Post on 04-May-2018
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DSTL/PUB70576
30 August 2013
Future Aircraft
Visual Systems
UK MoD [dstl] - Adrian Ball
Enhancing Aircrew Performance
RAeS 2013 Aerospace Medicine Symposium
5th March 2013
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30 August 2013
A Research Perspective
Introduction
• Future Vision Systems (VS)
– 1980s Vision
– 2010 Reality
• VS Concept
• VS Research
• Key Lessons Learnt
• VS Technology Issues
• VS Integration Concepts
• Way Forward
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Copyright Ferranti Technologies Ltd
Vision System
Benefits
• Increased Situational Awareness
• Improved Safety
• Degraded Visual Environment
(DVE) Capability
– Night/Low Light Level
– Adverse Weather
– Brown out/white
out/obscurants
• Operate when adversaries
can’t
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Courtesy DVIDSHUB
VS Concept
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VS Concept
• Vision System Design &
Assessment Methodology
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Meeting Visual Task Information Requirements
- Illustration
Example: VS Task
Performance
• Lynx Mk7
– Experimental Visually
Coupled System
– Fully instrumented
– Side step manoeuvre
– Natural cueing environment
– Objective measures
– Subjective measures
• GVE vs NVG
• VCS vs VCS + Symbology
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GVE Vs NVG
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VCS Vs VCS + Sym
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Day Unaided Eye (20:20)
“Enhanced Vision” + Symbology
Reduced FoV
Reduced Spatial Resolution
Reduced Contrast
Monochrome
Image artifacts, noise
Night NVG (20:40)
Vision System Limitations
Baseline Capability
Night Capability
Risk Mitigation Through Tactics,
Training, Procedures
Vision System Limitations
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Night Light NVG (20:40)
Night Capability
Risk Mitigation Through Tactics,
Training, Procedures
“Enhanced Vision” + Symbology
Reduced Spatial Resolution
Reduced Contrast
Monochrome
Pseudo natural image
Offset view point
Immersion/Disorientation
Image transport latency
Reduced peripheral cueing
“Enhanced Vision” IR (20:60) Low Light Capability
May compromise Night Capability
Image augmentation + TTPs may
provide acceptable compromise
Contrast
Symbol Latency/Jitter
Cognitive load
Division of Attention
“Enhanced Vision” + Symbology
VS MoD Research
• 1992 CONDOR I
– Covert Night Day Operations for
Rotorcraft
• 1998 DNAW
– Day Night All Weather
• 2000 VIVIAN
– Virtual Vision And Navigation
• 2002 CONDOR II
• 2004 DNAE
– Day Night All Environment
– Hawkowl Flight Trial 2007
• 2005 VISORCAM
• 2008 LVL
– Low Visibility Landing
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Copyright QinetiQ Ltd 2005 Copyright QinetiQ Ltd 2006 Copyright QinetiQ Ltd 2005
Copyright NRC 2001
Copyright Ferranti Technologies Ltd
Key Research Lessons Learned
• By far the most commonly cited
limitation to capability was vision system
acuity
• Critically dependent on the spatial and
contrast resolution of the imaging sensor
and HMD system (for a given FOV)
• Vision system acuity concluded to be a
primary means of meeting the visual
information requirements
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Human Visual
Cueing • Visual perception of cues
– Many theories: Gestalt, Gibson, Marr
– Psychophysics, Neurophysiological
• Visual Perception Phenomena
– Optical flow, Perspective depth
– Looming, Superposition
– Texture, Closure rate
– Object recognition, scaling
• Importance of Spatial Frequency
– Lines, edges, features
• Vision Systems must support human visual
perception phenomena – vision system acuity
• Easily interpreted, manageable workload,
enhanced situational awareness
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• Disorientation due to immersive vision
– Aircraft /orientation references required
• System latency to support HMD systems
– Efficient data transport between:
• Head Tracking System
• Helmet Mounted Display
• Display generator
• Integration and architecture
• See through vs non-see through displays
• Latency Measurement
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Key Research Lessons Learned
VS Integration Concepts
• Enhanced Vision
– Distributed Aperture
– Image Fusion
• Synthetic Vision
– Database derived synthetic picture
• Combined (ESV)
– Augmented Reality/Conformal symbology
– Sensor generated synthetic picture
• Flight Control Capability
– Advanced control laws
– Improved vehicle stability
• Changes visual information requirements
– No direct increase in Situational Awareness
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Copyright QinetiQ Ltd 2006
Copyright HNB 2010
VS Technology Issues
S & T exploitation constrained to date
1. Insufficient technology capability & maturity
− Significant further investment
2. Bespoke architectures
– Integration constrained by the existing
avionics architecture
3. An underpinning safety argument is not
mature
− Significant risk that the system may not be
relied upon following Release To Service
(RTS)
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(1) VS Technologies and Limitations
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Concept Sensor Ability to Meet Information Requirements Physical Parameters
Day Night Very Low
Light
Adverse
Weather
Brown
Out
Resolution at FoV Wavelength
Unaided
Vision
Human eye High
20:20
3° / 170°
apparent
400-700nm
NVG Image
Intensifiers
20:40 M
20:60 S
45° 500-950nm
Enhanced
Vision
Passive IR 20:40 HD
20:60 SD
40° 0.9-1.7µm
3-5µm
8-12µm
LIDAR
20:40 40° 1.5µm
Passive mmW 20:80 40° 3mm (94GHz)
Radar 20:60 60° 3mm
(94GHz)
Fused Imagery 20:20
Possible via
Distributed
Apertures
Multiple 20° IR
Synthetic
Vision
Computer
Generated
Imagery Using
Terrain/Obstacle
Databases
20:20 Independent
Display Limited
Visual Display
ESVS/
Combined
Vision
Augmented
Reality
20:20 Limited by
sensor FoV/FoR
Sensor dependent
Fused EO/
Synthetic
Imagery
20:20 Limited by
sensor FoV/FoR
Sensor dependent
(2) VS Enabling Technologies
• Cap Air Aircrew Enhanced Vision Capability Strategy
– “acknowledge the fact that sensor technology suitable for aircraft use
may not deliver the pure visual acuity required to operate in all
conditions”
– “situational and spatial awareness must be enhanced by augmenting
the visual picture with synthetic cues which may include conformal
symbology, terrain overlays and aircraft data”
• Focus on incremental development & insertion of ENABLING Technologies
– Helmet Mounted Display
– Head-tracking
– Processing capability
– Architecture
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(3) Safety Argument
• VS currently implemented as flight aids
– Not to be relied upon
– Cross reference to aircraft instruments
• Will be relied upon for DVE capability
– Design Assurance Level A
– Existing avionics predominantly Level B
– Affordability
• Balance of Operational vs System Risk
– Net reduction in risk
– Training issues
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Way Forward • Future Integrated Vision Enablers Research
(FIVER) Programme
– Implement Cap Air Enhanced Vision Capability
Strategy
– Provide a framework for requirements
– Identify and assess the suitability of common
architectures to host visual system enabling
technologies
– Establish methodology for risk balancing,
safety and certification
– Demonstrate a vision system concept
scaleable for DVE
– Develop a mature SRD
– Position Industry
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Fiver Enablers
Legacy Bus Architecture
Enhanced Bus/Common Architecture
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Questions?
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DSTL/PUB70576
30 August 2013