String stability analysis of selected speed control laws for interval management
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abstract
Interval Management (IM) is a future air traffic management concept that enables flight crews to achieve and maintain precise spacing intervals relative to other aircraft. Air traffic controllers (ATC) will initiate IM operations by identifying candidate aircraft pairs, where more precise spacing will help them to achieve air traffic initiatives; ATC will then provide an "IM aircraft" with a clearance to space relative to a "target aircraft" with a desired spacing interval. Previous IM-related research has evaluated the use of IM operations for spacing during the arrival and approach phase of flight. Some of that previous work has focused on the design of IM speed control laws that calculate speeds to achieve and maintain the desired spacing interval relative to the target aircraft. In arrival and approach uses of IM, a string of IM aircraft may be formed with each aircraft spacing relative to its immediately preceding aircraft. In order to ensure good string performance, the string stability of IM speed control laws must be studied and understood. This paper will examine string stability for three IM speed control laws that are candidate control laws for the IM avionics. Closed-form string stability results are developed for each speed control law, and simulation results are used to validate the closed-form results, as well as to reveal the effects of control saturation. Two scenarios are explored in simulation to evaluate and compare the string behavior for each speed control law. 2012 by The MITRE Corporation. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.
