Viewing angle is the displacement in line of sight(LOG) of an operator looking at an object, measured from his normalDOS. The normal LOG is straight ahead and 15° below horizontal.Viewing angle is important for control room design because itaffects display/control ease of use. Objects away from anoperator's normal 106 are more difficult to see and use thanobjects on the normal LOS.The three Display Areas around an operator are the Preferred,Acceptable, and Unacceptable Display Areas. The Preferred DisplayArea is the 30° cone centered on the normal LOS. Within this area,the operator can scan displays by moving only his eyes, not hishead. The Acceptable Display Area is the area outside of theFig. 2. Manipulator and support operator stations.preferred zone but within 30° of the normal LOS horizontally, 65°above the normal IDS, and 35° below the normal LOS. The operatorcan scan displays in this area with head movement. Displays shouldnot occupy places outside the Acceptable Display Area, if possible.Control placement within Preferred and Acceptable DisplayAreas should depend on frequency of use and importance. Criticaland frequently used controls and displays should be directly on theoperator's normal LOS; less important controls/displays may occupyareas not directly on the normal LOS but within the PreferredDisplay Area; the least important controls may be farther from theLOS.Anthropometry deals with human physical dimensions. A controlroom must match the size of tbe persons who will operate it. Controlrooms should fit a range of people. Many designers use the rangefrom tbe size of the 5th percentile female to the size of the 95thpercentile male. It is important to design for a range rather thanfor one size (for example, the 50th percentile or average) so thatthe control room provides the best fit for the most people.Tbe most important measurements define the location of anoperator's eyes, reach envelope, and the space required for legswhen seated. PNC provided detailed measurements of the likelypopulation of Japanese operators. Table 1 lists the importantmeasurements fox 5th and 95th percentile Japanese.Table 1. Operator dimensionsLength (cm)Item 5% 95%Eye height (from seat)Seat heightTotal eye heightBody depthThigh length (from dorsalThigh length (from ventralMaximum reach (arm only)surface)surface)73.936.9110.819.551.431.975.884.743.0127.724.760.235.587.78Operator dimensions helped define a console profile, theconfiguration and dimensions of a section through the consoles atthe support operator, and supervisor stations. There were threeprincipal profile design considerations: the console must providean ergonomically acceptable control/display mounting surface, allowcomfortable use, and allow vision over its top.WORKSTATIONSThe manipulator operator's most important displays are remotetelevision views, and the most important controls are the manipu-lator master controllers. Graphic displays are secondary. Themanipulator operator receives remote views from seven televisionmonitors mounted in the monitor console. The console contains tworows of monitors. The top row has three large televisions forremote camera views. These will display views from the left-handcamera on the manipulator package, the chest-mounted camera, andthe right-hand camera. The bottom row of monitors includes foursmall television monitors, two under the right and left largetelevisions. A large monitor in the middle of the row is forgraphics menu screens. The manipulator master controller handle .will provide cursor control. Transporter controls at this stationare foot switches on a panel in front of the operator. Theseprovide motion control (X, Y, and Z, and manipulator rotationaround the transporter mast).The Support Operator Station includes three panels: a crane,transporter control panel, a camera control panel, and a data entrypanel. Figure 3 shows a layout concept for the support operatorconsoles. The most important is crane/transporter control. Cameracontrol is secondary, and data entry/retrieval is tertiary. ThePrimary Panel features a single set of controls which allow switchingamong crane control, transporter control, and hoist control. Thecentral element of the Primary Panel is a cathode ray tube (CRT)touch-screen display/control. This unit is for display of anTRANSPORTERAND CRANECONTROL AREAeCAMERA ANDMANIPULATORCONTROL AREASCALE1 METERFig. 3. Support operator's condole.10animated, real-time cell map. It will also allow menu selectionsand message display. Aircraft-style joysticks provide control overX, Y, Z, and crane, transporter, and hoist rotation. A joysticklocated to the left of the display controls elevation and triggerscontrol speed.The secondary panel provides manipulator and televisioncontrol. Its central feature is a CRT touch-screen. A menu systemwill provide control of secondary manipulator functions and sometelevision control functions. A control cluster to the right ofthe COT provides television camera pan, tilt, iris, zoom, andfocus. Camera assignment to controls is done through the touch-screen menu. The Joystick provides control of pan and tilt. Atrio of slide switches to the right of the joystick control iris,zoom, and focus. A tuo-position switch above the slide switchesturns off and on lights associated with the controlled camera.The Support Operator's Television Display Console is similarto the manipulator operator's. Toe console includes a row of threelarge monitors at the top of a 1.75-m rack and six small monitorsin a row beneath the first row. Toe Support Operator's TelevisionDisplay Console attaches to the Manipulator Operator's TelevisionDisplay Console at a 45° angle. The Support Operator is able tolook over the Manipulator Operator's television console.The supervisor's station is in the center of the control room.Figure 4 shows a conceptual design for the supervisor's console.The most important function of the supervisor is collisionavoidance. Therefore, the primary panel at the supervisor stationprovides collision avoidance displays and controls. Secondaryfunctions include the ability to qontrol cranes, transporters, andcameras. The primary control-display panel at the supervisor'sworkstation consists of a full-cell* map (a real-time animationshowing the location of mobile equipment) and switches for cuttingpower to systems. The cell map display is a CRT screen located on1 METERFig. 