Display Concepts Research Articles

The Display and Control Concept

The Display and Control Concept

Identifying Display Concepts to Support Distributed Collaboration of Unmanned Vehicle Teams

Fleets of unmanned vehicles promise to extend human capabilities in many domains, ranging from search and rescue to intelligence gathering. Achieving the promise of unmanned vehicles places a particular demand on coordination, in which operators must allocate and reallocate tasks and resources to meet the needs of the evolving mission. An obvious solution to supporting coordination is to enhance communication. However, traditional verbal and text-based communication could exacerbate the problem by imposing greater load on operators during periods of high workload and by introducing ambiguity that is inherent in natural language. We propose an alternative in which coordination is supported through a shared representation of the work domain constraints and the activity of others. Such an alternative supports implicit communication that often effectively coordinates face-to-face coordination, but is often neglected in computer-mediated coordination. This approach enables stimergy—communication through action on the environment—that makes it possible for coordinated activity to emerge without central control or complex communication. The paper shows how cognitive work analysis leads to display concepts that can support stimergy and reduce the need for explicit communication.

An Integrated Air Traffic Control Display Concept for Conveying Temporal and Probabilistic Conflict Information

In this paper, we introduce an innovative conflict detection and resolution display for air traffic control. Our display explicitly incorporates uncertainties in velocity, heading, and position of each airplane in a given air space. Probabilistic, temporal, and spatial information of potential conflicts is provided through integrated graphical patterns.

A technique for simulating visual field losses in virtual environments to study human navigation

The following paper describes a new technique for simulating peripheral field losses in virtual environments to study the roles of the central and peripheral visual fields during navigation. Based on Geisler and Perry's (2002) gaze-contingent multiresolution display concept, the technique extends their methodology to work with three-dimensional images that are both transformed and rendered in real time by a computer graphics system. In order to assess the usefulness of this method for studying visual field losses, an experiment was run in which seven participants were required to walk to a target tree in a virtual forest as quickly and efficiently as possible while artificial head and eye-based delays were systematically introduced. Bilinear fits were applied to the mean trial times in order to assess at what delay lengths breaks in performance could be observed. Results suggest that breaks occur beyond the current delays inherent in the system. Increases in trial times across all delays tested were also observed when simulated peripheral field losses were applied compared to full FOV conditions. Possible applications and limitations of the system are discussed. The source code needed to program visual field losses can be found at lions.med.jhu.edu/archive/turanolab/Simulated_Visual_Field_Loss_Code.html.

VITAL: An electromagnetic integrated tactile display

VITAL is an acronym for VIbro-TActiLe display concepts and devices. The new tactile displays presented are based on an integrated electromagnetic actuator arranged in a (8 × 8) pin matrix. A multilayer approach with a simple assembly procedure enables the development of a new generation of competitively priced tactile matrices with potentially high micro-actuator density. The independent amplitude and frequency control of each pin facilitates displaying various haptic patterns; hence, the displays can be used as haptic communication media. VITAL aims to satisfy both market and haptic research requirements. This paper uses a haptic communication scenario to detail the research and technological development of the first prototype (VITAL1) and its validating experiment results. Extensions of the VITAL display technology through two additional variants and other applications’ perspectives are also discussed.

Advanced Display Concepts for Uav Sensor Operations: Landmark Cues and Picture-in-Picture

UAV video imagery quality can be compromised by narrow field-of-view, environmental conditions, bandwidth limitations, or a highly cluttered scene. Advanced display concepts (e.g., synthetic vision) can potentially ameliorate video characteristics and enhance UAV operations. This study evaluated three display concepts for improving UAV sensor operator situation awareness: virtual flags overlaid on landmarks, a synthetically-generated imagery border (picture-in-picture), and a display-fixed spatial orientation symbol. Sixteen participants searched for ground landmarks using a UAV-mounted gimbaled camera simulation. Results indicated that the display concepts show promise for improving UAV operations. In particular, virtual flags reduced landmark search times by 40–58%. Although the picture-in-picture concept did not improve performance, comments suggest an alternative instantiation of the concept will improve utility.

