An autonomous release sequencing method and system based on flight flow control restriction information

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of based on flight flow control restriction information autonomous release sequencing method and system, method includes: flow control restriction information is structured as including time, waypoint and digitalization constraint of traffic capacity and storage;According to the constraint screening affected flight, and it is divided into A class flight with fixed calculation takeoff time and B class flight without fixed time;With A class flight time as reference, under multiple constraints such as meeting calculation wheel block time and flow control capacity, dynamically calculate distribution suggestion takeoff time slot for B class flight;Finally, generate flight autonomous release sequencing sequence and output are integrated.This application method and system realize the change from artificial experience decision to intelligent automatic calculation in release sequencing, while guaranteeing instruction compliance, significantly improve sequencing efficiency, rationality and system response dynamic change robustness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of air traffic management technology, and in particular to an autonomous release and sorting method and system based on flight flow control restriction information. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous growth of air transport volume, airspace resources are becoming increasingly scarce, making flow control a necessary means to ensure air traffic safety and order. However, traditional flight release sequencing relies heavily on the manual experience of airport operations managers. When faced with complex and dynamic flow control instructions, airport operations managers need to manually check the relationship between each flight and flow control restrictions, estimate restricted time slots, and coordinate the order of flights. This method has the following main drawbacks:

[0003] Inefficient and slow to respond: Manually processing massive amounts of flight data and dynamically changing flow control instructions is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Especially during peak flight periods or when encountering complex flow control measures involving multiple time periods and locations, manual sorting often becomes a bottleneck in the operational chain, making it difficult to provide optimized release solutions in a timely manner. This may lead to unnecessary waiting of flights on the ground, which in turn may trigger a chain of delays.

[0004] Highly subjective and lacking consistent standards: the sequencing results rely heavily on the controller's personal experience, work habits, and instantaneous judgment. Different controllers may make different decisions when faced with the same situation, lacking a unified, objective, and quantifiable sequencing standard. This may result in the release order failing to achieve optimal utilization of airspace and time slot resources, and overall release efficiency failing to be maximized.

[0005] Coordination difficulties and insufficient global optimization: When multiple flights are subject to capacity constraints at different flow control points and time periods, there are complex interrelationships and constraints among these constraints. Manual methods are insufficient for rapid and accurate global assessment and coordination, easily leading to overlooking some aspects and failing to generate an overall optimal release sequence.

[0006] Weak dynamic response capability: In actual operation, flight status (such as late arrival, mechanical failure, passenger delays, etc.) changes rapidly. For such dynamic changes, especially severe delays of inbound flights, it is difficult for humans to assess the impact on the subsequent departure sequence in a timely and accurate manner, and to perform large-scale and rapid recalculation and sequence adjustment, resulting in a disconnect between the operation plan and the actual situation.

[0007] Some existing automated sorting tools often fail to deeply integrate flow control restrictions with real-time flight dynamics, or lack sufficient flexibility to allow for necessary human intervention, resulting in poor performance in practical applications.

[0008] Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field for an autonomous release sequencing method and system that can intelligently parse flow control instructions, automatically calculate the optimal release sequence under multiple constraints, and deeply integrate with the experience of controllers and experts to achieve efficient human-machine collaboration, so as to fundamentally improve the intelligence level, operational efficiency and flexibility of airport release command in dealing with complex situations. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To address the technical problems existing in the background art, this invention proposes an autonomous release and sorting method and system based on flight flow control restriction information.

[0010] This invention proposes an autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information, comprising the following steps:

[0011] S1. Obtain at least one flow control restriction information and structure it into a digital constraint. The digital constraint includes the flow control restriction time period, the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, and the number of passageways per minute of the waypoint. Store the digital constraint in the flow control database.

[0012] S2. Based on the flow control restriction time period and flow control restriction waypoint coordinates in the digital constraints, filter out affected flights from the flight dynamics database whose planned departure time is within the flow control restriction time period and whose flight plan route includes the coordinates of flow control restriction waypoints.

