New algorithm prevents mid-air collisions in urban air mobility corridors
A novel ATC concept uses minimum arrival time gaps to avoid collisions in UAM corridors.
A new paper from researchers Sasinee Pruekprasert and Shinji Nakadai introduces a novel Air Traffic Control (ATC) concept designed to support self-separation between vehicles in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) corridors. The proposed scheme involves sharing intended arrival schedules at Constrained Waypoints (CWPs) among UAM operators, enabling them to compute the minimum arrival time gap necessary for each pair of vehicles to ensure safety throughout the corridor. The researchers propose two distinct approaches: one based on Near Mid-Air Collision (NMAC) avoidance rules, and another based on Responsibility-Sensitive Safety (RSS) rules.
The NMAC-rule-based approach effectively prevents collisions under normal operating conditions where vehicles adhere to the corridor's speed limits. However, it does not guarantee safety if vehicles exceed those limits. In contrast, the RSS-rule-based approach ensures collision prevention even during emergencies when vehicles exceed speed limits. The trade-off is that RSS may require larger arrival time gaps under normal circumstances, potentially reducing traffic flow. Numerical simulations confirmed these results, highlighting a critical balance between safety and efficiency in future UAM operations.
- NMAC-rule-based approach prevents collisions under normal speed limits but fails if vehicles exceed them.
- RSS-rule-based approach guarantees safety even during speed-limit violations but requires larger arrival time gaps.
- Larger time gaps from RSS can reduce overall corridor traffic flow, presenting a trade-off between safety and efficiency.
Why It Matters
Enables safer urban air mobility by balancing collision avoidance at constrained waypoints with traffic flow efficiency.