Self-installation of phased array antennas using augmented reality

Abstract

The invention discloses using augmented reality to assist in visualization of features of electronically steerable antennas. The augmented reality device may include one or more sensors capable of capturing sensor data that may be analyzed to identify and / or ascertain the position and / or orientation of the antenna. Further, the augmented reality display may present information about the antenna, which may include information about an orientation of the antenna relative to a target orientation. In addition, information about a beam of the antenna may be displayed. In addition, information about the communication system including the target communication device may be presented. This may allow demonstration and troubleshooting of the operation of the electronically steerable antenna.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Electronically steerable antennas are often used in communication systems. For example, an electronically steerable antenna (e.g., a phased array antenna) can allow a physically fixed antenna to track a moving communication target (e.g., a communication satellite) by steering the antenna's beam. Thus, an electronically steerable antenna can be used in a communication system where the antenna tracks a communication satellite (e.g., a low earth orbit (LEO) system, a medium earth orbit system, etc.) as the communication satellite moves in space relative to the antenna. Tracking can even be provided in geosynchronous orbit (GEO) systems due to slight changes in satellite position and / or ground movement. This can be particularly important when using higher frequencies, as any deviation from the antenna's optimal aiming can degrade performance.

[0002] However, electronically steerable antennas lack any visible moving parts. Thus, in contrast to mechanically steered antennas, electronically steerable antennas electronically steer the antenna's beam without any physical change in the orientation or appearance of the antenna. Thus, the operation of the electronically steerable antenna may not be visible to an observer. For example, when demonstrating the operation or capabilities of the electronically steerable antenna, an observer may find the operation of the antenna tedious or difficult to understand due to the lack of sensory feedback from the antenna. Furthermore, due to the lack of sensory feedback, it may be difficult to visualize or confirm the orientation of the electronically steerable antenna and / or the position of the beam of the electronically steerable antenna. Furthermore, it may be difficult to troubleshoot communication problems with the electronically steerable antenna because the user cannot sense the status of the antenna. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure relates to using augmented reality to visualize an electronically steerable antenna. This may include determining a device position of an augmented reality device relative to the earth, and resolving a device orientation of the augmented reality device relative to the earth. Additionally, the electronically steerable antenna may be identified from sensor data of a field of view of a sensor of the augmented reality device. Furthermore, using augmented reality may include ascertaining an antenna position and an antenna orientation of the electronically steerable antenna based on the sensor data. The antenna position and antenna orientation are provided relative to the field of view of the sensor of the augmented reality device. Furthermore, based on the ascertained antenna position and antenna orientation, at least one feature of the electronically steerable antenna may be visually presented in a display of the augmented reality device.

[0004] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] Other implementations are also described and described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 An example schematic representation of an augmented reality device and an electronically steerable antenna is shown.

[0007] Figure 2 An example of identifying an electronically steerable antenna from sensor data of an augmented reality device is shown.

[0008] Figure 3 An example of finding the position and orientation of a skylight relative to an augmented reality device is shown.

[0009] Figure 4 An example of using an augmented reality device to assist in orienting an electronically steerable antenna is shown.

[0010] Figure 5 An example of using an augmented reality device to display information about a communication system and the beam direction of an electronically steerable antenna is shown.

[0011] Figure 6 An example of using an augmented reality device to determine potential obstructions or other signal loss events at an electronically steerable antenna is shown.

[0012] Figure 7 An example process for visualizing an electronically steerable antenna using augmented reality is shown.

[0013] Figure 8 An example computing device capable of performing certain functions of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Although the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and are described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific forms disclosed, but the present invention covers all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention defined by the claims.

[0015] The present disclosure generally relates to using augmented reality to provide sensory feedback about an electronically steerable antenna. Using augmented reality can provide benefits in many situations. For example, when demonstrating the capabilities and / or operation of an electronically steerable antenna, augmented reality can be utilized to provide a richer experience to an observer. In this regard, benefiting from augmented reality, an observer can visualize how the electronically steerable antenna operates in a communication system. This can provide a deeper understanding of the operation of the antenna and facilitate a more engaging demonstration of the communication system.

[0016] In another case, augmented reality can help a user set up or troubleshoot an antenna. For example, augmented reality can be used to provide sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback) about the orientation and / or placement of an electronically steerable antenna. This can include determining the position and / or desired orientation of the antenna using real-time feedback about the actual placement and / or orientation of the antenna.

[0017] In addition, augmented reality can allow visual feedback to troubleshoot problems in the communication system. For example, the augmented reality representation can help identify obstacles in the field of view of the electronically steerable antenna. Additionally or alternatively, the user may be able to identify whether continuous communication can be achieved by visualizing signal acquisition (AOS) and signal loss (LOS) events between the antenna and the target communication device (e.g., historical and / or future state information can be analyzed to determine whether the LOS occurs before the AOS of the new target).

[0018] In addition, information can be provided to supplement the augmented reality display to provide additional information about components of the communication system other than the antenna. For example, navigation information (e.g., ephemeris information, almanac information, heading and altitude, or other location information about the communication target) of the target communication device can be provided to allow the position of one or more target communication devices to be represented in the augmented reality display. In addition, state information (e.g., beam pointing direction) of the electronically controllable antenna can be presented to the user via the augmented reality display. That is, the antenna can transmit beam pointing direction information about the beam pointing direction of the beam relative to the antenna body to the augmented reality device to allow such a beam to be visually represented in the augmented reality display, even if the beam (and beam direction) is not originally perceptible to the observer. The navigation information and / or beam pointing direction information represented by the augmented reality display can represent the real-time status of the communication system, or can be historical and / or predicted state information related to previous and / or future time periods.

[0019] Thus, the use of augmented reality with respect to electronically steerable antennas may facilitate a more engaging experience for the viewer and / or may aid in understanding the operation of a communication system including an electronically steerable antenna. Thus, sales or other commercial activities may be enhanced by better understanding and demonstrating the operation of a communication system including an electronically steerable antenna. Furthermore, augmented reality information may facilitate improvements associated with setup and / or troubleshooting procedures, which may allow for more efficient operations, thereby reducing costs associated with setup and / or troubleshooting.

