A Framework for Operational Volume Feneration for UAM Strategic Deconfliction

Abstract

Strategic pre-flight systems focus on the planning and deconfliction of routes for aircraft systems. The urban air mobility concept calls for higher levels of autonomy with both onboard and en route systems but also strategic and other pre-flight systems. Existing endeavors into strategic pre-flight systems focus on improving the route generation and strategic deconfliction of these routes. Introduced with the urban air mobility concept is the premise of operational volumes, 4D regions of airspace, including time, a single aircraft is expected to operate within, forming a contract of finite operational volumes over the duration of a route. It is no longer enough to only deconflict routes within the airspace, but to now consider these 4D operational volumes. To provide an effective all-in-one approach, we propose a novel framework for generating routes and accompanying contracts of operational volumes, along with deconfliction focused around 4D operational volumes. Experimental results show efficiency of operational volume generation utilising reachability analysis and demonstrate sufficient success in deconfliction of operational volumes.