Location-aware caching in an aerial network

• US 10,356,742 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2017
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SOFTBANK Corporation (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Loon, LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Teller, Eric, DeVaul, Richard Wayne, Biffle, Clifford L., Weaver, Josh
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Jeong S
• Application Number:
  US15/662,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20170339661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/021 in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed herein that may help to provide location-aware caching and/or location-specific service profiles in an aerial-vehicle network. An exemplary method may be carried out by an aerial vehicle that is at a location associated with the first geographic area in an aerial-vehicle network that includes a plurality of defined geographic areas, and may involve: (a) determining that a location-aware cache of an aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the first geographic area; and (b) in response to determining that the location-aware cache should be updated: (i) sending a location-aware cache-update request; (ii) receiving, as a response to the location-aware cache-update request, user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area; and (iii) storing the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area in a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

at an aerial vehicle that is at a location associated with first geographic area in an aerial vehicle network, wherein the aerial vehicle network comprises a plurality of moveable aerial vehicles that provide service to client devices in a plurality of geographic areas, and wherein the aerial vehicle is one of the plurality of moveable aerial vehicles, determining that a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the first geographic area; and

in response to determining that the location-aware cache should be updated;

sending a location-aware cache-update request;

receiving, as a response to the location-aware cache-update request, user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area; and

storing the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area in a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle; and

wherein determining that the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the first geographic area comprises determining that the aerial vehicle has moved from outside of the first geographic area to a location within the first geographic area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the first geographic area comprises:

determining that the aerial vehicle has moved from a first location that is not associated with the first geographic area to a location within a border area of the first geographic area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the first geographic area further comprises:

determining a direction in which the aerial vehicle is travelling; and

determining that the direction in which the aerial vehicle is travelling is towards the first geographic area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the location-aware cache-update request comprises sending a location-aware cache-update request to one or more other aerial vehicles in the aerial vehicle network, wherein the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area is received from one or more of the other aerial vehicles.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the location-aware cache-update request comprises:

sending a location-aware cache-update request to a ground-based station that is associated with the first geographic area, wherein the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area is received from the ground-based station.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequently determining that the aerial vehicle is at a second location associated with a second geographic area of the aerial vehicle network; and

determining that the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the second geographic area and responsively;

sending a second location-aware cache-update request;

receiving, as a response to the location-aware cache-update request, user-data that corresponds to the second geographic area; and

storing the received user-data that corresponds to the second geographic area in the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

as a further response to determining that the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the second geographic area, removing the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area from the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the location associated with a second geographic area of the aerial vehicle network is a location within a border area, wherein the border area is adjacent to the second geographic area, the method further comprising:

subsequently determining that the aerial vehicle has moved to a location within the second geographic area of the aerial vehicle network; and

in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is at the location associated with the second geographic area, removing the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area from the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequently determining that the aerial vehicle is at a second location that is not associated with the first geographic area; and

in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is at the second location, removing the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area from the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-aware cache-update request further comprises an indication of a rate at which the user-data should be sent to the aerial vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a network traffic level; and

determining a rate at which the user-data should be sent to the aerial vehicle based on the network traffic level.

12. A system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium;

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to;

determine that a location-aware cache of an aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with a first geographic area of an aerial vehicle network, wherein the aerial vehicle network comprises a plurality of moveable aerial vehicles that provide service to client devices in a plurality of geographic areas, wherein the aerial vehicle is one of the plurality of moveable aerial vehicles, and wherein the determination that the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the first geographic area comprises a determination that the aerial vehicle has moved from outside of the first geographic area to a location within the first geographic area; and

in response to determining that the location-aware cache should be updated;

send a location-aware cache-update request;

receive, as a response to the location-aware cache-update request, user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area; and

store the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area in a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the location-aware cache-update request message is sent to one or more other aerial vehicles in the aerial vehicle network, and wherein the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area is received from one or more of the other aerial vehicles.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the location-aware cache-update request message is sent to a ground-based station that is associated with the first geographic area, wherein the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area is received from the ground-based station.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to:

after storing the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area in a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle, determine that the aerial vehicle is at a second location associated with a second geographic area of the aerial vehicle network; and

determine that the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the second geographic area and responsively;

send a second location-aware cache-update request;

receive, as a response to the location-aware cache-update request, user-data that corresponds to the second geographic area; and

store the received user-data that corresponds to the second geographic area in the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to:

in further response to determining that the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the second geographic area, remove the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area from the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining that a location-aware cache of an aerial vehicle should be updated, wherein the aerial vehicle is at a location associated with a first geographic area of an aerial vehicle network, wherein the aerial vehicle network comprises a plurality of moveable aerial vehicles that provide service to client devices in a plurality of geographic areas, and wherein determining that the location-aware cache of an aerial vehicle should be updated comprises determining that the aerial vehicle has moved into the first geographic area; and

in response to determining that the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated;

sending the aerial vehicle a location-aware cache-update message, wherein the location-aware cache-update message indicates that the aerial vehicle should update a locate-aware cache of the aerial vehicle with user-data corresponding to the first geographic area; and

initiating a transmission to the aerial vehicle of the user-data corresponding to the first geographic area.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining that the location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle should be updated comprises:

determining that the aerial vehicle has moved from a first location that is not associated with the first geographic area to a location within a border area of the first geographic area.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method is implemented by a second aerial vehicle that is different from the aerial vehicle.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the method is implemented by a ground station in the aerial vehicle network.