WO2015014945A1 - Programming system for a situation analysis system on board a carrier comprising at least one onboard listening system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a programming system for a situation analysis system on board a carrier comprising at least one onboard listening system, comprising an operator terminal comprising information display means (20). The display means (20) comprise a first display portion (26) for displaying tactical data relating to the environment of the carrier and a second display portion (28) for aiding the setting of the operating parameters of at least one onboard listening system. The programming system comprises means of selection by an operator of at least one object of interest (32) on said first display portion (26) and means of automatic setting of the operating parameters of at least one onboard listening system with regard to the object or objects of interest (32) selected.

Description

 System for programming a carrier-based situation analysis system comprising at least one on-board listening system

The present invention relates to a system for programming a carrier-based situation analysis system comprising at least one on-board listening system and a method of programming an on-board situation analysis system on an associated carrier.

 The invention lies in the field of human-machine interaction methods, adapted to the parameterization of mission systems, in particular in a constrained environment.

 A mission system allows one or more operators to carry out a given mission, for example an environmental monitoring, reconnaissance or combat mission, using a situation analysis system comprising various sensors (eg radars, cameras, detectors) and / or effectors (eg jammers, lures). In general, the passive and effector sensors are designated by listening systems. The mission system aggregates information provided by the various listening systems, to provide a synthetic view to the operator via a human-machine interface (HMI). In addition, the operator is required to set a set of parameters relating to the sensors and / or effectors and to select types of metadata to be displayed, via the human-machine interface.

 Such mission systems are particularly intended to be loaded onto a carrier (e.g. aircraft, land vehicle, ship). Therefore, the use of such a mission system is strongly constrained by the environment, with in particular phenomena of sudden movements, significant vibrations, high ambient noise or low or high brightness depending on the case.

 It is difficult to design a man-machine interface adapted for such conditions of use, and in particular for programming embedded listening systems.

Human-machine interfaces for existing mission systems generally consist of one or more screens, a keyboard and a trackball, embedded in a console attached to the wearer's structure to limit movement and vibration. The trackball offers the same capabilities as a computer mouse, but in a fixed position, and has greater inertia than that of a mouse to avoid autonomous movements without operator action. Because of this inertia, the movement of a pointer on the screen by actuation of the trackball requires significant efforts for average accuracy in case of sudden movements or strong vibration of the wearer. In addition, the setting of analysis system for complex objects characterized by a large number of parameters may take a long time, which is penalizing operational mission.

 There is therefore a need to improve the programming of embedded listening systems to facilitate the capture and updating of complex parameters.

 For this purpose, the invention proposes, according to a first aspect, a system for programming a situation analysis system embarked on a carrier comprising at least one on-board listening system, comprising an operator terminal comprising means information display. In the programming system, the display means comprise a first portion of the user's tactical environment data display and a second display portion for assisting with the adjustment of the operating parameters of at least one system. embedded listening, the programming system comprising means for selection by an operator of at least one object of interest on said first display portion and means for automatically adjusting the operating parameters of at least one listening system embedded on the selected object (s) of interest.

 Advantageously, the programming system makes it possible to easily adjust the parameters with respect to objects of interest relating to selected environmental tactics data, the separation of the display means into a first display portion of tactical data and a second display portion for adjusting the operating parameters to improve the ergonomics of the terminal interface.

 The programming system of a situation analysis system according to the invention may also have one or more of the following characteristics, taken independently or in combination:

 the display means are formed by at least one touch screen and the selection is made by the operator by pressing a finger on an object of interest of the first portion of the tactical data display and by sliding said finger towards the second display portion, for triggering a display, in the second portion, of graphic objects for adjusting the operating parameters of at least one on-board listening system according to said object of interest;

 the system is able to display, in said first display portion, a set of tactical data in the form of objects of interest represented in a hierarchical tree structure;

the system is able to display, in said first display portion, a list of selected objects, filtered according to categories of tactical data; the system is able to display, in said second display portion, a set of programming windows each representative of the listening spectrum of one of the on-board listening systems;

 at least one of said programming windows comprises at least one programming bar representative of a programmed listening range;

 a programming contextual menu associated with a programming bar can be displayed by the operator by prolonged pressing on said programming bar;

 said programming contextual menu is circular in shape, and comprises a plurality of zones selected by an operator's finger relating to programming options of the listening system associated with said programming bar;

 each display portion comprises a control menu, said control menus being positioned near opposite edges of said at least one touch screen, each control menu being operable by an inch of the operator;

 said control menus are of semicircular shape and each comprise a plurality of elements arranged in a circular arc, each element being operable by pressing a finger of the operator.

