Modeling Human Pilot Behavior for Aircraft With a Smart Inceptor

Abstract

This article presents a model of the human pilot for an aircraft with a smart inceptor, as a means to mitigate human–vehicle system loss–of–control. A key feature of the pilot model is the capability to reflect the interaction between the human–vehicle interface and the human pilot. The proposed human pilot model is primarily composed of a perception module, adaptation module, and execution module. The visual and tactile cues perceived from the human–vehicle interface including a smart inceptor are utilized to model the perception module. The adaptation module, including the central nervous system, is introduced to describe the adaptive behavior of the human pilot. In addition, the execution module contains the neuromuscular system of the human pilot so that the dynamics of the neuromuscular system and the smart inceptor are considered. The human pilot model is assessed by the time domain and wavelet–based analysis in comparison with the experiments of pilot–in–the–loop flight simulation. The simulation results indicate that the tracking results of the time histories given by this model are in good agreement with the behavioral characteristics of a test pilot. The potential applications of the human pilot model include the design of the smart inceptor and evaluation of aircraft loss–of–control events.