Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Achieving FAA / JAA Level D with
current, low cost digital projection
technology
Contact:
[email protected]
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Objectives
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•
•
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To discuss the objectives of visual simulation
To explain the need for Raster Calligraphic replacement
To explain why this replacement is challenging
To provide a summary of the competing technologies
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Visual Fidelity
• It ‘Feels’ inherently right that the higher the visual
fidelity (resolution etc), the higher the pilot training value
• Where do we draw the line in terms of cost / performance ?
• The FAA / JAA criteria provide the metric which must be
adhered to
• Exceeding these criteria is possible but expensive
• What is the Actual value of doing so ?
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
JAA / FAA Standards
• Specifically focus on the requirements for
• Visual Characteristics – ACJ STD 1A.030 2.3…
• Touch upon the requirements for
• Latency - ACJ STD 1A.030 2.1.r (2)
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Visual Characteristics
• Specific requirements
• Field of View:
• Resolution:
• Light point size:
• Surface contrast:
• Brightness:
• Light point contrast:
• Total light points:
1800 x 400 Collimated
2 Arc-minutes
5 Arc-minutes
5:1
6 foot-lamberts
10:1 (day)
25:1 (night)
6000 (day – 60Hz)
15000 (night – 40Hz)
Equipe Simulation
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Visual Characteristics
• In the vast majority of existing Level C / D simulators,
these criteria are met by Raster / Calligraphic CRT
projectors
• Operationally unique
• High intensity ‘Calligraphic’ light points
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Calligraphic Light Points
What’s the big deal ? – Highly intense light points !!
1 frame (16ms at 60Hz)
Raster complete,
before next scan
light points are
drawn.
Scan is continuous, each pixel is illuminated
for an equal amount of time (10 ns at 1280 – 1024)
Since only 2000 light points are drawn (at 60hz),
each point may be focused on for an extended period
allowing for very high point intensity
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Light Point Generation
Light point generation is problematic, due to fundamental
differences in the projection devices.
• Light points drawn calligraphically in CRT projection
• Competing technology is ‘Raster’ only
This clearly results in the need to draw light points within
the raster itself for non CRT based projectors.
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Why Replace CRT’s ?
The desire to move away from Raster Calligraphic
CRT projectors is largely cost driven
• High initial cost
• CRT Tube lifespan
• Require highly skilled maintenance
• Require hundreds of hours PA on maintenance & alignment
But also..
• Obsolescence concerns
• Prone to expensive failure
• Very heavy – potential logistical problems
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
What’s Required ?
In order to match CRT in terms of level D criteria, the
projector must
• Have a high resolution
• Produce an ‘Artefact’ free image
• Have uniform colour between projectors
• Be able to produce light points within the raster
• Very high brightness
• Very high contrast
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
About Resolution
• The Level D Criteria specify 2 Arc Minutes per pixel
• Therefore 30 pixels per degree
• For a 180 x 40 display, 3 channels are an ideal
• 180 degrees ÷ 3 channels = 60 degrees per channel
• 30 pixels x 60 = 1800 pixels wide
• 30 pixels x 40 = 1200 pixels high
Therefore we can see that to achieve Level D in 3
projectors we need a resolution of at least 1800 x 1200
Equipe Simulation
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Alternative Technologies
Light Valve projectors
• LCD
Liquid Crystal Display
• LCoS
Liquid Crystal on Silicon
• DLP
Digital Light Processor
Others…
• Laser
• Emerging, developmental technology.
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Laser
• Emerging technology
• Potential for extremely high resolution
• Potential for extremely high brightness and contrast
• More efficient use of power
• Very high cost
• Prone to ‘Speckling’ and other artefacts
• Unproven in the field
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
LCoS
Image is produced by passing light through an LCD substrate, and
reflecting it from an underlying mirror
Typically utilise 3 LCoS panels to produce colour
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LCoS
A relatively young technology
• Reflective technology
• Very High Resolution – up to native QXGA (2048 x 1536)
• High Brightness
• Potentially High Contrast – in high end units
• No Frame Delay
• Requires analogue control over LCD substrate
• Complex
• High Cost
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
DLP (single chip)
Image is produced by an array of ‘Micro Mirrors’, one for each
pixel.
Colour is created via a rotating colour wheel
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Visualising Your Imagination
DLP
A highly mature technology
• Reflective technology
• High Resolution – up to native 1080p and beyond…..
• High Brightness
• High Contrast
• Low Cost
• Pure, digital technology
• ‘Rainbow’ effect caused by colour wheel now countered
• 1 frame delay (16ms at 60hz)
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Latency
ACJ STD 1A.030 2.1.r (2) specifies an over all latency of 150ms
Specifically the time between a Pilot control input and the
Simulator responding – both visual and motion
Motion base must respond before the visual therefore some
latency is desirable !!
1 Frame delay introduced by DLP (16ms) is in no way problematic
In fact is equivalent to Raster Calligraphic projectors, since these
‘Scan’ 1 pixel at a time giving a 1 frame ‘delay’ between pilot
Input and display of a Complete frame…
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
DLP vs. LCoS
LCoS offers
• Very high resolution and potentially very high contrast
DLP offers
• Very high resolution and high contrast
Both LCoS and DLP offer resolutions high enough to meet the
Level D surface resolution requirement (2 arc minutes per
pixel), and both offer contrast ratios that potentially enable the
generation of compliant light points, directly within the raster.
Equipe Simulation
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Cost Benefits
With Civil airlines under increasing economic pressure, the
underpinning goal should be to provide compliant systems at
the lowest price point.
While both LCoS and DLP are able to meet the Level D
criteria, DLP is a more mature technology that offers
significant cost benefits
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Visualising Your Imagination
Level D with DLP
Equipe Simulation has successfully designed and
installed a number of Collimated DLP systems,
both military and civil, compliant with both JAA
and FAA Level D criteria.
In these systems the use of DLP has enabled a cost
reduction of up to 50% compared to competing
technologies.
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Equipe TXGA
TM
Patent Pending
TXGA is a new resolution specifically designed to meet Level D
requirements !!
• Based on Proven DLP technology
• Low Cost
• Stable colour
• Very high brightness
• Very high contrast
• 1920 x 1400 resolution
Enables JAA / FAA Level D for fixed and rotary wing aircraft
within a very low channel count
Equipe Simulation
Visualising Your Imagination
Thank You