A collaborative scheduling system and method for integrated operation of airport clusters

Abstract

The present invention discloses a collaborative scheduling system and method for the integrated operation of airport clusters. The system includes: an initial planning subsystem that obtains initial scheduling data and calculates the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport and the ETD time of each departing flight based on the initial scheduling data; a single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem that plans the corresponding runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule based on the ETA time and ETD time of each airport's flights; and an airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem that, with the goal of maximizing the throughput of the airport cluster, amends the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport and forms a conflict-free airspace scheduling plan. The present invention realizes the integrated collaborative scheduling of airport clusters by converting the airport cluster integrated scheduling problem into an airspace macro-scheduling model and a single-airport micro-scheduling model, comprehensively considering the flight timing constraints between airports, and realizing the integrated collaborative scheduling of airport clusters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of airport collaborative scheduling, and in particular to a collaborative scheduling system and method for the integrated operation of airport clusters. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid increase in the total turnover of my country's civil aviation transport, the growth of transportation demand has indirectly driven the continuous improvement of transportation infrastructure such as runways, control towers, and airports. Some areas have gradually evolved from traditional approach modes to large-terminal operation modes with multiple runways, multiple airports, and multiple control towers. However, due to the unclear positioning of adjacent airport clusters in the strategic stage, some airspace resource planning lacks rationality; flight schedule allocation in the pre-tactical stage relies on manual experience, resulting in unnecessary waste of time slots or congestion of limited resources; in the tactical operation stage, controllers are faced with areas with relatively high flight density and complexity, which can easily lead to unclear situational awareness and difficulty in judging operational trends. Therefore, for large terminal operation systems or airport cluster operation systems, the most intuitive manifestation is that it is difficult to improve traffic flow operation efficiency and it is difficult to proactively prevent safety risks. Therefore, how to improve the overall regional operation efficiency while minimizing operational risks is an urgent problem to be solved. Traditional air traffic management technologies include the following:

[0003] (1) Arrival Management (AMAN) technology: Based on the estimated time of arrival (ETA), it manages incoming flights from multiple airports within the terminal control area. Without violating safety spacing, it rationally and efficiently allocates landing runways to incoming flights, providing optimal landing sequence and time recommendations. However, this technology does not consider the impact of departing flight flow and airport congestion, and the output strategy recommendations have limitations. Secondly, this technology mainly uses the "first come, first served" principle to sort incoming flights, which cannot realize the position exchange of flights at specific metering points. It can only provide a set of feasible sorting solutions.

[0004] (2) ASMGCS Level III and Level IV: This system implements aircraft guidance control over airport surface activities through monitoring, control, routing planning, and guidance functions to improve the efficiency and safety of surface activities under various operating conditions. However, this system focuses on real-time surface operation optimization and control. It has an initial path planning function but is unable to accurately calculate the flight operation sequence at surface metering nodes.

[0005] (3) Departure Management (DMAN) technology: Based on the estimated time of departure (ETD), the calculated off-block time (COBT) and calculated take-off time (CTOT) of the flight are calculated and optimized in advance. By optimizing the flight departure sequence and schedule, effective scheduling of flights from takeoff to cruising is achieved. However, this technology has not yet been integrated with approach and surface management technologies, lacking system-level optimization, resulting in the output strategy often not being executed.

[0006] (4) Single-airport arrival and departure collaborative sequencing technology: Use traditional arrival management to calculate the runway allocation plan and schedule of arrival flights, and fix it so that it will not change; then, integrate departure management and surface management to achieve departure-surface collaborative sequencing; finally, insert the departure flight sequence one by one according to the fixed arrival flight sequence. However, this solution can only provide a set of feasible flight scheduling plans, which is highly likely not the optimal plan and cannot effectively improve the airport's throughput; secondly, because this plan forcibly inserts the departure flight sequence into the arrival flight sequence, due to the forced execution of the output strategy and the additional constraints imposed on other stages, the final generated strategy often deviates from the global optimal strategy, which may cause more serious congestion.

[0007] In essence, the three stages of approach-surface-departure interact and penetrate each other. Changes in the traffic flow operation status in a certain stage will greatly affect other stages. However, current air traffic management technology mainly focuses on the operation optimization of each single stage (independent approach or departure stage) or local surface area. They are independent of each other both at the conceptual and logical levels, and have not yet comprehensively considered the optimization of flight flow sequences across the entire region under large terminal operation or airport cluster operation modes. Therefore, only non-global optimal strategies can be obtained, which in turn leads to many problems such as difficulty in strategy implementation by front-line control departments, difficulty in improving overall resource utilization and operational efficiency, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a collaborative scheduling system and method for the integrated operation of airport clusters.

[0009] First, a collaborative dispatching system for the integrated operation of airport clusters.

[0010] It includes an initial planning subsystem, an airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem, and multiple single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystems. The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem is deployed in the terminal control center and the regional flow center, and the multiple single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystems are deployed in the tower control center and the apron control center of each airport respectively.