[0020] As described above, the use of augmented reality can assist in positioning and / or orienting the antenna. The antenna can be deployed in a communication system of a residential and / or mobile terminal that may be difficult to consistently achieve such accurate pointing. Therefore, an installer or user may be responsible for installing and positioning the antenna to provide sufficient antenna alignment accuracy to establish a communication link. Traditional methods for confirming correct alignment can utilize sound, the tone or frequency of which can indicate to the installer who can physically move the antenna whether the antenna is correctly placed or incorrectly placed. However, although such sounds can provide auditory feedback about correct placement, they do not provide installer feedback about which direction to move the antenna or the real-time status of the antenna relative to the desired orientation. Therefore, the user may have to randomly move the antenna or systematically scan the antenna while listening to the indicator sound provided until the correct alignment is achieved, and similarly no information about the direction in which the antenna should move is received. When the antenna is correctly aligned, an auditory signal can be provided, and a mechanical fastener can be firmly fastened to keep the antenna in a position identified by the auditory feedback. As can be appreciated, this method does not provide convincing feedback to the user, nor does it allow the user to understand the current orientation of the antenna relative to the desired orientation so that the user knows how to move the antenna to achieve the desired orientation. Instead, the user must simply use trial and error to achieve the desired orientation.

[0021] An electronically steerable antenna has no moving parts so that the beam of the antenna can be electronically steered to steer the beam through different orientations within a beam field relative to a static antenna body. The field to which the beam can be directed can be referred to as a beam field. Thus, the beam of the antenna can be electronically controlled to point the beam relative to the antenna body within the beam field. Because such control is provided electronically, rather than through physical manipulation of the antenna, it is not possible to discern which direction the antenna is pointing by simply observing the antenna. While an electronically steerable antenna may not require the same level of accuracy in pointing the antenna as a fixed antenna, it may still be desirable to provide a phased array antenna in a desired orientation, for example to improve the availability of a satellite within the antenna's beam field, or to ensure that consistent communications can be provided. Therefore, it may be desirable to position the phased array antenna in a desired orientation to at least a sufficiently accurate degree to provide optimized positioning of the beam field.

[0022] The installation of the electronically steerable antenna can be performed by relatively inexperienced or untrained users such as homeowners and the like. Regardless of who the user is installing the antenna, it may be advantageous to provide a user-friendly installation process. In this way, an inexperienced installer can achieve a desired orientation of the electronically steerable antenna, and / or an experienced technician can more effectively position and orient the antenna. In addition, the electronically steerable antenna can be used in a mobile antenna system in which the platform to which the antenna is attached can be repositioned and / or changed in orientation, such that the orientation of the phased array antenna may need to be adjusted from time to time. In view of the foregoing, augmented reality can help provide additional sensory feedback related to the orientation and / or position of the electronically steerable antenna.

[0023] Steering Figure 1 , schematically illustrates an example of a system 100. The system 100 may include an augmented reality device 150 and an electronically steerable antenna 110. The augmented reality device 150 may include one or more sensors 156. As described in detail below, the sensor 156 may capture information about the antenna 110. The augmented reality device 150 may be capable of presenting supplemental sensory feedback about the antenna 110 to the user through an augmented reality display 164.

[0024] The augmented reality device 150 may be a computing device that includes features that facilitate presenting information to a user via an augmented reality display 164. That is, the augmented reality device 150 may present to the user in the augmented reality display 164 supplemental information about the antenna 110 and / or other components of the communication system that may not otherwise be perceived by an observer. Such supplemental information may be digitally created by the augmented reality module 174 and presented in the augmented reality display 164. The augmented reality device 150 may be a mobile computing device, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer, or other mobile computing platform. In this regard, the augmented reality device 150 may therefore generally include at least one processor 162 and at least one memory 160. The processor 162 may access the memory 160 to retrieve machine-readable instructions that control the operation of the augmented reality device 150 in the manner described herein.

[0025] The augmented reality device 150 may also include a communication module 158. The communication module 158 may include one or more networking functions provided by one or more instances of hardware, software, and / or firmware (such as wired and / or wireless communication chipsets). In any aspect, the communication module 158 may facilitate communication between the augmented reality device and another device. The communication module 158 may provide one or more communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth or RF communication) that facilitate local communication with the device. In this regard, the communication module 158 may be operable to establish communication with the antenna 110 (e.g., the communication interface 118 of the antenna 110) to exchange information between the augmented reality device 150 and the antenna 110. As described in more detail below, the information exchanged between the communication module 158 of the augmented reality device 150 and the communication interface 118 of the antenna 110 may include operational information about the antenna 110, such as beam pointing direction information. Additionally or alternatively, the communication module 158 may facilitate networked communication (e.g., via TCP / IP or other networking protocols). The communication module 158 may communicate via a local area network (LAN), a cellular network, a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or other communication networks. Such networked communications may facilitate receiving information from the antenna 110 (e.g., via networked communications with the communication interface 118), or may allow for receiving other information including communication system information including ephemeris and / or almanac information regarding one or more communication target devices.

[0026] The display 164 may be an augmented reality display, such that the display 164 may present to the user information captured by one or more sensors 156 of the augmented reality device 150 (e.g., visual information) and virtual information presented in the display 164 generated by the augmented reality module 174. Examples of information generated by the augmented reality module 174 and displayed in the augmented reality display 164 are shown in more detail below. The display 164 may include a screen such as an LED display, etc. In another example, the display 164 may include a wearable augmented reality display. Such a wearable augmented reality display may include goggles, glasses, or another device that may be worn by the user. The wearable augmented reality display may be positioned within the user's field of view so that digitally created augmented reality data may be presented to the user within the user's field of view. In this regard, instead of displaying sensor information and augmented reality information, the wearable augmented reality display may display augmented reality information at a position relative to the user's field of view so that the created virtual information may be overlaid on the environment perceived by the user wearing the wearable augmented reality display. Thus, the wearer's surroundings may be visible through the wearable augmented reality display, and the wearable augmented reality display may overlay a virtually created image so that it is perceived by the user relative to the viewable environment.

