A Decentralized Recovery Method for Air Traffic Conflicts
W. Schaberg (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
Jacco Hoekstra – Mentor (TU Delft - Control & Operations)
Joost Ellerbroek – Mentor (TU Delft - Control & Simulation)
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Abstract
In an effort to increase airspace capacity, new methods for the decentralization of air traffic control have been a topic for research since the early nineties. The Modified Voltage Potential is a method to provide decentralized conflict detection and resolution. Through this method, aircraft can fly direct routes while resolving conflicts in a distributed manner. Though successfully implemented in various studies, its behavior in conflicts where aircraft are flying near parallel tracks has raised concern. It was found that problems can arise during the recovery after the conflict resolution, the phase where an aircraft regards the conflict as resolved and reverts to its desired velocity. To improve the Modified Voltage Potential's behavior during recovery, a modification is proposed. Through the use of two criteria, aircraft evaluate whether a conflict is resolved and if they can revert to their initial or desired velocity. Through analysis of a state-based solution space and an experiment, this study finds that the proposed recovery method significantly improves the stability, efficiency, and safety of the MVP method.