[0011] The initial planning subsystem is used to: obtain initial scheduling data and calculate the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport and the ETD time of each departing flight based on the initial scheduling data;

[0012] The single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem is used to: plan the corresponding runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule according to the ETA time and ETD time of flights at each airport;

[0013] The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem is used to: with the goal of maximizing the throughput of the airport cluster, amend the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport, and form a conflict-free airspace scheduling plan to achieve integrated coordinated scheduling of the airport cluster.

[0014] Furthermore, the initial planning subsystem includes a scheduler, an incoming flight estimated arrival time calculation module, and a departing flight estimated departure time calculation module. The scheduler and incoming flight estimated arrival time calculation module are deployed in the terminal control center and the regional traffic center, and the departing flight estimated departure time calculation module is deployed in the tower control center and the apron control center of each airport.

[0015] The scheduler is used to: obtain initial scheduling data, which includes but is not limited to the initial flight plan of the flight, the initial runway plan for arrival and departure, the unobstructed taxi time and the planned off-block time (SBOT) of the departure flight;

[0016] The estimated arrival time calculation module for incoming flights is used to calculate the unobstructed approach flight path of each incoming flight based on the initial scheduling data, predict the four-dimensional trajectory of the flight, and calculate the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport based on the four-dimensional trajectory of the flight;

[0017] The estimated departure time calculation module for the departing flights is used to: calculate the unimpeded taxiing time of each departing flight from the airport according to the initial scheduling data, and calculate the ETD time of the departing flights from the airport based on the unimpeded taxiing time and the planned off-block time (SBOT).

[0018] Furthermore, the single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem includes a joint sequencing management module for:

[0019] Plan the arrival and departure schedule for each runway of the airport based on the ETA time and ETD time, and generate the calculated arrival time (CTA) of the arriving flights, the calculated departure time (CTD) of the departing flights, and the runway allocation plan;

[0020] Subtract the corresponding planned off-block time (SBOT) from the calculated departure time (CTD) of each departing flight to obtain the required taxi time;

[0021] Determining whether the required taxi time of all departing flights is greater than the corresponding unobstructed taxi time;

[0022] If yes, then output the calculated arrival time CTA of the incoming flight, the calculated departure time CTD of the departing flight and the runway allocation plan of the airport;

[0023] If not, the planned off-block time (SBOT) of each departing flight will be added to the corresponding unobstructed taxi time, and the ETD time will be revised based on the calculated result. The runway arrival and departure scheduling plan will be replanned based on the revised ETD time until the required taxi time of all departing flights is greater than the corresponding unobstructed taxi time.

[0024] Furthermore, the single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem further includes an airport surface taxiing management module, which is used to:

[0025] Receive the calculated arrival time (CTA) and calculated departure time (CTD) of the arriving flights and the runway allocation plan for the airport, and allocate the planned transit time for each meter point on the runway based on the shortest or nominal taxi path of the arriving and departing flights;

[0026] Based on the planned transit times of each metering point and the calculated departure time (CTD) of the departing flights, determine whether a feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights of the airport can be found;

[0027] If so, generate and output a runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule based on the calculated arrival time (CTA) and calculated departure time (CTD) of the arriving flights and the runway allocation plan for the airport. The flight arrival and departure schedule includes the flight time plan and the planned transit time of each meter point on the ground.

[0028] If not, the taxi path of the departure flight of this airport will be changed to correct the ETD time, and the corrected ETD time will be passed to the joint sequencing management module to obtain the calculated arrival time CTA of the arrival flight, the calculated departure time CTD of the departure flight and the runway allocation plan of the airport again, and reallocate the planned transit time of each metering point on the surface.

[0029] Furthermore, the airport taxiing management module is further configured to:

[0030] If, after reallocating the planned over-the-block times of the meter points at the surface, no feasible scheduling plan can be found for the departing flight at this airport, the planned off-block time (SBOT) of the departing flight shall be advanced and used as the revised ETD time;

[0031] The revised ETD time is passed to the joint sequencing management module to re-obtain the calculated arrival time (CTA) and calculated departure time (CTD) of the arriving flights and the runway allocation plan of the departing flights at this airport;

[0032] Based on the newly acquired calculated arrival time CTA of the arriving flight, calculated departure time CTD of the departing flight, and the runway allocation plan, the planned transit time of each metering point on the surface is reallocated until a feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights of this airport is found.

[0033] Furthermore, the feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights of the airport is specifically as follows: the time when all departing flights of the airport arrive at the last runway metering point is greater than or equal to the calculated departure time CTD of the corresponding departing flights.

