Hybrid LEO/HAPs constellation for fixed broadband

• US 10,554,499 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2019
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aalyria Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Loon, LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Barritt, Brian, Filho, Mauro Goncalves
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Dalzid E
• Application Number:
  US16/251,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20190280937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: 398121
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/11 Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1129 Arrangements for outdoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/118 specially adapted for satellite communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/38 adapting due to varying relative distances between nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

The disclosure provides for a system that includes a network controller configured to determine a network configuration of a network and cause the network to implement the network configuration. The network controller may be configured to determine that an overall link bandwidth for a particular geographic area is less than a set bandwidth amount based on link bandwidth information for possible links directly connected to the particular geographic area. Based on a difference between the overall link bandwidth and the set bandwidth amount, the network controller may be configured to determine additional links to connect to the particular geographic area in a given network configuration of the network. The network controller may then send instructions to the plurality of nodes of the network to cause the plurality of nodes to implement the given network configuration and transmit client data at the given point in time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for implementing a network configuration in a network, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, link bandwidth information for possible routing paths in the network to or from nodes in a particular geographic area from one or more nodes of the network;

determining, by the one or more processors, that an overall link bandwidth for the particular geographic area is less than a set bandwidth amount based on the link bandwidth information for the possible routing paths to or from nodes in the particular geographic area;

determining, by the one or more processors, one or more additional links to form in a given network configuration of the network based on a difference between the overall link bandwidth and the set bandwidth amount; and

sending, by the one or more processors, instructions to at least one node of the network to cause the at least one node to implement the given network configuration for transmitting client data to or from the particular geographic area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the one or more processors, client data information from one or more client devices from the particular geographic area;

and

wherein determining that the overall link bandwidth is less than the set bandwidth amount includes determining the set bandwidth amount based on the received client data information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the received client data information includes an amount of client data to be transmitted from the particular geographic area over a period of time;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

determining, by the one or more processors, that a time for transmitting the amount of client data is greater than a set threshold amount of time; and

determining, by the one or more processors, the set bandwidth amount based on how much greater the time for transmitting the amount of client data is than the set threshold amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions to the at least one node includes instructions to cause the at least one node to form the one or more additional links.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the instructions to the at least one node also includes instructions to cause the at least one node to communicate via the one or more additional links using a first type of communication link with a first node of the network and a second type of communication link with a second node of the network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first type of communication link is a free-space optical communication link.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network includes one or more ground station nodes and one or more high-altitude platform nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, generating a series of network configurations that includes the given network configuration and a schedule for the series of network configurations;

and

wherein the instructions to the at least one node includes the schedule for the series of network configurations.

9. A computer-implemented method for implementing a network configuration in a network, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, link bandwidth information for possible routing paths in the network to or from nodes in a particular geographic area from one or more nodes of the network;

determining, by the one or more processors, that an overall link bandwidth for the particular geographic area is less than a set bandwidth amount based on the link bandwidth information for the possible routing paths to or from the nodes in the particular geographic area;

determining, by the one or more processors, one or more additional links to form in a given network configuration of the network based on a difference between the overall link bandwidth and the set bandwidth amount; and

sending, by the one or more processors, flight termination instructions to at least one node of the network to cause the at least one node to land in a landing location based on the determined one or more additional links.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, the landing location based on whether the at least one node can land and be retrieved.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, the landing location based on proximity to the particular geographic area.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting, by the one or more processors, the at least one node based on one or more components in the at least one node that are usable in an additional node after landing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one node is a high-altitude platform, and the additional node is a ground station.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the additional node requires at least components for forming an additional link of the one more additional links.

15. A system comprising:

a network controller in communication with a plurality of nodes of a network, the network controller being configured to;

receive, from one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes, link bandwidth information for possible routing paths in the network to or from nodes in a particular geographic area;

determine that an overall link bandwidth for the particular geographic area is less than a set bandwidth amount based on the link bandwidth information for the possible routing paths to or from nodes in the particular geographic area;

determine one or more additional links to form in a given network configuration of the network based on a difference between the overall link bandwidth and the set bandwidth amount; and

send, to at least one node of the plurality of nodes, flight termination instructions to cause the at least one node to land in a landing location based on the determined one or more additional links.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the network controller is further configured to determine the landing location based on whether the at least one node can land and be retrieved.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the network controller is further configured to determine the landing location based on proximity to the particular geographic area.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the network controller is further configured to select the at least one node based on one or more components in the at least one node that are usable in an additional node after landing.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one node is a high-altitude platform, and the additional node is a ground station.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the additional node requires at least components for forming an additional link of the one more additional links.