[0013] S3. Based on whether each affected flight has a calculated departure time issued by the system, the affected flights are divided into Category A flights with a fixed calculated departure time and Category B flights without a fixed calculated departure time.

[0014] S4. Using the fixed calculated takeoff time of the Class A flight as the time reference, and under the conditions that it is not earlier than the calculated wheel chock removal time of the Class B flight and meets the corresponding constraint of the number of passing gears per minute in the digital constraints, a suggested takeoff time slot is dynamically calculated and allocated for each Class B flight.

[0015] S5. Integrate the fixed calculated departure times of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slots of all Category B flights to generate and output a complete autonomous flight release sorting sequence.

[0016] Preferably, in step S4, when dynamically calculating and allocating suggested takeoff time slots for Category B flights, the fixed calculated takeoff time of the Category A flight that is ahead of and closest to the Category B flight in the flight sequence is also used as the sorting reference.

[0017] Preferably, the dynamic calculation and allocation in step S4 specifically includes:

[0018] S41. Obtain the calculation time for wheel chock removal corresponding to Category B flights and use it as the starting point for the initial calculation time.

[0019] S42. If the flight is identified as a late arrival flight, the sum of the actual landing time and the planned minimum turnaround time is calculated to obtain the alternative time starting point, and the later value between the initial calculated time starting point and the alternative time starting point is determined as the updated calculated time starting point.

[0020] S43. Based on the constraint of the number of passageways per minute for the corresponding waypoint in the flow control database, after the updated calculation time start point, find the first available takeoff time point that meets the capacity limit for the Class B flight.

[0021] S44. Compare and verify the available departure time with the fixed calculated departure time of the nearest Category A flight in the flight sequence;

[0022] S45. If the verification result shows that the available departure time is later than the fixed calculated departure time of the next Category A flight, then the Category B flight is repositioned to the next Category A flight, and the fixed calculated departure time of the Category A flight is used as the new reference starting point to re-execute step S43.

[0023] Preferably, the late-arriving flight refers to a flight whose actual landing time is later than its planned landing time by more than a preset threshold.

[0024] Preferably, step S5 specifically includes:

[0025] S51. Aggregate the fixed calculated departure time of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slot of all Category B flights to form a set of flight time points;

[0026] S52. Sort all time points in the flight time point set according to time sequence to generate a preliminary flight sequence;

[0027] S53. For each flight in the initial flight sequence, verify whether its assigned departure time simultaneously meets the flight's wheel chock removal time constraint and the per-minute pass count constraint of all relevant flow control restricted waypoints, and trigger time recalculation and sequence readjustment for the affected flights if the verification fails.

[0028] S54. Based on the verification and adjustment results of step S53, determine the final flight release sequence that satisfies all constraints.

[0029] S55. Convert the final flight release sequence into a structured digital instruction file and output it to the airport release control system via a data interface.

[0030] Preferably, the digital constraints are stored in the flow control database in the form of data records. The data structure of each data record includes: rule identifier, start and end timestamps of the flow control restriction period, spatial coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, the threshold for the number of flights per minute for the waypoint, and rule effective status identifier.

[0031] Preferably, it further includes:

[0032] S6. Receive a manual modification instruction for the departure time of any flight in the autonomous flight release sequence; use the time specified in the manual modification instruction as the highest priority departure time for that flight, update and re-output the autonomous flight release sequence.

[0033] This invention proposes an autonomous release and sorting system based on flight flow control restriction information, comprising:

[0034] The data configuration module is used to acquire at least one flow control restriction information and structure it into a digital constraint. The digital constraint includes the flow control restriction time period, the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, and the number of passageways per minute of the waypoint. The digital constraint is then stored in the flow control database.

[0035] The flight filtering module is used to filter affected flights from the flight dynamics database based on the flow control restriction period and the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint in the digital constraints. These flights have a scheduled departure time within the flow control restriction period and their flight plan route includes the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint.

