{E}ffects of {C}ontrol {S}tick {P}arameters on {H}uman {C}ontroller {R}esponse

Abstract

Much interest has arisen on the comparison of the effects of forceversus displacement sticks on pilot tracking ability. To investigatethis effect, a fixed base laboratory tracking study was conductedto determine the effects of stick displacement and stick force characteristicson human tracking performance. Three different levels of controlstick force/displacement characteristics and stick electrical gainwere varied to observe their influence on RMS (Root Mean Square)tracking error and RMS control activity (stick output). The resultsof this study indicated that both RMS tracking error and RMS controlactivity were influenced by the three different levels of controlstick force/displacement characteristics and stick electrical gain.One method of investigating human controller response is to studythe empirical data obtained from this experiment and to compare itto the Optimal Control Pilot Model (OCPM) which represents standardforms of human response. Fitting the Optimal Control Pilot Modelto these data showed that the effect of changing electrical controlgain markedly changed the motor time constant parameter of the OCPM.In model fitting these data for changes in the force/displacementcharacteristics of the stick, the time delay parameter of the OCPMhad to be changed significantly so that the empirical data wouldmatch the model. In summary, this paper reports that the human neuromotortime constant was affected by the electrical control gain of thestick while the spring stiffness of the stick influenced the timedelay characteristics of the human response behavior.