Airport Demand Management Method
US 20120173131A1
(19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2012/0173131 A1 Brennan (54)
(43) Pub. Date:
AIRPORT DEMAND MANAGEMENT METHOD
(75) Inventor:
(73) Assignee:
Jul. 5, 2012
(51)
Publication Classi?cation Int. Cl. G08G 5/00 (2006.01)
Reston, VA (Us)
(52)
US. Cl. ...................................................... .. 701/120
Metron Aviation, Inc., Dulles, VA (Us)
(57) ABSTRACT A method is presented here for mitigation of airport conges tion problem by manipulating ?ight arrival times to coincide With expected departure times in order to keep airport demand
Michael Christopher Brennan,
G08G 5/06
(200601)
under a speci?c limit and optimize utiliZed capacity of an airport. In one example, a threshold is de?ned Which is related
(21) Appl. No.:
to the airport surface capacity to represent airport’s tolerance for accumulation. At the time the congestion problem is over
12/985,336
come, the accumulation rate is not positive. In another example, a threshold is de?ned Which is related to the airport facilities available to a speci?c carrier and is applied to the
(22) Filed:
Jan. 5, 2011
(
?ights operated by that carrier.
At regular intervals
)
Block 1 ‘
Compute expected runway
departure times
Block 2
Find first
arriving flight fa that exceeds surface
capacity
fa within
Y
Block 3 I
planning
Adjust times
window?
for fa
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 1 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
C At regular intervals D Block 1 I
Compute expected runway
departure times
Block 2 I
Find first
arriving flight fa that exceeds surface
capacity
fa within
(
Y
Block 3 |
planning
Adjust times
window?
for fa
Finished Figure 1
D
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 2 of8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 1 Current runway
Expected gate
departure
pushback times for departing
queue
flights V
Queuing model 1
Predicted runway
departure times for departing
flights (101)
:5 Figure 2
Departure constraints
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 3 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 2 Predicted runway
Expected runway
departure times for
arrival times for
departing flights (101)
arriving flights
Sort arriving and departing flights together in order of increasing runway time Number of
Airport ground
flights currently
capacity AC
on ground NG Process flights f in
4
order of runway time
arriving flight? v
l
Increment NG
Decrement NG
End of
flight list?
Set fa (201) to flight f
Figure 3
Set fa (201) to null
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 4 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 3 Predicted runway departure times for
Arrival flight
exceeding capacity
departing flights (101)
fa (201)
Find first unpaired departing flight fd departing after arrival time of fa
7
Increase departure and arrival time of fa by
[runway departure time of fd minus current
arrival time of fa] v
Pair fd with fa V
U Figure 4
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 5 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
C At regular intervals D
Block 4 I
Find first arriving flight fa that exceeds gate and
facility capacity
C
fa within
Block 5 I
planning
Adjust times
window?
for fa
Finished Figure 5
D
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 6 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 4 | Expected runway
Expected gate
arrival times for
pushback times for
arriving flights
departing flights
v
Sort arriving and departing flights together in order of increasing event time Number of
Capacity of
operator’s flights
operators gates
currently on
and facilities 00
ground 06 Process flights f in
‘
order of event time
Y
ta." flight?
arriving
N
v
‘
Increment 0G
|
Decrement 0G
,A:
l End of
flight list?
