Dynamic balloon network coverage map

• US 10,629,097 B1
• Filed: 10/18/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SOFTBANK Corporation (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Loon, LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Teller, Eric, DeVaul, Richard Wayne, Cassidy, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Ulrich, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US15/787,181
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/40 Balloons B64B1/58 takes precedence; toy balloons A63H27/10
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/30 Lighter-than-air aircraft, e.g. aerostatic aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/006 Representation of non-cartographic information on maps, e.g. population distribution, wind direction, radiation levels, air and sea routes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18502 Airborne stations
• 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 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0894 Packet rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/821 Prioritising resource allocation or reservation requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/829 Topology based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 : Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

Example embodiments may relate to web interfaces for a balloon-network. For example, a computing device may display a graphical interface that provides information related to a balloon network configured to provide service in a geographic area, where the graphical interface includes a map. The computing device may receive real-time bandwidth data related to balloons in the balloon network, where the balloons are each configured to change position via altitudinal movement and via horizontal movement with respect to the ground. Based at least in part on the received real-time bandwidth data, the computing device may display, on the map, a visual representation of bandwidth information corresponding to one or more regions in the geographic area, where the visual representation of bandwidth information updates from time to time based at least in part on a change in position of one or more balloons in the balloon network.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

displaying a graphical interface that provides information related to a balloon network, wherein the balloon network is configured to provide service in a geographic area, wherein each balloon in the balloon network is configured to change position with respect to a ground, and wherein the graphical interface comprises (i) a map showing at least a portion of the geographic area and (ii) a balloon icon representing, within the portion of the geographic area that is shown on the map, a geographical location of a particular balloon in the balloon network;

receiving, via the graphical interface, input data corresponding to a request for additional information about the particular balloon represented by the balloon icon, the input data indicating a future time;

updating, in response to the input data indicating a future time, the geographical location of the particular balloon to an expected location of the particular balloon; and

based at least in part on the received input data, displaying, via the graphical interface, the additional information in association with the balloon icon, including displaying a graphical representation of the expected location of the particular balloon at the future time.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the graphical interface further comprises a graphical representation of an expected trajectory of the particular balloon.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the additional information comprises information related to one or more of the following:

(i) an identifier of the particular balloon, (ii) a model of the particular balloon, and (iii) capabilities of the particular balloon.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the additional information comprises sensor data from at least one sensor of the particular balloon, and wherein the sensor data is representative of one or more of the following:

(i) temperature, (ii) wind speed, (iii) air pressure, (iv) speed, (v) altitude, (vi) direction of travel, and (vii) a real-time camera feed.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the additional information comprises bandwidth information corresponding to the particular balloon.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the bandwidth information comprises one or more of:

(i) total bandwidth, (ii) in-use bandwidth, (iii) historically-available bandwidth, (iv) forecasted bandwidth, and (v) available bandwidth.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the additional information in association with the balloon icon comprises displaying a graphical representation of a flight plan for the particular balloon.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, the functions further comprising:

receiving, via the graphical interface, a selection of the balloon icon;

in response to receiving the selection of the balloon icon, generating a status box associated with the particular balloon; and

displaying the status box adjacent to the balloon icon.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the status box includes at least one of (i) information related to the particular balloon or (ii) sensor data from the particular balloon.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, the functions further comprising obtaining trajectory information of the particular balloon, wherein the status box includes a trajectory field indicating the trajectory information.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, the functions further comprising:

receiving, via the graphical interface, a selection of the balloon icon;

in response to receiving the selection of the balloon icon, providing access to an interface feature for requesting service from the particular balloon.

12. A method comprising:

displaying, by a computing device, a graphical interface that provides information related to a balloon network, wherein the balloon network is configured to provide service in a geographic area, wherein each balloon in the balloon network is configured to change position with respect to a ground, and wherein the graphical interface comprises (i) a map showing at least a portion of the geographic area and (ii) a balloon icon representing, within the portion of the geographic area that is shown on the map, a geographical location of a particular balloon in the balloon network;

receiving, by the computing device via the graphical interface, input data corresponding to a request for additional information about the particular balloon represented by the balloon icon, the input data indicating a future time;

updating, in response to the input data indicating a future time, the geographical location of the particular balloon to an expected location of the particular balloon; and

based at least in part on the received input data, displaying, by the computing device via the graphical interface, the additional information in association with the balloon icon, including displaying a graphical representation of the expected location of the particular balloon at the future time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the graphical interface further comprises a graphical representation of an expected trajectory of the particular balloon.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the additional information comprises information related to one or more of the following:

(i) an identifier of the particular balloon, (ii) a model of the particular balloon, and (iii) capabilities of the particular balloon.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the additional information comprises sensor data from at least one sensor of the particular balloon, and wherein the sensor data is representative of one or more of the following:

(i) temperature, (ii) wind speed, (iii) air pressure, (iv) speed, (v) altitude, (vi) direction of travel, and (vii) a real-time camera feed.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the additional information comprises bandwidth information corresponding to the particular balloon.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bandwidth information comprises one or more of:

(i) total bandwidth, (ii) in-use bandwidth, (iii) historically-available bandwidth, (iv) forecasted bandwidth, and (v) available bandwidth.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying the additional information in association with the balloon icon comprises displaying a graphical representation of a flight plan for the particular balloon.