Adjusting beam width of air-to-ground communications based on distance to neighbor balloon(s) in order to maintain contiguous service

• US 9,847,828 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SOFTBANK Corporation (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Behroozi, Cyrus
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Orange, David
• Application Number:
  US14/132,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20160226573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 455431, 455446, 455 121, 455 133, 455 25
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
• 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: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams

Abstract

Example methods and systems for adjusting the beam width of radio frequency (RF) signals for purposes of balloon-to-ground communication are described. One example method includes determining, based on respective locations of a plurality of balloons and areas covered by respective ground-facing communication beams of the balloons, a contiguous ground coverage area served by the plurality of balloons, where the communication beam of a balloon defines a corresponding individual coverage area within the ground coverage area, determining a change in position of at least one of the balloons, based on the change in position of the at least one balloon, determining an adjustment to a first of the individual coverage areas in an effort to maintain the contiguous ground coverage area after the change in position of at least one of the balloons, and adjusting a width of the ground-facing communication beam of the balloon corresponding to the first individual coverage area in order to make the determined adjustment to the first individual coverage area.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining, based on respective locations of a plurality of balloons and areas covered by respective ground-facing communication beams of the balloons, a contiguous ground coverage area served by the plurality of balloons, wherein the ground-facing communication beam of a first balloon of the plurality defines a first individual coverage area within the contiguous ground coverage area;

determining an increase in a horizontal distance between the first balloon and a second balloon of the plurality of balloons;

based on the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon, identifying a gap in the contiguous ground coverage area between the first balloon and the second balloon; and

in response to identifying the gap in the contiguous ground coverage area between the first balloon and the second balloon, adjusting a continuously adjustable antenna to cause a communication system of the first balloon to transmit a wider ground-facing communication beam in order to expand the first individual coverage area to cover the gap in the contiguous ground coverage area, wherein adjusting the continuously adjustable antenna comprises adjusting a separation distance between a radiator and a ground-facing reflector that is configured to reflect the wider ground-facing communication beam toward a ground surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the increase in the horizontal distance comprises an expected future increase.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a demand level of a plurality of ground subscribers, wherein:

coverage provided by the contiguous ground coverage area satisfies the demand level before the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon; and

the expansion of the first individual coverage area is determined in an effort to maintain coverage that satisfies the demand level after the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that one or more balloons of the plurality of balloons traveled closer to the first balloon; and

based on determining that the one or more balloons of the plurality of balloons traveled closer to the first balloon, causing the communication system of the first balloon to transmit a narrower ground-facing communication beam in order to contract the first individual coverage area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the gap in the contiguous ground coverage area between the first balloon and the second balloon comprises:

determining that the first individual coverage area and a second individual coverage area defined by a second ground-facing communication beam of the second balloon overlapped before the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon; and

determining that the first individual coverage area and the second individual coverage area no longer overlap after the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon.

4. A system, comprising:

a plurality of balloons; and

a control system configured to;

determine, based on respective locations of the balloons and areas covered by respective ground-facing communication beams of the balloons, a contiguous ground coverage area served by the balloons, wherein the ground-facing communication beam of a first balloon of the plurality defines a first individual coverage area within the contiguous ground coverage area;

determine an increase in a horizontal distance between the first balloon and a second balloon of the plurality of balloons;

based on the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon, identify a gap in the contiguous ground coverage area between the first balloon and the second balloon;

and

in response to identifying the gap in the contiguous ground coverage area between the first balloon and the second balloon, adjust a continuously adjustable antenna to cause a communication system of the first balloon to transmit a wider ground-facing communication beam in order to expand the first individual coverage area to cover the gap in the contiguous ground coverage area, wherein adjusting the continuously adjustable antenna comprises adjusting a separation distance between a radiator and a ground-facing reflector that is configured to reflect the wider ground-facing communication beam toward a ground surface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the increase in the horizontal distance comprises an expected future increase.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the control system is further configured to determine a demand level of a plurality of ground subscribers, wherein:

coverage provided by the contiguous ground coverage area satisfies the demand level before the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon; and

the expansion of the first individual coverage area is determined in an effort to maintain coverage that satisfies the demand level after the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon.

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

determining, based on respective locations of a plurality of balloons and areas covered by respective ground-facing communication beams of the balloons, a contiguous ground coverage area served by the plurality of balloons, wherein the ground-facing communication beam of a first balloon of the plurality defines a first individual coverage area within the contiguous ground coverage area;

determining an increase in a horizontal distance between the first balloon and a second balloon of the plurality of balloons;

based on the increase in the horizontal distance between the first balloon and the second balloon, identifying a gap in the contiguous ground coverage area between the first balloon and the second balloon; and

in response to identifying the gap in the contiguous ground coverage area between the first balloon and the second balloon, adjusting a continuously adjustable antenna to cause a communication system of the first balloon to transmit a wider ground-facing communication beam in order to expand the first individual coverage area to cover the gap in the contiguous ground coverage area, wherein adjusting the continuously adjustable antenna comprises adjusting a separation distance between a radiator and a ground-facing reflector that is configured to reflect the wider ground-facing communication beam toward a ground surface.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the increase in the horizontal distance comprises an expected future increase.