Improving spatial awareness in the aircraft cockpit: partially supporting evidence for the concept of scene-linking

Flying an aircraft is an often targeted domain for the study of skilled human performance in general and for applied problems of spatial cognition in particular. The flight-deck crew’s spatial awareness is mainly informed by the outside view and the primary flight instruments (PFI) with the latter becoming the sole source of spatial information in low-visibility weather conditions. The transparent and collimated head-up display (HUD) and the 3-D perspective pathway-in-the-sky representation format are two well-studied innovative display concepts with proven evidence of promoting improved spatial awareness of pilots. However, there is also evidence that both display concepts are associated with a sub-optimal distribution of the pilot’s visual attention resources between PFI and outside view. In case of the HUD, a delayed or even missing detection of unanticipated events in the outside view has been found. This deficiency has been attributed to attention fixation to the HUD triggered by the presence of differential motion between the static near domain PFI and the dynamic far domain outside world. A pathway-induced attention fixation to head-down views, likewise occurring at the expense of event detection in the outside, has been attributed to the very compelling character of the pathway attracting an undue amount of the pilot’s attention resources. These findings raise the question whether a combined pathway-HUD amplifies attention fixation problems with the effect of potentially offsetting the independent and conclusively established benefits of both display concepts. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that HUD symbology that is presented scene-linked, thus moves as virtual instrument gauges in the outside scene can promote a better distribution of attention between both visual domains. Such an advantage has been substantiated in simulated aircraft operation on the airport surface where a pathway of runway route markers was overlaid to the existing runway edges. We developed a part-task simulation to investigate an airborne application of this concept using the pathway-in-the-sky as an outside-world referent for the projection of virtual PFI in the world. Experienced pilots (N = 14) flew a series of low-altitude curved trajectories through mountainous terrain and had to detect display events (discrete changes in a command speed indicator to be matched with current speed) and outside scene events (hostile SAM stations on ground). The speed indicator was either superimposed with a fixed HUD-location or attached to the pathway, thus underwent the same visual transformation as the object elements of the pathway during the dynamics of the flight. Outside scene event detection was superior using PFI with a scene-linked HUD location as compared to a fixed-HUD location, however, flight-path tracking was markedly deteriorated. Reasons for and means to cope with this performance trade-off will be discussed.

New Photovoltaic Concept: Liquid‐Crystal Solar Cells Using a Nematic Gel Template

Liquid-crystal (LC) gels are normally used as insulating, scattering media in LC displays. Organic solar cells generate electrical power by the separation of photocreated electrons and holes at the interface between electron-donating and electron-accepting organic semiconductors. We combine these two technologies to create a new type of plastic solar cell. The efficiency of solar cells can be improved by enlarging the interface area to maximize charge separation and by vertically separating the two materials to provide different paths for electrons and holes to the electrodes. We use a new electron-donating, visible-light absorbing, LC gel to form a surface with nanometer-sized grooves with a large interface area to an overlying electron-accepting layer. This forms a photovoltaic cell, which exhibits a monochromatic power conversion efficiency of 0.6 % at an incident intensity of 45 mW cm. Improvements will provide low-cost, robust solar cells compatible with plastic electronics and roll-to-roll processing. Most organic photovoltaics use either main-chain conjugated polymers, often in conjunction with fullerenes, or low-molecular-weight glasses, achieving power-conversion efficiencies up to 4.2 %. Charge separation is achieved in solar cells by ionization of the photogenerated exciton at a heterointerface between electron-donating material with a low ionization potential (IP) and electron-accepting species with a high electron affinity (EA). The diffusion length of the exciton before recombination is of the order of 100–200 A, so that distributed, rather than planar, heterointerfaces have been used to maximize charge separation. These have been formed by phase-separated blends of electron-donating and electronaccepting organic materials. The bulk-distributed heterojunctions are formed randomly and do not guarantee a continuous pathway for charge carriers to the electrodes. The required vertical segregation of the blend materials can be obtained by surface treatment or in diffuse bilayer photovoltaics. A blend of an electron-donating columnar LC, hexabenzocoronene, and an electron-accepting perylene dye vertically segregates spontaneously to give an efficient photovoltaic effect. Unfortunately, the spatial scale of the phase separation cannot be controlled reproducibly in these devices. Another problem for phase-separated configurations is poor stability of the domain size lowering the device efficiency. To date the photovoltaic effect has only been demonstrated with calamitic LCs via an ionic mechanism, although electronic photoconductivity has been well researched. Polymerizable LCs, with two polymerizable groups attached through flexible aliphatic spacers to an aromatic core, are attracting interest as organic semiconductors for electroluminescence and organic transistors. Their advantages include spontaneous self-assembly, relatively high charge mobility (1 × 10 cm V s), easy deposition by spin-coating or ink-jet printing and lithographic photopatterning to form multilayer polymer networks. We now report the use of reactive mesogens in a novel way to demonstrate a new approach to photovoltaics. Liquid-crystalline gels are formed from a homogeneous mixture of a reactive mesogen and a non-polymerizable LC. Polymerization results in controlled phase separation of the two components and the formation of a polymer network matrix around the nematic droplets. To date, transparent LC gels have typically been used in direct-view reflective displays, switchable polarizers, directional reflectors, and so forth. Polymerization-induced phase separation of a homogeneous mixture of a LC and a polymer-forming material brings the concept of a paintable display closer. A key step in our new approach is the use of mixtures of hole-transporting reactive mesogens with a low IP and analogous LCs with the same aromatic core to form an electron-donating LC gel. An ideal LC composite photovoltaic is illustrated in Figure 1. It has a vertically separated, large-area interface between electron-donating and electron-accepting layers providing complete pathways for transport of holes and electrons. An electron-blocking polymer network of the electron-donating reactive mesogen is deposited first on an electrode surface by spin-coating from solution and then crosslinking in order to provide a high open circuit. A mixture of the same electron-donating reactive mesogen and the corresponding non-polymerizable analogue are then deposited in a similar C O M M U N IC A TI O N S