Set fa (401) to flight f
Figure 6
Set fa (401) to null
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 7 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 5
Arrival flight
Planned gate
exceeding capacity fa (401)
pushback times for departing flights
Find first unpaired departing flight fd pushing back after event time of fa
7
Increase departure and arrival time of fa by [pushback time of fd minus current arrival
event of fa] v
Pair fd with fa V
U Figure 7
Jul. 5, 2012
US 2012/0173131A1
AIRPORT DEMAND MANAGEMENT METHOD
[0010]
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram shoWing hoW an
example of the present invention mitigates an example prob lem in Which demand exceeds capacity.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Airport surface and gate congestion is a major cause of delays in air transportation. Three factors contribute to the ?oW regime at airports: the rate at Which aircraft leave airports (departure rate), the rate at Which aircraft enter airports (ar rival rate) and the capacity of the airport, both total surface
capacity and the gate capacity of individual ?ight operators. Being dependent on current demand and uncontrollable con
ditions, arrival and departure ?ights are neither organiZed nor synchronous. That is, although the arrival and departure num bers are equal in the statistical sense, their temporal numbers do not match and the difference needs to be accumulated
temporarily. HoWever this temporary accumulation require ment must be accommodated by the airport facilities and has the potential to exceed the available resources.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[001 1] In one embodiment of the present invention, as illus trated in FIG. 1, the total ?ight count on the surface of the airport is kept beloW a threshold. In this embodiment the
runWay departure time for each planned departure ?ight is estimated (details presented in the diagram for Block 1). Then the future ?ight operations (arrivals and departures) are evalu ated to see if any ?ight Will cause the accumulated airport ?ight count to exceed the surface capacity Within a reasonable
planning WindoW (details presented in the diagram for Block 2). If a ?ight Will, then the operating times for the ?ight are
adjusted to keep the airport Within capacity (details presented in the diagram for Block 3) and the revised plans are re evaluated to see if capacity is exceeded by a later ?ight. This process iterates until no more problems are predicted Within a
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
reasonable planning WindoW. [0012]
[0002]
In one embodiment, this invention aims addresses
In one embodiment, as in Block 1 of FIG. 2, the
current state of ?ights aWaiting runWay departure, the
the issue of airport congestion by managing arrival and depar
expected gate pushback times of future ?ights, and all airport
ture ?ights so that the accumulation of the aircraft in the
departure constraints are entered into a departure queuing
airports remains Within manageable thresholds. This is
accomplished by delaying the departure of ?ights planning to
model (simple or complex, not presented here) to predict When each ?ight Will leave the airport surface and reduce the
arrive at the airport just long enough to keep the accumulation of ?ights at the airport less than the speci?ed thresholds. In
projected ?ight count.
one embodiment, in Which the total airport is the constraining factor, the threshold is the surface capacity of the airport and all ?ights are considered. In another embodiment, in Which the facilities available to a single ?ight operator such as an
airline are the constraining factor, the threshold is the ground
capacity of the carrier including its gates and only ?ights controlled by the operator are considered. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is a diagram of the overall ?oW shoWing the sequence of steps executed at regular intervals during the operating day to keep the airport ?ight count Within the capac
[0013] In a further embodiment of the present invention, as shoWn in Block 2 of FIG. 3, the future ?ight operations at the airport (planned arrivals and predicted departures) are com bined and sorted by event time (runWay arrival time for arriv als and runWay departure time for departures). The current ?ights on the ground NG are combined With the future opera tions to determine Whether future counts of ?ights on the
ground exceed the airport capacity AC. This occurs by step ping through each ?ight event in time order and adjusting the expected ?ight count up or doWn depending on the type of operation. If any ?ight f causes the count to exceed the capac ity then that ?ight is returned as ?ight fa. [0014] In one embodiment, as depicted Block 3 in FIG. 4, the ?ight fa is shifted later to have it arrive at a time corre
ity threshold.
sponding to another ?ight leaving the airport. This is accom
[0004]
plished by ?nding the ?rst departing ?ight With a predicted
FIG. 2 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW gate push
back times and airport constraints are used to estimate When
runWay departure time after the planned arrival time of fa that
?ights Will depart the airport.
has not already been paired With another arrival, meaning
[0005]
another arriving ?ight has not been set to arrive to use the
FIG. 3 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW the ?rst ?ight
that causes the ?ight count at the airport to exceed the thresh old is identi?ed.
[0006] FIG. 4 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW the departure and arrival time of the ?ight identi?ed in FIG. 3 are adjusted to maintain the airport demand Within the capacity. [0007] FIG. 5 is a diagram of the overall ?oW shoWing the sequence of steps executed at regular intervals by a ?ight
operator during the operating day to keep the number of ?ights the operator must manage at the airport beloW a thresh old.