[0034] Furthermore, the airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem is specifically used to:

[0035] Collect the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule output by the integrated sequencing management subsystem of each single airport;

[0036] Based on the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule for each airport, with maximizing the throughput of the airport cluster as the optimization goal, a conflict-free arrival and departure flight path is assigned to each arriving and departing flight, and an arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan is generated. The arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan includes a flight transit sequence at key airspace metering nodes and required arrival times at the airspace metering nodes;

[0037] Determining whether feasible scheduling plans for arriving flights at all airports are found based on the arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plans;

[0038] If not, the flight path or speed is changed to correct the ETA time. The corrected ETA time is transmitted to the corresponding airport's single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem to obtain the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport again, and regenerate the arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan;

[0039] If so, generate and output a feasible conflict-free airspace scheduling plan for all airports based on the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport, so as to realize integrated coordinated scheduling of the airport cluster;

[0040] The conflict-free airspace scheduling plan includes but is not limited to the flight paths of all airport arrival and departure flights, the planned arrival and departure flight times, the final runway scheduling information, and the airspace metering node transit timing.

[0041] Furthermore, the airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem is also used to:

[0042] If a feasible scheduling plan for all arriving flights at all airports cannot be found based on the regenerated airport group scheduling plan, the time at which the arriving flights enter the terminal corridor entrance point or the arrival runway will be modified to correct the ETA time;

[0043] The revised ETA time is transmitted to the single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem of the corresponding airport, and the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport are updated;

[0044] Based on the updated runway scheduling plans and flight arrival and departure schedules for each airport, the arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plans are generated again until feasible scheduling plans for arriving flights at all airports are found.

[0045] Furthermore, the feasible scheduling plan for the arriving flights at all airports is specifically as follows: the time when the arriving flights at all airports arrive at the last runway metering point is equal to the calculated arrival time CTA of the corresponding arriving flights.

[0046] In a second aspect, a collaborative scheduling method for integrated operation of an airport cluster is provided. The method is based on the system described in the first aspect and comprises the following steps:

[0047] The initial planning subsystem obtains the initial scheduling data and calculates the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport and the ETD time of each departing flight based on the initial scheduling data;

[0048] The single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem plans the corresponding runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule according to the ETA time and ETD time of flights at each airport;

[0049] The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem aims to maximize the throughput of the airport cluster, amends the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport, and forms a conflict-free airspace scheduling plan to achieve integrated coordinated scheduling of the airport cluster.

[0050] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: deploying a microscopic single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem in the control center of each airport, combining the initial planning subsystem to calculate the ETA time and ETD time, and obtaining the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport to maximize the arrival and departure throughput of a single airport while maintaining conflict-free surface operation of the single airport; deploying a macroscopic airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem in the terminal control area, comprehensively considering the independent sub-problems of each airport, and revising the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport to eliminate the contradictions in flight timing constraints between airports, meet the conflict-free constraints of the entire solution space, maximize the throughput of the airport cluster as much as possible, and complete the integrated collaborative scheduling of the airport cluster. The advantages include the following:

[0051] (1) The traditional three scheduling stages of arrival, surface, and departure management are organically integrated to ensure that the scheduling plan for each stage can be executed. Moreover, due to the overall consideration of the operational restrictions of the three stages, a milestone node plan for the entire life cycle of flight operations within the terminal area (airport cluster) can be output. This method is not only applicable to the coordinated scheduling of arrival, departure, and surface operations at a single airport, but can also be applied to the coordinated scheduling of arrival, departure, and surface operations at multiple airports, realizing the integrated and conflict-free operation of flight flows within an airport cluster.

[0052] (2) The traditional airport cluster arrival, departure and surface optimization scheduling problem is decomposed into a microscopic single-airport optimization scheduling sub-problem and a macroscopic airport cluster airspace optimization scheduling sub-problem. The above two problems are assigned to multiple non-overlapping distributed optimization modules for iterative calculation, so that the size, scope and complexity of the optimization problem at each stage are reduced to a computable and manageable level, which can ensure the real-time and stability of the solution process.

[0053] (3) By continuously iteratively searching for the optimal solution for the approach and departure sequence in the feasible domain, on the one hand, it can provide a scheduling plan that maximizes the throughput of the terminal area or airport group and obtain the global optimal strategy, which can avoid the situation where the global strategy often deviates from the optimal solution due to the forced implementation of a certain stage strategy; on the other hand, when unexpected factors occur and the operation plan of some flights is temporarily changed, the system can also respond quickly and calculate the new operation plan in time.

[0054] (4) The controller can change the flight plan information input into the dispatcher at any time. The dispatcher will determine whether the newly input flight plan meets the corresponding constraints. If not, it will dynamically adjust the operation strategy in real time to ensure that the output strategy is conflict-free.

