Balloon-based positioning system and method

• US 10,162,044 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SOFTBANK Corporation (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: DeVaul, Richard Wayne, Kadous, Waleed, Teller, Eric, Biffle, Cliff, Keyes, Edward Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): McGue, Frank J
• Application Number:
  US15/019,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20160154085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 3423574
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/042 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/20 using a comparison of transit time of synchronised signals transmitted from non-directional antennas or antenna systems spaced apart, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0045 Transmission from base station to mobile station G01S5/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves

Abstract

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a balloon-based positioning system and method. In one example embodiment, a system includes at least three balloons, with each balloon including a position-determining module (PDM) and a position-broadcasting module (PBM). Each PDM is configured for determining a position of the respective balloon and each PBM is configured for broadcasting a balloon signal containing balloon-positioning data of the respective balloon. The balloon-positioning data includes the determined position of the respective balloon and a corresponding time of broadcast.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least three balloons, each balloon comprising a position-determining module (PDM) and a position-broadcasting module (PBM),

each PDM being configured for determining a position of the respective balloon,

each PBM being configured for transmitting to a receiver, a balloon signal containing balloon-positioning data of the respective balloon to facilitate the receiver determining a position of the receiver, the balloon-positioning data comprising (i) the determined position of the respective balloon and (ii) a corresponding time of broadcast of the balloon signal,

wherein one balloon of the at least three balloons is a first balloon, and the PDM of the first balloon is a first PDM, the first PDM being configured for determining a position of the first balloon based on a ground-based station and a celestial object,

wherein the ground-based station and the celestial object are identified from imaging data of each of the ground-based station and the celestial object captured by the first PDM.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein transmitting the balloon signal to the receiver comprises transmitting the balloon signal to the receiver on a single channel frequency.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the position of the first balloon based on the ground-based station and the celestial object comprises:

determining a measurement between the first balloon and the identified ground-based station; and

determining an orientation of the first balloon based on the identified celestial object,

wherein the determining the position of the first balloon based on the ground-based station and the celestial object comprises determining a position of the first balloon based on the determined measurement and the determined orientation.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein determining the measurement between the first balloon and the identified ground-based station comprises analyzing the imaging data of the ground-based station.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein determining the orientation of the first balloon based on the identified celestial object further comprises determining a portion of the celestial object that is visible from a perspective of the first balloon.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein one balloon of the at least three balloons is a second balloon, and the PDM of the second balloon is a second PDM, the second PDM being configured for determining a position of the second balloon, wherein determining a position of the second balloon comprises:

determining a relative position of the second balloon with respect to the first balloon; and

determining a position of the second balloon based on the position of the first balloon and the determined relative position of the second balloon.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein determining the relative position of the second balloon with respect to the first balloon comprises:

determining the relative position of the second balloon with respect to the first balloon using an optical communication link between the first and second balloons.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising the receiver, wherein the receiver is configured for (i) receiving each of the transmitted balloon signals;

and (ii) using the received balloon signals to determine the position of the receiver.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the receiver comprises a ground-based receiver.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each balloon communicates with each other using an optical communication link.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the ground-based station comprises determining a location of the ground-based station based on a look-up table.

12. A method comprising:

determining, based on a ground-based station and a celestial object, a first position of a first balloon in a balloon network, the ground-based station and the celestial object are identified from imaging data of each of the ground-based station and the celestial object captured by a position-determining module (PDM);

determining a second position of a second balloon in the balloon network;

determining a third position of a third balloon in the balloon network;

transmitting a first balloon signal to a receiver to facilitate the receiver determining a position of the receiver, the first balloon signal including the determined first position and a corresponding time of broadcast of the first balloon signal;

transmitting a second balloon signal to a receiver to facilitate the receiver determining a position of the receiver, the second balloon signal including the determined second position and a corresponding time of broadcast of the second balloon signal; and

transmitting a third balloon signal to a receiver to facilitate the receiver determining a position of the receiver, the third balloon signal including the determined third position and a corresponding time of broadcast of the third balloon signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the balloon signal to the receiver comprises transmitting the balloon signal to the receiver on a single channel frequency.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving each of the transmitted balloon signals; and

using the received balloon signals to determine the position of the receiver.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiver comprises a ground-based receiver.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first, second and third balloons communicate with each other using an optical communication link.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the ground-based station comprises determining a location of the ground-based station based on a look-up table.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a measurement between the first balloon and the identified ground-based station includes analyzing the imaging data of the identified ground-based station.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining an orientation of the first balloon based on the identified celestial object by a portion of the celestial object that is visible from a perspective of the first balloon.