[0008]
FIG. 6 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW the ?rst ?ight
surface capacity freed by the departing ?ight. When this ?ight, fd, has been found the arrival time of fa is shifted to match the departure time of fd, and the departure time of fa at its departure airport is shifted the same amount. That is, fa is assigned an operating delay suf?cient to have it a arrive as fd
departs. [0015] In another embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the total count of ?ights controlled by a single operator at the airport is kept beloW a threshold. In this
embodiment the future ?ight operations (runWay arrivals and gate pushbacks) are evaluated to see if any ?ight Will push the number of ?ights controlled by the operator over the maxi mum capacity of the operator’s gates and facilities Within a
that causes the ?ight count for the operator to exceed the threshold is identi?ed.
reasonable planning WindoW (details presented in the dia
[0009] FIG. 7 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW the departure and arrival time of the ?ight identi?ed in FIG. 7 is adjusted to maintain the airport demand Within the capacity.
gram for Block 4). If a ?ight Will, then the operating times for the ?ight are adjusted to keep the ?ight count Within capacity (details presented in the diagram for Block 5) and the revised
Jul. 5, 2012
US 2012/0173131A1
plans are re-evaluated to see if capacity is exceeded by a later ?ight. This process iterates until no more problems are pre dicted Within a reasonable planning WindoW. [0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, as
shoWn in Block 4 of FIG. 6, the future ?ight operations at the airport (planned arrivals and departures) are combined and sorted by event time. The event of interest for departing ?ights is the planned gate pushback time. The event of interest for an
arriving ?ight is the planned runWay arrival time plus a posi tive or negative buffer to re?ect details of taxi and gate opera
tions at the airport. The ?ights controlled by the operator currently on the ground OG are combined With the future
operations to determine Whether future counts of ?ights exceed the operator gate and facility capacity OC. This occurs
by stepping through each ?ight event in time order and adjust ing the expected ?ight count up or doWn depending on the type of operation. If any ?ight f causes the count to exceed the
[0023] In one embodiment, the method further comprises an en-route time period and an updated departure time. The
updated assigned departure time is determined by subtracting the en-route time period from the assigned arrival time slot for
each ?ight. [0024]
In an embodiment of the method, at any time, the
updated departure times are determined for all ?ights With their planned arrival times preceding their assigned arrival time slots. This Way, subsequently, a neW total number of
aircraft on ground is calculated at any time, and preceding
operations leading to this point are repeated using this “neW total number of aircraft on ground” replacing the old “total current number of ?ights on ground,” until the neW total number of aircraft on ground is less than the threshold. [0025] In one embodiment, the constraints are related to departure. In another, the constraints are related to gate ser vices. In a further embodiment, a neW “total number of air
[0017] In one embodiment, as depicted Block 5 in FIG. 7, the ?ight fa [401] is shifted later to have it arrive at a time
craft aWaiting gates or at gates” are calculated instead of “neW total number of aircraft on groun .” [0026] A system, an apparatus, a device, or an article of
corresponding to another ?ight controlled by that operator pushing back from the gate. This is accomplished by ?nding the ?rst departing ?ight With a planned gate pushback time
example of the invention: computers, monitors, displays, indicators, graphical user interfaces (GUI), topology, sensors,
capacity then that ?ight is returned as ?ight fa [401].
after the planned event time of fa that has not already been
paired With another arrival, meaning another arriving ?ight has not been set to arrive to use the gate capacity freed by the
departing ?ight. When this ?ight fd has been found the arrival time of fa is shifted to match the pushback time of fd plus the
buffer from Block 4, and the departure time of fa at its depar ture airport is shifted the same amount. That is, fa is assigned an operating delay suf?cient to have it arrive to use the gate facilities fd frees up When pushing back. [0018] FIG. 8 further demonstrates an embodiment of the present invention on hoW times of ?ights are managed to
manufacture comprising one of the folloWing items is an
tools or systems measuring the count and speed of aircraft,
timers, global positioning systems (GPS), radars, air tra?ic control equipment or facilities, air tra?ic logging equipment, con?gurations, threshold settings, ?lters, quick access con trols, objects, navigation, navigation tools, user input, seman
tic rules, semantic matching modules, toWer operations tools, electronic ?ight data management equipment, ?les, data bases, NTML database, enhanced traf?c management system
(ETMS), NextGen air-ground communication system (NEX
COM), queuing models solvers, mice, keyboards, similarity information, applying the method mentioned above, for the
airport demand management, comprises the folloWing ele
purpose of the current invention or managing airport demand based on continuous rebalancing of the incoming and outgo ing tra?ic from an airport. [0027] Any variations of the above teaching are also
ments: a threshold; a planned times database; an updated
intended to be covered by this patent application.
