- Email: [email protected]
Human factors in telephone engineering
identified through the use of electronic scanning means which generate tones that are directed to the auditory senses of the blind person.
Input devices 4.4.163 (63097)
Fenwick, C.A. and Schweighofer, H.M. Human Factors Study of Keyboard for Cockpit Data Entry. Journa ! o f A ircraft, Nov 1971, 8. 936-938, abstr in Aerospace Medicine.
4.4.161 (63092) Flohrer, W. Human Factors in telephone engineering. Siemens Reports on Telephone Engineering Feb 1973, 8.3, pp87-94. The article covers the principles, aims and working methods of humanfactors studies in telephone engineering. Dealt with are the criteria pertaining at the man/machine interface, especially between telephone susbseribers and subscriber devices, the factors contingent on system organisation and information flow, and input-output quantities in the man/ machine system. Methods of obtaining human-factors information are discussed. The role of human subjects is delineated briefly, and several examples of questions typical for telephone engineering studies are cited.
Discussion of the general nature of studies and conclusions influencing the control and design of area navigation control and display units. The standardised operator task in each study involved entering a sequence of vhf communication frequencies taken from sequences used in actual crosscountry flights. Response time was measured from the time a start tone sounded and the desired frequency was presented on a 7-bar incandescent display until an insert key was pushed. Each trial ended with the operator pushing a key indicating that he thought the frequency he inserted was either a correct insert, an error insert, or an error corrected.
4.4.162 (63096)
Anon. An Intuitive Control Box for Overhead Traveliing Cranes (Une Boite de Commande Intuitive pour la Conduite des Ponts Roulants)~(In French.) Travail et Sdcurit~. May 1972, No 5, 262-266, abstr in: Occupational Safety and Health A bstracts (CIS 51-1973). Conventional push-button control boxes are poorly suited to controlling overhead travelling cranes from the ground. The system developed by the French National Research and Safety Institute makes use of the operator's instinctive and intuitive reactions, even though he has not been taught how to use the controls. The control box is operated by a single hand. No matter what the operator's position, actuation of a given key will always produce the same load movement. To move the load in a given direction, the operator actuates the control device in the same direction. The orientation of the box in relation to the hoisting equipment is held constant by the non-twist suspension - the box is shaped like and elongated prism with an octagonal cross-section and contains the contacts; the pyramid-shaped hollow base contains four keys which control travel and a vertically displaceable disc for raise and lower.
4.4.166 (63106) University Grants Committee, UK. Kitchen planning TRC Report No T73-02828, 1972, 67 pp abstr in R and D Abstracts. Suggests how equipment can most efficiently be arranged in kitchens. Although the report was prepared to help univeristies, other institutions needing large-scale kitchens may find it useful It deals with kitchens designed to serve meals of the traditional type and is concerned with conventional catering. Trends in catering are discussed in the last chapter. 4.4.167 (63109)
Workspace layout and equipment design 4.4.164 (63099)
Controls
work environment. The rationale for developing design solutions is;discussed, followed by the translation of design concepts into hardware definitions. A description follows of the monitoring of the construction and operations performed on a prototype.
Department of the Environment Spaces in the Home. Kitchens and Laundering Spaces. Department of the Environment, Design Bulletin No 24, HMSO, London, 1972, abstr in Building Science Abstracts. Gives guidance on user requirements and the design of kitchens and laundering spaces and includes a review of sociological material about user reactions to kitchens, selected from recent housing appraisals and illustrated by plans and photographs of the case study kitchens.
4.4.165 (63105)
Rosenthal, M. Application of Human Engineering Principles and Techniques in the Design of Electronic Production Equipment Human Factors Apt 1973, 15.2, 137-148. The Human Engineering Group was asked to investigate a microwelding operation considered by management to be a critical problem area. The operation, involving manual welding and trimming of wire grids, was excessively demanding on human resources. In spite of hourly break periods, the operators complained of excessive fatigue, back strain and leg pains. The Human Engineering Group, in conjunction with the Industrial Design Group, studied the problem and recommended a drastically revised
Grambart, J.E. Human Engineering Analysis of Airport Lighting Control Panels and a Proposal for a New Design. Interim Report Jan. 1971-July 1972, Nov 1972, 39pp, abstr in Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (Report No N73-12108). An improved airport lighting control panel for use in airport traffic control towers is described. Data on the physical characteristics of in-use panels and operational experience of users were collected at nine control towers. The need for a cleanly designed, compact, and easily read and activated lighting system display/ control panel was documented. A new design was proposed. The operation of the auxiliary systems is contingent upon the activation of the main runway lights in such a manner as to minimize the number of control units. Rather than have one control unit for each combination of runway and auxiliary lighting systems (the number being equal to the product), there is one control unit for each main runway lighting system and one control unit for each class of auxiliary lighting systems (the number being equal to the sum). As the number of runways and Lighting systems increases, the adoption of the proposed design should result in a striking reduction in control panel complexity and an increase in efficiency and economy. 4.4.168 (63112)
Hunting, W., and Grandjean E. Effects of Various Seat Surface Inclinations on Sitting Posture and
Applied Ergonomics December 1973
225
Input devices 4.4.163 (63097)
Fenwick, C.A. and Schweighofer, H.M. Human Factors Study of Keyboard for Cockpit Data Entry. Journa ! o f A ircraft, Nov 1971, 8. 936-938, abstr in Aerospace Medicine.
