A Concept of Flight Execution Monitor (FEM) for Helicopter Pilot Assistance

Abstract

PAVE (Pilot Assistant in the Vicinity of hElipads) is a global research project conducted under the ONERA-DLR common research programme. Several new technologies are now available for helicopter onboard applications that have potentialities to support the pilot's perception and decision making. The technologies addressed in the frame of this project include an advanced flight control system, calculation of flight envelope limitations, enhanced and synthetic vision, and mission inflight planning and guidance. To obtain actual performance and safety benefits, integration of these technologies is one of the key issues addressed in this project. ONERA is especially involved in the development of a particular module of the pilot assistant, called the Flight Execution Monitor (FEM). The module is dedicated to the monitoring of the current helicopter situation and of the pilot's procedural activity. It is based on a high-level Petri net description of the procedures, derived from the specifications of the flight manual and from interviews with the users. This Petri net description is used to monitor the execution of the procedure, to graphically display the progress of the helicopter situation, including some flight limitations that are calculated online and displayed to support the pilot's decision. An initial prototype of the module has been developed and implemented in a man-in-the-loop simulation environment. The rationale behind the concept, the architecture of the current prototype, and its possible future directions are presented. This development results from applied research on control execution software; it also is a pragmatic attempt to investigate the possible alternatives in the task allocation between the human operator and an automated system, such as the modern helicopter. (7 figures, 14 refs.)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA422308

Entities

People

  • Patrick Le Blaye

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Air Traffic Control Systems
  • Aircrafts
  • Automation
  • Autonomous Systems
  • Control Systems
  • Flight Control Systems
  • Guidance
  • Helicopters
  • Human-Machine Interaction
  • Models
  • Monitoring
  • Navigation
  • Petri Nets
  • Prototypes
  • Simulations
  • Standards

Readers

  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.
  • Computer Science.
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.