prevent airport congestion. [0019]
In one embodiment a mathematical algorithm for
times database; a realiZation database; planned departure times, planned pushback times, and planned arrival times in said planned times database; total number of aircraft on ground and en-route time in said realiZation database;
updated arrival times, updated gate pushback times, updated
1. A mathematical algorithm for airport demand manage
ment, said mathematical algorithm comprising: a threshold;
departure times in calculated actual gate pushback times,
a planned times database; an updated times database;
calculated runWay departure times, constraints in a con straints database; and a queuing model. In one embodiment,
planned departure times, planned pushback times, and
a realiZation database;
the queuing model dynamically calculates runWay departure
planned arrival times in said planned times database;
times considering the constraints in the constraints database for a plurality of ?ights.
total number of aircraft on ground and en-route time in said
[0020]
updated arrival times, updated gate pushback times,
In an alternative embodiment, the method com
prises a buffer time and assigned arrival time slots, and the
assigned arrival time slots and planned departure times have a time difference equal to the buffer time.
[0021] In a further example of this invention, the algorithm further comprises a saturation time Which is dynamically calculated as the time at Which the rate of accumulation of
realiZation database;
updated departure times in calculated actual gate push back times, calculated runWay departure times, constraints in a constraints database; and
a queuing model; Wherein said queuing model dynamically estimates said
aircraft on surface of the airport is positive and the current
calculated actual gate pushback times or said calculated
realiZation of number of aircraft on surface equals or exceeds that threshold. [0022] In another embodiment, the method further com
runWay departure times considering said constraints in said constraints database for a plurality of ?ights. 2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising a
prises assigned arrival time slots calculated for any ?ight With the planned arrival times after the above mentioned saturation
buffer time and assigned arrival time slots, Wherein said assigned arrival time slots and said planned departure times
time.
have a time difference of less than or equal to said buffer time.
Jul. 5, 2012
US 2012/0173131Al
3. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising a
of ?ights on ground, until said neW total number of aircraft on
saturation time Wherein said saturation time is dynamically
ground is less than said threshold.
calculated as the time at Which the rate of accumulation of
7. A method as recited in claim 6, Wherein said constraints are related to departure. 8. A method as recited in claim 6, Wherein said constraints
aircraft on surface of the airport is positive and said current realiZation of number of aircraft on surface equals or exceeds said threshold. 4. A method as recited in claim 3, Wherein said assigned arrival time slots are calculated for any ?ight With said planned arrival times after said saturation time. 5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising an
en-route time period and an updated departure time, Wherein
said updated departure time is determined by subtracting said en-route time period from said assigned arrival time slot for
each ?ight. 6. A method as recited in claim 5, Wherein at any time, said
are speci?c to certain carriers or applied to ?ights operated by that carrier. 9. A method as recited in claim 6, Wherein said constraints related to departure and are either speci?c to certain carriers
or applied to ?ights operated by that carrier. 10. A method as recited in claim 6, Wherein neW total number of aircraft aWaiting gates or at gates are calculated instead of said neW total number of aircraft on ground. 11. A method as recited in claim 10, Wherein said con straints are related to gate services. 12. A method as recited in claim 10, Wherein said con straints are speci?c to certain carriers or applied to ?ights
updated departure times are determined for all ?ights With their said planned arrival times preceding their said assigned
operated by that carrier.
arrival time slots, Wherein subsequently, a neW total number of aircraft on ground is calculated at any time, and Wherein operations of claim 5 are repeated using said neW total num ber of aircraft on ground replacing said total current number
certain carriers or applied to ?ights operated by that carrier.