4.4.161 (63092) Flohrer, W. Human Factors in telephone engineering. Siemens Reports on Telephone Engineering Feb 1973, 8.3, pp87-94. The article covers the principles, aims and working methods of humanfactors studies in telephone engineering. Dealt with are the criteria pertaining at the man/machine interface, especially between telephone susbseribers and subscriber devices, the factors contingent on system organisation and information flow, and input-output quantities in the man/ machine system. Methods of obtaining human-factors information are discussed. The role of human subjects is delineated briefly, and several examples of questions typical for telephone engineering studies are cited.
Discussion of the general nature of studies and conclusions influencing the control and design of area navigation control and display units. The standardised operator task in each study involved entering a sequence of vhf communication frequencies taken from sequences used in actual crosscountry flights. Response time was measured from the time a start tone sounded and the desired frequency was presented on a 7-bar incandescent display until an insert key was pushed. Each trial ended with the operator pushing a key indicating that he thought the frequency he inserted was either a correct insert, an error insert, or an error corrected.
4.4.162 (63096)
Anon. An Intuitive Control Box for Overhead Traveliing Cranes (Une Boite de Commande Intuitive pour la Conduite des Ponts Roulants)~(In French.) Travail et Sdcurit~. May 1972, No 5, 262-266, abstr in: Occupational Safety and Health A bstracts (CIS 51-1973). Conventional push-button control boxes are poorly suited to controlling overhead travelling cranes from the ground. The system developed by the French National Research and Safety Institute makes use of the operator's instinctive and intuitive reactions, even though he has not been taught how to use the controls. The control box is operated by a single hand. No matter what the operator's position, actuation of a given key will always produce the same load movement. To move the load in a given direction, the operator actuates the control device in the same direction. The orientation of the box in relation to the hoisting equipment is held constant by the non-twist suspension - the box is shaped like and elongated prism with an octagonal cross-section and contains the contacts; the pyramid-shaped hollow base contains four keys which control travel and a vertically displaceable disc for raise and lower.
4.4.166 (63106) University Grants Committee, UK. Kitchen planning TRC Report No T73-02828, 1972, 67 pp abstr in R and D Abstracts. Suggests how equipment can most efficiently be arranged in kitchens. Although the report was prepared to help univeristies, other institutions needing large-scale kitchens may find it useful It deals with kitchens designed to serve meals of the traditional type and is concerned with conventional catering. Trends in catering are discussed in the last chapter. 4.4.167 (63109)
Workspace layout and equipment design 4.4.164 (63099)
Controls
work environment. The rationale for developing design solutions is;discussed, followed by the translation of design concepts into hardware definitions. A description follows of the monitoring of the construction and operations performed on a prototype.
Department of the Environment Spaces in the Home. Kitchens and Laundering Spaces. Department of the Environment, Design Bulletin No 24, HMSO, London, 1972, abstr in Building Science Abstracts. Gives guidance on user requirements and the design of kitchens and laundering spaces and includes a review of sociological material about user reactions to kitchens, selected from recent housing appraisals and illustrated by plans and photographs of the case study kitchens.
4.4.165 (63105)
Rosenthal, M. Application of Human Engineering Principles and Techniques in the Design of Electronic Production Equipment Human Factors Apt 1973, 15.2, 137-148. The Human Engineering Group was asked to investigate a microwelding operation considered by management to be a critical problem area. The operation, involving manual welding and trimming of wire grids, was excessively demanding on human resources. In spite of hourly break periods, the operators complained of excessive fatigue, back strain and leg pains. The Human Engineering Group, in conjunction with the Industrial Design Group, studied the problem and recommended a drastically revised
Grambart, J.E. Human Engineering Analysis of Airport Lighting Control Panels and a Proposal for a New Design. Interim Report Jan. 1971-July 1972, Nov 1972, 39pp, abstr in Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (Report No N73-12108). An improved airport lighting control panel for use in airport traffic control towers is described. Data on the physical characteristics of in-use panels and operational experience of users were collected at nine control towers. The need for a cleanly designed, compact, and easily read and activated lighting system display/ control panel was documented. A new design was proposed. The operation of the auxiliary systems is contingent upon the activation of the main runway lights in such a manner as to minimize the number of control units. Rather than have one control unit for each combination of runway and auxiliary lighting systems (the number being equal to the product), there is one control unit for each main runway lighting system and one control unit for each class of auxiliary lighting systems (the number being equal to the sum). As the number of runways and Lighting systems increases, the adoption of the proposed design should result in a striking reduction in control panel complexity and an increase in efficiency and economy. 4.4.168 (63112)
Hunting, W., and Grandjean E. Effects of Various Seat Surface Inclinations on Sitting Posture and
Applied Ergonomics December 1973
225