 the control menu of said second portion comprises buttons able to control, by pressing a finger of the user, actions for creating a detection frequency, a slow or rapid change in a detection frequency of the embedded system.

 said carrier is an aircraft or a naval platform or a land vehicle. According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a method of programming a situation analysis system embedded on a carrier comprising at least one on-board listening system, implemented in an operator terminal comprising means for information display, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

 displaying, in a first display portion of the display means, tactical data of the wearer's environment,

 -selection by an operator of at least one object of interest on said first display portion,

 in response to said selection, displaying adjustment parameters of at least one on-board listening system in a second display portion of the display means.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description given below, by way of indication and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended figures, among which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a terminal implemented in a listening system according to one embodiment of the invention;

 FIG. 2 illustrates a scenario of use of the human-machine interface of the terminal of FIG. 1;

 FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a human-machine interface according to one embodiment of the invention;

 FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a display for selecting objects of interest in a list.

 The invention will be described below in an embodiment in which the operator terminal is embarked on a carrier type aircraft, land vehicle or naval platform, equipped with a situation analysis system comprising a plurality of systems listeners capable of providing situation analysis information of the wearer's environment. The equipment of the listening systems of the situation analysis system is programmed by an operator to operate in detection sectors parameterized by frequency ranges.

 An operator terminal 10 of a mission system 12, forming part of a programming system according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

 In this embodiment, the terminal 10 is fixed to the carrier structure (not shown) on a horizontal shelf 14, which is for example embedded in a dashboard and which allows an operator to rest his forearms to stabilize its position and to avoid muscular fatigue when using the terminal.

 The lower edge of the terminal 10 is positioned in contact with the tablet 14.

 In this embodiment, the terminal 10 is positioned in a position inclined at an angle of approximately 45 ° relative to the tablet 14, so as to make the display optimal and easier for an operator to handle.

 Preferably the terminal 10 is fixed to the tablet 14 by a fastener placed in the center of the terminal 10, so as to leave an open space behind the peripheral edges 15 of the terminal 10. Thus, a peripheral edge 15 of the terminal 10 is used as a fixing means for the hands of the operator, allowing the operator to cling to the terminal 10 in case of shaking or abrupt movements of the wearer.

 Preferably, the vertical edges 15 of the terminal 10 have a thickness of between 1 cm and 3 cm, so as to facilitate gripping.

The terminal 10 is connected to a central computing unit 16, via a wired link 18. The central unit 16 is able to implement a software application for implementing a method according to the invention. The central unit 16 comprises a unit of storage, for storing data and parameters, for example parameters of the mission system carrier's on-board equipment 12, and tactical data stored in a database.

 The central unit 16 is represented in this embodiment in the form of a computer, but as an alternative, the central unit 16 is implemented by a printed circuit integrated in the terminal 10.

 The terminal 10 comprises display means 20. In the preferred embodiment, the display means 20 are formed by a touch screen, allowing both the display of information and the entry of commands and information. provided by a terminal operator.

 Thus, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the hands 22, 24 of an operator interacting with the terminal 10.

 The touch screen 20 is divided into two portions 26 and 28, separated by a separation hinge 30. The first portion 26, positioned to the left of the operator in the illustrated embodiment, is intended for display and display. selection of tactical environmental data of a carrier, as explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 3. Tactical environment data available in the mission system are displayed as a hierarchical tree structure 31 d objects of interest 32 selected.

