Interface Requirements Research Articles

テレビ視聴の態度・価値観とヒューマンインタフェースの要件 : ヒューマン・コンテンツ・インタフェースデザインに向けて

テレビ視聴の態度・価値観とヒューマンインタフェースの要件 : ヒューマン・コンテンツ・インタフェースデザインに向けて

Tailoring a ConOps for NASA LSP Integrated Operations

AbstractAn integral part of the Systems Engineering process is the creation of a Concept of Operations (ConOps) for a given system, with the ConOps initially established early in the system design process and evolved as the system definition and design matures. As Integration Engineers in NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), our job is to manage the interface requirements for all the robotic space missions that come to our Program for a Launch Service. LSP procures and manages a launch service from one of our many commercial Launch Vehicle Contractors (LVCs) and these commercial companies are then responsible for developing the Interface Control Document (ICD), the verification of the requirements in that document, and all the services pertaining to integrating the spacecraft and launching it into orbit. However, one of the systems engineering tools that have not been employed within LSP to date is a Concept of Operations. The goal of this paper is to research the format and content that goes into these various aerospace industry ConOps and tailor the format and content into template form, so the template may be used as an engineering tool for spacecraft integration with future LSP procured launch services. This tailoring effort was performed as the author's final Masters Project in the Spring of 2016 for the Stevens Institute of Technology and modified for publication with INCOSE (Owens, 2016).

Integration of EPICS based monitoring for ion cyclotron high voltage power supply

A Dual output (27kV & 15kV), 3MW Ion Cyclotron High Voltage Power Supply (IC-HVPS) has been installed and integrated with a Diacrode based RF source to be used for ICRF (Ion Cyclotron RF) system. The IC-HVPS Controller is based on LabVIEW Real-time PXI controller, which supports all control and monitoring operations of the PSM based power supply. The controller supports all essential features like, fast dynamics, low ripple and protection for source and loads.EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control Systems) is an open source software widely accepted in scientific community as supervisory distributed control system including CODAC (Control, Data Access and Communication) for ITER. However interface with LabVIEW RT systems is not fully mature yet.Evolving interface requirements of platforms like EPICS with IC-HVPS control has been assessed and implemented for monitoring purpose. A test case was implemented to identify compatibility, feasibility, consistency and performance of EPICS server with Input Output Controller (IOCs) implemented in Real-time controller. This paper discusses integration of EPICS IOCs and LabVIEW based Real-time Controller along with an analysis on limitations imposed by such integration.

5G transport network requirements for the next generation fronthaul interface

To meet the requirements of 5G mobile networks, several radio access technologies, such as millimeter wave communications and massive MIMO, are being proposed. In addition, cloud radio access network (C-RAN) architectures are considered instrumental to fully exploit the capabilities of future 5G RANs. However, RAN centralization imposes stringent requirements on the transport network, which today are addressed with purpose-specific and expensive fronthaul links. As the demands on future access networks rise, so will the challenges in the fronthaul and backhaul segments. It is hence of fundamental importance to consider the design of transport networks alongside the definition of future access technologies to avoid the transport becoming a bottleneck. Therefore, we analyze in this work the impact that future RAN technologies will have on the transport network and on the design of the next generation fronthaul interface. To understand the especially important impact of varying user traffic, we utilize measurements from a real-world 4G network and, taking target 5G performance figures into account, extrapolate its statistics to a 5G scenario. With this, we derive both per-cell and aggregated data rate requirements for 5G transport networks. In addition, we show that the effect of statistical multiplexing is an important factor to reduce transport network capacity requirements and costs. Based on our investigations, we provide guidelines for the development of the 5G transport network architecture.

Development of a Local Air Surveillance System for Security Purposes: Design and Core Characteristics

Unmanned aerial systems represent a considerable threat to human beings and to infrastructure. Often civil drones are simply used for leisure activities and fun, but the potential usage within criminal acts and even possible terrorist attacks is increasingly being picked up on by the public and media. There is an urgent need for an air surveillance system to support the work of the police, military and other security task forces. This article describes a study performed at the German Aerospace Center, which shows a way towards such a local air surveillance system in demand. Many aspects of the system have been addressed, including different scenarios, possible user requirements, a variety of sensors and the subsequent signal processing and potential data fusion. Two sensors, an optical and a radar one, will be introduced in more detail, followed by the definition of the core unit of the surveillance architecture, the so-called central system. It connects several sensors that are appropriate to a surveillance mission, and gathers as well as provides the necessary information to the users. Furthermore, it allows the control of sensors and signal processing by the operator. The study presents the variety of crucial technical aspects and details which have to be considered and evaluated for developing purposes. It serves also as a basis for the definition of a final air surveillance system, and for the derivation of development requirements for sensors, data handling and user interface.

