Aircraft Conflict Detection Using Constraint Satisfaction Solvers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current strategic conflict management approaches for aircraft do not enable formal verification of conflict resolution outcomes by an independent third party, which is essential for ensuring safe separation between aircraft in complex air traffic scenarios.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an autonomous, strategic conflict detection and resolution process that converts the conflict detection and resolution problem into a constraint satisfaction problem, utilizing Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solvers to generate conflict-free flight plans that can be independently verified.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional strategic conflict management approaches are used, then conflict detection and resolution can be performed, but formal verification of conflict resolution outcomes by an independent third party is not enabled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an independent third-party verification system that acts as an intermediary to formally verify conflict resolution outcomes. This mediator receives conflict detection data, validates the resolution process against safety criteria, and issues verification certificates, thereby enabling formal verification without requiring fundamental changes to the existing conflict management system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the conflict management process into distinct verifiable components: conflict detection, conflict resolution, and verification. By dividing the system into modular functional blocks with well-defined interfaces, each component can be independently verified and validated, enabling formal verification while maintaining manageable system complexity.
2Productivity
If autonomous ATM systems are deployed to handle high-density air traffic, then safety targets can be met, but the need for independent verification of conflict resolution outcomes arises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the independent third party verifies conflict resolution outcomes and provides validation information back to the autonomous ATM system. This feedback loop ensures that the system's decisions are independently validated, maintaining trust and assurance while enabling high-density air traffic operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary verification actions before conflict resolution outcomes are implemented. The independent third party validates the conflict detection and resolution logic in advance and verifies outcomes beforehand, ensuring trust and assurance is established proactively rather than reactively, which supports autonomous operation in high-density traffic.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatus and systems for generating verifiable conflict-free flight plans for aircraft are disclosed. In an embodiment, a server computer receives a set of air traffic flight plans for an airspace that includes elements, and receives at least two of aerodynamic constraint data, business constraint data and operational constraint data for an aircraft. The server computer then generates using a first constraint satisfaction solver, a plurality of candidate flight plans for the aircraft based on the at least two of the aerodynamic constraint data, the business constraint data and the operational constraint data. The server computer next checks, utilizing a second constraint solver, for conflicts with the elements of the air traffic flight plans for the airspace, and provides at least one verifiable conflict-free flight plan for the aircraft from the plurality of candidate flight plans when a candidate flight plan is conflict-free from all of the elements of the set of air traffic flight plans.