[0027] The augmented reality device 150 may include a positioning module 152. The positioning module 152 may be operable to determine the position of the augmented reality device 150 relative to a known coordinate system. In one example, the known coordinate system may be relative to a geographic coordinate system using latitude, longitude, and altitude. The positioning module 152 may include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module, such as a global positioning system (GPS) module, etc. In any aspect, the positioning module 152 may resolve the position of the augmented reality device 150 relative to the earth, as described by the values ​​of latitude, longitude, and altitude. Other techniques for determining the position of the augmented reality device 150 may be provided in addition or alternatively, without limitation, including using terrestrial or other signals to triangulate the position of the augmented reality device 150 relative to a known coordinate system.

[0028] The augmented reality device 150 may also include an orientation module 154. The orientation module 154 may be operable to resolve the orientation of the augmented reality device 150 relative to a known coordinate system. Thus, the orientation module 154 may be capable of providing information about the orientation of the augmented reality device 150 relative to the surface of the earth. In an example, the orientation module 154 may be capable of determining the azimuth, elevation, and yaw (or heading) of the augmented reality device 150 relative to the earth. In one example, the orientation module 154 may include an accelerometer that is capable of resolving the orientation of the augmented reality device relative to the earth's gravity field. Thus, the positioning module 152 and the orientation module 154 may provide feedback that allows the position of the augmented reality device 150 to be determined and the orientation of the augmented reality device to be resolved so that the augmented reality device 150 can be described in a coordinate system relative to the surface of the earth.

[0029] As noted above, the augmented reality device 150 may include one or more sensors 156. The sensor 156 may include one or more of an image sensor (e.g., a camera), a time-of-flight sensor, a laser sensor (e.g., a laser rangefinder), a lidar sensor, or any other sensor or sensor combination, without limitation. The sensor 156 may include a field of view 170, and the sensor 156 may be operable to capture data within the field of view. Where multiple sensors 156 are provided, the respective fields of view 170 of different sensors may overlap to provide a common field of view, or different sensors may have different fields of view 170.

[0030] In any aspect, the sensor 156 can generate sensor data about the field of view 170. The electronically steerable antenna 110 can be positioned within the field of view 170 of the sensor 156, such as Figure 1As shown schematically. In turn, the sensor data from the sensor 156 may be provided to the analysis module 172. As described in more detail below, the analysis module 172 of the augmented reality device 150 may be operable to identify, locate and / or determine the orientation of the electronically controllable antenna 110 present in the sensor data from the sensor 156. That is, the analysis module 172 may identify the antenna 110 from the sensor data. In addition, the analysis module 172 may determine the position of the antenna 110 relative to the augmented reality device 150. In addition, the analysis module 172 may parse the orientation of the antenna 110 from the sensor data. More details on using sensor data to identify, determine relative antenna positions and determine antenna orientations are provided below. In an example, the captured sensor data may be displayed on the display 164 and supplemented with augmented reality information, as described in more detail below. In other examples, the captured sensor data may be used to present overlaid virtual information relative to the user's viewing environment.

[0031] Turning to the electronically steerable antenna 110, the antenna 110 may include a controller 116, which may employ a processor and / or memory to control the operation of the electronically steerable antenna 110. In one example, the antenna 110 may include a phased array antenna. Thus, the antenna 110 may include an element array 112. The element array 112 may include a plurality of steerable elements that may be steerable to facilitate steering the antenna's beam 168 through the beam field 166. Figure 1 1 , beam 168 and beam field 166 are represented by dashed lines to indicate that beam 168 and beam field 166 are not visually perceptible to an observer of antenna 110 using only the observer's natural senses.

[0032] The controller 116 may be operable to control the operation of the element array 112, thereby controlling the pointing of the beam 168 of the antenna 110 within the beam field 166, as described above. In this regard, the direction in which the beam 168 of the antenna 110 is pointed relative to the antenna body may be electronically controlled through coordination of the elements of the element array 112. As may be appreciated, because the control of the pointing direction of the beam 168 may be electronically controlled, the physical configuration or appearance of the antenna 110 may not change as the beam 168 is controlled. Thus, an observer may not have any indication of the state of the beam pointing direction relative to the antenna 110.

[0033] The antenna 110 may also include a transceiver 114 that can send and / or receive communication signals. The antenna 110 may also include a communication interface 118. The communication interface 118 can facilitate communication from the antenna 110 to another device. For example, the communication interface 118 may include hardware, software, and / or firmware that facilitates communication. The communication interface 118 may support wired and / or wireless communications. One or more communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth or RF communications) that facilitate local communication with the device may be supported. As noted above, this local communication capability may be used to establish direct communication between the communication interface 118 of the antenna 110 and the communication module 158 of the augmented reality device 150 to exchange information between the antenna 110 and the augmented reality device 150. The communication interface 118 may also facilitate networked communications (e.g., via TCP / IP or other networking protocols). In this regard, the communication interface 118 may support a wired or wireless connection to a network such as a local area network (LAN), a cellular network, or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet (e.g., for providing information to the augmented reality device 150 via a network with which both devices communicate).

[0034] The transceiver 114 can facilitate two-way communication between the antenna 110 and another component of the communication system (e.g., a communication satellite, etc.). Thus, the transceiver 114 can receive communication data as a forward downlink signal from a satellite received by the element array 112 of the antenna 110. The transceiver 114 can amplify and down-convert the forward downlink signal to generate modulated downlink data (e.g., a receive intermediate frequency (IF) signal) for demodulation by the modem 120. The demodulated downlink data from the modem 120 can be transmitted to the communication interface 118 for communication over a network (e.g., the Internet). In addition, the transceiver 114 can provide uplink data from the antenna 110. As an example, the uplink data can be received via the communication interface 118 and provided to the modem 120 to generate modulated uplink data (e.g., a transmit IF signal). The transceiver 114 may up-convert and then amplify the modulated uplink data to generate a return uplink signal for transmission to the satellite via the element array 112 of the antenna 110 .

