VTOL Route Provisioning for Urban Noise-Aware Air Mobility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Intra-city air travel is limited due to resource requirements, noise pollution, and operational challenges of traditional aircraft, which hinder the integration of air travel into urban transport networks, while traffic congestion and land use issues necessitate innovative solutions for reducing ground-based transportation demands.
Innovation Solution
A transport network coordination system that utilizes VTOL aircraft, integrating onboard and offboard sensing, network data, and predictive noise mitigation to optimize routes and reduce noise impact, leveraging modular sensor arrays and computational methods to adjust flight paths and propulsor usage, balancing noise and operational considerations across the city.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If traditional aircraft are used for intra-city transport, then transport speed is improved, but noise pollution and resource requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs electric VTOL aircraft with electric propulsors that are quieter and more environmentally friendly than traditional aircraft engines. These aircraft are designed for short-duration urban transport tasks, replacing traditional noisy aircraft with shorter-lived electric-powered vehicles optimized for city environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes operational parameters including routing, altitude, and propulsor usage based on real-time noise sensitivity data. By adjusting these parameters, the aircraft can maintain transport speed while minimizing noise impact on sensitive areas.
2Productivity
If more ground-based transportation is provided, then transport capacity is improved, but land use requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions transportation from the ground plane to the three-dimensional air space above cities. VTOL aircraft operate in vertical and horizontal dimensions, utilizing airspace rather than ground infrastructure, thereby increasing transport capacity without consuming additional land resources.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If dynamic routing is implemented, then noise mitigation is improved, but system complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates real-time feedback loops where noise sensitivity data from the environment is continuously monitored and fed back to the routing system. This feedback enables dynamic adjustment of aircraft routes, altitudes, and propulsor operations to minimize noise impact on sensitive areas while maintaining efficient transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The routing system is designed to be highly dynamic, continuously adapting routes and operational parameters based on changing environmental conditions, traffic patterns, and noise sensitivity data. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize noise mitigation in real-time without requiring overly complex fixed infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A request for transport services that identifies a rider, an origin, and a destination is received from a client device. Eligibility of the request to be serviced by a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is determined based on the origin and the destination. A transportation system determines a first and a second hub for a leg of the transport request serviced by the VTOL aircraft and calculates a set of candidate routes from the first hub to the second hub. A provisioned route is selected from among the set of candidate routes based on network and environmental parameters and objectives including pre-determined acceptable noise levels, weather, and the presence and planned routes of other VTOL aircrafts along each of the candidate routes.