Chapter 45

Human-Computer Interaction In Aerospace

Amy R. Pritchett
Georgia Institute of Technology

 

Outline

Introduction

Historical Perspective

Manual Control and Tracking

Fundamentals of Information Display

Computer Displays

Virtual Environments

Automated Systems

Virtual Environments

Intelligent Systems and Decision Support

Organization, Communication, and Coordination

Current characteristics of HCI in Aerospace

Characteristic: Coordinated

Characteristic: Automated

Characteristic: Complex

Characteristic: Information Intensive

Characteristic: Dynamic

Characteristic: Standardized and Proceduralized

Characteristic: Safe

Characteristic: Regulated and Certified

Conclusion and Summary

Acknowledgments

References

 

Figures

Figure 45.1: “Basic T” arrangement of cockpit instruments, with engine and navigation instruments surrounding on the right and bottom. Photo courtesy of T. Pritchett, Department of Aviation, Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Online version not available

Figure 45.2: Cockpit of Concorde 101 on display at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire.

Figure 45.3: B777 flight deck. Photo reproduced with permission of Boeing Management Company, eattle, WA.

Figure 45.4: B777 primary flight display. Photo courtesy of Jerome Meriweather. Online version not available

Figure 45.5: Electronic horizontal situation indicator.

Figure 45.6: Link trainer used for World War II pilot training. Photo courtesy of T. Pritchett, Department of Aviation, Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Online version not available

Figure 45.7: B777 Mode control panel providing autopilot controls. Photo courtesy of Jerome Meriweather. Online version not available

Figure 45.8: Schematic of a control display unit (CDU) for reading from and entering data into autoflight systems

Figure 45.9: Example of a vertical profile display. Figure courtesy of S. Vakil and R. J. Hansman, MIT International Center for Air Transportation, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Online version not available

Figure 45.10: Command control language interface. Image courtesy of C. Misiak and V. Riley, Honeywell Labs, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Online version not available

Figure 45.11: Heads up display. Photo of BAE Visual Guidance System, courtesy of BAE Systems, Farnborough, United Kingdom. Online version not available

Figure 45.12: Tunnel in the sky display used in recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration tests of synthetic vision. Courtesy of E. Theunissen, Technische Universiteit Delft, The Netherlands. Online version not available