Improving data workflow systems with cloud services and use of open data for bioinformatics research.

Data workflow systems (DWFSs) enable bioinformatics researchers to combine components for data access and data analytics, and to share the final data analytics approach with their collaborators. Increasingly, such systems have to cope with large-scale data, such as full genomes (about 200 GB each), public fact repositories (about 100 TB of data) and 3D imaging data at even larger scales. As moving the data becomes cumbersome, the DWFS needs to embed its processes into a cloud infrastructure, where the data are already hosted. As the standardized public data play an increasingly important role, the DWFS needs to comply with Semantic Web technologies. This advancement to DWFS would reduce overhead costs and accelerate the progress in bioinformatics research based on large-scale data and public resources, as researchers would require less specialized IT knowledge for the implementation. Furthermore, the high data growth rates in bioinformatics research drive the demand for parallel and distributed computing, which then imposes a need for scalability and high-throughput capabilities onto the DWFS. As a result, requirements for data sharing and access to public knowledge bases suggest that compliance of the DWFS with Semantic Web standards is necessary. In this article, we will analyze the existing DWFS with regard to their capabilities toward public open data use as well as large-scale computational and human interface requirements. We untangle the parameters for selecting a preferable solution for bioinformatics research with particular consideration to using cloud services and Semantic Web technologies. Our analysis leads to research guidelines and recommendations toward the development of future DWFS for the bioinformatics research community.

Progress in EU-DEMO in-vessel components integration

In the EU DEMO design (Romanelli, 2012; Federici et al., 2014), due to the large number of complex systems inside the tokamak vessel it is of vital importance to address the in-vessel integration at an early stage in the design process. In the EU DEMO design, after a first phase in which the different systems have been developed independently based on the defined baseline DEMO configuration, an effort has been made to define the interface requirements and to propose the strategies for the mechanical integration of the auxiliary heating and fuelling systems into the Vacuum Vessel and the Breeding Blanket. This work presents the options studied, the engineering solutions proposed, and the issues highlighted for the mechanical in-vessel integration of the DEMO fuelling lines, auxiliaries heating systems, and diagnostics.

Haptics of in-car radio buttons and its relationship with engineering parameters

The interaction with in-car interfaces is becoming complex and multidimensional due to the addition of more and more technologies and functionalities, which can have a negative impact on driving safety. The hand exploratory behavior of in-car interfaces has been studied aiming to minimize the mental overload of the driver when looking for radio functions. Also, the subjective and emotional values associated with the interface have been considered. However, the identification and translation of these needs into design specifications is problematic. The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of these issues by studying the relationships between users' preferences and engineering parameters of in-car radio buttons and, on the other hand, the identification of the more important engineering parameters for a better definition of the in-car interface requirements. The research was done based on an empirical study and the analysis combined exploratory statistics of preference ratings and qualitative content analysis, with partial least squares regressions and artificial neural networks to link the preferences with the buttons’ engineering parameters. Relevance to industryThis paper proposes a set of haptic engineering parameters for in-car interface buttons in order to help the manufacturers and their clients to better define interface requirements related to subjective needs of the user, and so, with a positive impact on product development costs and delays. The developed methodology can be also used in other products.

Systems engineering approach for pre-conceptual design of DEMO divertor cassette

This paper presents the pre-conceptual design activities conducted for the European DEMO divertor, focusing on cassette design and Plasma Facing Components (PFC) integration. Following the systems engineering principles, a systematic design method, the Iterative and Participative Axiomatic Design Process (IPADeP), has been adopted. Basing on Axiomatic Design, IPADeP supports the early conceptual design of complex systems. The work moved from the geometrical and interface constraints imposed by the 2015 DEMO configuration model. Then, since different materials will be used for cassette and PFCs, the divertor geometry has been developed taking into account the cooling parameters of the cassette Eurofer steel and the integration of PFCs cooling system. Accordingly, the design process led to a double wall cassette structure with internal reinforcing ribs to withstand cassette coolant pressure and three different kinds of piping schemes for PFCs with dual circuits. These three solutions differs in the feeding pipes layouts and target manifold protection and they have been proposed and evaluated considering heat flux issues, shielding problems, interface requirements with blanket and vacuum vessel and remote maintenance needs. A cassette parametric shell model has been used to perform first structural analyses of the cassette body against coolant pressure. Taking advantages of the parametric surface modelling and its linkage with Finite Element (FE) code, the cassette ribs layout and thickness has been evaluated and optimized, considering at the same time the structural strength needed to withstand the coolant parameters and the maximum stiffness required for cassette preloading and locking needs.

