Supplementing network coverage with a fleet of autonomous drones

• US 9,918,234 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2016
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT7T Mobility II LLC, AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zerick, Juliette, Rascle, Jr., Eugene H., Fix, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): CAI, WAYNE HUU
• Application Number:
  US15/063,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 455418, 455419
• 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: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) to supplement network coverage with a fleet of autonomous drones are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include configuring a first drone with information specifying a size and a target location associated with the coverage area. Disclosed example methods also include, when the first drone reaches the target location, monitoring for communication signals to determine whether a first coverage zone provided by the first drone and a second coverage zone provided by a second drone in a fleet of drones overlap. Disclosed example methods further include autonomously adjusting a position of the first drone to maintain overlapping of the first coverage zone provided by the first drone with the coverage area, but to reduce an amount of overlap of the first coverage zone with the second coverage zone.

Claims

1. A method to provide network coverage in a coverage area, the method comprising:

configuring, by executing an instruction with a processor, a first drone in a fleet of drones with information specifying a size of the coverage area and a target location associated with the coverage area;

configuring the first drone with information specifying a size of a first coverage zone provided by the first drone;

when the first drone reaches the target location, monitoring for communication signals with a transceiver of the first drone to determine whether the first coverage zone provided by the first drone and a second coverage zone provided by a second drone in the fleet of drones overlap, wherein the second drone is different from the first drone, and wherein the monitoring includes;

measuring a first signal strength of a first communication signal of the communication signals received from the second drone; and

determining the first coverage zone provided by the first drone and the second coverage zone provided by the second drone overlap when the first signal strength of the first communication signal meets a threshold value; and

autonomously adjusting, by executing an instruction with the processor, a position of the first drone to maintain an overlapping of the first coverage zone with the coverage area, but to reduce an amount of overlap of the first coverage zone with the second coverage zone, wherein the autonomously adjusting includes;

measuring the position of the first drone after adjusting the first drone to move by a first distance in a first direction to determine a measured position of the first drone;

measuring a second signal strength of the first communication signal received from the second drone after the adjusting the first drone to move by the first distance in the first direction; and

adjusting the position of the first drone by a second distance in a second direction based on the second signal strength, the measured position of the first drone, the size of the first coverage zone, and the information specifying the size of the coverage area and the target location associated with the coverage area.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

selecting, at the first drone, the second direction to correspond to the first direction in response to determining a condition is satisfied, the condition being satisfied when (1) the second signal strength is both less than the first signal strength and meets the threshold value, and (2) at least a portion of the first coverage zone is determined to overlap the coverage area based on the measured position of the first drone, the size of the first coverage zone and the target location associated with the coverage area; and

selecting the second direction to be different from the first direction in response to determining the condition is not satisfied.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

reporting the first signal strength, the second signal strength and the measured position to a controller remote from the first drone; and

receiving commands specifying the second distance and the second direction from the controller.

4. The method of claim 1, further including configuring the first drone with information specifying the threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first drone includes a portable base station to implement a cell of a mobile cellular network, the cell corresponding to the first coverage zone provided by the first drone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first drone and the second drone each include an unmanned aerial vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the coverage area is specified to be greater than the size of the first coverage zone.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a processor of a first drone to perform operations comprising:

accessing information specifying a size of a coverage area in which network coverage is to be provided and a target location associated with the coverage area;

accessing information specifying a size of a first coverage zone provided by the first drone;

when the first drone reaches the target location, monitoring for communication signals to determine whether the first coverage zone provided by the first drone and a second coverage zone provided by a second drone in a fleet of drones overlap, wherein the second drone is different from the first drone, wherein the monitoring includes;

measuring a first signal strength of a first communication signal of the communication signals received from the second drone; and

determining the first coverage zone provided by the first drone and the second coverage zone provided by the second drone overlap when the first signal strength of the first communication signal meets a threshold value; and

