AN OPTIMISED PROCESS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PERFORMANCE-CRITICAL CONTROL DEVICE

摘要

The paper presents a rigorous, industry proven, process to efficiently develop a performance-critical device to meet complex design requirements. This process was applied by the Bombardier Transportation human factors team on recent rolling stock projects during the design of a performance-critical control device, the Traction Brake Controller (TBC). Through the review of standards and human factors good practice, design requirements were identified which required a development method incorporating a range of human factors techniques. The methods used are presented, advantages and disadvantages discussed and lessons learnt summarised including the large influence of small design changes on comfort, a clear relationship between comfort and mis-use, the need for testing with a full cab mock-up to identify issues associated with integration and the importance of an iterative design process.