4. Supervisor's console.12the right side of the supervisor's console. An array of emergencyswitches, one for each overhead bridge/trolley, occupies the centerof the console. The switches occupy locations that reflect thelocation of the operator controlling them. Each kill switch iscolor coded accordingly. A large switch in the center of the arraycuts power to all systems. The primary panel has joystick controlsfor the operation of cranes, transporters, and hoists. These areidentical in operation to the support operator's crane controls.The secondary panel at the supervisors console is a cell mapused primarily for camera control. The secondary panel is similarto that at the crane operator's workstation with one exception.Under the graphics screen there are two rows of three touchpads.The top row is to request control to adjust the view of the cameradisplayed on one of the three IV monitors. The bottom row is todisplay a camera view on one of the three monitors. A Joystick andslide switch bank identical to that found at the Support Operators'console is to the left of the CRT. The CRT will also serve as menudisplay. Three small television monitors for the supervisor/trafficcontroller occupy the top row of the console.GRAPHICS INTERFACEThe graphics interfaces are high-resolution graphics monitorsthat use touch-screens for display and control. Each workstationhas one or two graphics screens. Figure 5 shows the standardscreen layout. The screen has one control graphics area, twostatus areas (warning and status), two control areas (interlockand cancel), and one menu area. The primary screen for the controlarea is an animated display.The animated process cell display shows crane, manipulator,and transporter position. Icons represent the cranes, transporters,and all cameras mounted on the cranes and transporters. Additionalicons represent fixed cameras mounted on cell walls. The displayINTER-LOCK WARNING BARMENU BARSTATUSBARGRAPHIC DISPLAYCANCELFig. 5. Graphic screen arrangement,14must be real time with remote equipment position and movementaccurately shown. There should be two levels of display. Thefirst level shows the entire cell and all equipment. The secondlevel shows only the area iranediately around one piece of equipment.This is a "Local Cell Map" or a "Zone Map." The actual local cellmap shown on the display would depend on the equipment's in-cellposition.The cell map serves two functions: first, to detect impendingcollisions between moving pieces of equipment (e.g., between atransporter and crane) or between a moving piece of equipment anda fixed obstacle, for this reason, as a transporter or craneapproaches a fixed obstacle, that obstacle should appear as a crosson the screen. If there is danger of collision, there should be avisual and auditory alarm. Second, the cell map is for videoswitching. Each camera icon is a touchpad. Any operator cancontrol a camera by touching the appropriate camera icon touchpad.The graphics screens identify teams with color codes. Eachteam has a unique color. A Crosshatch pattern identifies thesupervisor. Crane, transporter, and camera animations displayequipment in the controlling team's color. If equipment controlswitches teams, the animation color switches.The warning bar alerts operators to danger. It displayspotential dangers as muted (low contrast or faded) until activated.Then they brighten and blink, with a concurrent audio signal. PNCwill select actual items in the warning bar. They may differ amongthe primary operator's, support operator's, and supervisor'sscreens. Warnings might include: (a) smoke in an area of thecell; (b) high temperature; (c) ajnpendiug collision of a system inmotion; (d) over-load of a crane, transporter, or manipulator;(e) end-of-travel in the crane, transporter, or manipulator motionranges. If a warning occurs, the appropriate areas of the local orfull-cell map in the central display should brighten and blink tospecify the nature and location of the alert.15The function of the status bar is to signal the failure of asystem component. Ihe status bar displays each component in mutedshades until a problem occurs, then it switches to bright andblinking.The other areas on the screen are the interlock display/control,the cancel touchpad, and the menu area. The interlock display/control allows equipment control switching among workstations andprevents control conflicts. The cancel touchpad occupies thestandard screen's lower left corner. It returns the menu bar tothe previous menu. The Menu Area contains system menus and allowsitem selection by touch.SIMIABYThe human-machine interface is an important component ofremote handling systems. This paper described steps taken todesign human-machine interfaces for a multisystem remote handlingcontrol room and describes a control room concept developed by PNCand ORNL. Key parts of the concept include the organization offunctions into control panels, control and display concepts, thelayout of workstations within the control room, and the softwareinterfaces design.DISCLAIMERThis report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of theUnited States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agencythereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, orassumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or use-fulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or representsthat its use would not infringe privately owned righto. Reference herein to any spe-cific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufac-turer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recom-mendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state orreflect these of the United States Government or any agency thereof.

Design of a multisystem remote maintenance control room

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Design of a multisystem remote maintenance control room

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