 The second portion 28 includes a help panel for adjusting the operating parameters of the analysis system, which are parameters relating to the frequency or frequency range of detection of the transmitters in this embodiment. The panel of the second portion 28 comprises a plurality of graphic objects, including programming windows 34, each representative of the complete spectrum of one of the on-board listening systems, and therefore of all the parameterizable listening ranges. Parameter values are automatically set according to the object (s) of interest selected by the operator.

 As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each portion 26, 28 comprises a control menu, denoted respectively 36, 38. Each control menu 36, 38 is composed of several elements 40, easily selected by the operator by tactile pressure. a finger, including the thumb of the user.

 Preferably, each element 40 has an area at least equal to 1 square centimeter, thus allowing easy and precise manipulation by the thumb of a user.

In one embodiment, the terminal 10 includes attachment means 42 of the operator's hands, for example a hollow recess on the rear face of the operator. terminal 10, near the edge 15, allowing an operator to cling to the terminal 10 and stabilize in case of sudden movements of the wearer.

 Preferably the control menus 36, 38 are positioned at the height of the fixing means 42, so that the operator can fix by positioning the fingers of one hand, except the thumb, at the level of the fastening means 42. , and act on a control menu using his thumb, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

 The control menus 36, 38 are preferably semicircular, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3. The elements 40 of these menus are, in this embodiment, positioned on an arc of circle, the center of which (not shown ) is located on the outside of the screen, and whose radius is chosen to correspond to the extension of the thumb for an average hand size, when the operator positions his hand gripping at the fastening means 42, the forearm resting on the shelf 14. Preferably, the radius is between 3 cm and 7 cm.

 The operator can therefore, when using the terminal 10 according to the invention, select menus and perform actions while remaining attached to the terminal 10.

 In addition, the operator can maintain a fixation to the terminal 10 via a hand, and perform tactile commands by drag-and-drop operations or by pressing a finger on a menu.

 Thus, in one embodiment, the selection and adjustment are performed by the operator by pressing a finger on an object of interest 32 of the first display portion 26 and sliding the finger held in abutment on the touch screen 20 to the second display portion 28, to trigger a display in the second portion 28 of graphical objects for adjusting the operating parameters of said object of interest.

 In the second display portion 28, the operator can select parameters to be adjusted via selection buttons 44, preferably located also near the edge 15 of the terminal 10 so as to facilitate handling as explained above.

 Preferably, the distance d between an edge 15 of the terminal 10 and the touch portion of the nearest display portion is less than or equal to 2 cm.

As an option, one or more buttons 46 of control button type, for example opening / closing of control windows 34 are provided on the rear face of the screen 20 or on the edges of the edge 15 of the screen 20, at a sufficiently low distance from the fixing means 42 to allow actuation by the index finger of the operator when the other fingers of his hand, except the thumb, are engaged with the fixing means 42. According to a mode of operation, when the operator presses with a finger on one of the programming windows 34 of the second portion 28, a contextual programming menu 48 relating to the equipment of the associated on-board listening systems at this programming window 34 is displayed if the window 34 has programmed associated listening tracks 35, as explained in more detail below.

 As a variant, other tactile actions (click, double click) on the programming windows 34 make it possible to display the contextual menu 48.

 A use of the terminal 10 and its man-machine interface is described below in more detail with reference to FIG.

 The tactical and strategic database is represented in tree and hierarchical form. The database is stored in a storage unit associated with the central processing unit 16. The hierarchical tree structure 31 is composed of elements 32, which are objects of interest selected by the operator. The selected objects are representative of the transmitters that one wishes to monitor. The system drives the onboard detectors to monitor the selected objects. The control menu 36 of the first display portion 26 makes it possible to apply a filtering of the elements that can be displayed in the hierarchical tree structure 31 (button 50), or to display a keyboard (button 52) for the subsequent input of various commands. .

 The operator has the possibility of selecting an object or several objects of the hierarchical tree structure 31 by a predetermined gesture, for example click or double click on the touch screen, or by support maintained by one or more fingers on the selected objects.

 As a variant, the selection of the tactical database displayed in graphical form and the objects 32 of the displayed hierarchical tree structure are made by means of a keyboard input, for example on a virtual keyboard, by selection of category of carriers and items associated with the selected category.

