/_Easy_Driver__IVT_Article_Nov_09

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ELECTRONICS

Easy driver

jonathan eziquiel-shriro & jason kandik

The pulling together of experience in both off and on-highway vehicle environments has led to the development of an operator system that combines unparalleled features with maximum ease of use

The Vehicle Display Controller puts HMI within arm’s reach

Off-highway vehicle operators are immersed in a high-bandwidth flow of information. Because these operators are working rather than commuting, they must accept, comprehend and act on more data sources than automobile drivers typically handle. This has led to information management becoming a critical aspect of ergonomics in offhighway vehicle cab design. Research into areas of success and failure in the automotive industry can yield insights to potential solutions and pitfalls in designing high-tech cab controls for information-rich applications. Since its founding in 1943, Grayhill has been committed to providing topquality solutions for a wide range of applications in the defence, aerospace, medical, agriculture, construction, automotive, and electronics industries. Now, as a leading designer and manufacturer of customised userinterface solutions, switches, rugged mobile computers, and electronic components, the company’s products include control panels, keypads, rotary switches, encoders, joysticks, push buttons, I/O modules, and dip switches. Experience in the designing of encoders and rotary switches for automotive applications puts Grayhill in the special position of being able to share data across industries. To that end, the company has undertaken extensive studies of operator

interface ergonomics to ensure its products are practical, efficient and intuitive. Working with global automobile manufacturers has produced optimal tactile feedback data on components, such as rotary detent and push button force. Data accumulated from working with manufacturers of agriculture and construction vehicles has provided a source of comparison, further guiding operator-interface design. Learning lessons from humanmachine interface (HMI) devices in the

auto industry, there is a careful balance that must be struck between too many – and too few – input devices. An overall approach to HMI requires an intuitive starting point balanced with a design that enables users to navigate between modes with just a few actions. If all functions are assigned their own switch, then the operator interface tends to become cluttered, raising the potential for accidents. On the other hand, if all functions are accessed through one input device, then even the most basic function can get buried within submenus requiring memory to find. After all, no-one would want to search through submenus just to change the volume on the stereo!

Right balance

An information management system to meet the challenges of the off-highway environment

Grayhill has combined its research into physical ergonomics with new insight into information management, developing an innovative vehicle

iVT International Off-Highway 2009

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