Helmet-mounted displays

A White Paper By: Lockheed Martin An Overview of The F-35 Cockpit

http://www.sldinfo.com/whitepapers/an-o ... all-about/

"...Currently, the helmet is working well but with any new technology there are developmental challenges. Mitigation pathways for the issues facing the helmet have been developed and are being implemented. The fact is that the helmet is already in use and the reviews from the pilots are overwhelmingly positive. One pilot went so far as to say, “I could fly the whole mission with a helmet bag over the top of my head and just look through the sensors and fly the airplane safely.”

Another pilot recently stated, “I wouldn’t go back to a fixed HUD (Head-Up Display). It is clear that the potential of the helmet and what it’s going to be able to do for the war fighter is overwhelmingly positive and I would never want to go back."..."


Graphic from the .PPTX file at:
http://www.slideshare.net/robbinlaird/t ... t/download

That's what I call HOBS... over the shoulder AAM launch

So how dumbed down are those graphics from the real thing?

This is the HMDS which is simple so as to not confuse the pilot, HMDS shows only vital info. A previous entry describes some of it here [also repleated on another thread: http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNph ... elm#203571]:

http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopi ... t-150.html

This Thread Page entry replicated here below:

Helm

http://www.f35netherlands.nl/f-35-technische-data/helm/

"...“We’ve taken pieces that are essential for combat operations, such as targeting information, crucial flight measurements, and night vision capability, and merged them into the helmet to give the pilots more complete situational awareness.”

The helmet-mounted display system, or HMDS, displays head-steerable symbology, meaning the pilot’s line of sight dictates the content that appears on the visor. As soon as, or even before, a pilot sees another aircraft in the distance, the system projects a marker on the visor to locate, identify, and track the aircraft. If the designated aircraft is determined to be hostile, the pilot can use the targeting info to cue weapons—without looking down at the cockpit displays and while pulling g’s.

“No matter where pilots look, they have all the flight information right in front of their eyes,” says Dave Perkins, lead engineer of HMDS integration. “The helmet displays airspeed, altitude, rate of climb, and the aiming information for all the weapons. The helmet even displays all the information needed should something go wrong. For example, it provides an alert and directs the pilot’s attention if there’s something nasty coming from the nose of the airplane while the pilot is looking somewhere else.”...
&
"...For the display to correlate with what direction the pilot is looking, a magnetic field in the cockpit senses the direction the helmet is pointing. A transmitter on the seat emits the field while a receiver on the helmet reads the magnetic flux as it moves in that field. “Most HMD systems require pilots to go through an alignment process before each flight,” explains Beesley. “They may have to realign the system several times during a flight because the systems can drift. This magnetic tracking system makes all the corrections itself, so that we pilots never have to adjust the alignment.”...
&
"...“At first we keep things easy because the helmet is new,” he says of the training process. “Pilots train some with the HMD in the simulator, but it falls short of what it’s like to really fly. One of the best testimonies I’ve heard is that, after they’ve flown for a while, pilots forget they’re flying with the symbols on their heads.”
_______________

‘Such A Capable Helmet’ July 1, 2010 [same article referred to on this thread: http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNph ... le#205993]

http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/issue/c ... 68788.html

"...(HMDS) that superimposes flight and target symbology on the view seen through the pilot’s helmet visor. This virtual Head-Up Display slews sensors and weapons to pilot head movements, and it enables the wearer to de-clutter the picture and zoom into targets with hands on sidestick and throttle."... [and voice commands]
&
"...Target analysis and designation are done largely on the cockpit display...."
&
"...In production fighters, the pilot will see symbology created by Lockheed Martin. “Those same symbols that he sees in the cockpit are replicated in front of his face,” said Brugal.

Without the color cues available on head-down displays, Lockheed Martin engineers flag items with flashing, cross-hatching and other man-machine interface tricks...."
&
"...In contrast to the monocular JHMCS, the binocular HMDS covers a 30 by 40 degree field of view and supplements projected day and night video with raster-like symbology. The field of view is determined by packaging tradeoffs. “You have a limited amount of space available on the pilot’s head,” Brugal said. “You can only displace those projectors so many degrees. Displace them farther, and the helmet gets very wide and causes interference.”...

...The pilot can turn EO DAS helmet imagery on or off and stabilize the image at a given point to look away, study targets on the head-down display and return to the head-up scene. The HMDS also cues the pilot to air and ground threats outside the immediate field of view...."

"...AN/APG-81 radar generates HMDS cues for the pilot in combat. The high-resolution radar with Ground Moving Target Indicator functions zooms into ground targets or tracks and prioritizes targets in the air. “It’s really a target designator, whether it be an air-to-air target or a designated point on the ground. Any of that stuff can be put on that symbology on the HUD. You have an arrow pointing to that target in space,”...