Towards An Application Architecture For A Smart Online Service Network Platform For The Elderly

Online Social and Service Network Platforms for supporting elderly people with respect to their health and well-being have been discussed on the conceptual level by various authors. Here, in particular the so-called transition age between 55 and 75 is important and therefore has also been addressed, e.g. with respect to user interface (UI) requirements. As a logical next step, in this paper an application architecture for such a kind of online service network platform is proposed, designed consequently using state-of-the-art concepts like server-side JavaScript, NoSQL databases and machine learning. Since only few studies about such kind of modern software architectures exist in the literature, this is a first step towards analyzing their implications for web application development.

A Case Study of Design and Usability Evaluation of the Collaborative Problem Solving Instructional Platform System

This study used Focus Group to analyze user requirements for user interface so as to understand what capabilities of the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) Instructional Platform were expected by users. After 12 focus group interviews, the following four functions had been identified as essential to the CPS Instructional Platform: CPS instructional models, instructional resources database, evaluation system, and instructional plan sharing. The user interface for the CPS Instructional Platform were designed accordingly. After programmers of the integrated project had completed system development based on the design, the study was proceeded usability evaluation of user interface of the CPS Instructional Platform. As for the satisfaction survey, 33 users were chosen based on purposive sampling. In the Likert Scale of five levels, the average score of this system was 4.1 by the testers. And, it indicated that most users were satisfied with the system user interface design and functions.

Design guidelines of storage class memory/flash hybrid solid-state drive considering system architecture, algorithm and workload characteristic

Solid-state drives (SSDs), composed of NAND flash memories, are replacing hard disk drives (HDDs) rapidly. In addition, storage class memories (SCMs) bridge the bandwidth gap between DRAM and NAND flash, thus introducing SCM to SSD further improves the solid storage performance. Different from schemes that use SCM to store file system metadata or logical to physical mapping tables, two architectures 1) use SCM as a write-back non-volatile memory (NVM) based cache, 2) use SCM as a storage device are presented in this paper. Since SCM chip latency varies due to memory device and circuit design, three SSD data management algorithms are evaluated under five SCM chip design scenarios to provide useful design guidelines of SCM/NAND flash hybrid SSD. SCM interface and capacity requirement are also analyzed. From the experimental results, less than 10% of the SCM/NAND flash capacity ratio is enough for SCM chips with 500 ns read and 5 μs write latency to boost NAND flash-only SSD speed by over 10 times when workloads own high IO skew1.

Safety framework and platform for functions of future automotive E/E systems

This paper proposes a new safety framework and platform for the functions of future electrical/electronic (E/E) systems. The framework aims to cope with the increasing complexity of the E/E systems, and to enhance their flexibility, but retain the safety properties and keep low engineering costs. A domain-specific meta-model is used to specify relevant aspects of the system such as component interface requirements and function descriptions. The meta-model is used in a tool that generates data structures, which are then used to configure the fault-management layer of the run-time environment. The fault-management layer preserves the safety properties of the system at run-time, by facilitating error detection and fault-handling mechanisms, and supporting controlled adaptation. By reusing already developed safety measures for different systems and functions, future development costs for non-functional qualities can be saved.

Interface Management for a NASA Flight Project using Model‐Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)

AbstractThe goal of interface management is to identify, define, control, and verify interfaces; ensure compatibility; provide an efficient system development; be on time and within budget; while meeting stakeholder requirements. This paper will present a successful seven‐step approach to interface management used in several prior NASA flight projects. The seven‐step approach using Model Based Systems Engineering will be illustrated by interface examples from the Materials International Space Station Experiment‐X (MISSE‐X) project. The MISSE‐X was being developed as an International Space Station (ISS) external platform for space environmental studies, designed to advance the technology readiness of materials and devices critical for future space exploration. Emphasis will be given to best practices covering key areas such as interface definition; writing good interface requirements; utilizing interface working groups; developing and controlling interface documents; handling interface agreements; the use of shadow documents; and the importance of interface requirement ownership, interface verification, and product transition.

Compact Dual Ion Composition Experiment for space plasmas—CoDICE

AbstractThe Compact Dual Ion Composition Experiment—CoDICE—simultaneously provides high‐quality plasma and energetic ion composition measurements over six decades in energy in a wide variety of space plasma environments. CoDICE measures two critical ion populations in space plasmas: (1) Elemental and charge state composition, and 3‐D velocity distributions of <10 eV/q–40 keV/q plasma ions; and (2) Elemental composition, energy spectra, and angular distributions of ∼30 keV–>10 MeV energetic ions. CoDICE uses a novel, integrated, common time‐of‐flight subsystem that provides several advantages over the commonly used separate plasma and energetic ion sensors currently flying on several space missions. These advantages include reduced mass and volume compared to two separate instruments, reduced shielding in high‐radiation environments, and simplified spacecraft interface and accommodation requirements. This paper describes the operation principles, electro‐optic simulation results and applies the CoDICE concept for measuring plasma and energetic ion populations in Jupiter's magnetosphere.