[0055] (5) The single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem can provide auxiliary decision-making for tower controllers and apron controllers, and the airport group airspace integrated sequencing management subsystem can provide auxiliary decision-making for terminal controllers. The two subsystems maintain information consistency and homogeneity through cascading, providing unified situational awareness for all controllers; at the same time, tower controllers and apron controllers can revise the airport operation plan based on the current situation, and terminal controllers can revise the terminal airspace operation plan based on the current airspace situation, and input them into the model proposed in this patent to generate the best scheduling strategy through collaborative decision-making, thereby ensuring the collaborative decision-making power of multiple parties. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly describes the drawings required for the specific embodiments or the description of the prior art. Similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals throughout the drawings. Elements or parts in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0057] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the inventive concept of a collaborative scheduling system for integrated operation of airport clusters provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 2 This is a module block diagram of a collaborative scheduling system for integrated operation of airport clusters provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 3 A logical diagram of a coordinated dispatching system for integrated operation of airport clusters provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 4 A flowchart of a collaborative scheduling method for integrated operation of airport clusters provided in the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The following embodiments of the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present invention and are therefore only examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0062] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the technical or scientific terms used in this application should have the common meanings understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0063] Example 1

[0064] like Figure 1 As shown, the inventive concept of this embodiment is to decompose the traditional multi-airport arrival, departure, and surface optimization scheduling problem into two sub-problems: namely, converting the airport cluster arrival-departure-surface management problem into a micro-level single-airport integrated sequencing management sub-problem and a macro-level airport cluster airspace integrated management sub-problem. The micro-level single-airport integrated sequencing management sub-problem maximizes the arrival and departure throughput of a single airport while maintaining conflict-free surface operations by modifying the scheduling plan of a single airport. The macro-level airport cluster airspace integrated management sub-problem generates conflict-free trajectories and flight sequences for arriving and departing flights by comprehensively considering the scheduling plans of each airport, ensuring that they meet the scheduling plans and runway plans of each airport as much as possible.

[0065] Based on the above invention concept, this embodiment proposes a collaborative scheduling system for the integrated operation of airport clusters, such as Figure 2 As shown, it includes an initial planning subsystem, an airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem, and multiple single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystems. The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem is deployed in the terminal control center and the regional flow center, and the multiple single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystems are deployed in the tower control center and the apron control center of each airport respectively.

[0066] The initial planning subsystem is used to: obtain initial scheduling data and calculate the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport and the ETD time of each departing flight based on the initial scheduling data;

[0067] The single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem is used to: plan the corresponding runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule according to the ETA time and ETD time of flights at each airport;

[0068] The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem is used to: with the goal of maximizing the throughput of the airport cluster, amend the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport, and form a conflict-free airspace scheduling plan to achieve integrated coordinated scheduling of the airport cluster.

[0069] It should be noted that the ETA time in this embodiment refers to the estimated time of arrival of the flight, and the ETD time refers to the estimated time of departure of the flight.

[0070] Further, if Figure 3 As shown, the initial planning subsystem includes a scheduler, an incoming flight estimated arrival time calculation module, and a departing flight estimated departure time calculation module. The scheduler and the incoming flight estimated arrival time calculation module are deployed in the terminal control center and the regional traffic center, and the departing flight estimated departure time calculation module is deployed in the tower control center and the apron control center of each airport.

[0071] The dispatcher receives input from the air traffic controller and connects with various airport runway operations managers, the airport collaborative decision-making system (A-CDM), and other systems to obtain initial scheduling data. This data includes, but is not limited to, flight plan information, initial runway plans for arrivals and departures, unimpeded taxi time, minimum wake turbulence separation constraints for each aircraft type, scheduled off-block time (SBOT) for departing flights, performance parameters for each aircraft type, and airspace and airport resource allocation information. Preferably, the unimpeded taxi time can be determined by the 20th percentile of historical stand-to-runway taxi times, which are determined solely by the stand and runway locations.

[0072] The estimated arrival time calculation module for incoming flights calculates the unobstructed approach flight path for each incoming flight based on the initial scheduling data and the flight plan information of each flight. It then predicts the flight's 4TD position information, i.e., the flight's four-dimensional trajectory, based on the unobstructed approach flight path. Furthermore, it calculates the ETA time for each incoming flight to arrive at the destination airport based on the flight's four-dimensional trajectory.

[0073] The estimated departure time calculation module for departing flights calculates the unimpeded taxi time of each departing flight at this airport based on the initial scheduling data, and calculates the ETD time of the departing flights at this airport based on this unimpeded taxi time and the corresponding planned off-block time (SBOT).

[0074] Furthermore, the single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem includes a joint sequencing management module. Based on the ETA time output by the arrival flight estimated arrival time calculation module and the ETD time output by the departure flight estimated departure time calculation module, the joint sequencing management module plans the arrival and departure scheduling plan for each runway at the airport. This module allocates operating runways and time slots to each arriving and departing flight at the airport, and then generates the calculated time of arrival (CTA) for arriving flights, the calculated time of departure (CTD) for departing flights, and a runway allocation plan. The runway allocation plan includes, but is not limited to, a runway allocation plan timetable and planned arrival and departure runways.

