公开(公告)号：US10184266B1

公开(公告)日：2019-01-22

申请号：US14744814

申请日：2015-06-19

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Gabriella Levine ,  Richard Wayne DeVaul

IPC: B32B3/12 ,  B32B3/26 ,  B32B1/08 ,  E04H15/54 ,  E04H15/58 ,  B05D5/00

Abstract: Techniques and mechanisms to form a semi-rigid structure from a flexible sheet. In an embodiment, a portion of the flexible sheet includes layer portions and one or more compartments each disposed between said layer portions. The one or more compartments each having disposed therein a first fluid compound that is reactive—e.g., when exposed to oxygen, heat, ultraviolet (or other) light, or a different fluid compound—to form a solid. In another embodiment, a graphic printed on the flexible sheet indicates a location of the one or more compartments. Activation of the one or more compartments and bending of the flexible sheet portion at the activated one or more compartments aids in the formation of a shelter or other semi-rigid structure.

公开(公告)号：US20180138718A1

公开(公告)日：2018-05-17

申请号：US15853909

申请日：2017-12-25

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Brian John Adolf ,  Richard Wayne DeVaul

IPC: H02J5/00 ,  H02J50/12 ,  H02J50/05 ,  H02J7/02

CPC classification number: H02J5/005 ,  H02J7/025 ,  H02J50/05 ,  H02J50/12

Abstract: Embodiments described herein may relate to a system comprising a power source configured to provide a signal at an oscillation frequency; a transmitter coupled to the power source, wherein the transmitter comprises at least one transmit resonator; one or more receivers, wherein the at least one receive resonator is operable to be coupled to the transmit resonator via a wireless resonant coupling link; one or more loads, wherein each of the one or more loads is switchably coupled to one or more respective receive resonators. The system includes a controller configured to determine an operational state of the system, wherein the operational state comprises at least one of three coupling modes (common mode, differential mode, and inductive mode), and is configured to cause the transmitter to provide electrical power to each of the one or more loads via the wireless resonant coupling link according to the determined operational state.

公开(公告)号：US09900080B2

公开(公告)日：2018-02-20

申请号：US15425452

申请日：2017-02-06

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Eric Teller ,  Richard Wayne DeVaul ,  Clifford L. Biffle ,  Josh Weaver

IPC: H04B7/185 ,  H04W4/02 ,  H04W52/18 ,  H04W40/38 ,  H04L12/24 ,  H04L29/08

CPC classification number: H04B7/18502 ,  H04B10/118 ,  H04L41/12 ,  H04L67/303 ,  H04W4/021 ,  H04W4/026 ,  H04W40/38 ,  H04W52/18

Abstract: Disclosed embodiments may help an aerial vehicle network to provide substantially continuous service in a given geographic area. An example method may be carried out at an aerial vehicle that is at a location associated with the first geographic area in an aerial network that includes a plurality of geographic areas. The balloon may determine that it should update its vehicle-state in accordance with a vehicle-state profile for the first geographic area. Then, in response, the balloon may determine the vehicle-state profile for the first geographic area, which may include one or more state parameters for balloons operating in the first geographic area. The balloon may then operate according to the vehicle-state profile for the first geographic area.

公开(公告)号：US09828081B1

公开(公告)日：2017-11-28

申请号：US14227096

申请日：2014-03-27

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Richard Wayne DeVaul ,  Clifford Biffle

IPC: B64B1/06 ,  B64B1/40 ,  B64B1/62

CPC classification number: B64B1/06 ,  B64B1/40 ,  B64B1/62

Abstract: A balloon is provided having an exostructure comprised of hollow struts or rods and an envelope positioned over the exostructure, and a pump for pumping air out of the balloon to create an air pressure differential between the pressure inside the envelope and the atmospheric pressure outside the envelope, a control system configured to allow air to flow into the envelope to control the altitude of the balloon, and to operate the pump to pump air out of the envelope to control the altitude of the balloon, wherein the material of the envelope is arranged so as to sag between the struts or rods and form at least one catenary surface when there is an air pressure differential between the pressure inside of the balloon envelope and the atmospheric pressure outside the envelope.