[0035] It will be appreciated that in order to display virtual information about the antenna 110 at the display 164 of the augmented reality device 150, the relative position and / or orientation of the antenna 110 may be ascertained by the augmented reality device 150. As briefly described above, the sensor 156 of the augmented reality device 150 may assist in ascertaining the relative position and / or orientation of the antenna 110. In one example, one or more markers may appear on the antenna 110 in a manner that is perceptible to the sensor 156. The marker may include information about the identity of the antenna 110 (e.g., a model identifier, etc.). In addition, the marker may be provided at a known location on the antenna 110 so that the way the marker is observed in the sensor data of the sensor 156 may provide information about the relative position and / or orientation of the antenna 110. In this regard, the marker may include a fiducial marker that allows the analysis module 172 to recognize the marker and determine the relative position and / or orientation of the antenna 110 based on an analysis of the marker observed in the field of view 170 of the sensor 156. Such a marker may include a QR code or other machine-readable stamp disposed at a known location on the electronically controllable antenna 110.

[0036] Figure 2 Another example system 200 is shown in which an electronically steerable antenna 204 can be identified from sensor data using an augmented reality device 202. Specifically, Figure 2 The method may utilize sensor data such that analysis of the sensor data results in identification of the antenna and / or ascertainment of the position and orientation of the antenna. Figure 2 It is shown that the antenna 204 may be within the field of view 206 of the sensor of the augmented reality device 202. The augmented reality display 208 of the augmented reality device 202 may visually present the sensor data from the field of view 206 in the display 208. In the example shown, the sensor may include a camera such that the display 208 presents live video data including the field of view 206 of the sensor, which includes an image of the electronically steerable antenna 204.

[0037] As above about Figure 1As described, the augmented reality device 202 may include an analysis module 210. Alternatively, the analysis module 210 may be located away from the augmented reality device 202, and the augmented reality device 202 may communicate with the analysis module 210 (e.g., via networked communication provided by the communication module 158). In any aspect, the analysis module 210 may include known antenna morphology information 212. The known antenna morphology information 212 may include a database that includes information about the appearance or physical shape of a plurality of different reference electronically controllable antennas. For example, the known antenna morphology information 212 may include a computer-aided drawing (CAD) model that reflects the physical appearance of a given antenna model or design. Different CAD models may be provided for different reference antennas. In addition, since the CAD model itself can be digitally manipulated in any given orientation, the CAD model can represent training data to allow object recognition regardless of the orientation of the antenna in the sensor data.

[0038] The analysis module 210 may also include an image analysis model 214. The image analysis model 210 may be operable to apply image analysis to sensor data captured by the augmented reality device 202. Specifically, the image analysis module 210 may apply the image analysis model 214, wherein the known antenna morphology information 212 may be used as training data. In this regard, the image analysis model 214 may include a machine learning or other artificial intelligence model that may be capable of detecting objects from the captured sensor data based on the known antenna morphology information. Thus, the image analysis model 214 may compare the sensor data obtained by the sensor of the augmented reality device 202 with the known antenna morphology information to identify an electronically controllable antenna within the field of view of the sensor. In addition, the identification of the antenna may include information provided by the user, such as an antenna brand, model, or other information. In addition, such antenna information may be transmitted directly from the antenna 204 to the augmented reality device 202.

[0039] In addition, the position of the antenna 204 relative to the augmented reality device 202 and / or the orientation of the antenna 204 can be determined. In one example, the distance from the augmented reality device 202 to the antenna 204 can be determined based on sensor data (e.g., rangefinder information, lidar data, etc.) that measures such distance. Additionally or alternatively, the analysis module 210 can use the image analysis model 214 to analyze the sensor data to determine the position and orientation. For example, the greater the relative distance between the augmented reality device 202 and the antenna 204, the smaller the antenna 204 may appear relative to the augmented reality device 202 due to perspective. In turn, the size of the antenna 204 represented in the sensor data can assist in determining the distance between the augmented reality device 202 and the antenna 204. In addition, the image analysis module 210 can identify the orientation of the electronically steerable antenna 204 based on the known antenna morphology information 212 and the image analysis model 214. This can include determining the orientation using only the image analysis model 214 executed by the image analysis module 210 without any additional information such as markers, etc. Thus, object detection performed by the image analysis module 210 may provide sufficient information to ascertain the distance to the antenna 204 and the orientation of the antenna 204 .

[0040] As noted above, the analysis module 210 may be configured to be configured to be present in the augmented reality device 202 (eg, Figure 1 202 ), or one or more of the components of the analysis module 210 may be remotely controlled by the device 202. In one example, the analysis module 210 may be executed at the augmented reality device 202, so that the processing described below is performed using the processor of the augmented reality device 202. Alternatively, the analysis module 210 may be located remotely from the augmented reality device 202. In turn, the augmented reality device 202 may transmit sensor data to the analysis module 210 via a network connection, etc. The augmented reality device 202 may in turn receive information about the antenna 204 from the analysis module 210 via the network. In still other examples, portions of the analysis module 210 may be remote, while other portions may be local to the augmented reality device 202. For example, the morphological information 212 may be stored remotely and used to train the image analysis model 214, which may be executed locally by the analysis module 210 at the augmented reality device 202.

[0041] Further references Figure 3 , depicts an example system 300 in which an augmented reality device 314 is used to identify and locate an electronically steerable antenna 318. The antenna 318 can be located, and the orientation of the antenna 318 can be determined by an analysis module of the augmented reality device 314, as described above with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The augmented reality device 314 may include the Figure 1Positioning module 152 is described. In the example system 300, the augmented reality device 314 includes a GPS positioning module that is operable to receive a plurality of positioning signals from GPS satellites 302-306. Specifically, GPS satellite 302 may provide positioning signal 308, GPS satellite 304 may provide positioning signal 310, and GPS satellite 306 may provide positioning signal 312. Additional GPS satellites may provide signals so that the augmented reality device 314 may be positioned relative to the surface of the earth.

