Battery charge level based mobile navigation system

• US 10,009,851 B1
• Filed: 12/27/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Puech, Yann, Bertrand, Yan, Devreese, Arnaud
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Nhan
• Application Number:
  US15/391,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 4554042, 4554221, 4554561, 455574
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus is provided which comprises: a battery to selectively power the apparatus; a first circuitry to estimate a first travel time to travel from a start location to an end location via a first route; and a second circuitry to (i) determine that a charge of the battery is likely to be exhausted prior to a user is to reach the end location via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in a first mode of operation, and (ii) display the first route as an infeasible route.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first circuitry to (i) receive an identification of a start location and an identification of an end location, (ii) generate a first route to reach the end location from the start location, and (iii) estimate a first travel time to travel from the start location to the end location via the first route, wherein a battery is to power the apparatus when an external power source is unavailable; and

a second circuitry to (i) determine that a first estimated battery remaining time, if the apparatus is to operate in a first mode of operation and is to travel via the first route, is lower than the first travel time, and (ii) issue a warning to indicate that battery power is likely to be exhausted prior to a user is to reach the end location via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first circuitry is to (i) generate a second route to reach the end location from the start location, and (ii) estimate a second travel time to travel from the start location to the end location via the second route; and

the second circuitry is to (i) determine that a second estimated battery remaining time, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation and is to travel via the second route, is higher than the second travel time, and (ii) issue an indication that the battery is likely to be able to power the apparatus until the user is to reach the end location via the second route, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the second circuitry is to (i) determine that a second estimated battery remaining time, if the apparatus is to operate in a second mode of operation and is to travel via the first route, is higher than the first travel time, and (ii) issue an indication that the battery is likely to be able to power the apparatus until the user is to reach the end location via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in the second mode of operation.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a display to display information associated with the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first mode is a normal navigation mode, and the second mode is a power saving navigation mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein during the second mode of operation, a display of the apparatus is in a low power state for at least a part of a travel of the apparatus from the start location to the end location.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein during the second mode of operation, one or more navigation sensors of the apparatus is in a low power state for at least a part of a travel of the apparatus from the start location to the end location.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a third circuitry to display an option that is to allow a selection of the first mode of operation or the second mode of operation as a default mode of operation for the apparatus, while the apparatus is to output navigational direction.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more navigational sensors to detect signals emitted from one or more satellites, and facilitate estimating a geo-location of the apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a mobile device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the apparatus is a first apparatus;

the battery is a first battery;

the apparatus is to be coupled to a second apparatus that includes a second battery; and

the second circuitry is to;

determine that a second estimated battery remaining time of the second battery, if the second apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation and is to travel via the first route, is lower than the first travel time, and

issue a warning which is to indicate that battery power of the second battery is likely to be exhausted prior to the user reaching the end location via the first route, if the second apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a battery to selectively power the apparatus;

a first circuitry to estimate a first travel time to travel from a start location to an end location via a first route; and

a second circuitry to (i) determine that a charge of the battery is likely to be exhausted prior to a user is to reach the end location via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in a first mode of operation, and (ii) display the first route as an infeasible route, in response to determining that the charge of the battery is likely to be exhausted prior to the user is to reach the end location via the first route,

wherein the first circuitry is to estimate a second travel time to travel from the start location to the end location via a second route; and

wherein the second circuitry is to (i) determine that the charge of the battery is likely to last until the user is to reach the end location via the second route, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation, and (ii) display the second route as a feasible route.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a battery to selectively power the apparatus;

a first circuitry to estimate a first travel time to travel from a start location to an end location via a first route; and

a second circuitry to (i) determine that a charge of the battery is likely to be exhausted prior to a user is to reach the end location via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in a first mode of operation, and (ii) display the first route as an infeasible route, in response to determining that the charge of the battery is likely to be exhausted prior to the user is to reach the end location via the first route,

wherein the second circuitry is to (i) determine that the charge of the battery is likely to last until the user is to reach the end location via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in a second mode of operation, and (ii) display the first route as a feasible route if the apparatus is to operate in the second mode.

14. A system comprising:

a battery to power the system when an external power source is unavailable;

a memory to store a database of maps;

a processor coupled to the memory;

first logic to (i) receive an identification of a start location and an identification of a destination, and (ii) based at least in part on the database of maps, generate a first route for to reach the destination from the start location; and

second logic to (i) determine that the battery is likely to be exhausted before a user of the system navigates to the destination via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in a first mode of operation, and (ii) issue a warning to indicate that the battery is likely to be exhausted before the user is to navigate to the destination via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the first logic is to, based at least in part of the database of maps, generate a second route to reach the destination from the start location; and

the second logic to (i) determine that the battery is likely to be able to power the system until at least the user of the system is to navigate to the destination via the second route, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation, and (ii) issue an indication to indicate that the battery is likely to be able to power the system until at least the user of the system is to navigate to the destination via the second route, if the apparatus is to operate in a first mode of operation.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first mode of operation is a regular navigation mode of operation, and wherein:

the second logic is to (i) determine that the battery is likely to be able to power the system until at least the user is to navigate to the destination via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in a power saving navigation mode of operation, and (ii) issue an indication to indicate that the battery is likely to be able to power the system until at least the user is to navigate to the destination via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in the power saving navigation mode of operation.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a display to display information associated with the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more navigational sensors to (i) detect signals emitted from one or more satellites, and (ii) facilitate estimating a geo-location of the system.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the system is a mobile device.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media to store instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive an identification of a start location and an identification of an end location;

generate a first route to reach the end location from the start location;

estimate a first travel time to travel from the start location to the end location via the first route, wherein a battery is included in an apparatus comprising the storage media and the processor, and wherein the battery is to power the apparatus when an external power source is not available;

determine that a first estimated battery remaining time, while the apparatus is to operate in a first mode of operation, is lower than the first travel time; and

issue a warning to indicate that battery power is likely to be exhausted prior to a user is to reach the end location via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 20, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

generate a second route to reach the end location from the start location;

estimate a second travel time to travel from the start location to the end location via the second route;

determine that a second estimated battery remaining time, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation and travels via the second route, is higher than the second travel time; and

issue an indication that the battery is likely to be able to power the apparatus until the user is to reach the end location via the second route, if the apparatus is to operate in the first mode of operation.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 20, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine that a second estimated battery remaining time, if the apparatus is to operate in a second mode of operation and travels via the first route, is higher than the first travel time; and

issue an indication that the battery is likely to be able to power the apparatus until the user is to reach the end location via the first route, if the apparatus is to operate in the second mode of operation.

23. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media to store instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform an operation comprising:

determine a first route to travel from a start location to an end location, wherein the processor is to be charged by a battery;

determine that a charge of the battery is likely to be exhausted prior to a user is to reach the end location via the first route;

indicate the first route as being an infeasible route, in response to determining that the charge of the battery is likely to be exhausted prior to the user is to reach the end location via the first route;

determine a second route to travel from the start location to the end location;

determine that the charge of the battery is likely to last until the user is to reach the end location via the second route; and

indicate the second route as being a feasible route.