13. A method as recited in claim 10, Wherein said con straints are related to gate services and are either speci?c to
*
*
*
*
*
(19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2012/0173131 A1 Brennan (54)
(43) Pub. Date:
AIRPORT DEMAND MANAGEMENT METHOD
(75) Inventor:
(73) Assignee:
Jul. 5, 2012
(51)
Publication Classi?cation Int. Cl. G08G 5/00 (2006.01)
Reston, VA (Us)
(52)
US. Cl. ...................................................... .. 701/120
Metron Aviation, Inc., Dulles, VA (Us)
(57) ABSTRACT A method is presented here for mitigation of airport conges tion problem by manipulating ?ight arrival times to coincide With expected departure times in order to keep airport demand
Michael Christopher Brennan,
G08G 5/06
(200601)
under a speci?c limit and optimize utiliZed capacity of an airport. In one example, a threshold is de?ned Which is related
(21) Appl. No.:
to the airport surface capacity to represent airport’s tolerance for accumulation. At the time the congestion problem is over
12/985,336
come, the accumulation rate is not positive. In another example, a threshold is de?ned Which is related to the airport facilities available to a speci?c carrier and is applied to the
(22) Filed:
Jan. 5, 2011
(
?ights operated by that carrier.
At regular intervals
)
Block 1 ‘
Compute expected runway
departure times
Block 2
Find first
arriving flight fa that exceeds surface
capacity
fa within
Y
Block 3 I
planning
Adjust times
window?
for fa
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 1 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
C At regular intervals D Block 1 I
Compute expected runway
departure times
Block 2 I
Find first
arriving flight fa that exceeds surface
capacity
fa within
(
Y
Block 3 |
planning
Adjust times
window?
for fa
Finished Figure 1
D
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 2 of8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 1 Current runway
Expected gate
departure
pushback times for departing
queue
flights V
Queuing model 1
Predicted runway
departure times for departing
flights (101)
:5 Figure 2
Departure constraints
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 3 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 2 Predicted runway
Expected runway
departure times for
arrival times for
departing flights (101)
arriving flights
Sort arriving and departing flights together in order of increasing runway time Number of
Airport ground
flights currently
capacity AC
on ground NG Process flights f in
4
order of runway time
arriving flight? v
l
Increment NG
Decrement NG
End of
flight list?
Set fa (201) to flight f
Figure 3
Set fa (201) to null
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 4 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 3 Predicted runway departure times for
Arrival flight
exceeding capacity
departing flights (101)
fa (201)
Find first unpaired departing flight fd departing after arrival time of fa
7
Increase departure and arrival time of fa by
[runway departure time of fd minus current
arrival time of fa] v
Pair fd with fa V
U Figure 4
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 5 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
C At regular intervals D
Block 4 I
Find first arriving flight fa that exceeds gate and
facility capacity
C
fa within
Block 5 I
planning
Adjust times
window?
for fa
Finished Figure 5
D
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 6 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 4 | Expected runway
Expected gate
arrival times for
pushback times for
arriving flights
departing flights
v
Sort arriving and departing flights together in order of increasing event time Number of
Capacity of
operator’s flights
operators gates
currently on
and facilities 00
ground 06 Process flights f in
‘
order of event time
Y
ta." flight?
arriving
N
v
‘
Increment 0G
|
Decrement 0G
,A:
l End of
flight list?