[0042] In addition, the analysis module can resolve the relative position between the augmented reality device 314 and the electronically steerable antenna 318. The relative position is determined by Figure 3 314 and the electronically steerable antenna 318. Figure 3 The vector 316 in represents the distance between the augmented reality device 314 and the electronically steerable antenna 318. Once the position of the augmented reality device 314 is determined and the orientation of the augmented reality device 314 is resolved, the relative position vector 316 with respect to the antenna 318 can allow the position of the electronically steerable antenna 318 to be determined.

[0043] Returning to the above discussion, the augmented reality device having determined the position and orientation of the antenna may use the augmented reality module 174 (e.g., Figure 1 The virtual information may be generated by displaying an electronically controllable antenna (as shown) to be presented in the augmented reality display 164. The virtual information may include one or more features of the electronically controllable antenna. In one example, the features of the electronically controllable antenna that may be presented in the augmented reality display 164 may include the antenna axis of the antenna. The antenna axis may correspond to the direction of the antenna's visual axis. Thus, the display of the antenna axis may help the user visualize the orientation of the antenna. Other features may also be displayed, including a target orientation line. The target orientation line may correspond to the desired antenna orientation.

[0044] This example is in Figure 4 400. The augmented reality device 400 may include a display 402 that can display the sensor data as an image captured by a camera of the augmented reality device 400. Specifically, the electronically steerable antenna 404 can be disposed within the field of view of the sensor. Thus, the antenna 404 can be displayed in the display 402 of the augmented reality device 400. As described above, the sensor data can be analyzed to determine the relative position and orientation of the electronically steerable antenna 404.

[0045] The feature of antenna 404 may be presented by display 402 such that the feature is visually represented in display 402 relative to antenna 404. Figure 4, the augmented reality device 400 may provide a visual indication of the orientation of the electronically steerable antenna 404. A target orientation line 408 may be shown in the display 402 relative to the antenna 404. Additionally, the current orientation of the antenna 404 may be characterized as an antenna axis 406 displayed in the augmented reality display 402 relative to the electronically steerable antenna 404. As may be appreciated, the target orientation line 408 and the antenna axis 406 may be digitally rendered and displayed in the display 402, but may not otherwise be visible to an observer of the antenna 404.

[0046] The target orientation line 408 may correspond to the desired pointing direction of the axis 406 of the antenna 404. The target orientation line 408 may be based at least in part on the position of the electronically steerable antenna 318 on the earth. Therefore, the augmented reality module 174 may receive the position information from the positioning module 152 and the relative antenna position information from the analysis module 172 to position the antenna 110. In turn, the augmented reality module 174 may generate the target orientation line 408 based at least in part on the position of the antenna 110. Therefore, the analysis module 172 of the augmented reality device 400 may determine (e.g., in real time) the orientation of the electronically steerable antenna 404. The display 402 may show the current position of the antenna axis 406 relative to the target orientation line 408, both of which may be determined by the augmented reality module 174. Therefore, feedback may be provided to the user on how to move the antenna 404 to achieve the desired orientation of the antenna 404. When the antenna 404 is in the desired orientation, the axis 406 is aligned with the target orientation line 408. The augmented reality display 402 may provide further visual feedback to the user, such as the axis 406 and / or the target orientation line 408 changing color, line pattern, or otherwise providing sensory feedback that the antenna 404 is aligned to the desired orientation. The sensory feedback may include visual, auditory, tactile (e.g., tactile feedback through vibration, etc.), or other feedback to indicate that the antenna 404 is properly aligned. Unlike conventional methods that may only provide auditory feedback, the visual representation of the antenna axis 406 relative to the target orientation line 408 may allow the user to intentionally and directly move the antenna 404 to the correct orientation as guided by the visual feedback provided in the augmented reality display 402.

[0047] Thus, the augmented reality device 400 can be used to assist in orienting the electronically steerable antenna 404. This may be useful when initially deploying the antenna 404, or may be used in the case of moving the antenna 404 (e.g., the antenna 404 may be reoriented when the antenna 404 is repositioned to a new location). In addition, in the case where the electronically steerable antenna 404 is unintentionally moved from the target orientation line 408, the augmented reality device 400 may be used to reposition or reorient the electronically steerable antenna 404 based on the overlay information about the antenna axis 406 and the target orientation line 408. The target orientation line 408 may be determined and displayed relative to the location and position of the augmented reality device 400 relative to the antenna 404. That is, when the user moves the augmented reality device 400 relative to the electronically steerable antenna 404, the antenna axis 406 and the target orientation line 408 may be updated substantially in real time, so that the display 402 may display live sensor data (e.g., video data) captured by the camera of the augmented reality device 400.

[0048] In addition, augmented reality can be used to demonstrate and / or troubleshoot an electronically steerable antenna as part of a larger communication system. For example, the antenna can be operable to communicate with one or more target communication devices, which can be a communication satellite, an airborne communication platform, a ground antenna, etc. In this regard, the augmented reality device can receive additional information about other components of the communication system to further generate virtual information presented in the augmented reality display. For example, ephemeris and / or almanac data for a communication satellite can be provided, which allows the augmented reality device to present information about the location of the satellite to help visualize the relative position of the satellite in the sky relative to the antenna. As further discussed below, the information can relate to real-time status, or can represent a historical or predicted time period for visualization in the augmented reality display.

[0049] In addition, the augmented reality device can receive information about the operation of the antenna from the steerable antenna for generating information displayed in the augmented reality display. For example, the controller 116 of the electronic steerable antenna can provide information about the beam pointing direction of the beam to the communication interface 118 for transmitting the beam pointing direction information to the communication module 158 of the augmented reality device 150, so that a representation of the beam pointing direction relative to the antenna 110 can be generated by the augmented reality module 174 and provided in the augmented reality display 164. It can be understood that this may be useful in demonstrating the operation of the antenna. In addition, when combined with information about the communication system, this information can assist in troubleshooting operations, such as by determining potential obstacles or determining the availability of satellites during transitions between communication targets. In the latter case, it is possible to visualize whether a signal acquisition (AOS) event is available before the signal of the current communication target is lost (LOS).

