Periodic Reporting for period 5 - LAPARTS (LArge Passenger Aircraft Reliable Touch Screen.)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-09-01 do 2023-09-30
The purpose of LAPARTS is to develop a Touch Screen Control Panel (TSCP) system that can host all functionalities currently hosted on the Overhead Control Panel (OCP). The OCP today consists of numerous electro-mechanical switches, buttons, knobs and annunciators connected with discrete wires to the aircraft systems. The current state of art of OCPs has several issues with ergonomic, economic and environmental implications.
The TSCP system will address these issues while hosting highly safety critical functions. The TSCP system will be compatible with up to catastrophic failure conditions and will secure the control chain from the touch sensor to the controlled system and back to the display.
At the end of the project, the conclusion of the action is:
During the disruptive cockpit phase, we succeeded in defining and developing an avionics display with dissimilar touchscreen technology.
This dissimilar technology allows to realize DAL A functions without the need of a secondary external control device (touchpad, track ball,…).
Such system for DAL A applications has been described and validated in a safety analysis.
The operation of the dissimilar touchscreen has been fin tuned and validated.
This dissimilar technology also allowed the definition of new HMIs. Such new HMIs have been developed taking the benefit of
the zero force touch technology for non-critical functions or where comfort of use is required (like for sliding, dragging or zooming functions).
The force sensitive touch technology for critical function or for validation functions.
These new HMIs have also been validated during the vibration test realized with test pilots.
These new HMIs have been developed according the newly defined Arinc661 part2 standard. An innovative approach has been taken in order to increase efficiency in its implementation by reducing the number of iterations and to provide more flexibility and freedom to the system or A/C manufacturer.
The TSCP system will address these issues while hosting highly safety critical functions. The TSCP system will be compatible with up to catastrophic failure conditions and will secure the control chain from the touch sensor to the controlled system and back to the display.
At the end of the project, the conclusion of the action is:
During the disruptive cockpit phase, we succeeded in defining and developing an avionics display with dissimilar touchscreen technology.
This dissimilar technology allows to realize DAL A functions without the need of a secondary external control device (touchpad, track ball,…).
Such system for DAL A applications has been described and validated in a safety analysis.
The operation of the dissimilar touchscreen has been fin tuned and validated.
This dissimilar technology also allowed the definition of new HMIs. Such new HMIs have been developed taking the benefit of
the zero force touch technology for non-critical functions or where comfort of use is required (like for sliding, dragging or zooming functions).
The force sensitive touch technology for critical function or for validation functions.
These new HMIs have also been validated during the vibration test realized with test pilots.
These new HMIs have been developed according the newly defined Arinc661 part2 standard. An innovative approach has been taken in order to increase efficiency in its implementation by reducing the number of iterations and to provide more flexibility and freedom to the system or A/C manufacturer.
The following work has been realized for the enhanced cockpit phase:
• The project plan has been established.
• The System requirements have been defined.
• The Human-Machine Interface concept has been defined.
• The preliminary safety analysis has been realized resulting in the definition of an architecture compliant with failure conditions up to catastrophic.
• Touchscreen technology to support multi-touch and catastrophic failure conditions has been further derisked.
• 2 main prototypes have been developed:
o The Force sensing prototype consists in a display equipment with dedicated PCAP touchscreen augmented by an adaptive force sensing module and hosting an application demonstrating the usage of such function.
o The HMI prototype consists in a system of 3 touchscreen displays positioned in overhead location and an advanced application realizing critical control functions using a smart page concept.
• The overall enhanced cockpit phase has been concluded by a Validation and Verification activity realized according the V&V plan.
o On a mockup representative of the A350 cockpit, the first demonstrator has allowed us to evaluate the ergonomics of touch screen displays to control systems to study the feasibility of the replacement of the overhead panel. The overall concept of this demonstrator has given very good results in terms of HMI and robustness.
o The second demonstrator provides the opportunity to evaluate the Force Sensing technology on a touch screen display to offer dissimilarity for critical commands and cope with safety objectives. The Force Sensing technology has given promising results from the performed tests.
• The results of these evaluations are used to identify the improvements to introduce during the disruptive cockpit phase.
The disruptive cockpit phase has been further developed:
• The project plan for disruptive cockpit has been defined.
• The V&V plan for disruptive cockpit has been defined.
• The Requirements and System definition for disruptive cockpit have been established.
• The 18,5" display prototype has been developed, assembled and integrated with A/C system.
• The application framework based on Arinc 661 part 2 and SIMPhony framework has been developed and integrated
• The safety analysis for the disruptive cockpit phase display has been realized.
• The 18,5" display with dissimilar touch technology and the new HMI have been successfully validated in a vibration environment bringing the technology to TRL5.
