| Hirad Goudarzi |
Research Associate, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK. | | Mickey Li |
Research Associate, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK. | | Duncan Hine |
Technical Specialist, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK. | | Thomas Richardson |
Professor of Aerial Robotics, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK. | | Arthur G. Richards |
Professor of Robotics and Control, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Bristol, BS16 1QY, UK. |
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| Abstract:
An approach is proposed for the design and partial automation of arrival and departure routing at vertiports. Multiple independent routes are provided to promote multiple simultaneous take-off and landing operations. The goal is to resolve conflicts spatially in the vertiport airspace, reducing conflicts in scheduling, en-route and ground-handling phases. A human-in-the-loop automation protocol inspired by railway signaling is introduced to prevent conflicting arrival and departure movements. For this, the concept of fixed 'routes' between fixed waypoints which require the reservation of intermediate waypoints or 'blocks' provide guaranteeable interlocking functionality. Two vertiport topologies are presented: a handcrafted example, and a scalable, parameterized vertiport based on counter-threaded helices. Both topologies are demonstrated in simulation and in reality with multiple drones where consistent spatial separation is shown.
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View PDF CEAS-GNC-2024-016