According to another variant, a list of elements 54, filtered according to one or more categories 56 of tactical data, is displayed in the first display portion. The operator has the ability to select one or more elements 58 from the filtered list, as illustrated in the example of Figure 4. In the example of the figure, two categories of the category list 56 are checked, and one element 58, called element 4, is selected by touch selection of the operator. All objects of the selected categories 56 corresponding to the selected elements 58 are subsequently displayed in tree form in the structure 31. When the operator selects an object 32, or a composite object formed by several simple objects 32, by pressing one or more fingers and slides them towards the second portion 28 of the display means 20, a set of programming parameters are illustrated on the programming windows 34 corresponding to the object selected in the second display portion 28. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the addition of one or more objects modifies the present programming windows 34. by adding the programming bars 35, shown hatched in FIG. 3, corresponding to specific monitoring ranges.

 When an object 32 is a composite object comprising several other so-called descendant objects in the tree 31, the selection of the object 32 causes the display of the parameters of the on-board listening systems relating to all these objects forming part of the composite object.

 In one embodiment, the new programming bars 35 are indicated as new windows, for example by a flashing display for a few seconds, or by another associated visual marker.

 The current parameters associated with the selected objects of interest are automatically displayed, for example the list of intervals or frequency values to be detected. An automatic initialization of the values of the parameters is proposed, the operator having thereafter the possibility of modifying the values of the parameters by means of the interaction elements 40 of FIG.

 As illustrated in FIG. 3, when the parameterization relates to a detection frequency, a frequency bar representative of the programmed frequency range is represented in a programming bar 35.

 A context menu 48, which is preferably circular as shown in FIG. 3, appears when a prolonged pressure is made on a programming bar 35. The contextual menu 48 offers options relating to the programming of the on-board listening systems. depending on the object of interest 32 selected, for example via a plurality of zones or buttons selected by a finger of the operator.

For example, the contextual menu 48 allows the selection, when right equipment and equipment on the left are present, respectively located on the right side and on the left side of the carrier, equipment on the right alone (button "R""), The equipment on the left alone (" L "button), all the two devices (" L / R "button), a programming duration (" TIME "button), a setting alerts ("ALERT" button), or deleting a program ("DEL" button). For example, in one embodiment, the buttons of the programming contextual menu 48 are selected by one-touch support of a finger, while another finger of the user, for example the index as illustrated in FIG. remains supported. Thus, the contextual programming menu 48 is displayed centered on the finger support (index in the example of Figure 2), and each button is selectable successively by another finger of the operator. Preferably, the operator can rotate the menu items 48 by action of another finger, for example the thumb. Thus, the manipulation of the contextual programming menu 48 is particularly ergonomic and easy, which allows a fast handling.

 Thus, advantageously, a terminal according to the invention allows a quick and intuitive input with one hand of operating parameters of the mission system, whatever the surrounding conditions (shaking, vibration etc.).

 As illustrated in more detail in FIG. 3, the control menu 38 comprises elements 40 allowing easy programming of the parameters.

 In the case where the parameters to be set are frequencies or frequency ranges, the control menu 38 of the second portion makes it possible to control: the creation ("k" button) of a new frequency, the slow modification (buttons " + "And" - ") or fast (" ++ "button and" ~ "button) of a frequency, the creation of a preset frequency range with start value the frequency determined with the | <button and for end value which we will define via the "> l" button.

 Thus, the various graphic objects 34, 35, 40, 48 allow the adjustment of the operating parameters of the on-board listening systems according to the object of interest 32 selected.

 Various other buttons allow the operator to perform the programming of the situation analysis system, such as the "StartProg" and "Cancel" buttons for programming start and program canceling. Of course, other variants not shown, including other suitable control buttons are possible according to alternative embodiments of the invention.

According to a variant, the display means of a terminal 10 according to the invention are composed of two touch screens, a first screen, said main programming screen as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and a second touch screen, positioned above the first screen, inclined at about 77 degrees to the horizontal, the lower edge of the second screen being in contact with the upper edge of the main screen. Advantageously, the display surface is increased, to improve the comfort of the user. The second screen is preferably of the same size as the screen main. According to one variant, the second screen has dimensions that are different from the dimensions of the main screen.