[0050] Return to reference Figure 1 It will be appreciated that the communication interface 118 of the electronically steerable antenna 110 and the communication module 158 of the augmented reality device 150 may be utilized to receive information about the communication system or to exchange information between the antenna 110 and the augmented reality device 150 to generate additional information to be displayed in the augmented reality display 164. For example, the augmented reality device 150 may receive information about other components of the communication system, such as a target communication device, via the communication module 158. In addition, the controller 116 of the antenna 110 may provide real-time feedback about the pointing direction of the beam 168 formed by the element array 112 of the antenna 110. Therefore, the beam pointing direction information provided from the antenna 110 to the augmented reality device 150 may be further used to supplement the augmented reality display 164 to present information about the real-time status of the beam 168 of the antenna 110.

[0051] The concept is Figure 5 500. Specifically, the electronically steerable antenna 512 can be captured within the field of view of the sensor of the augmented reality device 500. In turn, the electronically steerable antenna 512 can be presented in the display 502 of the augmented reality device 500. As noted above, the antenna 512 can be identified from the sensor data, and its position and orientation can be determined. The augmented reality device 500 can also obtain information that can be used to supplement the augmented reality display 502 to present to the user further useful information about the communication system with which the antenna 512 interacts.

[0052] In one example, the augmented reality device 500 may be operable to obtain almanac and / or ephemeris data regarding the first satellite 504 and / or the second satellite 506. In this regard, the augmented reality device 500 may be operable to display digital representations of the satellite 504 and the satellite 506 in the augmented reality display 502. This may provide an indication to the user of the location of the respective satellites 504 / 506 in the sky, even if the user cannot actually see the satellites with the naked eye.

[0053] In addition, the antenna 512 can provide the augmented reality device 500 with beam pointing direction information about the beam pattern so that the beam pointing direction of the antenna 512 can be represented in the augmented reality display 502. In a first example, a beam indicator 508 indicating the beam pointing direction relative to the antenna 512 can be shown. The beam indicator 508 can be provided in isolation to show the state of the antenna to the observer. In addition, the beam indicator 508 can reflect the beam pointing to the first satellite 504, as shown in the augmented reality display 502. In addition, another beam indicator 510 of the second beam pointing direction to the second satellite 506 can also be shown. Similarly, without using the augmented reality device 500, the beam indicators 508 and 510 presented in the augmented reality display 502 are not visible to the observer. In this regard, information including the positions of the satellites 504 and 506 and the beam indicators 508 and 510 can be digitally created and presented on the augmented reality display 502 to provide visual feedback to the observer.

[0054] The augmented reality device 500 can present Figure 5 The information shown indicates the current status of antenna 512. That is, antenna 512 and augmented information including the location of satellites 504 and 506 and beam indicators 508 and 510 can indicate the current status of antenna 512. In this regard, augmented reality device 500 can receive real-time information about the beam direction from antenna 512 to allow generation and display of beam pointing indicators 508 and 510. Almanac and ephemeris data about satellites 504 and 506 can be received from antenna 512 and / or transmitted via a network (e.g., via a network as described above). Figure 1 The communication module 158 shown is received.

[0055] While augmented reality device 500 can present real-time information about antenna 512 and / or satellites 504 and 506, augmented reality display 502 can also be operable to represent historical or future time periods. In this regard, augmented reality display 502 can be utilized to visually represent the operation of antenna 512 at a plurality of different time periods in addition to the real-time status.

[0056] For example, the user may be provided with control over the time period displayed in the augmented reality display. Thus, the user may select a time period to be represented in the augmented reality display (e.g., using a selection menu, a time slider, a clock, or other user interface controls). The selected time period may be in the past, so that historical data about satellites 504 and / or 506 is rendered in the display. Alternatively, the selected time period may be in the future, so that predicted data about satellites 504 and / or 506 is rendered in the display. In addition, the user's control over the displayed time period may be selectively applied to one or more of satellites 504 or 506. Thus, the user may travel through time so that the selected time period is presented. Such selection of a given time period may generally be applied to all information in the display, or may be selectively applied to display the historical / future position of a given satellite (e.g., as selected by the user in the display).

[0057] In addition to providing useful descriptive information about antenna 512, this information can assist in identifying or troubleshooting issues related to visibility of satellites relative to antenna 512. For example, a user can view future time periods to identify potential obstructions between antenna 512 and a satellite to be targeted. As an example, while positioning an antenna, a user can travel forward in time to determine if an obstruction to an available communication target will occur at some future time based on predicted information about the communication target. For example, at Figure 5 Satellites 504 and 506 represented in may actually be associated with a single given satellite at different times to ensure that visibility is maintained at both times. Alternatively, satellites 504 and 506 may represent different satellites at or near the LOS event of satellite 506. In this regard, it can be determined whether AOS occurred for satellite 504 prior to the LOS event of satellite 506. Thus, a user can travel forward in time to determine whether an expected LOS may occur even when no other communication targets are available. If an undesirable condition occurs (e.g., loss of communication with all available satellites), the user can take proactive action to reposition and / or reorient the antenna to prevent the undesirable condition from occurring.

[0058] exist Figure 6, an example of an augmented reality device 600 is shown that presents an electronically steerable antenna 612 within the field of view of a sensor of the augmented reality device 600. The augmented reality device 600 also virtually shows the position of a first satellite 604 and a second satellite 606 (e.g., based on the received ephemeris and almanac data of the satellites 604 and 606). As described above, the virtual presentation of information about the satellites 604 and 606 can represent real-time conditions, historical conditions, and / or future conditions about the positions of the satellites 604 and 606. In this regard, it can be shown that the beam pointing direction 610 can allow the electronically steerable antenna 612 to communicate with the second satellite 606 without obstacles during the time period shown. However, the beam pointing direction 608 can indicate that the beam may be blocked, such that the beam associated with the beam pointing direction 608 may not provide a link with the satellite 604 during the time period shown. In this regard, it can be identified that the beam pointing direction 608 is blocked by the communication of the satellite 604 during the time period shown.

