Google Inc.

Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd.

Dan P Piponi

Bradley J Rhodes

Keith Allen Bonawitz

Eric Teller

Johnny Hsienchow Lee

Richard Wayne Devaul

Clifford L Biffle

Josh Weaver

Daniel M Aminzade

Adrien Treuille

Methods and systems for determining altitudes for a vehicle to travel are provided. In one example, a method comprises receiving information indicating a desired location for a balloon and a time period for traveling to the desired location. A region may include the desired location, and the region can be divided into a plurality of cells. The method may include determining estimated cell locations that can be reached by the balloon over a time interval by following a wind at a given altitude. The method may also include assigning a cost value to each cell based on a proximity of the estimated cell locations to a cell including the desired location. The method may further include determining for each cell an altitude for the balloon to travel based on the assigned cost value, and storing information indicating the cost value and the altitude for the balloon to travel.

Methods and systems for determining altitudes for a vehicle to travel

Methods and systems for determining a cyclical pattern of trajectories for a fleet of vehicles are provided. In one example, a method comprises receiving a sequence of coverage requirements for a region and an associated period of time. For each of one or more phases of the period of time, possible routes that a vehicle located at one or more respective landmarks at a beginning of the phase could follow to reach one or more additional landmarks by an end of the phase are determined. Further, a cyclical pattern of trajectories for vehicles of a fleet of vehicles that minimizes a difference between a distribution of the fleet at a beginning of the period of time and a distribution of the fleet at an end of the period of time is determined.

Methods and systems for determining a cyclical fleet plan satisfying a recurring set of coverage requirements

A method and apparatus for secure information input and output is described. The method may include initiating a secure data input mode at a user input device coupled with a computing system, wherein the computing system has a processor for executing an operating system, and the user input device is a peripheral input device for receiving input into the computing system. The method may also include receiving user inputted data at the user input device. The method may also include encrypting the user inputted data within the physical bounds of the user input device prior to transmission of the user inputted data from the user input device to the computing system. The method may also include transmitting the encrypted user inputted data to the computing system for routing to a trusted application, the encrypted user inputted data to remain hidden from an operating system of the computing system.

Method and apparatus for secure data input and output

The positions of balloons in a communication network of balloons, such as a mesh network of high-altitude balloons, may be adjusted relative to one another in order to try to maintain a desired network topology. In one approach, the position of each balloon may be adjusted relative to one or more neighbor balloons. For example, the locations of a target balloon and one or more neighbor balloons may be determined. A desired movement of the target balloon may then be determined based on the locations of the one or more neighbor balloons relative to the location of the target balloon. The target balloon may be controlled based on the desired movement. In some embodiments, the altitude of the target balloon may be controlled in order to expose the target balloon to ambient winds that are capable of producing the desired movement of the target balloon.

Relative positioning of balloons with altitude control and wind data

Methods and systems for performing flocking while executing a fleet plan are provided. An example method includes receiving a sequence of coverage requirements for a region and an associated period of time, and determining a respective sequence of intended destinations for each of one or more vehicles of a fleet of vehicles to travel to over the period of time. Additionally, based on a determined sequence of intended destinations for a vehicle of the one or more vehicles and based on a desired spatial relationship between the vehicle and one or more neighboring vehicles for a given time period, a flocking-based direction of travel for the vehicle may be determined for the given time period.

Methods and systems for performing flocking while executing a long-range fleet plan

A computer-implemented method includes selecting a polygon that includes a convex shape defined by vertices represented by integer coordinates. The method also includes determining a polygon transfer function from cones defined by some of the vertices. The polygon transfer function defines image processing operations independent of the scale of the polygon.

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

Dan P Piponi