Set fa (401) to flight f
Figure 6
Set fa (401) to null
Patent Application Publication
Jul. 5, 2012
Sheet 7 0f 8
US 2012/0173131 A1
Block 5
Arrival flight
Planned gate
exceeding capacity fa (401)
pushback times for departing flights
Find first unpaired departing flight fd pushing back after event time of fa
7
Increase departure and arrival time of fa by [pushback time of fd minus current arrival
event of fa] v
Pair fd with fa V
U Figure 7
Jul. 5, 2012
US 2012/0173131A1
AIRPORT DEMAND MANAGEMENT METHOD
[0010]
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram shoWing hoW an
example of the present invention mitigates an example prob lem in Which demand exceeds capacity.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Airport surface and gate congestion is a major cause of delays in air transportation. Three factors contribute to the ?oW regime at airports: the rate at Which aircraft leave airports (departure rate), the rate at Which aircraft enter airports (ar rival rate) and the capacity of the airport, both total surface
capacity and the gate capacity of individual ?ight operators. Being dependent on current demand and uncontrollable con
ditions, arrival and departure ?ights are neither organiZed nor synchronous. That is, although the arrival and departure num bers are equal in the statistical sense, their temporal numbers do not match and the difference needs to be accumulated
temporarily. HoWever this temporary accumulation require ment must be accommodated by the airport facilities and has the potential to exceed the available resources.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[001 1] In one embodiment of the present invention, as illus trated in FIG. 1, the total ?ight count on the surface of the airport is kept beloW a threshold. In this embodiment the
runWay departure time for each planned departure ?ight is estimated (details presented in the diagram for Block 1). Then the future ?ight operations (arrivals and departures) are evalu ated to see if any ?ight Will cause the accumulated airport ?ight count to exceed the surface capacity Within a reasonable
planning WindoW (details presented in the diagram for Block 2). If a ?ight Will, then the operating times for the ?ight are
adjusted to keep the airport Within capacity (details presented in the diagram for Block 3) and the revised plans are re evaluated to see if capacity is exceeded by a later ?ight. This process iterates until no more problems are predicted Within a
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
reasonable planning WindoW. [0012]
[0002]
In one embodiment, this invention aims addresses
In one embodiment, as in Block 1 of FIG. 2, the
current state of ?ights aWaiting runWay departure, the
the issue of airport congestion by managing arrival and depar
expected gate pushback times of future ?ights, and all airport
ture ?ights so that the accumulation of the aircraft in the
departure constraints are entered into a departure queuing
airports remains Within manageable thresholds. This is
accomplished by delaying the departure of ?ights planning to
model (simple or complex, not presented here) to predict When each ?ight Will leave the airport surface and reduce the
arrive at the airport just long enough to keep the accumulation of ?ights at the airport less than the speci?ed thresholds. In
projected ?ight count.
one embodiment, in Which the total airport is the constraining factor, the threshold is the surface capacity of the airport and all ?ights are considered. In another embodiment, in Which the facilities available to a single ?ight operator such as an
airline are the constraining factor, the threshold is the ground
capacity of the carrier including its gates and only ?ights controlled by the operator are considered. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is a diagram of the overall ?oW shoWing the sequence of steps executed at regular intervals during the operating day to keep the airport ?ight count Within the capac
[0013] In a further embodiment of the present invention, as shoWn in Block 2 of FIG. 3, the future ?ight operations at the airport (planned arrivals and predicted departures) are com bined and sorted by event time (runWay arrival time for arriv als and runWay departure time for departures). The current ?ights on the ground NG are combined With the future opera tions to determine Whether future counts of ?ights on the
ground exceed the airport capacity AC. This occurs by step ping through each ?ight event in time order and adjusting the expected ?ight count up or doWn depending on the type of operation. If any ?ight f causes the count to exceed the capac ity then that ?ight is returned as ?ight fa. [0014] In one embodiment, as depicted Block 3 in FIG. 4, the ?ight fa is shifted later to have it arrive at a time corre
ity threshold.
sponding to another ?ight leaving the airport. This is accom
[0004]
plished by ?nding the ?rst departing ?ight With a predicted
FIG. 2 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW gate push
back times and airport constraints are used to estimate When
runWay departure time after the planned arrival time of fa that
?ights Will depart the airport.
has not already been paired With another arrival, meaning
[0005]
another arriving ?ight has not been set to arrive to use the
FIG. 3 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW the ?rst ?ight
that causes the ?ight count at the airport to exceed the thresh old is identi?ed.
[0006] FIG. 4 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW the departure and arrival time of the ?ight identi?ed in FIG. 3 are adjusted to maintain the airport demand Within the capacity. [0007] FIG. 5 is a diagram of the overall ?oW shoWing the sequence of steps executed at regular intervals by a ?ight
operator during the operating day to keep the number of ?ights the operator must manage at the airport beloW a thresh old.
