Hybrid Control Models of Next Generarion AIr Traffic Management

The study of hierarchical, hybrid control systems in the framework of air traffic management (ATM) is presented. The need for a new ATM arises from the overcrowding of large urban airports and the need to more efficiently handle larger numbers of aircraft, without building new runways. Recent technological advances, such as the availability of relatively inexpensive and fast real time computers both on board the aircraft and in the control tower, make a more advanced air traffic control system possible. The benefits from these technological advances are limited by today's Air Traffic Control (ATC), a ground-based system which routes aircraft along predefined jet ways in the sky, allowing the aircraft very little autonomy in choosing their own routes. In this paper we propose a decentralized ATM framework, meaning that much of the current ATC functionality is moved on board each aircraft. Within this framework, we describe our work in on-board conflict resolution strategies between aircraft, and in deriving the flight mode switching logic in the flight vehicle management systems of each aircraft.