Resarch On Evaluation Method Of Cockpit View Ergonomic Design For Transport Category Airplanes

Human factors were concerned more and more in the design process of flight deck because of the crew centered flight deck design philosophy. The ergonomic evaluation of the design of flight deck was an effective way to prevent the crew’s incorrect operation. To make a better ergonomic evaluation of the external and internal vision of the flight deck in an early stage, an evaluation method for the comprehensive layout of the flight deck’s vision, the main instrument panel and the flight instruments were studied. It may be summarized as follows:(1) By analyzing Airworthiness standards, Advise Circular and SAE standards about the pilot compartment view, the main instrument panel and the flight instruments, the crucial design requirements were confirmed. And requirements about visual characteristics and viewing zone were studied. On the basis of the above research, an ergonomic evaluation index system of the flight deck visibility was established.(2) A three-dimensional cockpit model was built in the CATIA virtual environment by measuring the main parts of a flight simulator. By studying the CATIA secondary development technology, a measurement program of the pilot compartment view was made and it could be applied into the airworthiness compliance demonstration and ergonomic evaluation of the pilot compartment view. The program’s usability was showed in an example of the compartment view’s measurement and airworthiness compliance demonstration.(3) To study the ergonomic layout design of the instrument panel’s position, the methods of qualitative analysis(visibility analysis) and quantitative analysis(the virtual simulation of pilot’s sight) were studied. Besides, we conducted an eye movement experiment to evaluate the instrument layout design based on three different models of aircrafts. After we analyzed the eye movement data, two conclusions were found. Firstly,the effects of the flight instrument layout were insignificant to the fixation duration and locations of fixations in the same simulation flight task. Secondly the effect of the length of scan path was significant, and the measurement was LengthBoeing 737-800<Length Boeing737-300<LengthCressna 172.(4) The ergonomic evaluation index system of the flight deck visibility was improved on the basis of the above research. Considering the characteristics of the flight deck visibility ergonomic evaluation, the multi-level theory of extension was adopted. And a new method of evaluating the flight deck visibility during the stage of conceptual was developed.The early layout design of one type of civil transport was calculated and analyzed as an example. The result showed that the new method was applicable to the ergonomic evaluation of the comprehensive layout of the pilot compartment view, the main instrument panel and the main flight instrument.