Conflict Detection

It is widely considered that conflict detection is an \(O(n^2)\) problem because it requires calculating the separation of every combination of aircraft pairs:

However, in practice, as the area increases, more aircraft routes are separated. Consequently, while the number of aircraft pairs grows quadratically, the computational effort required to detect conflicts increases less rapidly, see the green line in Aircraft Pairs to Separate.

Our new algorithm employs a fast and accurate method for calculating route separation, enabling separated routes to be disregarded. It then calculates precisely which sections of the remaining routes may lose horizontal separation. These route sections are called conflict paths

Vertical and time separation calculations are only required between aircraft pairs with conflict paths; even then, they are only necessary within the sections of their trajectories corresponding to their conflict paths. Conflict paths also enable simple and quick calculations of vertical and temporal separation.

The new algorithm accommodates more aircraft and delivers earlier conflict predictions than conventional conflict detectors.

Additionally, the algorithm measures separation in time, not distance, enabling temporal aircraft de-confliction, even before take-off.