[0036] The flight classification module is used to classify affected flights into Category A flights with fixed calculated departure times and Category B flights without fixed calculated departure times, based on whether each affected flight has a calculated departure time issued by the system.

[0037] The time slot calculation module is used to dynamically calculate and allocate a suggested takeoff time slot for each of the Class B flights, based on the fixed calculated takeoff time of the Class A flights and under the conditions that it is not earlier than the calculated wheel chock removal time of the Class B flights and meets the corresponding constraint of the number of passing racks per minute in the digital constraints.

[0038] The self-service flight sorting module integrates the fixed calculated departure times of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slots of all Category B flights to generate and output a complete self-service flight release sorting sequence.

[0039] Preferably, it further includes:

[0040] The sorting update module is used to receive manual modification instructions for the departure time of any flight in the autonomous flight release sorting sequence; it updates and re-outputs the autonomous flight release sorting sequence with the time specified in the manual modification instruction as the highest priority departure time of that flight.

[0041] Preferably, the time slot calculation module is further configured such that when the flight plan route of a single Category B flight involves multiple flow control restricted waypoints, the process of calculating the suggested takeoff time slot for the flight must simultaneously satisfy the approximate number of passageways per minute corresponding to each of the waypoints involved.

[0042] This invention presents an autonomous release sequencing method and system based on flight flow control restriction information. By structuring flow control instructions and automatically matching them with affected flights, it achieves a leap from manual experience-based decision-making to intelligent calculation. Under strict adherence to multiple constraints such as flow control capacity, flight turnaround time, and fixed time priority, it dynamically generates optimized suggested takeoff slots for unrestricted flights, thereby improving the efficiency and objectivity of release sequencing. Simultaneously, a flexible human intervention mechanism is designed to ensure deep integration of automated decision-making and controller expert experience, enhancing the adaptability to complex operational situations. Ultimately, by providing scientific and reasonable release sequences, it reduces invalid flight waiting, optimizes ground resource scheduling, and improves overall on-time performance and economic efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the workflow of an autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information proposed in this invention.

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of an autonomous release and sorting system based on flight flow control restriction information proposed in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0045] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present invention proposes an autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information, comprising the following steps:

[0046] S1. Obtain at least one flow control restriction information and structure it into a digital constraint. The digital constraint includes the flow control restriction time period, the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, and the number of passageways per minute of the waypoint. Store the digital constraint in the flow control database.

[0047] In this embodiment, digital constraints are stored in the flow control database in the form of data records. The data structure of each data record includes: rule identifier, start and end timestamps of the flow control restriction period, spatial coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, the threshold for the number of flights per minute of the waypoint, and rule effective status identifier.

[0048] S2. Based on the flow control restriction period and the coordinates of the flow control restricted waypoints, filter out all affected flights from the flight dynamics database whose planned departure time is within the time period and whose flight plan route includes waypoint coordinates.

[0049] S3. Based on whether each affected flight has a calculated departure time issued by the system, the affected flights are divided into Category A flights with a fixed calculated departure time and Category B flights without a fixed calculated departure time.

[0050] In this embodiment, flight classification includes:

[0051] Restricted flights (Category A): These are flights that have been assigned a CTOT (Time To Take Off) by the air traffic control system. This CTOT is a hard constraint issued by the higher-level air traffic management system. In the initial calculation, the CTOT of such flights is considered as a fixed SLOT (Schedule To Take Off), serving as the benchmark for sorting.

[0052] Unrestricted flights (Category B): These refer to flights for which there is currently no system CTOT (Complete Time Opportunity), and their SLOT (Site Rank) needs to be automatically calculated and generated by the system of this invention. The SLOT calculation for unrestricted flights (Category B) must satisfy a multi-level constraint system:

[0053] Basic time constraint: The calculated SLOT must not be earlier than the calculated wheel chock time (COBT) for that flight.