Photoaligned Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Passive Matrix Display with Memorized Gray Scale

A new concept of a passive matrix ferroelectric liquid crystal display (FLCD) with a memorized gray scale is proposed. The physical origin of the gray scale in ferroelectric liquid crystal displays is considered. The criterion of reliable bistability is derived depending on the FLC hysteretic behavior in an electric field. The frequency and temperature dependences of the FLC hysteretic loop are discussed. A new approach for multiplex electronic addressing of the FLCD gray scale is given. A passively addressed 64×64 FLCD based on the photoalignment technique is developed. New applications of passively addressed FLCDs with a memorized gray scale are envisaged.

Lighting sensitive display

Although display devices have been used for decades, they have functioned without taking into account the illumination of their environment. We present the concept of a lighting sensitive display (LSD)---a display that measures the incident illumination and modifies its content accordingly. An ideal LSD would be able to measure the 4D illumination field incident upon it and generate a 4D light field in response to the illumination. However, current sensing and display technologies do not allow for such an ideal implementation. Our initial LSD prototype uses a 2D measurement of the illumination field and produces a 2D image in response to it. In particular, it renders a 3D scene such that it always appears to be lit by the real environment that the display resides in. The current system is designed to perform best when the light sources in the environment are distant from the display, and a single user in a known location views the display. The displayed scene is represented by compressing a very large set of images (acquired or rendered) of the scene that correspond to different lighting conditions. The compression algorithm is a lossy one that exploits not only image correlations over the illumination dimensions but also coherences over the spatial dimensions of the image. This results in a highly compressed representation of the original image set. This representation enables us to achieve high quality relighting of the scene in real time. Our prototype LSD can render 640 × 480 images of scenes under complex and varying illuminations at 15 frames per second using a 2 GHz processor. We conclude with a discussion on the limitations of the current implementation and potential areas for future research.

Experimental Investigation of Predictive Probabilistic and Temporal Conflict Avoidance Displays

Inferring the future intentions and courses of aircraft or ships at various points in time can be problematic for traffic controllers. In this paper, a new graphical display concept is presented, comprising predictive information about the times, locations, and probabilities of potential traffic conflicts. Twelve participants engaged in a ship control conflict avoidance task. Results indicate that during the first block of experimental trials participants used significantly fewer manoeuvres to resolve potential conflicts and did so with better overall scores when using the new graphical display, as compared to the conventional format. However, during the second and third blocks of trials, performance did not significantly differ as a function of display condition. Nevertheless, subjective ratings strongly indicated participants' preferences for the new graphical format, suggesting that the new display format offers potential performance benefits for controllers of air and ship traffic.

Development of active‐matrix electronic‐ink displays for handheld devices

Abstract— Interest in the use of electrophoretic displays for smart handheld applications has grown tremendously over the past few years. Since the launch of the Philips and E Ink joint development effort in February 2001, material parameters, TFT backplane, electronic hardware and software and modulization skills have been developed to make this promising display concept into a real product. The first commercial launch of active‐matrix electronic‐ink display modules is planned for mid 2004.

The Efficacy of Head-Downand Head-Up Synthetic Vision Display Concepts for Retro- and Forward-Fit of Commercial Aircraft

The retrofit question concerns whether useful and effective synthetic vision displays are usable in aircraft that have limited-size display spaces. Two experiments were conducted to examine the efficacy of these displays and develop field-of-view and terrain texture recommendations for design. The first experiment examined issues of field of view and display size using an Asheville, North Carolina, synthetic vision database and fixed-based simulator. The second experiment was conducted on the NASA B-757 aircraft at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and investigated the efficacy of both head-down and head-up displays and generic and photorealistic terrain texture. Both experiments confirmed the retrofit capability and that all sizes and texturing methods were found to be viable candidates for synthetic vision displays. These results, future directions, and implications for meeting national aeronautic safety and capacity goals are discussed.

