Using Reinforcement Learning to Improve Airspace Structuring in an Urban Environment

Current predictions on future drone operations estimate that traffic density orders of magnitude will be higher than any observed in manned aviation. Such densities redirect the focus towards elements that can decrease conflict rate and severity, with special emphasis on airspace structures, an element that has been overlooked within...

Using Reinforcement Learning in a Layered Airspace to Improve Layer Change Decision

Current predictions for future operations with drones estimate traffic densities orders of magnitude higher than any observed in manned aviation. Such densities call for further research and innovation, in particular, into conflict detection and resolution without the need for human intervention. The layered airspace concept, where aircraft...

Distributed Conflict Resolution at High Traffic Densities with Reinforcement Learning

Future operations involving drones are expected to result in traffic densities that are orders of magnitude higher than any observed in manned aviation. Current geometric conflict resolution (CR) methods have proven to be very efficient at relatively moderate densities. However, at higher densities, performance is hindered by the...

Analyzing the Effect of Traffic Scenario Properties on Conflict Count Models

Decentralized en-route airspace concepts have been proposed by many studies to increase airspace safety and capacity. Most of these studies, including our own forays into this domain, have used fast-time simulation experiments to explore the benefits offered by decentralization. While simulations are indispensable during the initial design phase...

Fuel and Emission Benefits for Continuous Descent Approaches at Schiphol

This paper presents an analysis of the potential fuel and emission benefits of implementing Continuous Descent Operations at Schiphol International Airport, from cruise altitude to the final approach fix, for a large scope of aircraft types. Using historical data from on-board sources and ADS-B, fuel-optimal continuous descents are simulated...

CAMDA: Capacity Assessment Method for Decentralized Air Traffic Control

This paper presents a semi-empirical method to determine the maximum theoretical capacity of decentralized airspace concepts. The method considered here, named Capacity Assessment Method for Decentralized ATC (CAMDA), formalizes an earlier approach described in literature, extends it for threedimensional airspace, and also improves the accuracy...

Modeling Airspace Stability and Capacity for Decentralized Separation

In the context of decentralized separation, airspace stability pertains to the propagation of con?ict chain reactions as a result of tactical con?ict resolution maneuvers. This notion of airspace stability has been used in previous literature to develop a semi-empirical method for determining the capacity of a decentralized direct-routing...

Modeling the Intrinsic Safety of Unstructured and Layered Airspace Designs

Previous research relating airspace structure and ca-pacity has shown that a decentralized layered airspace concept, in which each altitude band limited horizontal travel to within a prede?ned heading range, improved safety when compared to unstructured airspace. However, the extent of the safety bene?ts of such layered airspace designs were not...

The Effect of Swarming on a Voltage Potential-Based Conflict Resolution Algorithm

Several conflict resolution algorithms for airborne self-separation rely on principles derived from the repulsive forces that exist between similarly charged particles. This research investigates whether the performance of the Modified Voltage Potential algorithm, which is based on this algorithm, can be improved using bio-inspired swarming...

The Relationship Between Traffic Stability and Capacity for Decentralized Airspace

The work that is presented in this paper is part of an ongoing study on the relationship between structure and capacity of decentralized airspace concepts. In this paper, the effect of traffic stability, which considers the occurrence of conflict chain reactions as a result of conflict resolution maneuvers, on capacity is examined closely. Using...

Design of a Co-Planar Airborne Separation Display

This paper describes a concept for a coplanar airborne self-separation display, which is designed to aid pilots in their separation task, by visualizing the possibilities for conflict resolution that the airspace provides. This study is a part of an ongoing research toward the design of a constraint-based 3-D separation assistance interface that...

Experimental Evaluation of a Coplanar Airborne Separation Display

Two experiments, an active conflict resolution task and a passive situation awareness assessment, were conducted that compared two versions of a constraint-based coplanar airborne separation assistance display. A baseline display showed a maneuver space based on 2-D projections of traffic and performance constraints. A second augmented display...

Design of an Airborne Three-Dimensional Separation Assistance Display

In the context of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and Single European Sky ATM Research future airspace programs, this paper describes a concept for an airborne separation assurance display that is designed to aid pilots in their task of self-separation, by visualizing the possibilities for conflict resolution that the airspace...