[0054] Special handling for late-arriving flights: For late-arriving flights (defined as: actual landing time > scheduled landing time + 10 minutes), their SLOT is the greater of the following two: (actual landing time + scheduled minimum transit time) & scheduled departure time SOBT.

[0055] Flow control capacity constraints: The system must ensure that, within the time and waypoints of flow control restrictions, the number of flights released per minute does not exceed the number of flights specified in the flow control restrictions.

[0056] Baseline Flight Constraint: When sorting, the SLOT of an unrestricted flight must be calculated with reference to the CTOT of the nearest restricted flight (Category A) to ensure that the sequence is reasonably distributed among the baseline points.

[0057] S4. Using the fixed calculated takeoff time of Category A flights as the time base, and under the conditions that it is no earlier than the calculated wheel chock removal time of Category B flights and meets the corresponding constraint of the number of passing racks per minute in the digital constraints, dynamically calculate and allocate a suggested takeoff time slot for each Category B flight.

[0058] In this embodiment, the dynamic calculation allocation also needs to be based on the fixed calculated departure time of the nearest Class A flight in the flight sequence as the sorting benchmark.

[0059] Specifically, the dynamic calculation and allocation in step S4 includes:

[0060] S41. Obtain the calculation time for wheel chock removal corresponding to Category B flights and use it as the starting point for the initial calculation time.

[0061] S42. If the flight is identified as a late arrival flight, the sum of the actual landing time and the planned minimum turnaround time is calculated to obtain the alternative time starting point, and the later value between the initial calculated time starting point and the alternative time starting point is determined as the updated calculated time starting point.

[0062] S43. Based on the constraint of the number of passageways per minute for the corresponding waypoint in the flow control database, after the updated calculation time start point, find the first available takeoff time point that meets the capacity limit for the Class B flight.

[0063] S44. Compare and verify the available departure time with the fixed calculated departure time of the nearest Category A flight in the flight sequence;

[0064] S45. If the verification result shows that the available departure time is later than the fixed calculated departure time of the next Category A flight, then the Category B flight is repositioned to the next Category A flight, and the fixed calculated departure time of the Category A flight is used as the new reference starting point to re-execute step S43.

[0065] It should be noted that late-arriving flights refer to flights whose actual landing time is later than their scheduled landing time by more than a preset threshold.

[0066] In this embodiment, the dynamic sorting logic includes: the system first identifies all Category A flights with fixed CTOTs, dividing their release sequences into several intervals. For Category B flights within each interval, the system calculates a feasible SLOT for each, provided all the above constraints are satisfied. If the calculated SLOT for a Category B flight exceeds the fixed CTOT of a subsequent Category A flight in the sequence, then the Category B flight must be sorted after that Category A flight. This ensures the absolute authority of the fixed CTOTs and avoids conflicts between the system's calculations and higher-level instructions.

[0067] S5. Integrate the fixed calculated departure times of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slots of all Category B flights to generate and output a complete autonomous flight release sorting sequence.

[0068] In this embodiment, step S5 specifically includes:

[0069] S51. Aggregate the fixed calculated departure time of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slot of all Category B flights to form a set of flight time points;

[0070] S52. Sort all time points in the flight time point set according to time sequence to generate a preliminary flight sequence;

[0071] S53. For each flight in the flight sequence, check whether its actual assigned departure time conflicts with the flight's own required calculation of wheel chock removal time and the constraint of the number of passes per minute for any associated flow control restricted waypoint. If a conflict is detected, trigger the recalculation and sequence adjustment of the affected flights.

[0072] S54. Based on the verification and adjustment results of step S53, determine the final flight release sequence that satisfies all constraints.

[0073] S55. Convert the final flight release sequence into a structured digital instruction file and output it to the airport release control system via a data interface.

[0074] In this embodiment, it also includes:

[0075] S6. Receive a manual modification instruction for the departure time of any flight in the autonomous flight release sequence; use the time specified in the manual modification instruction as the highest priority departure time for that flight, update and re-output the autonomous flight release sequence.

