Method and system for air traffic rerouting for airspace constraint resolution

摘要

A dynamic constraint avoidance route system automatically analyzes routes of aircraft flying, or to be flown, in or near constraint regions and attempts to find more time and fuel efficient reroutes around current and predicted constraints. The dynamic constraint avoidance route system continuously analyzes all flight routes and provides reroute advisories that are dynamically updated in real time. The dynamic constraint avoidance route system includes a graphical user interface that allows users to visualize, evaluate, modify if necessary, and implement proposed reroutes.

主权项

1. A computer implemented method for a continuous and automatic real-time search that generates and proposes time-saving flight route corrections for a plurality of in-flight en-route aircraft that could avoid constraints while saving flight time, by use of an air traffic routing computer system installed at air operations or control Centers, the method comprising:
providing an air traffic routing computer system; searching for and identifying a plurality of in-flight en-route aircraft and their associated flight plans in multiple Centers; receiving real-time updates of aircraft state data and airspace constraint data relevant to the plurality of in-flight en-route aircraft, wherein the airspace constraint data includes real-time constraint data and the real-time constraint data includes convective weather data originating from NexRad radars; generating limit polygons corresponding to each of the Centers, where each of the limit polygons are defined by waypoints corresponding to the multiple Centers to direct flights; processing 4-dimensional (4D) trajectory predictions for the plurality of in-flight en-route aircraft based on the real-time updates of aircraft state data and airspace constraint data; generating a plurality of reference flight routes for the plurality of in-flight en-route aircraft based on the aircraft state data, the airspace constraint data, and associated trajectory predictions, each of the reference flight routes having a starting point at or near the aircrafts' current position within the corresponding limit polygon, and an ending point within or on the same limit polygon, and wherein the reference route saves a number of minutes of flying time on the associated flight plan; testing the reference flight routes to identify preferred reference routes that save a predetermined number of minutes of flying time on the associated flight plan; searching for constraints along the preferred reference routes; defining route corrections to the associated original flight plans for the plurality of the in-flight en-route aircraft by either: (i) selecting the preferred reference routes as the route corrections to the associated original flight plans when the preferred reference routes are free of constraints; or (ii) (a) automatically resolving constraints in en-route airspace along the preferred reference routes when the preferred reference routes are not free of constraints to thereby create current corrected routes, the constraints automatically resolved on the air traffic routing computer system;
(b) testing, with the air traffic routing computer system, the current corrected routes to identify preferred corrected routes that produce a minimum flying time savings relative to the associated preferred reference routes; and(c) selecting, with the air traffic routing computer system, the preferred corrected routes that have the greatest flying time savings relative to the associated original flight plans, the selected preferred corrected routes becoming the route corrections to the associated original flight plans; and proposing the route corrections to the associated original flight plans as dynamic constraint avoidance routes; and repeating the above, continuously and automatically, for the plurality of in-flight en-route aircraft as real-time updates of aircraft state data and airspace constraint data relevant to the plurality of in-flight en-route aircraft are received.