Urban Air Mobility Altitude Transition Traffic Rules and Its System Performance Analysis

Based on the behavioral model of electric vertical take-off and landing(eVTOL) aircraft, this paper comprehensively considers that future urban low-altitude airspace may be a large-traffic and high-density operation scenario, and proposes the concept of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) altitude transition corridor. The rules in the altitude transition corridor were verified using two types of eVTOL aircraft, indicating that the design of these rules is reasonable and the maneuverability of existing eVTOL aircraft can support the entire altitude transition process. Meanwhile, three micro-scale traffic flow models are proposed for different segments of the altitude transition corridor, including horizontal routes, transition routes, and circular routes. By utilizing numerical traffic simulation and investigating the relationship between traffic flow, density, and speed, potential congestion points within the altitude transition corridor are identified. Furthermore, an analysis is conducted to assess the throughput, speed, capacity, and other characteristics of the altitude transition corridor.