公开(公告)号：US20170339661A1

公开(公告)日：2017-11-23

申请号：US15662035

申请日：2017-07-27

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Eric Teller ,  Richard Wayne DeVaul ,  Clifford L. Biffle ,  Josh Weaver

IPC: H04W64/00 ,  H04L29/08 ,  H04W28/02 ,  H04W4/04 ,  H04W4/02 ,  H04W40/20 ,  H04W84/22

CPC classification number: H04W64/003 ,  H04B7/18504 ,  H04B7/18506 ,  H04L67/12 ,  H04L67/18 ,  H04L67/2852 ,  H04L67/288 ,  H04L67/306 ,  H04W4/021 ,  H04W4/025 ,  H04W4/04 ,  H04W28/021 ,  H04W40/20 ,  H04W84/22

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed herein that may help to provide location-aware caching and/or location-specific service profiles in an aerial-vehicle network. An exemplary method may be carried out by an aerial vehicle that is at a location associated with the first geographic area in an aerial-vehicle network that includes a plurality of defined geographic areas, and may involve: (a) determining that a location-aware cache of an aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the first geographic area; and (b) in response to determining that the location-aware cache should be updated: (i) sending a location-aware cache-update request; (ii) receiving, as a response to the location-aware cache-update request, user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area; and (iii) storing the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area in a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

公开(公告)号：US09749984B2

公开(公告)日：2017-08-29

申请号：US15008274

申请日：2016-01-27

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Eric Teller ,  Richard Wayne DeVaul ,  Clifford L. Biffle ,  Josh Weaver

IPC: H04W4/02 ,  H04W64/00 ,  H04W4/04 ,  H04W40/20 ,  H04W28/02 ,  H04W84/22 ,  H04L29/08

CPC classification number: H04W64/003 ,  H04B7/18504 ,  H04B7/18506 ,  H04L67/12 ,  H04L67/18 ,  H04L67/2852 ,  H04L67/288 ,  H04L67/306 ,  H04W4/021 ,  H04W4/025 ,  H04W4/04 ,  H04W28/021 ,  H04W40/20 ,  H04W84/22

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed herein that may help to provide location-aware caching and/or location-specific service profiles in an aerial-vehicle network. An exemplary method may be carried out by an aerial vehicle that is at a location associated with the first geographic area in an aerial-vehicle network that includes a plurality of defined geographic areas, and may involve: (a) determining that a location-aware cache of an aerial vehicle should be updated with user-data associated with the first geographic area; and (b) in response to determining that the location-aware cache should be updated: (i) sending a location-aware cache-update request; (ii) receiving, as a response to the location-aware cache-update request, user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area; and (iii) storing the user-data that corresponds to the first geographic area in a location-aware cache of the aerial vehicle.

公开(公告)号：US20180067188A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-08

申请号：US15804292

申请日：2017-11-06

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Keith Bonawitz ,  Richard Wayne DeVaul ,  Eric Teller ,  Joshua Weaver

IPC: G01S5/02 ,  G01S1/02 ,  G01S5/16

CPC classification number: G01S5/0289 ,  G01S1/022 ,  G01S5/16

Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of a balloon-based positioning system and method. In one example embodiment, a system includes a group of at least three balloons deployed in the stratosphere and a control system configured for: determining a first set of spatial relationships relating to the group; determining a second set of spatial relationships relating to at least a portion of the group and to a reference point; determining a position of the reference point relative to the earth; using the determined first set, the determined second set, and the determined position of the reference point relative to the earth as a basis for determining a position of a target balloon in the group relative to the earth; and transmitting the determined position of the target balloon relative to the earth.

