30 august 2013 © crown copyright 2013 dstl …2)futureaircraftvisionsystems.pdf · gve vs nvg ©...

© Crown copyright 2013 Dstl

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


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


30 August 2013

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


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


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


30 August 2013

Copyright QinetiQ Ltd 2007

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


30 August 2013

Copyright QinetiQ Ltd 2005 Copyright NRC 2001

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


30 August 2013

Fiver Enablers

Legacy Bus Architecture

Enhanced Bus/Common Architecture


30 August 2013

Questions?


DSTL/PUB70576

30 August 2013

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