 According to another variant, the terminal according to the invention comprises more than two screens.

 Advantageously, a terminal according to the invention makes it possible, because of the ergonomics of the division of the display means in portions, a quick entry of complete parts of programming of the listening systems whatever the environment of the wearer.

 Moreover, thanks to the control menus located at the height of the operator's hands fixing means, a terminal according to the invention allows a fast and reliable entry of the programming parameters in constrained environment, particularly in case of strong shaking and vibration.

Claims

1. - A system for programming a carrier-based situation analysis system comprising at least one on-board listening system, comprising an operator terminal (10) comprising information display means (20), characterized in that the display means (20) comprises a first display portion (26) of tactical environment data of the carrier and a second display portion (28) for assisting the adjustment of operating parameters of at least one on-board listening system, the programming system comprising means for selection by an operator of at least one object of interest (32) on said first display portion (26) and means for automatically adjusting operating parameters of at least one on-board listening system on the selected object or objects (32). 2. - System according to claim 1, characterized in that the display means (20) are formed by at least one touch screen and in that the selection is performed by the operator by pressing a finger on an object of interest (32) of the first display portion (26) of tactical data and sliding said finger toward the second display portion (28) to trigger a display in the second portion (28) of graphic objects (34, 35, 40, 48) allow the adjustment of the operating parameters of at least one on-board listening system according to said object of interest (32). 3. - System according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it is able to display, in said first display portion (26), a set of tactical data in the form of objects of interest ( 32) represented in a hierarchical tree structure (31). 4. - System according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is able to display, in said first display portion (26), a list of objects (58) selected, filtered according to categories (56) of tactical data. 5. - System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is able to display, in said second display portion (28), a set of programming windows (34) each representative of the spectrum of listening to one of the embedded listening systems. 6. System according to claim 5, characterized in that in addition, at least one of said programming windows (34) comprises at least one programming bar (35) representative of a programmed listening range. 7.- System according to claim 6, characterized in that a contextual programming menu (48) associated with a programming bar (35) is displayable by the operator by extended support on said programming bar (35). 8. - System according to claim 7, characterized in that said contextual programming menu is circular in shape, and comprises a plurality of areas selected by a finger of the operator, relating to programming options of the associated listening system. at said programming bar (35). 9. - System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each display portion (26, 28) comprises a control menu (36, 38), said control menus (36, 38) being positioned at proximity of opposite edges of said at least one touch screen (20), each control menu (36, 38) being operable by one inch of the operator. 10. The system of claim 9, characterized in that said control menus (36, 38) are semicircular in shape and each comprise a plurality of elements (40, 50, 52) arranged in a circular arc, each element being operable by pressing a finger of the operator. 1 1 .- System according to claim 10, characterized in that the control menu (38) of said second portion (28) comprises buttons (40) adapted to control, by pressing a finger of the user, actions for creating a detection frequency, a slow or fast modification of an onboard system detection frequency. 12. - System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said carrier is an aircraft or a naval platform or a land vehicle. 13. - Method for programming a carrier-based situation analysis system comprising at least one on-board listening system, implemented in a operator terminal (10) comprising information display means (20), characterized in that it comprises the following steps:  displaying, in a first display portion of the display means, tactical data of the wearer's environment,  -selection by an operator of at least one object of interest on said first display portion,  in response to said selection, displaying adjustment parameters of at least one on-board listening system in a second display portion of the display means. 14. - Method for programming an on-board situation analysis system according to claim 13, characterized in that the selection is performed by the operator by pressing a finger on an object of interest of the first display portion. of tactical data and by sliding said finger towards the second display portion, and that following the sliding of object of interest, at least one graphic object allowing adjustment of operating parameters of at least one system of Onboard listening is displayed in the second display portion. 15. - Method for programming an on-board situation analysis system according to one of claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the tactical data are displayed in the form of tree hierarchical structure of objects of interest, and that the selection of an object of interest results in the display in the next step of the parameters of the on-board listening systems relating to the set of directly descending objects, in the tree structure, of the object of selected interest.