Determination of a Gain-Function Relating Control Force to Cursor Velocity

Abstract

F-14D fighter pilots will have the capability to use cursor control to designate symbols and pushbutton legends on multifunction displays (MFD). Since operators often will be required to slew and designate a target symbol or pushbutton legend in diverse environments, it is important to determine a control system gain, the relationship between response magnitude (in this case, force) and amount of cursor movement or velocity, that will enhance performance during slewing/designate tasks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate six different gain-functions analyzing speed, accuracy, and subjective comments, to determine an optimal gain-function relating control force to cursor velocity. Trend indicated that Gain-function 1, the gain-function with the lowest mean pixel error and fastest mean acquisition time, would be the best gain-function to use in the F-14D aircraft.

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