[0075] The joint sequencing management module checks whether the above time and allocation plans meet the departure flight operation logic. It uses the calculated departure time (CTD) of each departing flight to subtract the corresponding planned off-block time (SBOT) to obtain the required taxi time (i.e., the required taxi-out time). This required taxi time is compared with the clear taxi time of the corresponding assigned runway.

[0076] If the required taxi time of all departing flights is greater than the corresponding unobstructed taxi time, the joint sequencing management module directly outputs the calculated arrival time CTA of the incoming flights, the calculated departure time CTD of the departing flights, and the runway allocation plan for this airport; if the required taxi time of the departing flights is less than the corresponding unobstructed taxi time, the joint sequencing management module corrects the ETD time of the departing flights to be equal to the planned off-block time SBOT plus the unobstructed taxi time of the corresponding assigned runway, and returns to replan the runway arrival and departure scheduling plan based on the corrected ETD time until the required taxi time of all departing flights is greater than the corresponding unobstructed taxi time. Finally, the joint sequencing management module outputs the calculated arrival time CTA, calculated departure time CTD of the departing flights, and the runway allocation plan for this airport.

[0077] Furthermore, the single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem also includes an airport surface taxiing management module. The airport surface taxiing management module receives the calculated arrival time CTA of the incoming flights, the calculated departure time CTD of the departing flights and the runway allocation plan output by the joint sequencing management module, and allocates the planned transit time of each metering point on the surface in combination with the shortest or nominal taxiing path of the incoming and outgoing flights, so as to allocate conflict-free surface transit time and timing to each flight. Preferably, the shortest or nominal taxiing path of the incoming and outgoing flights can be a preset standard value, or it can be calculated based on the actual coordinated scheduling situation, including the shortest or nominal taxiing path from the parking position of the departing flight to the planned departure runway, and the shortest or nominal taxiing path from the planned arrival runway to the parking position of the arriving flight.

[0078] The airport taxi management module determines whether the arrival time of all departing flights at the last runway metering point is greater than or equal to the calculated departure time (CTD) of the corresponding departing flights based on the planned transit time of each metering point on the surface and the calculated departure time (CTD) of the departing flights. In this way, it determines whether a feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights at the airport can be found.

[0079] If a feasible scheduling plan for departing flights can be found at this airport, the airport surface taxiing management module will generate and output a runway scheduling plan and a flight arrival and departure schedule based on the calculated arrival time CTA, calculated departure time CTD of the departing flights, and the runway allocation plan of this airport. The flight arrival and departure schedule includes the flight arrival and departure schedule and the planned transit time of each metering point on the surface, thereby maximizing the flight throughput of a single airport while maintaining conflict-free surface operations at a single airport, providing auxiliary decision-making for tower controllers and apron controllers.

[0080] If a feasible scheduling plan for the departing flight cannot be found at this airport, the airport taxi management module will first adjust the ETD time based on the taxi path of the departing flight. If the time cannot be met after the adjustment, the ETD time will be adjusted based on the planned off-block time (SBOT) of the departing flight and the planned transit time of each meter point on the ground will be reallocated until a feasible scheduling plan is found. Specifically, it includes:

[0081] (1) If a feasible scheduling plan for the departure flights of this airport cannot be found, the airport surface taxiing management module will change the taxiing path of the departure flights of this airport to correct the ETD time, and pass the corrected ETD time to the joint sequencing management module. The joint sequencing management module will recalculate and output the calculated arrival time CTA of the arrival flights of this airport, the calculated departure time CTD of the departure flights and the runway allocation plan based on the corrected ETD time. The airport surface taxiing management module will reallocate the planned transit time of each metering point on the surface based on the new data output by the joint sequencing management model, and then generate and output the runway scheduling plan and the flight arrival and departure plan timetable.

[0082] (2) If a feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights at this airport cannot be found after the planned time-outs of each meter point are reallocated, the airport taxiing management module advances the planned off-block time (SBOT) of the departing flights and uses it as the revised ETD time. Similarly, the revised ETD time is passed to the joint sequencing management module, which recalculates and outputs the calculated arrival time (CTA) and calculated departure time (CTD) of the arriving flights and the runway allocation plan for the departing flights at this airport based on the revised ETD time. The airport taxiing module reallocates the planned time-outs of each meter point at the airport based on the new data output by the joint sequencing management model until a feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights at this airport is found. Finally, the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule are generated and output.

[0083] Furthermore, the airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem receives the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule output by each single airport's integrated sequencing management subsystem within a unit time window, and simultaneously accesses the airspace manager and flight performance parameter library. Based on each airport's runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure time schedule, combined with airspace route configuration information, aircraft performance and required interval data and other parameter information, with the optimization goal of maximizing airport cluster throughput, it assigns conflict-free arrival and departure flight paths to each arriving and departing flight and generates an arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan. Preferably, the arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan includes the flight transit sequence of key airspace metering nodes and the required arrival time of the airspace metering nodes.