[0076] Specifically, the system supports manual modification of the CTOT / SLOT for any flight. Manual modifications have the highest priority, and once modified, the system will use the modified time for subsequent display and calculations. To distinguish between the manually modified CTOT and the automatically calculated SLOT / issued CTOT, the system will visually differentiate them on the interface (e.g., by color, icon, etc.) to prevent confusion.

[0077] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present invention proposes an autonomous release and sorting system based on flight flow control restriction information, comprising:

[0078] The data configuration module is used to acquire at least one flow control restriction information and structure it into a digital constraint. The digital constraint includes the flow control restriction time period, the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, and the number of passageways per minute of the waypoint. The digital constraint is then stored in the flow control database.

[0079] The flight filtering module is used to filter all affected flights from the flight dynamics database based on the flow control restriction period and the coordinates of the flow control restricted waypoints. The planned departure time is within the time period and the flight plan route includes waypoint coordinates.

[0080] The flight classification module is used to classify affected flights into Category A flights with fixed calculated departure times and Category B flights without fixed calculated departure times, based on whether each affected flight has a calculated departure time issued by the system.

[0081] The time slot calculation module is used to dynamically calculate and allocate a suggested takeoff time slot for each Category B flight, based on the fixed calculated takeoff time of Category A flights, provided that it is no earlier than the calculated wheel chock removal time of Category B flights and meets the corresponding constraint of the number of passing racks per minute in the digital constraints.

[0082] The self-service flight sorting module integrates the fixed calculated departure times of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slots of all Category B flights to generate and output a complete self-service flight release sorting sequence.

[0083] In this embodiment, it also includes:

[0084] The sorting update module is used to receive manual modification instructions for the departure time of any flight in the autonomous flight release sorting sequence; it updates and re-outputs the autonomous flight release sorting sequence with the time specified in the manual modification instruction as the highest priority departure time of that flight.

[0085] In this embodiment, the time slot calculation module is further configured such that when the flight plan route of a single Category B flight involves multiple flow control restricted waypoints, the process of calculating the suggested takeoff time slot for the flight must simultaneously satisfy the value of the number of passageways per minute corresponding to each of the waypoints involved.

[0086] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for autonomous release and sorting based on flight flow control restriction information, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Obtain at least one flow control restriction information and structure it into a digital constraint. The digital constraint includes the flow control restriction time period, the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, and the number of passageways per minute of the waypoint. Store the digital constraint in the flow control database. S2. Based on the flow control restriction time period and flow control restriction waypoint coordinates in the digital constraints, filter out affected flights from the flight dynamics database whose planned departure time is within the flow control restriction time period and whose flight plan route includes the coordinates of flow control restriction waypoints. S3. Based on whether each affected flight has a calculated departure time issued by the system, the affected flights are divided into Category A flights with a fixed calculated departure time and Category B flights without a fixed calculated departure time. S4. Using the fixed calculated takeoff time of the Class A flight as the time reference, and under the conditions that it is not earlier than the calculated wheel chock removal time of the Class B flight and meets the corresponding constraint of the number of passing gears per minute in the digital constraints, a suggested takeoff time slot is dynamically calculated and allocated for each Class B flight. S5. Integrate the fixed calculated departure times of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slots of all Category B flights to generate and output a complete autonomous flight release sorting sequence.

2. The autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S4, when dynamically calculating and allocating suggested takeoff time slots for Category B flights, the fixed calculated takeoff time of the nearest Category A flight ahead of the Category B flight in the flight sequence is also used as the sorting reference.