Dissemination
The following dissemination activities have been realized during the project
• A detailed presentation of LAPARTS project has been given during Aeropsace Tech week 2023 in Munich on 29/30 March 2023. Link to the video: https://tv.theiet.org/?eventvideoid=16469
• A dedicated page for LAPARTS project has been created on ScioTeq website. This page provides an overview of all activities realized during the project. Link to LAPARTS page on ScioTeq website: https://www.scioteq.com/en/laparts
Exploitation
ScioTeq is exploiting the various results of the LAPARTS project as followed:
• Displays in overhead location is identifed as a potential new product item in our portfolio
• The safety critical system being defined during this project is being further applied in various ScioTeq projects
• The knowledge being built in dissimilar touchscreen solution is used in the design of all new ScioTeq products with touchscreen technology.
• The dissimilar touchscreen solution is being promoted as a new product item in our portfolio (DAL A touchscreen display)
• Arinc 661 part 2 is promoted as a new feature of our products.
• The project plan has been established.
• The System requirements have been defined.
• The Human-Machine Interface concept has been defined.
• The preliminary safety analysis has been realized resulting in the definition of an architecture compliant with failure conditions up to catastrophic.
• Touchscreen technology to support multi-touch and catastrophic failure conditions has been further derisked.
• 2 main prototypes have been developed:
o The Force sensing prototype consists in a display equipment with dedicated PCAP touchscreen augmented by an adaptive force sensing module and hosting an application demonstrating the usage of such function.
o The HMI prototype consists in a system of 3 touchscreen displays positioned in overhead location and an advanced application realizing critical control functions using a smart page concept.
• The overall enhanced cockpit phase has been concluded by a Validation and Verification activity realized according the V&V plan.
o On a mockup representative of the A350 cockpit, the first demonstrator has allowed us to evaluate the ergonomics of touch screen displays to control systems to study the feasibility of the replacement of the overhead panel. The overall concept of this demonstrator has given very good results in terms of HMI and robustness.
o The second demonstrator provides the opportunity to evaluate the Force Sensing technology on a touch screen display to offer dissimilarity for critical commands and cope with safety objectives. The Force Sensing technology has given promising results from the performed tests.
• The results of these evaluations are used to identify the improvements to introduce during the disruptive cockpit phase.
The disruptive cockpit phase has been further developed:
• The project plan for disruptive cockpit has been defined.
• The V&V plan for disruptive cockpit has been defined.
• The Requirements and System definition for disruptive cockpit have been established.
• The 18,5" display prototype has been developed, assembled and integrated with A/C system.
• The application framework based on Arinc 661 part 2 and SIMPhony framework has been developed and integrated
• The safety analysis for the disruptive cockpit phase display has been realized.
• The 18,5" display with dissimilar touch technology and the new HMI have been successfully validated in a vibration environment bringing the technology to TRL5.
Dissemination
The following dissemination activities have been realized during the project
• A detailed presentation of LAPARTS project has been given during Aeropsace Tech week 2023 in Munich on 29/30 March 2023. Link to the video: https://tv.theiet.org/?eventvideoid=16469
• A dedicated page for LAPARTS project has been created on ScioTeq website. This page provides an overview of all activities realized during the project. Link to LAPARTS page on ScioTeq website: https://www.scioteq.com/en/laparts
Exploitation
ScioTeq is exploiting the various results of the LAPARTS project as followed:
• Displays in overhead location is identifed as a potential new product item in our portfolio
• The safety critical system being defined during this project is being further applied in various ScioTeq projects
• The knowledge being built in dissimilar touchscreen solution is used in the design of all new ScioTeq products with touchscreen technology.
• The dissimilar touchscreen solution is being promoted as a new product item in our portfolio (DAL A touchscreen display)
• Arinc 661 part 2 is promoted as a new feature of our products.
The main progress beyond state of the art is related to the support of catastrophic failure conditions:
• A touchscreen based overhead control panel system architecture supporting catastrophic failure conditions has been established.
• The unique combination of adaptive force sensing technology with PCAP technology has been developed, derisked, demonstrated and validated.
• A new HMI to realize overhead control functions based on touchscreen technology has been developed, derisked, demonstrated and validated.
• An application framework based on Arinc 661 part 2 and SIMPhony framework has been developed and integrated
The expected impacts of this project, including socio-economic, are:
• A more efficient execution of flight, resulting in lower crew’s workload and improved safety providing opportunities on pilot workload and profile management
• An easy and intuitive way to interact with the system through touchscreens preparing the cockpit of the future for young generation of pilots.
• A higher reliability and better maintainability
• A cost reduction of the overall control system
• A touchscreen based overhead control panel system architecture supporting catastrophic failure conditions has been established.
• The unique combination of adaptive force sensing technology with PCAP technology has been developed, derisked, demonstrated and validated.
• A new HMI to realize overhead control functions based on touchscreen technology has been developed, derisked, demonstrated and validated.
• An application framework based on Arinc 661 part 2 and SIMPhony framework has been developed and integrated
The expected impacts of this project, including socio-economic, are:
• A more efficient execution of flight, resulting in lower crew’s workload and improved safety providing opportunities on pilot workload and profile management
• An easy and intuitive way to interact with the system through touchscreens preparing the cockpit of the future for young generation of pilots.
• A higher reliability and better maintainability
• A cost reduction of the overall control system