Loiter UAV Reinsertion Guidance for Fixed-wing UAV Corridors
It addresses a specific traffic management problem for fixed-wing UAV corridors, but the solution is incremental and domain-specific.
This paper develops a guidance algorithm for conflict-free reinsertion of loitering fixed-wing UAVs back into a main corridor lane, considering speed limits and safety distances. Numerical simulations validate the approach.
This paper considers fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) corridors comprising a main lane, a circular loiter lane for managing traffic congestion, and transit lanes connecting the two. In particular, we address the problem of conflict-free reinsertion of UAVs from the loiter lane back into the main lane. The loiter lane contains a fixed number of equidistant virtual slots that UAVs can occupy. Reinsertion of loiter UAVs into the main lane becomes essential either due to reduced traffic in the main lane or due to a loiter UAV needing to reach its destination urgently. Given the total number of loiter slots, UAV speed limits, and the minimum safety distance, a guidance algorithm is developed to compute the required speed of a loiter UAV in the transit lane to ensure safe reinsertion. The proposed guidance and automation strategies are validated through numerical simulations.