autonomously adjusting a position of the first drone to maintain an overlapping of the first coverage zone with the coverage area, but to reduce an amount of overlap of the first coverage zone with the second coverage zone, and wherein the autonomously adjusting of the position of the first drone includes;

measuring the position of the first drone after adjusting the first drone to move by a first distance in a first direction to determine a measured position of the first drone;

measuring a second signal strength of the first communication signal received from the second drone after the adjusting the first drone to move by the first distance in the first direction; and

adjusting the position of the first drone by a second distance in a second direction based on the second signal strength, the measured position of the first drone, the size of the first coverage zone, and the information specifying the size of the coverage area and the target location associated with the coverage area.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further include:

selecting the second direction to correspond to the first direction in response to determining a condition is satisfied, the condition being satisfied when (1) the second signal strength is both less than the first signal strength and meets the threshold value, and (2) at least a portion of the first coverage zone is determined to overlap the coverage area based on the measured position of the first drone, the size of the first coverage zone and the target location associated with the coverage area; and

selecting the second direction to be different from the first direction in response to determining the condition is not satisfied.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further include:

reporting the first signal strength, the second signal strength and the measured position to a controller remote from the first drone; and

receiving commands specifying the second distance and the second direction from the controller.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further include receiving information specifying the threshold value from a controller remote from the first drone.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first drone and the second drone each include an unmanned aerial vehicle.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the size of the coverage area is specified to be greater than the size of the first coverage zone.

14. A first drone to provide network coverage in a coverage area, the first drone comprising:

a memory including computer readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the computer readable instructions to perform operations including;

accessing information specifying a size of the coverage area and a target location associated with the coverage area;

accessing information specifying a size of a first coverage zone provided by the first drone;

when the first drone reaches the target location, monitoring for communication signals to determine whether the first coverage zone provided by the first drone and a second coverage zone provided by a second drone in a fleet of drones overlap, wherein the second drone is different from the first drone, and wherein the monitoring includes;

measuring a first signal strength of a first communication signal of the communication signals received from the second drone; and

determining the first coverage zone provided by the first drone and the second coverage zone provided by the second drone overlap when the first signal strength of the first communication signal meets a threshold value; and

autonomously adjusting a position of the first drone to maintain an overlapping of the first coverage zone with the coverage area, but to reduce an amount of overlap of the first coverage zone with the second coverage zone, and wherein the autonomously adjusting of the position of the first drone includes;

measuring the position of the first drone after adjusting the first drone to move by a first distance in a first direction to determine a measured position of the first drone;

measuring a second signal strength of the first communication signal received from the second drone after the adjusting the first drone to move by the first distance in the first direction; and

adjusting the position of the first drone by a second distance in a second direction based on the second signal strength, the measured position of the first drone, the size of the first coverage zone, and the information specifying the size of the coverage area and the target location associated with the coverage area.

15. The first drone of claim 14, wherein the operations further include:

selecting the second direction to correspond to the first direction in response to determining a condition is satisfied, the condition being satisfied when (1) the second signal strength is both less than the first signal strength and meets the threshold value, and (2) at least a portion of the first coverage zone is determined to overlap the coverage area based on the measured position of the first drone, the size of the first coverage zone and the target location associated with the coverage area; and

selecting the second direction to be different from the first direction in response to determining the condition is not satisfied.

16. The first drone of claim 14, wherein the operations further include:

reporting the first signal strength, the second signal strength and the measured position to a controller remote from the first drone; and

receiving commands specifying the second distance and the second direction from the controller.

17. The first drone of claim 14, wherein the operations further include receiving information specifying the threshold value from a controller remote from the first drone.

18. The first drone of claim 14, further including a portable base station to implement a cell of a mobile cellular network, the cell corresponding to the first coverage zone provided by the first drone.

19. The first drone of claim 14, wherein the first drone includes an unmanned aerial vehicle.

20. The first drone of claim 14, wherein the size of the coverage area is specified to be greater than the size of the first coverage zone.