From Information Management to Information Visualization: Development of Radiology Dashboards.

The development and implementation of a dashboard of medical imaging department (MID) performance indicators. Several articles discussing performance measures of imaging departments were searched for this study. All the related measures were extracted. Then, a panel of imaging experts were asked to rate these measures with an open ended question to seek further potential indicators. A second round was performed to confirm the performance rating. The indicators and their ratings were then reviewed by an executive panel. Based on the final panel's rating, a list of indicators to be used was developed. A team of information technology consultants were asked to determine a set of user interface requirements for the building of the dashboard. In the first round, based on the panel's rating, a list of main features or requirements to be used was determined. Next, Qlikview was utilized to implement the dashboard to visualize a set of selected KPI metrics. Finally, an evaluation of the dashboard was performed. 92 MID indicators were identified. On top of this, 53 main user interface requirements to build of the prototype of dashboard were determined. Then, the project team successfully implemented a prototype of radiology management dashboards into study site. The visual display that was designed was rated highly by users. To develop a dashboard, management of information is essential. It is recommended that a quality map be designed for the MID. It can be used to specify the sequence of activities, their related indicators and required data for calculating these indicators. To achieve both an effective dashboard and a comprehensive view of operations, it is necessary to design a data warehouse for gathering data from a variety of systems. Utilizing interoperability standards for exchanging data among different systems can be also effective in this regard.

Network functions virtualization architecture for gateways for virtualized wireless sensor and actuator networks

Virtualization enables multiple applications to share the same wireless sensor and actuator network (WSAN). However, in heterogeneous environments, virtualized wireless sensor and actuator networks (VWSAN) raise new challenges, such as the need for on-the-fly, dynamic, elastic, and scalable provisioning of gateways. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is a paradigm emerging to help tackle these new challenges. It leverages standard virtualization technology to consolidate special-purpose network elements on commodity hardware. This article presents NFV architecture for VWSAN gateways, in which software instances of gateway modules are hosted in NFV infrastructure operated and managed by a VWSAN gateway provider. We consider several VWSAN providers, each with its own brand or combination of brands of sensors and actuators/robots. These sensors and actuators can be accessed by a variety of applications, each may have different interface and QoS (i.e., latency, throughput, etc.) requirements. The NFV infrastructure allows dynamic, elastic, and scalable deployment of gateway modules in this heterogeneous VWSAN environment. Furthermore, the proposed architecture is flexible enough to easily allow new sensors and actuators integration and new application domains accommodation. We present a prototype that is built using the OpenStack platform. Besides, the performance results are discussed

Ecological Design of Cooperative Human-Machine Interfaces for Safety of Intelligent Transport Systems

The paper describes research results in the domain of cooperative intelligent transport systems. The requirements for human-machine interface considering safety issue of for intelligent transport systems (ITS)are analyzed. Profiling of the requirements to cooperative human-machine interface (CHMI) for such systems including requirements to usability and safety is based on a set of standards for ITSs. An approach and design technique of cooperative human-machine interface for ITSs are suggested. The architecture of cloud-based CHMI for intelligent transport systems has been developed. The prototype of software system CHMI4ITSis described.

Overview of LLCB TBM design and R&D activities in India

The Lead-Lithium Ceramic Breeder Test Blanket Module (LLCB-TBM) is the Indian TBM representing the DEMO breeding blanket, to be installed in ITER radial port no-2 for testing in ITER. The conceptual design of LLCB TBM systems and their engineering design are under progress. The neutronic analysis and engineering design of LLCB TBM set (TBM+TBM Shield) is undergoing optimization. The LLCB TBS auxiliary systems; Helium cooling systems, Lead-Lithium Cooling System and Tritium Extraction Systems design are conceptualized and detail design is under progress. The system arrangements in port cell area, Tokamak Cooling Water System (TCWS) vault and Tritium building along with interface requirements have been worked out within the allocated space. LLCB TBS related R&D activities are under progress at Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar in association with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai and Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam. The major research and development areas are liquidmetal technologies, lithium ceramic pebbles, lead-lithium eutectic alloy, India specific Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic Steels (IN-RAFMS) development and fabrication technologies development. This paper will highlight the current LLCB TBM set and axillary systems design and status of R&D activities in various areas.

Technology Requirements for Wearable User Interface

Objective: The objective of this research is to investigate the fundamentals of human computer interaction for wearable computers and derive technology requirements.BR Background: A wearable computer can be worn anytime with the support of unrestricted communications and a variety of services which provide maximum capability of information use. Key challenges in developing such wearable computers are the level of comfort that users do not feel what they wear, and easy and intuitive user interface. The research presented in this paper examines user interfaces for wearable computers.BR Method: In this research, we have classified the wearable user interface technologies and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages from the user