Development of a conflict detection and resolution methodololy used in the operational flight 4D-trajectory planning

DOI 10.51955/2312-1327_2024_2_77

Nguyen Thi Linh Phuong

Evgeny S. Neretin

Nguyen Nhu Man

Abstract. Conflict detection and resolution is one of the key tasks in ensuring the safety and efficiency of air transport. In Trajectory Based Operation (TBO), aircraft are given greater flexibility in planning trajectories along the route and greater responsibility for self-separation from each other, so the pilot will need assistance to safely and efficiently perform the task of decentralized conflict resolution during the en-route flight. In this work, we develop a method for identifying and resolving conflict situations in cruising phase based on four-dimensional grid nodes (4D-grid) and the A-star shortest path search algorithm (A* for short) to form an optimal four-dimensional trajectory (4D-trajectory) bypass all airspace obstacles. This new approach helps to avoid false warnings about potential conflicts due to the ability to early detect them and accurately determine the distance from aircraft to areas of dangerous proximity (prohibited zones (PZ), zones of bad weather, other aircraft) and then autonomously form a time-spatial trajectory to bypass them. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conduct three experiments in different airspace conditions (with and without the areas of dangerous proximity). The results of the experiments prove that potential dangerous proximities of aircraft in flight are effectively identified and resolved using the proposed methodology.

Keywords: Conflict detection and resolution, self-separation, 4D trajectory, 4D-grid, algorithm A*.

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