Air Traffic Simulator

The traffic simulator is designed to support the development and validation of Pilot Assistant Systems dealing with airborne separation assurance systems and air traffic management tools. It is as well suitable as a “proof of concept simulation” for new ATM-concepts or operations. The Traffic Simulator supports two kinds of traffic scenarios:

• Surrounding traffic of one aircraft for airborne separation assurance tools
• Departure and arrival traffic for air traffic management tools

The main functions of the traffic simulator:

• Simulate a traffic scenario with a variable number of aircraft, aircraft types and flight plans.
• Simulate an air to air data link for airborne separation assurance scenarios and an air to ground data link for air traffic management scenarios.
• Provide a graphical interface to
  • generate and modify the traffic scenario
  • generate conflict points between aircraft easily
  • modify a scenario via events during a simulation run

Air traffic simulator - monitor picture

A traffic scenario is composed of a variable number of aircraft. For each aircraft one must define:

• the aircraft type, which can be one of the defined aircraft types in BADA,
• the flight plan,
• Takeoff Time or Aircraft State Vector for the starting position.

The traffic simulator generates a 4D-trajectory for each aircraft participating in the scenario and moves the aircraft along the trajectory in real time or fast time. The input data for the generator are a flight plan, the aircraft performance data, aircraft state vector at starting position and meteo data. The starting position may be on ground, at the departure airport or airborne. The trajectory generator takes account of altitude constraints, speed constraints and time constraints which may be specified in the flight plan.

 Surrounding Traffic of a Particular Aircraft

Surrounding traffic of a particular aircraft

In this kind of scenario the Air Traffic Simulator simulates the surrounding traffic of one particular aircraft and generates the data of an air to air data link. The data for the particular aircraft may be read from an real aircraft during a flight test, an aircraft simulator or may be simulated by the traffic simulator itself. The traffic simulator generates the data of an air to air data link, however without considering the physical data link behaviour.

To simplify the prediction of conflicts the traffic simulator predicts the intersections between the trajectories of the surrounding aircraft and one particular aircraft as well. A collision, which should be detected and avoided by the airborne separation assurance system onboard the aircraft of interest, can be forced by selecting an intersection area on the graphical interface. So potential collisions can be constructed during a simulation run at any time and easily.

Departure and Arrival Traffic of an Airport

Arrival traffic of an airport

In this kind of scenario the Air Traffic Simulator simulates the departure and arrival traffic of a specific airport and generates the data of an air to ground data link, however without considering the physical data link behaviour.

When an aircraft enters the TMA, the traffic simulator negotiates its trajectory with an air traffic management tool until the aircraft gets a clearance for its down linked trajectory. Negotiation means, the aircraft sends its predicted trajectory down to the ground station and regenerates its 4D-trajectory, considering the received uplink data, which may contain route, altitude, time or speed constraints.

The traffic scenario can be extended by several cockpit simulators during a simulation run and even a real aircraft during a flight test.