Effects of aircraft windscreen on helmet-mounted display/tracker aiming accuracy

H. Lee Task

doi:10.1117/12.241886

7 June 1996 Effects of aircraft windscreen on helmet-mounted display/tracker aiming accuracy

H. Lee Task

Proceedings Volume 2735, Head-Mounted Displays; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.241886
Event: Aerospace/Defense Sensing and Controls, 1996, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

Modern fighter aircraft windscreens are typically made of curved, transparent plastic for improved aero-dynamics and bird-strike protection. Since they are curved these transparencies often refract light in such a way that a pilot looking through the transparency will see a target in a location other than where it really is. This effect has been known for many years and methods to correct the aircraft head-up display (HUD) for these angular deviations have been developed and employed. The same problem will occur for helmet-mounted displays (HMDs) used for target acquisition only worse due to the fact the pilot can look through any part of the transparency instead of being constrained to just the forward section as in the case of the HUD. To determine the potential impact of these windscreen refraction errors two F-15 windscreens were measured; one acrylic and one multilayer acrylic and polycarbonate laminate. The average aiming error measured for the acrylic was 3.6 milliradians with a maximum error of 9.0 milliradians. The laminated windscreen was slightly worse at 4.1 milliradians average error and 10.5 milliradians maximum. These aiming errors were greatly reduced by employing correction algorithms which could be applied to the aiming information on the HMD. Subtleties of coordinate systems and roll correction are also addressed.

Citation Download Citation

H. Lee Task "Effects of aircraft windscreen on helmet-mounted display/tracker aiming accuracy", Proc. SPIE 2735, Head-Mounted Displays, (7 June 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.241886

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