3. The autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information according to claim 2, characterized in that, The dynamic calculation and allocation in step S4 specifically includes: S41. Obtain the calculation time for wheel chock removal corresponding to Category B flights and use it as the starting point for the initial calculation time. S42. If the flight is identified as a late arrival flight, the sum of the actual landing time and the planned minimum turnaround time is calculated to obtain the alternative time starting point, and the later value between the initial calculated time starting point and the alternative time starting point is determined as the updated calculated time starting point. S43. Based on the constraint of the number of passageways per minute for the corresponding waypoint in the flow control database, after the updated calculation time start point, find the first available takeoff time point that meets the capacity limit for the Class B flight. S44. Compare and verify the available departure time with the fixed calculated departure time of the nearest Category A flight in the flight sequence; S45. If the verification result shows that the available departure time is later than the fixed calculated departure time of the next Category A flight, then the Category B flight is repositioned to the next Category A flight, and the fixed calculated departure time of the Category A flight is used as the new reference starting point to re-execute step S43.

4. The autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information according to claim 3, characterized in that, The term "late arrival flight" refers to a flight whose actual landing time is later than its scheduled landing time by more than a preset threshold.

5. The autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S5 specifically includes: S51. Aggregate the fixed calculated departure time of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slot of all Category B flights to form a set of flight time points; S52. Sort all time points in the flight time point set according to time sequence to generate a preliminary flight sequence; S53. For each flight in the initial flight sequence, verify whether its assigned departure time simultaneously meets the flight's wheel chock removal time constraint and the per-minute pass count constraint of all relevant flow control restricted waypoints, and trigger time recalculation and sequence readjustment for the affected flights if the verification fails. S54. Based on the verification and adjustment results of step S53, determine the final flight release sequence that satisfies all constraints. S55. Convert the final flight release sequence into a structured digital instruction file and output it to the airport release control system via a data interface.

6. The autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information according to claim 1, characterized in that, The digital constraints are stored in the flow control database in the form of data records. The data structure of each data record includes: rule identifier, start and end timestamps of the flow control restriction period, spatial coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, the threshold for the number of flights per minute for the waypoint, and rule effective status identifier.

7. The autonomous release and sorting method based on flight flow control restriction information according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: S6. Receive a manual modification instruction for the departure time of any flight in the autonomous flight release sequence; use the time specified in the manual modification instruction as the highest priority departure time for that flight, update and re-output the autonomous flight release sequence.

8. An autonomous release and sorting system based on flight flow control restriction information, characterized in that, include: The data configuration module is used to acquire at least one flow control restriction information and structure it into a digital constraint. The digital constraint includes the flow control restriction time period, the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint, and the number of passageways per minute of the waypoint. The digital constraint is then stored in the flow control database. The flight filtering module is used to filter affected flights from the flight dynamics database based on the flow control restriction period and the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint in the digital constraints. These flights have a scheduled departure time within the flow control restriction period and their flight plan route includes the coordinates of the flow control restriction waypoint. The flight classification module is used to classify affected flights into Category A flights with fixed calculated departure times and Category B flights without fixed calculated departure times, based on whether each affected flight has a calculated departure time issued by the system. The time slot calculation module is used to dynamically calculate and allocate a suggested takeoff time slot for each of the Class B flights, based on the fixed calculated takeoff time of the Class A flights and under the conditions that it is not earlier than the calculated wheel chock removal time of the Class B flights and meets the corresponding constraint of the number of passing racks per minute in the digital constraints. The self-service flight sorting module integrates the fixed calculated departure times of all Category A flights and the suggested departure time slots of all Category B flights to generate and output a complete self-service flight release sorting sequence.

9. The autonomous release and sorting system based on flight flow control restriction information according to claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: The sorting update module is used to receive manual modification instructions for the departure time of any flight in the autonomous flight release sorting sequence; it updates and re-outputs the autonomous flight release sorting sequence with the time specified in the manual modification instruction as the highest priority departure time of that flight.

10. The autonomous release and sorting system based on flight flow control restriction information according to claim 8, characterized in that, The time slot calculation module is further configured such that when the flight plan route of a single Category B flight involves multiple flow control restricted waypoints, the process of calculating the suggested takeoff time slot for the flight must simultaneously satisfy the constraint of the number of passageways per minute corresponding to each of the waypoints involved.

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