Fast sensitivity-based optimal trajectory updates for descent operations subject to time constraints

Dalmau, Ramon; Prats, Xavier; Baxley, Brian T.

doi:10.1109/dasc.2018.8569310

Cited by 8 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…Previous work [16] showed that the performance of sensitivity-based methods are similar to those of the INMPC, with the sensitivity-based methods being simpler, faster and more robust. Since the performance was similar, it is expected that the results from the addition of wind networking to the INMPC guidance strategy described in this paper should also apply to the sensitivity-based strategy.…”

Section: Nmpc Guidance Strategymentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The metering fix where CTAs were assigned by an hypothetical ATC during the simulations was the final approach point (DYMON). A more detailed view of this procedure can be found in [16].…”

Section: A Arrival Routementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In previous work [16], sensitivity-based NMPC was implemented to guide aircraft in CDO subject to CTA. Moreover, the guidance algorithm was enhanced to enable the calculation of the optimal trajectory plan using a wind profile based on the original forecast but progressively updated based on the ownship sensed winds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Using Broadcast Wind Observations to Update the Optimal Descent Trajectory in Real-Time

Dalmau

Prats

Baxley

2020

Journal of Air Transportation

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The ability to meet a controlled time of arrival during a continuous descent operation will enable environmentally friendly and fuel efficient descent operations while simultaneously maintaining airport throughput. However, if the wind forecast used to compute the initial trajectory plan is not accurate enough, the guidance system will need to correct time deviations from the plan during the execution of the descent. Previous work proposed an on-board guidance strategy based on model predictive control, which repeatedly updates the trajectory plan in real-time from the current aircraft state and for the remainder of the descent. However, the wind conditions downstream, at altitudes not explored yet, were difficult to predict due to the lack of data. This paper shows the potential benefits of using wind observations, broadcast by nearby aircraft, to reconstruct the wind profile downstream. The wind profile in the trajectory optimization problem is modeled as a spline, which control points are updated to fit the observations before re-planning the trajectory. Results from simulations using realistic wind data show that the performance of model predictive control significantly improves when including up-to-date wind observations, in terms of time and energy errors at the metering fix and fuel consumption.

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Section: Nmpc Guidance Strategymentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The metering fix where CTAs were assigned by an hypothetical ATC during the simulations was the final approach point (DYMON). A more detailed view of this procedure can be found in [16].…”

Section: A Arrival Routementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Using Broadcast Wind Observations to Update the Optimal Descent Trajectory in Real-Time

Dalmau

Prats

Baxley

2020

Journal of Air Transportation

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…It was essentially a greedy strategy with subjectively prioritizing the importance of objectives. In addition, real-time CDO trajectory control strategies have been investigated in the presence of abnormal operation deviating from the planned path [18], as well as adverse meteorological factors, such as storm [19] and gust [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-Attributes Decision-Making for CDO Trajectory Planning in a Novel Terminal Airspace

Yang

Wang

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) has been recognized as an effective way to significantly reduce fuel burn and noise impact. Designing efficient and flexible arrival routes for generating conflict-free and economical trajectories is a cornerstone for fully achieving CDO by high-level automation in high-density traffic scenarios. In this research, inspired by the Point Merge (PM), we design the Inverted Crown-Shaped Arrival Airspace (ICSAA) and its operational procedures to support Omni-directional CDO. In order to generate optimal conflict-free trajectories for upcoming aircraft in an efficient manner, we established a multi-objective trajectory optimization model solved by Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm with Elitist Strategy (NSGA-II). The Pareto solutions of minimal fuel consumption and trip time were achieved in single aircraft and highly complex multi-aircraft scenarios. Among all the elements of Pareto front, we obtained an unique solution with Entropy-Weights Method and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) to strike a better trade-off among collision probability, fuel consumption, and trip time, which incorporates both air traffic controller’s and pilot’s interests. The effectiveness of CDO performance improvement and computational efficiency in different scenarios were verified. The ICSAA would be a promising structure that promotes the application of automated and flexible CDO.

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“…In previous work [19], the SbNMPC strategy was implemented to guide aircraft during CDOs subject to CTAs, and 15 representative descents were simulated introducing errors in the parameters used by the FMS to describe the wind profile. Then, the performance of SbNMPC in terms of fuel consumption and ability to satisfy operational constraints was compared with those of the open-loop execution and the INMPC.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity-Based Non-Linear Model Predictive Control for Aircraft Descent Operations Subject to Time Constraints

2021

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The ability to meet a controlled time of arrival while also flying a continuous descent operation will enable environmentally friendly and fuel efficient descent operations while simultaneously maintaining airport throughput. Previous work showed that model predictive control, a guidance strategy based on a reiterated update of the optimal trajectory during the descent, provides excellent environmental impact mitigation figures while meeting operational constraints in the presence of modeling errors. Despite that, the computational delay associated with the solution of the trajectory optimization problem could lead to performance degradation and stability issues. This paper proposes two guidance strategies based on the theory of neighboring extremals that alleviate this problem. Parametric sensitivities are obtained by linearization of the necessary conditions of optimality along the active optimal trajectory plan to rapidly update it for small perturbations, effectively converting the complex and time consuming non-linear programming problem into a manageable quadratic programming problem. Promising results, derived from more than 4000 simulations, show that the performance of this method is comparable to that of instantaneously recalculating the optimal trajectory at each time sample.

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Fast sensitivity-based optimal trajectory updates for descent operations subject to time constraints

Cited by 8 publications

References 20 publications

Using Broadcast Wind Observations to Update the Optimal Descent Trajectory in Real-Time

Using Broadcast Wind Observations to Update the Optimal Descent Trajectory in Real-Time

Multi-Attributes Decision-Making for CDO Trajectory Planning in a Novel Terminal Airspace

Sensitivity-Based Non-Linear Model Predictive Control for Aircraft Descent Operations Subject to Time Constraints

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