[0008]
FIG. 6 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW the ?rst ?ight
surface capacity freed by the departing ?ight. When this ?ight, fd, has been found the arrival time of fa is shifted to match the departure time of fd, and the departure time of fa at its departure airport is shifted the same amount. That is, fa is assigned an operating delay suf?cient to have it a arrive as fd
departs. [0015] In another embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the total count of ?ights controlled by a single operator at the airport is kept beloW a threshold. In this
embodiment the future ?ight operations (runWay arrivals and gate pushbacks) are evaluated to see if any ?ight Will push the number of ?ights controlled by the operator over the maxi mum capacity of the operator’s gates and facilities Within a
that causes the ?ight count for the operator to exceed the threshold is identi?ed.
reasonable planning WindoW (details presented in the dia
[0009] FIG. 7 is a ?oW diagram shoWing hoW the departure and arrival time of the ?ight identi?ed in FIG. 7 is adjusted to maintain the airport demand Within the capacity.
gram for Block 4). If a ?ight Will, then the operating times for the ?ight are adjusted to keep the ?ight count Within capacity (details presented in the diagram for Block 5) and the revised
Jul. 5, 2012
US 2012/0173131A1
plans are re-evaluated to see if capacity is exceeded by a later ?ight. This process iterates until no more problems are pre dicted Within a reasonable planning WindoW. [0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, as
shoWn in Block 4 of FIG. 6, the future ?ight operations at the airport (planned arrivals and departures) are combined and sorted by event time. The event of interest for departing ?ights is the planned gate pushback time. The event of interest for an
arriving ?ight is the planned runWay arrival time plus a posi tive or negative buffer to re?ect details of taxi and gate opera
tions at the airport. The ?ights controlled by the operator currently on the ground OG are combined With the future
operations to determine Whether future counts of ?ights exceed the operator gate and facility capacity OC. This occurs
by stepping through each ?ight event in time order and adjust ing the expected ?ight count up or doWn depending on the type of operation. If any ?ight f causes the count to exceed the
[0023] In one embodiment, the method further comprises an en-route time period and an updated departure time. The
updated assigned departure time is determined by subtracting the en-route time period from the assigned arrival time slot for
each ?ight. [0024]
In an embodiment of the method, at any time, the
updated departure times are determined for all ?ights With their planned arrival times preceding their assigned arrival time slots. This Way, subsequently, a neW total number of
aircraft on ground is calculated at any time, and preceding
operations leading to this point are repeated using this “neW total number of aircraft on ground” replacing the old “total current number of ?ights on ground,” until the neW total number of aircraft on ground is less than the threshold. [0025] In one embodiment, the constraints are related to departure. In another, the constraints are related to gate ser vices. In a further embodiment, a neW “total number of air
[0017] In one embodiment, as depicted Block 5 in FIG. 7, the ?ight fa [401] is shifted later to have it arrive at a time
craft aWaiting gates or at gates” are calculated instead of “neW total number of aircraft on groun .” [0026] A system, an apparatus, a device, or an article of
corresponding to another ?ight controlled by that operator pushing back from the gate. This is accomplished by ?nding the ?rst departing ?ight With a planned gate pushback time
example of the invention: computers, monitors, displays, indicators, graphical user interfaces (GUI), topology, sensors,
capacity then that ?ight is returned as ?ight fa [401].
after the planned event time of fa that has not already been
paired With another arrival, meaning another arriving ?ight has not been set to arrive to use the gate capacity freed by the
departing ?ight. When this ?ight fd has been found the arrival time of fa is shifted to match the pushback time of fd plus the
buffer from Block 4, and the departure time of fa at its depar ture airport is shifted the same amount. That is, fa is assigned an operating delay suf?cient to have it arrive to use the gate facilities fd frees up When pushing back. [0018] FIG. 8 further demonstrates an embodiment of the present invention on hoW times of ?ights are managed to
manufacture comprising one of the folloWing items is an
tools or systems measuring the count and speed of aircraft,
timers, global positioning systems (GPS), radars, air tra?ic control equipment or facilities, air tra?ic logging equipment, con?gurations, threshold settings, ?lters, quick access con trols, objects, navigation, navigation tools, user input, seman
tic rules, semantic matching modules, toWer operations tools, electronic ?ight data management equipment, ?les, data bases, NTML database, enhanced traf?c management system
(ETMS), NextGen air-ground communication system (NEX
COM), queuing models solvers, mice, keyboards, similarity information, applying the method mentioned above, for the
airport demand management, comprises the folloWing ele
purpose of the current invention or managing airport demand based on continuous rebalancing of the incoming and outgo ing tra?ic from an airport. [0027] Any variations of the above teaching are also
ments: a threshold; a planned times database; an updated
intended to be covered by this patent application.
