Re-tasking balloons in a balloon network based on expected failure modes of balloons

• US 9,319,905 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Loon, LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bonawitz, Keith, Weaver, Joshua, DeVaul, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniel, Jr., Willie J
• Application Number:
  US14/014,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20150063159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

Example methods and systems for assigning tasks to balloons within a balloon network are described. One example system includes a first sub-fleet of balloons assigned a first set of one or more tasks within a balloon network, a second sub-fleet of balloons assigned a second set of one or more tasks within the balloon network, and a control system configured to determine that a first balloon in the first sub-fleet of balloons initially has a predicted failure mode that corresponds to the first set of tasks, subsequently determine that the first balloon has a predicted failure mode that corresponds to the second set of tasks, and reassign the first balloon from the first sub-fleet of balloons to the second sub-fleet of balloons.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first sub-fleet of balloons, wherein the first sub-fleet of balloons is assigned a first set of one or more tasks within a balloon network;

a second sub-fleet of balloons, wherein the second sub-fleet of balloons is assigned a second set of one or more tasks within the balloon network; and

a control system configured to;

determine at a first time that a first balloon has a first predicted failure mode that corresponds to the first set of tasks;

based on determining that the first balloon has the first predicted failure mode that corresponds to the first set of tasks, assign the first balloon to the first sub-fleet of balloons;

determine at a later second time that the first balloon has a second predicted failure mode that corresponds to the second set of tasks, wherein the second predicted failure mode comprises a different type of predicted balloon failure than the first predicted failure mode;

determine that the second predicted failure mode is more likely to occur earlier than the first predicted failure mode; and

in response to determining that the second predicted failure mode is more likely to occur earlier than the first predicted failure mode, reassign the first balloon from the first sub-fleet of balloons to the second sub-fleet of balloons.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sub-fleet of balloons operates according to a first set of constraints;

and

wherein the second sub-fleet of balloons operates according to a second set of constraints.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a predicted failure mode of a balloon comprises a probability distribution of expected failure of the balloon over time.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first balloon is reassigned from the first sub-fleet of balloons to the second sub-fleet of balloons after an initial time period during which the first balloon is exposed to one or more stress tests.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the sub-fleets of balloons is assigned to communicate with one or more ground-based stations.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the sub-fleets of balloons is assigned to serve as relay balloons between other balloons within the network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the sub-fleets of balloons is assigned to assist in weather forecasting.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the sub-fleets of balloons is assigned to travel along long-distance flight paths.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first predicted failure mode comprises a partial failure of a balloon system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first predicted failure mode comprises a predicted failure of a first balloon component, wherein the second predicted failure mode comprises a predicted failure mode of a second balloon component, wherein the second balloon component is different than the first balloon component, and wherein the first balloon is reassigned from the first sub-fleet of balloons to the second sub-fleet of balloons to reduce usage of the second balloon component.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining at a first time that a first balloon in a balloon network has a first predicted failure mode that corresponds to a first set of tasks, wherein the balloon network comprises at least a first sub-fleet of balloons and a second sub-fleet of balloons, wherein the first sub-fleet is assigned a first set of one or more tasks and the second sub-fleet is assigned a second set of one or more tasks;

based on determining that the first balloon has the first predicted failure mode that corresponds to the first set of tasks, assigning the first balloon to the first sub-fleet of balloons;

determining at a later second time that the first balloon has a second predicted failure mode that corresponds to the second set of tasks, wherein the second predicted failure mode comprises a different type of predicted balloon failure than the first predicted failure mode;

determining that the second predicted failure mode is more likely to occur earlier than the first predicted failure mode; and

in response to determining that the second predicted failure mode is more likely to occur earlier than the first predicted failure mode, reassigning the first balloon from the first sub-fleet of balloons to the second sub-fleet of balloons.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a first set of constraints and second set of constraints, wherein the first sub-fleet of balloons operates according to the first set of constraints;

and

wherein the second sub-fleet of balloons operates according to the second set of constraints.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a predicted failure mode of a balloon comprises a probability distribution of expected failure of the balloon over time.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first balloon is reassigned from the first sub-fleet of balloons to the second sub-fleet of balloons after an initial time period during which the first balloon is exposed to one or more stress tests.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein one of the sub-fleets of balloons is assigned to communicate with one or more ground-based stations.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein one of the sub-fleets of balloons is assigned to serve as relay balloons between other balloons within the network.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining at the first time that the first balloon has the first predicted failure mode based on sensor data from one or more sensors on the first balloon; and

determining at the later second time that the first balloon has the second predicted failure mode based on additional sensor data from the one or more sensors on the first balloon.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining at the later second time that the first balloon has the second predicted failure mode based on one or more past failures of one or more other balloons that performed at least some of the first set of one or more tasks assigned to the first sub-fleet of balloons.

19. A system comprising:

a plurality of sub-fleets of balloons, wherein each sub-fleet of balloons is assigned a corresponding set of one or more tasks within a balloon network; and

a control system configured to;

determine that a first balloon initially has a first predicted failure mode that corresponds to a first set of tasks;

based on determining that the first balloon has a first predicted failure mode that corresponds to the first set of tasks, assign the first balloon to a first sub-fleet of balloons that is assigned the first set of tasks within the balloon network;

periodically determine that the first balloon has a different predicted failure mode that corresponds to a set of tasks assigned to a different sub-fleet of balloons within the balloon network;

determine that the different predicted failure mode is more likely to occur earlier than any other previously determined failure mode; and

in response to determining that the different predicted failure mode is more likely to occur earlier than any other previously determined failure mode, reassign the first balloon to the different sub-fleet of balloons.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the control system is further configured to:

periodically determine that a certain sub-fleet of balloons has an inadequate number of balloons; and

reassign one or more balloons to the certain sub-fleet of balloons.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein a particular set of tasks has a corresponding priority level;

and

wherein at least one balloon is reassigned based on one or more of the priority levels.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein each sub-fleet of balloons is operating within the balloon network according to a particular set of constraints.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one balloon is reassigned after an initial time period during which the at least one balloon is exposed to one or more stress tests.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

determining at a first time that a first balloon in a balloon network has a first predicted failure mode that corresponds to a first set of tasks, wherein the balloon network comprises at least a first sub-fleet of balloons and a second sub-fleet of balloons, wherein the first sub-fleet is assigned a first set of one or more tasks and the second sub-fleet is assigned a second set of one or more tasks;

based on determining that the first balloon has the first predicted failure mode that corresponds to the first set of tasks, assigning the first balloon to the first sub-fleet of balloons;

determining at a later second time that the first balloon has a second predicted failure mode that corresponds to the second set of tasks, wherein the second predicted failure mode comprises a different type of predicted balloon failure than the first predicted failure mode;

determining that the second predicted failure mode is more likely to occur earlier than the first predicted failure mode; and

in response to determining that the second predicted failure mode is more likely to occur earlier than the first predicted failure mode, reassigning the first balloon from the first sub-fleet of balloons to the second sub-fleet of balloons.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein a predicted failure mode of a balloon comprises a probability distribution of expected failure of the balloon over time.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the first balloon is reassigned from the first sub-fleet of balloons to the second sub-fleet of balloons after an initial time period during which the first balloon is exposed to one or more stress tests.