公开(公告)号：US09784243B2

公开(公告)日：2017-10-10

申请号：US15167415

申请日：2016-05-27

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Damon Vander Lind ,  Thomas Van Alsenoy ,  Richard Wayne DeVaul

IPC: F03D9/00 ,  H02P9/04 ,  B63H9/06 ,  C07C29/141 ,  B64C31/06 ,  F03D5/00 ,  B64C27/00 ,  B64C39/02 ,  B64D3/00 ,  B64D47/00 ,  B64F3/02 ,  H02K7/18

CPC classification number: F03D9/32 ,  B63H9/0685 ,  B63H2009/0692 ,  B64C27/00 ,  B64C31/06 ,  B64C39/022 ,  B64C2201/021 ,  B64C2201/024 ,  B64C2201/028 ,  B64C2201/145 ,  B64C2201/205 ,  B64C2201/206 ,  B64C2201/208 ,  B64D3/00 ,  B64D47/00 ,  B64F3/02 ,  C07C29/141 ,  F03D5/00 ,  F03D9/008 ,  F03D9/11 ,  F03D9/25 ,  F03D80/80 ,  F05B2240/917 ,  F05B2240/921 ,  H02K7/1838 ,  Y02E10/70 ,  Y02E10/725 ,  Y02E10/728

Abstract: A vehicle-based airborne wind turbine system having an aerial wing, a plurality of rotors each having a plurality of rotatable blades positioned on the aerial wing, an electrically conductive tether secured to the aerial wing and secured to a ground station positioned on a vehicle, wherein the aerial wing is adapted to receive electrical power from the vehicle that is delivered to the aerial wing through the electrically conductive tether; wherein the aerial wing is adapted to operate in a flying mode to harness wind energy to provide a first pulling force through the tether to pull the vehicle; and wherein the aerial wing is also adapted to operate in a powered flying mode wherein the rotors may be powered so that the turbine blades serve as thrust-generating propellers to provide a second pulling force through the tether to pull the vehicle.

公开(公告)号：US20170141584A1

公开(公告)日：2017-05-18

申请号：US14941017

申请日：2015-11-13

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Richard Wayne DeVaul ,  Brian John Adolf

IPC: H02J5/00 ,  H04W76/02 ,  H04B5/00

CPC classification number: H02J5/005 ,  H02J50/05 ,  H02J50/12 ,  H02J50/40 ,  H02J50/80 ,  H04B5/0012 ,  H04B5/0037 ,  H04B5/0075 ,  H04W76/14

Abstract: A transmitter includes a first resonator to generate an oscillating field at a resonant frequency in response to receiving power from a power source. The transmitter includes a first communication interface and a first controller to control the first resonator and to communicate data via the first communication interface. One of a plurality of receivers includes a second resonator to be wirelessly coupled to the first resonator. The second resonator resonates at the common mode resonant frequency in response to the oscillating field. The one receiver includes a second communication interface to establish wireless side-channel communications with the first communication interface and to communicate the data with the first communication interface via the wireless side-channel communications. The first controller identifies the one receiver from the plurality of receivers according to the communicated data, and in response, the first resonator transfers the power to the second resonator.

公开(公告)号：US09628395B1

公开(公告)日：2017-04-18

申请号：US14297517

申请日：2014-06-05

Applicant: X Development LLC

Inventor： Eric Teller ,  Richard Wayne DeVaul ,  Michael Cassidy

IPC: G06F15/173 ,  G06F15/16 ,  H04L12/857 ,  H04L12/24 ,  H04L12/911 ,  H04L12/851 ,  H04L29/06

CPC classification number: H04L47/2491 ,  G06F3/0484 ,  G09B29/006 ,  H04L41/0896 ,  H04L41/12 ,  H04L41/22 ,  H04L43/045 ,  H04L43/08 ,  H04L43/0894 ,  H04L47/24 ,  H04L47/805 ,  H04L47/821 ,  H04L47/829 ,  H04L63/10 ,  H04W16/24 ,  H04W84/005 ,  H04W84/06

Abstract: Example embodiments may relate to web interfaces for a balloon-network. For example, a computing device may display a graphical interface that that includes one or more interface features to receive a request for use of bandwidth of a balloon network. In particular, the computing device may receive, via the graphical interface, input data corresponding to a bandwidth request for a first location, where the bandwidth request includes: (i) an indication of the first location and (ii) an indication of time. Subsequently, the computing device may receive an indication corresponding to whether or not the bandwidth request is accepted, where acceptance of the bandwidth request is based at least in part on expected movement of one or more balloons from a plurality of balloons in the balloon network. As such, the computing device may display, on the graphical interface, the indication corresponding to whether or not the bandwidth request is accepted.