[0084] The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem determines, based on the terminal flight schedule, whether the arrival time of all arriving flights at all airports is equal to the calculated arrival time (CTA) of the arriving flights. This determines whether a feasible scheduling plan for all arriving flights at all airports can be found. If a feasible scheduling plan for all airports can be found, a feasible, conflict-free airspace scheduling plan for all airports is generated and output based on each airport's runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule. This plan aims to meet the scheduling plan of each airport as much as possible, achieve integrated coordinated scheduling for the airport cluster, and provide decision support for terminal and traffic controllers.

[0085] If a feasible scheduling plan for all airports for incoming flights cannot be found, the airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem will first correct the ETA time based on the flight path or flight speed of the flight. If it still cannot be met, the ETA time will be corrected based on the time when the incoming flight enters the terminal corridor or the approaching runway, and the runway scheduling plan and flight schedule of each airport will be re-obtained. The arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan will be generated again until a feasible scheduling plan is found. Specifically including:

[0086] (1) If a feasible scheduling plan for all airports cannot be found for incoming flights, the airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem will change the flight path or flight speed to correct the ETA time, and transmit the corrected ETA time to the single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem of the corresponding airport. The single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem will recalculate and output the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport based on the corrected ETA time. The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem will re-acquire the runway scheduling plan and flight schedule time of each airport, and then regenerate the arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan.

[0087] (2) If a feasible scheduling plan for all airports for incoming flights cannot be found based on the regenerated airport cluster scheduling plan, the airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem will modify the time for incoming flights to enter the terminal corridor entrance point or the arrival runway to correct the ETA time. Similarly, the corrected ETA time is transmitted to the single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem of the corresponding airport, and the single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem recalculates and outputs the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport based on the corrected ETA time. The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem reacquires the runway scheduling plan and flight schedule time of each airport, and then regenerates the arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan until a feasible scheduling plan for all airports for incoming flights is found, and finally generates and outputs a feasible conflict-free airspace scheduling plan for all airports.

[0088] Preferably, the conflict-free airspace scheduling plan includes, but is not limited to, the flight paths of all airport arrival and departure flights, the Scheduled Time of Arrival (STA) and Scheduled Time of Departure (STD) of arrival flights, final runway scheduling information for arrival and departure flights, the time sequence of airspace metering node transits, and the required arrival times of airspace metering nodes. The Scheduled Time of Arrival (STA) is the final calculated arrival time (CTA) of the arrival flight, and the Scheduled Time of Departure (STD) is the final calculated departure time (CTD) of the departure flight.

[0089] Preferably, in actual applications, each single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem is connected to the automation system of the tower control center and apron control center of the corresponding airport, and outputs and displays in real time to the connected automation system the runway information selected for the arrival and departure venues, the planned time of arrival and departure flights (STA and STD), parking stand allocation information, taxi paths and surface metering time of arrival and departure flights, ETA and ETD of flights at each airport, and other data. The airport cluster airspace integrated sequencing management subsystem is connected to the automation system of the terminal area control center, and outputs and displays in real time to the connected automation system the conflict-free arrival and departure route planning and the transit time of each airspace metering point (flight guidance strategy), the runway selection information and planned sequence of arrival and departure flights, the arrival and departure flight scheduling timetable, and other data.

[0090] Example 2

[0091] like Figure 4 As shown, a collaborative scheduling method for integrated operation of an airport cluster is provided. The method is based on the system described in Example 1 and includes the following steps:

[0092] The initial planning subsystem obtains the initial scheduling data and calculates the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport and the ETD time of each departing flight based on the initial scheduling data;

[0093] The single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem plans the corresponding runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule according to the ETA time and ETD time of flights at each airport;

[0094] The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem aims to maximize the throughput of the airport cluster, amends the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport, and forms a conflict-free airspace scheduling plan to achieve integrated coordinated scheduling of the airport cluster.

[0095] It should be noted that for a more specific workflow of a collaborative scheduling method for the integrated operation of airport clusters, please refer to the aforementioned system embodiment section, which will not be repeated here.

[0096] The present invention deploys a microscopic single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem at the control center of each airport, combines it with the initial planning subsystem to calculate ETA and ETD times, and obtains the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport to maximize the arrival and departure throughput of the single airport while maintaining conflict-free surface operations at the single airport; deploys a macroscopic airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem in the terminal control area, comprehensively considers the independent sub-problems of each airport, and modifies the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport to eliminate the flight timing constraint contradictions between airports, meet the conflict-free constraints of the entire solution space, maximize the throughput of the airport cluster as much as possible, and complete the integrated coordinated scheduling of the airport cluster. It includes the following advantages:

[0097] (1) The traditional three scheduling stages of arrival, surface, and departure management are organically integrated to ensure that the scheduling plan for each stage can be executed. Moreover, due to the overall consideration of the operational restrictions of the three stages, a milestone node plan for the entire life cycle of flight operations within the terminal area (airport cluster) can be output. This method is not only applicable to the coordinated scheduling of arrival, departure, and surface operations at a single airport, but can also be applied to the coordinated scheduling of arrival, departure, and surface operations at multiple airports, realizing the integrated and conflict-free operation of flight flows within an airport cluster.

