Semi-Autonomous Aircraft Towing Vehicles

摘要: Congestion at airports is recognized as one of the most prominent problem areas in the international airspace. In particular, increasing the capacity of surface area used for taxiing is a major logistical challenge. Traditionally, airports address the capacity problem through the addition of runways and taxiways. This solution has the unwanted effect of increasing the complexity of air terminal operations. This penalizes the efficiency of the system by adding to human workload, thus restricting the potential benefits of the surface expansion. The increased complexity also increases the risk of human error, resulting in potentially hazardous situations. In addition, the increasing number of taxiing aircraft will contribute significantly to an increase in fuel burn and emissions. The quantities of fuel burned as well as different pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter, increase with aircraft taxi duration, and also vary with throttle setting, number of running engines, and pilot and airline decisions regarding engine shutdown during delays. The practical difficulties of increasing capacity through airport expansion introduce the desire for enhanced airport ground movement efficiency by the intelligent use of the existing resources.