Pre-flight trajectory scheduling for UAVs in aerial corridors

Traffic management for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) is crucial in low-altitude uncontrolled airspace. As UAV deployments grow in complexity, the need for structured trajectory planning becomes increasingly important to mitigate potential conflicts in designated flight paths. This work presents a comprehensive framework for pre-flight trajectory planning, designed to streamline UAV traffic coordination by integrating key elements such as corridor-based navigation, identification of conflict-prone areas, and conflict mitigation. The entire process flow within the ground control station (GCS) is proposed using algorithms that work in conjunction with a UAV database. Furthermore, a scheduling algorithm with applicable velocity and acceleration constraints is proposed that generates deconflicted trajectories for UAVs operating within designated airspace. The framework was tested in simulations and on Crazyflie nano drone hardware for experiments involving cases with different intersection types and multiple UAV types, demonstrating its capability to enhance UAV coordination and help boost overall operational efficiency in the real world.