4D Airspace Trajectory Simulation for UTM-ATM Conflict Verification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current air traffic management systems are unable to efficiently integrate and manage diverse flight operations of manned and unmanned aircraft, particularly in congested urban environments, due to the inability of human controllers to analyze air situations rapidly enough to provide safe trajectories for drones.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that integrates UTM, AAM, and ATM systems to generate and verify four-dimensional trajectories, considering flight intent data, constraints, and potential conflicts, optimizing airspace use and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional air traffic control systems are used to manage drones, then human controllers can provide supervision, but they cannot analyze the air situation rapidly enough to propose safe trajectories in feasible time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical human controller system with an automated electronic system that receives flight intent data, generates four-dimensional trajectories, and verifies conflicts algorithmically. This substitution enables rapid trajectory generation at speeds impossible for human controllers while maintaining safety through computational verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms conventional two-dimensional flight plans into four-dimensional trajectories by adding time as a dimension. This parameter change enables the system to manage multiple drones simultaneously in three-dimensional space over time, increasing productivity while maintaining safety through comprehensive spatial-temporal analysis.
2Reliability
If UTMs/PSUs segregate airspace for drones, then drones can stay in their own airspace volumes, but integration with conventional air traffic management is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges UTM/PSU drone traffic management with conventional ATM systems by creating a unified four-dimensional trajectory generation platform. The system accepts flight intent data from both segregated drone sources and conventional aviation sources, generating coordinated trajectories that ensure safety while enabling integration across previously separated airspace management domains.
3Productivity
If four-dimensional trajectories are generated from multiple flight intent data inputs, then comprehensive trajectory optimization is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex trajectory generation process into distinct functional modules: receiving flight intent data from multiple sources, generating center line routes, creating flight volumes, producing four-dimensional trajectories, and verifying conflicts. This segmentation manages complexity by breaking down the overall system into manageable, independent components that can be developed and maintained separately.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Generally discussed herein are systems, apparatuses, and methods for simulating an airspace including a method that receives a plurality of flight intent data inputs (110) from a plurality of sources including service suppliers (104) of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) traffic management (UTM), advanced air mobility (AAM) and conventional air traffic management (ATM). The plurality of flight intent data inputs include, UTM flight intent volumes, UTM flight intent trajectories, conventional flight plans, conventional flight trajectories and an airspace design configuration. The method includes generating a center line route (302) corresponding to each of the plurality of flight intent data inputs (110); generating a flight volume (310) for each the plurality of flight intent data inputs (110); generating a four-dimensional trajectory (102A, 102B, 102C, 102D, 102D, 102E, 102F, 102G; 300; 402, 404, 406; 502, 504) based upon the center line route (302) and the flight volume (310); and verifying the four-dimensional trajectory (102A, 102B, 102C, 102D, 102D, 102E, 102F, 102G; 300; 402, 404, 406; 502, 504) against constraints and potential conflicts.