[0059] In one example, satellite 604 represents a given satellite and a first time, and satellite 606 may represent the same given satellite at a second time. Thus, augmented reality display 602 may be used to determine when an obstacle (in the illustrated example, tree 614) will cause a disruption in communications with satellite 604. Additionally, the information presented in display 602 may allow antenna 612 to be repositioned and / or reoriented to provide unobstructed communications between antenna 612 and various locations of satellites 604 / 606.

[0060] Further references Figure 7 , an example operation 700 of a method for presenting information about an electronically steerable antenna using an augmented reality device is shown. The example operation 700 may include a determination operation 702 in which a location of the augmented reality device is determined. As described above, the determination operation 702 may include using a positioning module such as a GPS module at the augmented reality device to determine the location of the augmented reality device relative to the surface of the earth.

[0061] Additionally, a parsing operation 704 may be performed in which the orientation of the augmented reality device is parsed. Figure 1 As shown, an accelerometer or other orientation module can be used to resolve the orientation of the augmented reality device.

[0062] A capture operation 706 may be performed, which results in capturing sensor data at the augmented reality device. As described above, the sensor data may be captured by one or more sensors of the augmented reality device. Further, an analysis operation 708 may be performed, in which the sensor data captured at 706 is analyzed. The analysis of the sensor data may include an image analysis module applied to the sensor data to perform object detection based on a trained image analysis model of the appearance of different antennas. Thus, an identification operation 710 may be performed, in which an electronically steerable antenna is identified from the sensor data. This may include cross-referencing morphological information.

[0063] In addition, the analysis of the identified electronically steerable antenna can also be used in a finding operation 712 in which the position and orientation of the antenna is found. In this regard, the position of the antenna relative to the position of the augmented reality device can be determined by measuring the distance from the augmented reality device in a known orientation to the electronically steerable antenna. In addition, the orientation of the antenna can be resolved based on the sensor data to determine the orientation of the antenna based on the visual analysis from the sensor data.

[0064] Furthermore, a presentation operation 714 may be performed in which the augmented reality information is visually presented in an augmented reality display of the augmented reality device.

[0065] Figure 8 An example schematic diagram of a computing device 800 suitable for implementing various aspects of the disclosed technology is shown. For example, the computing device 800 may include an augmented reality device as described above. Additionally or alternatively, the computing device 800 may include hardware, software, and / or firmware capable of providing the functionality associated with the above-described analysis module 850 and / or augmented reality module 852. The computing device 800 includes one or more processor units 802, memory 804, a display 806, and other interfaces 808 (e.g., buttons). The memory 804 typically includes both volatile memory (e.g., RAM) and non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory). An operating system 810 (such as Microsoft An operating system, Apple macOS operating system, or Linux operating system) resides in memory 804 and is executed by processor unit 802, but it should be understood that other operating systems may be employed.

[0066] One or more applications 812 are loaded into the memory 804 and executed by the processor unit 802 on the operating system 810. The applications 812 can receive input from various input local devices, such as a microphone 834, input accessories 835 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, stylus, touchpad, joystick, instrument mounted input, etc.). In addition, the applications 812 can receive input from one or more remote devices (such as remotely located smart devices) by communicating with such devices over a wired or wireless network using multiple communication transceivers 830 and antennas 838 to provide network connectivity (e.g., mobile phone networks, ). The computing device 800 may also include various other components, such as a positioning system (e.g., a global positioning satellite transceiver), one or more accelerometers, one or more cameras, an audio interface (e.g., a microphone 834, an audio amplifier and speakers, and / or an audio jack), and a storage device 828. Other configurations may also be used.

[0067] In an exemplary implementation, computing device 800 includes hardware and / or software embodied by instructions stored in memory 804 and / or storage device 828 and processed by processor unit 802. Memory 804 may be memory of a host device or an accessory coupled to a host. Additionally or alternatively, computing device 800 may include one or more field programmable gate arrays (FGPAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or other hardware / software / firmware capable of providing the functionality described herein.

[0068] The computing device 800 may include a variety of tangible processor-readable storage media and intangible processor-readable communication signals. Tangible processor-readable storage devices may be embodied by any available media accessible by the computing device 800, and include both volatile and non-volatile storage media, removable and non-removable storage media. Tangible processor-readable storage media do not include intangible communication signals and include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable storage media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data). Tangible processor-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CDROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage devices, cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible media that can be used to store desired information and can be accessed by the computing device 800. In contrast to tangible processor-readable storage media, intangible processor-readable communication signals may embody processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data residing in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other signal transmission mechanism. The term "modulated data signal" means an intangible communication signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example and not limitation, intangible communication signals include signals propagated through wired media (such as a wired network or direct-wired connection) and wireless media (such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media).

[0069] Some specific implementations may include manufactured goods. The manufactured goods may include a tangible storage medium for storing logic. Examples of storage media may include one or more types of processor-readable storage media capable of storing electronic data, including volatile memory or non-volatile memory, removable or non-removable memory, erasable or non-erasable memory, writable or rewritable memory, etc. Examples of logic may include various software elements, such as software components, programs, applications, computer programs, applications, system programs, machine programs, operating system software, middleware, firmware, software modules, routines, subroutines, operating segments, methods, processes, software interfaces, application program interfaces (APIs), instruction sets, computing codes, computer codes, code segments, computer code segments, words, values, symbols, or any combination thereof. In a specific implementation, for example, a manufactured goods may store executable computer program instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform methods and / or operations according to the specific implementation described. Executable computer program instructions may include any suitable type of code, such as source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, etc. Executable computer program instructions can be implemented according to a predefined computer language, manner or syntax to instruct the computer to perform a specific operation segment. Instructions can be implemented using any suitable high-level, low-level, object-oriented, visual, compiled and / or interpreted programming language.

