Potential Functions for En-Route Air Traffic Management and Flight Planning

Abstract

This paper proposes an object oriented methodology and use of potential functions for efficient solutions to en-route air traffic management and flight planning in a complex airspace system. In this object oriented methodology, different objects, e.g., weather, Special Use Airspace (SUA), traffic, etc., and their attributes, e.g., weather orientation, SUA geometry, traffic density, etc., are defined by using potential functions. The interaction of the object of interest (host aircraft) and environment is modeled through an artificial potential field, whose interaction model is simple and well defined. This helps in framing a simple algorithm and produces efficient and complete solutions. The path planning and conflict detection and resolution algorithms developed for this methodology provide efficient solutions in the comprehensively defined environment model in which uncertainty is very limited. The algorithms have been implemented in a low-level flight planner. Results to validate the operation of the algorithm and feasibility of the methodology will be provided and a functional layout of the flight planner is provided.

Flight Conflict Resolution and Trajectory Recovery Through Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming Based on Speed and Heading Angle Change

“…In 2021, conflict resolution methods were divided into two categories: classical methods and methods based on reinforcement learning ( 5 ). The flight conflict resolution problem is modeled as an optimization control problem, which can be solved by intelligent optimization algorithms ( 6 ), such as genetic algorithm ( 7 – 12 ), artificial potential field ( 13 , 14 ), particle swarm algorithm ( 15 – 18 ) and ant colony algorithm ( 19 ), neural network ( 20 – 23 ), and simulated annealing method ( 24 , 25 ). Mathematical programming methods have been reviewed ( 26 ), giving six different aircraft separation conditions and three maneuvering strategies.…”

Multi-Aircraft Flight Conflict Resolution and Trajectory Recovery Scheme Based on Mixed Integer Linear Programming and Geometric Rules

“…In 2000, Kuchar and Yang gave the first review of conflict detection and resolution modeling methods, which laid the foundation for subsequent conflict resolution research (3). Today, there are intelligent algorithms represented by genetic algorithm, artificial potential field, particle swarm algorithm, ant colony algorithm, neural network, simulated annealing method, and so forth (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). Such algorithms all have their own limitations, that is, they are prone to fall into local optimal solutions in certain cases.…”

Inverse Optimal Planning for Air Traffic Control

“…Potential functions have been used extensively to model air traffic. [6] proposes a potential-field based system that can encode the effects of factors such as weather and air traffic density to manage en-route traffic. [7] focuses on the problem of re-routing of air traffic due to weather by generating potential functions and addresses the problems of local minima.…”