Experimental Investigation of Predictive Probabilistic and Temporal Conflict Avoidance Displays

Numerous automated systems are currently in use to assist controllers during air and naval traffic management. However, inferring the future intentions and courses of numerous aircraft or ships at various points in time remains problematic due to a variety of control disturbances. In this paper, a new graphical display concept was evaluated. This display concept provides predictive information about the time, location, and probability of potential traffic conflicts in the form of topological contour displays that were superimposed onto conventional traffic information. Performances on two formats of the new graphical display were compared to a conventional display that does not present predictive traffic information. Participants in the study engaged in a ship control collision avoidance task by performing a series of ship manoeuvres to minimize the danger levels of potential collisions. Although the results of the study are pending, it is hypothesized that the new graphical displays will assist participants in making improved manoeuvring decisions to avoid potential conflicts compared to the conventional display.

The Effectiveness of Various Attitude Indicator Display Sizes and Extended Horizon Lines on Attitude Maintenance in a Part-Task Simulation

Spatial disorientation (SD) is a constant contributing factor to the rate of fatal aviation accidents. SD occurs as a result of perceptual errors that can be attributed in part to the inefficient presentation of synthetic orientation cues via the attitude indicator when external visual conditions are poor. Improvements in the design of the attitude indicator may help to eliminate instrumentation as a factor in the onset of SD. The goal of the present study was to explore several display concepts that may contribute to an improved attitude display. Specifically, the effectiveness of various display sizes, some that are used in current and some that are anticipated in future attitude displays that may incorporate Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) concepts, was assessed. In addition, a concept known as an extended horizon line or Malcolm Horizon (MH) was applied and evaluated. Paired with the MH, the novel concept of a fixed reference line representing the central horizontal plane of the aircraft was also tested. Subjects' performance on an attitude control task and secondary math workload task was measured across the various display sizes and conditions. The results, with regard to display size, confirmed the “bigger is better” concept, yielding better performance with the larger display sizes. A clear and significant improvement in attitude task performance was found with the addition of the extended horizon line. The extended or MH seemed to equalize attitude performance across display sizes, even for a central or foveal display as small as three inches in width.

Tele-Assembly and -Disassembly in Real and Virtual Environments - Concepts, Systems and Applications

This paper discusses novel concepts, components and systems supporting human operators in tele-assembly and -disassembly tasks, both in real remote or virtual environments. For increasing task performance the introduction of telepresence techniques such as multimodal feedback and an appropriate display of information to the operator is proposed. Approaches focused in this article consider those human senses or modalities most relevant for execution of assembly tasks, i.e. vision, audition and haptics. For enhancement of visual and auditory feedback to the human operator a novel interactive stereo vision and audition setup is presented. Some guidelines for the interconnection of appropriate haptic display components are proposed for generation of high-fidelity haptic feedback from the task environment at the operator's hand and fingers. The paper outlines also details of developed system components supporting the proposed display concepts. Usability and effectiveness of the developed components and systems are demonstrated by focusing various standard and non-standard assembly/disassembly tasks, both in real remote and virtual environments.

From Analysis to Design: Wda for the Petrochemical Industry

When developing ecological displays for a large project, having consistent techniques for analysis and design are very important. This paper reports on six techniques that were used on a project for Syncrude Canada. The project used work domain analysis to develop ecological display concepts. At various points in the project, a total of eight analyst designers were involved. The six techniques reported here were used to maintain consistent results across the design team and to provide a systematic approach to move from a work domain analysis to a design on a large safety-critical project.

Patterned Alignment of Liquid Crystals on Selectively Thiol‐Functionalized Photo‐Orientation Layers

The patterned alignment of liquid crystals is demonstrated on selectively thiol‐functionalized photo‐orientation layers (see cover). Deposited thiols are covalently bound to unsaturated linkages in linearly photo‐polarizable materials, facilitating the simple and versatile combination of a bi‐directionally planar and a homeotropic alignment of liquid crystals within a single substrate (e.g., in Figure). This opens new possibilities for the design, manufacture, and application of existing and novel display concepts.

13.2: Development of Active Matrix Electronic Ink Displays for Handheld Devices

AbstractInterest in the use of electrophoretic displays for smart handheld applications has grown tremendously over the past few years. Since the launch of the Philips and E Ink joint development effort in February 2001, material parameters, TFT backplane, electronic hard‐ and software and modulisation skills have been developed to make this promising display concept into a real product and to build working commercial prototypes.

Testbed for Evaluating Tactical Situation Awareness and Decision Making

The next generation cruise missile, the Tactical Tomahawk, improves upon current versions by its ability to be retargeted in flight against targets of opportunity. We have developed a testbed for evaluating alternative display concepts and decision support features on the effect of an operator's ability to maintain situation awareness and make appropriate time-critical decisions. This user interface design was based on an analysis of critical operator tasks, and the concepts of representation aiding and limited workspace management. The testbed was developed with Macromedia Director, allowing it to be run cross-platform (Windows, Macintosh, and the Internet). One set of studies has been conducted so far with this system, to compare alternative display features on the effect of subject situation awareness and decision making.