[0070] Although this specification contains many specific implementation details, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of any technology or things that may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to a particular specific implementation of a particular described technology. Certain features described in this specification in the context of independent embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments. Although features may be described above as working in certain combinations and even initially claimed, in some cases, one or more features from the claimed combination may be deleted from the combination and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or a variant of a sub-combination.

[0071] Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or that all of the operations shown be performed, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. In addition, the separation of the various system components in the above-described embodiments should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product, or packaged into multiple software products.

[0072] Thus, specific implementations of the subject matter have been described. Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the particular order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In certain embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0073] Several specific implementations of the described technology have been described. However, it should be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the recited claims.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing an electronically steerable antenna using augmented reality, comprising: Determining a device location of the augmented reality device relative to the earth; Resolving a device orientation of the augmented reality device relative to the earth; identifying an electronically steerable antenna from sensor data of a field of view of a sensor of the augmented reality device; ascertaining an antenna position and an antenna orientation of the electronically steerable antenna based on the sensor data, wherein the antenna position and the antenna orientation are provided relative to the field of view of the sensor of the augmented reality device; as well as At least one characteristic of the electronically steerable antenna is visually represented in a display of the augmented reality device based on the ascertained antenna position and antenna orientation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying comprises: Reference known antenna morphology information of one or more reference antennas; as well as The sensor data obtained by the sensor of the augmented reality device is compared to the known antenna morphology information to identify the electronically steerable antenna within the field of view of the sensor. 3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the sensor comprises an image sensor and the comparing comprises applying an image analysis model to identify the electronically steerable antenna.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying comprises: A marker disposed at a known location on the electronically steerable antenna is identified.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The field of view of the sensor is known relative to the device orientation of the augmented reality device; The ascertaining includes resolving a distance between the augmented reality device and the electronically steerable antenna; as well as The antenna position is determined based on the distance, the device position, and the device orientation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an image sensor and the ascertaining comprises applying an image analysis model to identify the antenna position and the antenna orientation of the electronically steerable antenna.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises: an antenna axis of the electronically steerable antenna; as well as Target orientation line corresponding to desired antenna orientation. The method of claim 7 , wherein the target orientation line is based on the antenna position.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: A visual indication is provided in the display when the antenna axis is aligned with the target orientation line.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving beam pointing direction information from the electronically steerable antenna at the augmented reality device; as well as The beam pointing direction is visually displayed in the display.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: Navigation information is received from a target communication device, the electronically steerable antenna having communication capability with the target communication device.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: A representation of the location of the target communication device is rendered in the display.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: The representation of the position relative to the target communication device shown on the display corresponds to the beam pointing direction of the beam pointing direction information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the beam pointing direction and the location of the target communication device represent current conditions of the electronically steerable antenna and the target communication device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the beam pointing direction and the location of the target communication device represent at least one of predicted or historical conditions of the electronically steerable antenna and the target communication device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the target communication device comprises at least one satellite, and the method further comprises: A potential signal loss event between the electronically steerable antenna and the target communication device is determined based on the beam pointing direction represented in the display.

17. An augmented reality system for visualizing an electronically steerable antenna, the system comprising: An augmented reality device, comprising: a positioning module operable to determine a position of the augmented reality device relative to the earth, an orientation module operable to resolve an orientation of the augmented reality device relative to the earth, a sensor operable to capture sensor data in a field of view of the sensor, and an augmented reality display observable by a user; and an analysis module operable to identify an electronically steerable antenna from the sensor data and to ascertain an antenna position and an antenna orientation of the electronically steerable antenna based on the sensor data, wherein the antenna position and the antenna orientation are provided relative to the field of view of the sensor of the augmented reality device; The augmented reality device visually represents at least one characteristic of the electronically steerable antenna in the augmented reality display of the augmented reality device based on the ascertained antenna position and antenna orientation.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein the analysis module is operable to access known antenna morphology information of one or more reference antennas, and is operable to identify the antenna by comparing the sensor data obtained by the sensor of the augmented reality device with the known antenna morphology information, thereby identifying the electronically controllable antenna within the field of view of the sensor.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the sensor comprises an image sensor and the comparing comprises applying an image analysis model to identify the electronically steerable antenna.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the analysis module is operable to identify the antenna from the sensor data by recognizing a marker disposed at a known location on the electronically steerable antenna.

21. A system according to claim 17, wherein the field of view of the sensor is known relative to the device orientation of the augmented reality device, and the analysis module is operable to determine the distance between the augmented reality device and the electronically controllable antenna, and wherein the antenna position is determined based on the distance, the device position and the device orientation.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the sensor comprises an image sensor and the analysis module comprises an image analysis model that identifies the antenna position and the antenna orientation of the electronically steerable antenna.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises: an antenna axis of the electronically steerable antenna; as well as Target orientation line corresponding to desired antenna orientation.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the target orientation line is based on the antenna position.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the augmented reality display visually indicates when the antenna axis is aligned with the target orientation line.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the augmented reality device further comprises: A communication module is in operable communication with the steerable electronic antenna to receive beam pointing direction information from the electronic steerable antenna at the augmented reality device to visually display the beam pointing direction in the augmented reality display.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the augmented reality device is further operable to receive navigation information from a target communication device, the electronically steerable antenna having communication capabilities with the target communication device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the augmented reality display renders a representation of the location of the target communication device.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the augmented reality display shows the beam pointing direction corresponding to the beam pointing direction information relative to the representation of the location of the target communication device.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the beam pointing direction and the location of the target communication device represent current conditions of the electronically steerable antenna and the target communication device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the beam pointing direction and the location of the target communication device represent at least one of predicted or historical conditions of the electronically steerable antenna and the target communication device.

32. The system of claim 31 , wherein the target communication device comprises at least one satellite, and the augmented reality device determines a potential signal loss event between the electronically steerable antenna and the target communication device based on the beam pointing direction represented in the display.

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