prevent airport congestion. [0019]
In one embodiment a mathematical algorithm for
times database; a realiZation database; planned departure times, planned pushback times, and planned arrival times in said planned times database; total number of aircraft on ground and en-route time in said realiZation database;
updated arrival times, updated gate pushback times, updated
1. A mathematical algorithm for airport demand manage
ment, said mathematical algorithm comprising: a threshold;
departure times in calculated actual gate pushback times,
a planned times database; an updated times database;
calculated runWay departure times, constraints in a con straints database; and a queuing model. In one embodiment,
planned departure times, planned pushback times, and
a realiZation database;
the queuing model dynamically calculates runWay departure
planned arrival times in said planned times database;
times considering the constraints in the constraints database for a plurality of ?ights.
total number of aircraft on ground and en-route time in said
[0020]
updated arrival times, updated gate pushback times,
In an alternative embodiment, the method com
prises a buffer time and assigned arrival time slots, and the
assigned arrival time slots and planned departure times have a time difference equal to the buffer time.
[0021] In a further example of this invention, the algorithm further comprises a saturation time Which is dynamically calculated as the time at Which the rate of accumulation of
realiZation database;
updated departure times in calculated actual gate push back times, calculated runWay departure times, constraints in a constraints database; and
a queuing model; Wherein said queuing model dynamically estimates said
aircraft on surface of the airport is positive and the current
calculated actual gate pushback times or said calculated
realiZation of number of aircraft on surface equals or exceeds that threshold. [0022] In another embodiment, the method further com
runWay departure times considering said constraints in said constraints database for a plurality of ?ights. 2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising a
prises assigned arrival time slots calculated for any ?ight With the planned arrival times after the above mentioned saturation
buffer time and assigned arrival time slots, Wherein said assigned arrival time slots and said planned departure times
time.
have a time difference of less than or equal to said buffer time.
Jul. 5, 2012
US 2012/0173131Al
3. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising a
of ?ights on ground, until said neW total number of aircraft on
saturation time Wherein said saturation time is dynamically
ground is less than said threshold.
calculated as the time at Which the rate of accumulation of
7. A method as recited in claim 6, Wherein said constraints are related to departure. 8. A method as recited in claim 6, Wherein said constraints
aircraft on surface of the airport is positive and said current realiZation of number of aircraft on surface equals or exceeds said threshold. 4. A method as recited in claim 3, Wherein said assigned arrival time slots are calculated for any ?ight With said planned arrival times after said saturation time. 5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising an
en-route time period and an updated departure time, Wherein
said updated departure time is determined by subtracting said en-route time period from said assigned arrival time slot for
each ?ight. 6. A method as recited in claim 5, Wherein at any time, said
are speci?c to certain carriers or applied to ?ights operated by that carrier. 9. A method as recited in claim 6, Wherein said constraints related to departure and are either speci?c to certain carriers
or applied to ?ights operated by that carrier. 10. A method as recited in claim 6, Wherein neW total number of aircraft aWaiting gates or at gates are calculated instead of said neW total number of aircraft on ground. 11. A method as recited in claim 10, Wherein said con straints are related to gate services. 12. A method as recited in claim 10, Wherein said con straints are speci?c to certain carriers or applied to ?ights
updated departure times are determined for all ?ights With their said planned arrival times preceding their said assigned
operated by that carrier.
arrival time slots, Wherein subsequently, a neW total number of aircraft on ground is calculated at any time, and Wherein operations of claim 5 are repeated using said neW total num ber of aircraft on ground replacing said total current number
certain carriers or applied to ?ights operated by that carrier.
13. A method as recited in claim 10, Wherein said con straints are related to gate services and are either speci?c to
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