I didn't realize that the HMDS is monochromatic.

SLDinfo has got to be one of the most weirdly designed websites. IMHO. Found this extra info in the WHITE PAPER section here:

The F-35 Cockpit: Enabling the Pilot as a Tactical Decision Maker
Dr. Michael L. Skaff created this briefing. Skaff described his background in a recent interview as follows: I was an F-16 pilot out of the Air Force Academy. I was prior enlisted, and I’ve been with Lockheed Martin for about 23 years working on the F-35 cockpit since ’95. I flew out of MacDill, Shaw, and Luke during the Cold War. For a full discussion with Skaff regarding the baseline F-35 please see:
[http://www.sldinfo.com/understanding-the-basic-f-35-what-is-in-the-baseline-aircraft/]

http://www.sldinfo.com/whitepapers/the- ... ion-maker/

End of page quote below is about the last two graphics as seen above (13th & 14th slides).

"...The HMD with vHUD opens the view into over 41000 square degrees. This is the full sphere surrounding the aircraft.

The thirteenth slide provides an example of the vHUD when the pilot looks directly forward where a physical HUD would be. F-35 pilots report that in about 10 minutes they become accustomed to the vHUD. The pilots recognize the potential improvements in lethality and survivability of the HMD.

The final slide provides an example of off axis symbology. In general, Lockheed only take key flight parameters and tactical symbology off axis. In the future Lockheed will investigate off axis attitude awareness symbology. The mil standards don’t yet address HMDs and off axis symbolgy. Lockheed will work with the Services to improve and update The standard as well as the HMD symbology."

Salute!

TNX for the graphics, Spaz.

The "virtual" HUD when looking forward is interesting for a few reasons.

- Notice no "tapes" for altitude and speed, just digital readouts.

- Vertical velocity seems to be a "tape" on right side, with an indication of radar alt besides baro

- De-clutter on some data might be in order, but field-of-view is so great that it may not be a biggie.

- Note that when not looking forward ( where the jet's velocity vector is) much of the data is de-cluttered. This is prolly for tgt/theat acquisition and such

I see much of the Viper approach we had after first few sfwe changes.

Would love to see the "look thru the floor" view for the Bee when landing. Pilots at Eglin said it was one of the best displays ever.

Gums sends...

Some people have e-mailed about problems with the .PPTX file so here is a 'best quality' PDF recreation of that .PPTX. 'thef-35cockpitapproach-120417081628-phpapp01.pdf'

- Notice no "tapes" for altitude and speed, just digital readouts.

- Vertical velocity seems to be a "tape" on right side, with an indication of radar alt besides baro

- De-clutter on some data might be in order, but field-of-view is so great that it may not be a biggie.

Vertical velocity is the number just above the RADALT (with the [-] sign in front). Tape is a weapons envelope.

I wonder: do these helmets have some kind of angle distortion in them so that the pilot can still see the information from the angles that he physically can't turn his head to face? I may be underestimating their flexibility in the cockpit, but I have a hard time imagining a pilot pointing his helmet directly aft, particularly angled downward.

You'd expect a button that reverses the view. Increasing the sensitivity could be a bad thing.

Wouldn't want the button to get stuck tho.

Why would you want to display something other that aspect-specific info in the HMD?

Anything else should go to the main display so as not to disorient the pilot.

'Hit Me with your Rhythm Stick' (by Ian Dury and the Blockheads)

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Sidestick Grip P/N 9021490300-7

http://essexindustries.com/aero-defense ... iew?nid=60

"The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Sidestick Grip, along with the throttle grip, is the main pilot/aircraft interface for flight, avionics and armament systems. Manufactured from precision cast aluminum, this grip is resistant to environmental and structural conditions per MILSTD-810. In addition to an adjustable palm rest, the stick grip contains a variety of single and multi-function switch assemblies for pitch/roll trim, display management, aerial refueling, nosewheel steering, autopilot override, weapon select, air-to-ground weapon release, gun and air-to-air weapon release."

http://essexindustries.com/sites/defaul ... rols_1.pdf (0.35Mb)

Compilation View made from Photos at above webpage.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Throttle Grip P/N 9021490400-1

http://essexindustries.com/aero-defense ... iew?nid=59

"The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Throttle Grip is machined from a high-strength aluminum alloy casting. It contains a transducer, optical encoder and several single and multi-function switches. In addition to engine power control, these features allow for display cursor control, menu scroll/select, speed brakes, countermeasures, communications and weapons system functions. Along with the stick grip, Essex conducted a comprehensive qualification program for the F-35, including full environmentals, vibration, shock and EMI testing."

I can foresee the primary reason for VA disability claims from retired F-35 drivers being carpal tunnel related.

(not withstanding an occasional ED claim)