Aerial vehicle control using ballast

Abstract

A system for controlling an aerial vehicle includes an aerial vehicle, a ballast coupled to the aerial vehicle, a server including a processor and a memory, and a wireless communication link that communicatively couples the aerial vehicle and the server. the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the server to receive weather data, determine, based on the weather data, that the aerial vehicle is experiencing, or is expected to experience, weather that satisfies a predetermined criterion, and cause the aerial vehicle to decouple at least a portion of the ballast based on a result of the determination.

1 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for controlling an aerial vehicle comprising:
 receiving weather data from one or both of a data source and a sensor;   determining whether the weather data satisfies a predetermined criterion;   determining whether the aerial vehicle is expected to experience zero superpressure after determining that the weather data satisfies the predetermined criterion;   determining whether the aerial vehicle is expected to regain superpressure after experiencing zero superpressure; and   sending a command to the aerial vehicle,   wherein superpressure comprises a pressure in a balloon envelope that is greater than an ambient pressure.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the weather data is received by a transceiver. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the weather data comprises an ambient temperature and an upwelling infrared energy condition. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the ambient temperature comprises one or both of a current and a future predicted ambient temperature. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the upwelling infrared energy condition comprises one or both of a current and a future predicted upwelling infrared energy condition. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the weather data comprises a predicted solar flux incident. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the criterion comprises one or both of a temperature threshold and an upwelling infrared energy level threshold. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the command is configured to cause the aerial vehicle to descend to the ground after determining the aerial vehicle is not expected to regain superpressure. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising, in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is expected to regain superpressure:
 determining a descent altitude;   determining whether the descent altitude is less than a threshold altitude;   in response to determining the descent altitude is less than a threshold altitude, determining whether the aerial vehicle is able to remain afloat using an altitude control system.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the command is configured to cause the aerial vehicle to adjust its altitude using the altitude control system in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is able to remain afloat using the altitude control system. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising, in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is not able to remain afloat using the altitude control system:
 determining an amount of ballast coupled to the aerial vehicle;   determining whether the aerial vehicle is able to remain afloat using the altitude control system and decoupling at least a portion of the ballast; and   wherein the command is configured to cause the aerial vehicle to decouple the portion of the ballast in response to determining the aerial vehicle is able to remain afloat using the altitude control system and decoupling at least the portion of the ballast.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the command further is configured to cause the aerial vehicle to adjust its altitude using the altitude control system. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising, prior to sending the command configured to cause the aerial vehicle to decouple the portion of the ballast:
 receiving new weather data; and   determining that the new weather data satisfies the predetermined criterion.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising, after the aerial vehicle is caused to decouple the portion of the ballast, determining whether the aerial vehicle is floating at a safe altitude. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising sending another command to the aerial vehicle to cause the aerial vehicle to decouple another portion of the ballast in response to determining the aerial vehicle is not floating at a safe altitude and that there remains at least the another portion of the ballast coupled to the aerial vehicle. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising sending another command to the aerial vehicle to cause the aerial vehicle to descend to ground in response to determining the aerial vehicle is not floating at a safe altitude and that there remains less than the portion of the ballast coupled to the aerial vehicle. 
     
     
         37 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to implement a method for controlling an aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
 receiving weather data from one or both of a data source and a sensor;   determining whether the weather data satisfies a predetermined criterion;   determining whether the aerial vehicle is expected to experience zero superpressure after determining that the weather data satisfies the predetermined criterion;   determining whether the aerial vehicle is expected to regain superpressure after experiencing zero superpressure; and   sending a command to the aerial vehicle,   wherein superpressure comprises a pressure in a balloon envelope that is greater than an ambient pressure.