[0098] (2) The traditional airport cluster arrival, departure and surface optimization scheduling problem is decomposed into a microscopic single-airport optimization scheduling sub-problem and a macroscopic airport cluster airspace optimization scheduling sub-problem. The above two problems are assigned to multiple non-overlapping distributed optimization modules for iterative calculation, so that the size, scope and complexity of the optimization problem at each stage are reduced to a computable and manageable level, which can ensure the real-time and stability of the solution process.

[0099] (3) By continuously iteratively searching for the optimal solution for arrival and departure sequences in the feasible domain, on the one hand, it is possible to provide a scheduling plan that maximizes throughput for the terminal area or airport cluster, obtaining a global optimal strategy. This can avoid the situation where the global strategy often deviates from the optimal solution due to the forced implementation of a certain stage strategy. On the other hand, when unexpected factors arise and the operation plan of some flights is temporarily changed, the system can also respond quickly and calculate the new operation plan in a timely manner.

[0100] (4) The controller can change the flight plan information input into the dispatcher at any time. The dispatcher will determine whether the newly input flight plan meets the corresponding constraints. If not, it will dynamically adjust the operation strategy in real time to ensure that the output strategy is conflict-free.

[0101] (5) The single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem can provide auxiliary decision-making for tower controllers and apron controllers, and the airport group airspace integrated sequencing management subsystem can provide auxiliary decision-making for terminal controllers. The two subsystems maintain information consistency and homogeneity through cascading, providing unified situational awareness for all controllers; at the same time, tower controllers and apron controllers can revise the airport operation plan based on the current situation, and terminal controllers can revise the terminal airspace operation plan based on the current airspace situation, and input them into the model proposed in this patent to generate the best scheduling strategy through collaborative decision-making, thereby ensuring the collaborative decision-making power of multiple parties.

[0102] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and description of the present invention.

Claims

1. A collaborative dispatching system for the integrated operation of airport clusters, characterized by: It includes an initial planning subsystem, an airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem, and multiple single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystems. The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem is deployed in the terminal control center and the regional flow center, and the multiple single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystems are deployed in the tower control center and the apron control center of each airport respectively. The initial planning subsystem is used to: obtain initial scheduling data and calculate the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport and the ETD time of each departing flight based on the initial scheduling data; The single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem is used to: plan the corresponding runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule according to the ETA time and ETD time of flights at each airport; The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem is used for: Collect the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule output by the integrated sequencing management subsystem of each single airport, and connect them to the airspace manager and flight performance parameter library; Based on the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport, combined with airspace route configuration information, aircraft performance and required interval data, and with the goal of maximizing the throughput of the airport cluster, the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport are revised to form a conflict-free airspace scheduling plan to achieve integrated coordinated scheduling of the airport cluster; The specific steps for forming a conflict-free airspace scheduling plan are as follows: With the optimization goal of maximizing the throughput of the airport group, a conflict-free arrival and departure flight path is assigned to each arriving and departing flight, and an arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan is generated; Determining whether feasible scheduling plans for arriving flights at all airports are found based on the arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plans; If not, the flight path or speed is changed to correct the ETA time. The corrected ETA time is transmitted to the corresponding airport's single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem to obtain the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport again, and regenerate the arrival and departure terminal flight scheduling plan; If yes, generate and output a feasible conflict-free airspace scheduling plan for all airports based on the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport; If a feasible scheduling plan for all arriving flights at all airports cannot be found based on the regenerated airport group scheduling plan, the time at which the arriving flights enter the terminal corridor entrance point or the arrival runway will be modified to correct the ETA time; The revised ETA time is transmitted to the single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem of the corresponding airport, and the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule of each airport are updated; Based on the updated runway schedules and flight arrival and departure schedules for each airport, regenerate the arrival and departure terminal flight schedules until a feasible schedule for all airports is found for arriving flights; The single-airport integrated sequencing management subsystem includes an airport surface taxiing management module, which is used to: Receive the calculated arrival time (CTA) and calculated departure time (CTD) of the arriving flights and the runway allocation plan for the airport, and allocate the planned transit time for each meter point on the runway based on the shortest or nominal taxi path of the arriving and departing flights; Based on the planned transit times of each metering point and the calculated departure time (CTD) of the departing flights, determine whether a feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights of the airport can be found; If so, generate and output a runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule based on the calculated arrival time (CTA) and calculated departure time (CTD) of the arriving flights and the runway allocation plan for the airport. The flight arrival and departure schedule includes the flight time plan and the planned transit time of each meter point on the ground. If not, the taxi path of the departure flight of this airport will be changed to correct the ETD time, and the corrected ETD time will be passed to the joint sequencing management module to obtain the calculated arrival time CTA of the arrival flight, the calculated departure time CTD of the departure flight and the runway allocation plan of the airport again, and reallocate the planned transit time of each metering point on the surface.

