A study of the requirements for a heads-up display for use in motor transportation in the United States Marine Corps

Abstract

In this thesis we investigate the high-level requirements for a concept system we refer to as Automated Vehicle Avoidance Identification and Location System (AVAILS). The primary goal that this system addresses is the safe operation of large ground vehicles, operated by the U.S. Marine Corps and Army, on both military reservations and public roadways. AVAILS is comprised of an integrated collision warning and collision avoidance system. These two subsystems are used to support both low-speed docking and convoy operations. The objective is to provide the driver with real-time information that will help him or her act to avoid or mitigate the effects of a crash with another vehicle during convoy operations, and with another vehicle or the docking facilities during docking operations. The high-level requirements for the human-computer interface, AVAILS-HCI, are discussed in the context of the following: the characteristics of the drivers, the nature of their tasks, the environment in which ground-based military vehicles operate, and the doctrine, policy, law, regulations, and procedures which govern the operation of such vehicles on military reservations and public roadways. A high-level treatment is given of the mapping of the high-level requirements for the human-computer interface to in-vehicle display technology, in particular, head-up displays. We developed a limitedfunction prototype of the system in order to explain and reason about the requirements for the AVAILS-HCI. We conclude the thesis with recommendations for future research.