2. The coordinated dispatching system for integrated operation of airport clusters according to claim 1, characterized in that: The initial planning subsystem includes a scheduler, an estimated arrival time calculation module for incoming flights, and an estimated departure time calculation module for departing flights. The scheduler and the estimated arrival time calculation module for incoming flights are deployed in the terminal control center and the regional traffic center, and the estimated departure time calculation module for departing flights is deployed in the tower control center and the apron control center of each airport. The scheduler is used to: obtain initial scheduling data, which includes but is not limited to the initial flight plan of the flight, the initial runway plan for arrival and departure, the unobstructed taxi time and the planned off-block time (SBOT) of the departure flight; The estimated arrival time calculation module for incoming flights is used to calculate the unobstructed approach flight path of each incoming flight based on the initial scheduling data, predict the four-dimensional trajectory of the flight, and calculate the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport based on the four-dimensional trajectory of the flight; The estimated departure time calculation module for the departing flights is used to: calculate the unimpeded taxiing time of each departing flight from the airport according to the initial scheduling data, and calculate the ETD time of the departing flights from the airport based on the unimpeded taxiing time and the planned off-block time (SBOT).

3. The coordinated dispatching system for integrated operation of airport clusters according to claim 2, characterized in that: The single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem includes a joint sequencing management module for: Plan the arrival and departure schedule for each runway of the airport based on the ETA time and ETD time, and generate the calculated arrival time (CTA) of the arriving flights, the calculated departure time (CTD) of the departing flights, and the runway allocation plan; Subtract the corresponding planned off-block time (SBOT) from the calculated departure time (CTD) of each departing flight to obtain the required taxi time; Determining whether the required taxi time of all departing flights is greater than the corresponding unobstructed taxi time; If yes, then output the calculated arrival time CTA of the incoming flight, the calculated departure time CTD of the departing flight and the runway allocation plan of the airport; If not, the planned off-block time (SBOT) of each departing flight will be added to the corresponding unobstructed taxi time, and the ETD time will be revised based on the calculated result. The runway arrival and departure scheduling plan will be replanned based on the revised ETD time until the required taxi time of all departing flights is greater than the corresponding unobstructed taxi time.

4. The coordinated dispatching system for integrated operation of airport clusters according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The airport taxiing management module is further used to: If, after reallocating the planned over-the-block times of the meter points at the surface, no feasible scheduling plan can be found for the departing flight at this airport, the planned off-block time (SBOT) of the departing flight shall be advanced and used as the revised ETD time; The revised ETD time is passed to the joint sequencing management module to re-obtain the calculated arrival time (CTA) and calculated departure time (CTD) of the arriving flights and the runway allocation plan of the departing flights at this airport; Based on the newly acquired calculated arrival time CTA of the arriving flight, calculated departure time CTD of the departing flight, and the runway allocation plan, the planned transit time of each metering point on the surface is reallocated until a feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights of this airport is found.

5. The coordinated dispatching system for integrated operation of airport clusters according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The feasible scheduling plan for the departing flights of the airport is specifically: the arrival time of all departing flights of the airport at the last runway metering point is greater than or equal to the calculated departure time CTD of the corresponding departing flights.

6. The coordinated dispatching system for integrated operation of airport clusters according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal arrival and departure flight scheduling plan includes the flight transit sequence of key airspace metering nodes and the required arrival time of airspace metering nodes; the conflict-free airspace scheduling plan includes but is not limited to the flight paths of all airport arrival and departure flights, the planned arrival and departure flight times, the final runway scheduling information and the airspace metering node transit timing.

7. The coordinated dispatching system for integrated operation of airport clusters according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feasible scheduling plan for arriving flights at all airports is specifically as follows: the time when arriving flights at all airports arrive at the last runway metering point is equal to the calculated arrival time CTA of the corresponding arriving flights.

8. A collaborative scheduling method for integrated operation of airport clusters, characterized in that: The method is based on the system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the steps include: The initial planning subsystem obtains the initial scheduling data and calculates the ETA time of each incoming flight arriving at the destination airport and the ETD time of each departing flight based on the initial scheduling data; The single airport integrated sequencing management subsystem plans the corresponding runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule according to the ETA time and ETD time of flights at each airport; The airport cluster airspace integrated management subsystem aims to maximize the throughput of the airport cluster, amends the runway scheduling plan and flight arrival and departure schedule corresponding to each airport, and forms a conflict-free airspace scheduling plan to achieve integrated coordinated scheduling of the airport cluster.

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