Journey analysis system and method

• US 10,054,443 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Silpan M., Wiegandt, David A., Fay, Daniel Riley, McClanahan, Richard, Silva, Johnny C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Odeh, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US14/933,305
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 701411, 701472
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/125 Protection against power exhaustion attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

The various technologies presented herein relate to determining a location of an individual, or an object, when a GPS may be unavailable/occluded. Readings from a plurality of sensors on a mobile device can be generating a plurality of data (e.g., speed, motion, temperature, biometric, etc.) which can be combined to generate a probability of a user of the mobile device being at a particular location, or not. Sensor readings can be weighted to enable sensors having a large effect on a degree of confidence of the probability of the user being determined to be at a location being given priority (e.g., battery priority) versus those sensors which have lesser effect on the degree of confidence. With the user determined to be at a location, information, a notification, an instruction, etc., can be presented to the user, via the mobile device.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

a processor;

a first sensor that is operatively coupled to the processor, the first sensor is configured to output a first sensor signal that is indicative of a first parameter;

a second sensor that is operatively coupled to the processor, the second sensor is configured to output a second sensor signal that is indicative of a second parameter, wherein neither the first parameter nor the second parameter are location of the mobile computing device, and further wherein a global positioning system (GPS) signal is unavailable at the location of the mobile computing device;

memory that is operatively coupled to the processor; and

a battery that powers the processor, the plurality of sensors, and the memory,

wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising;

estimating, based upon the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal, a location of a user of the mobile computing device in a predefined travel segment of a predefined journey that includes multiple travel segments, wherein different travel modalities are used when travelling over the multiple travel segments of the predefined journey, wherein a travel modality of the predefined travel segment is air travel, wherein the first sensor signal is assigned a first weight and the second sensor signal is assigned a second weight, the first weight is indicative of influence of the first sensor signal when estimating the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment, the second weight is indicative of influence of the second sensor signal when estimating the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment, the second weight is less than the first weight;

detecting that the battery has a low power state;

responsive to detecting that the battery has the low power state, powering off the second sensor while continuing to provide power to the first sensor, the second sensor powered off based upon the second weight assigned to the second sensor signal being less than the first weight assigned to the first sensor signal;

subsequent to powering off the second sensor, estimating, based upon the first sensor signal, the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment of the predefined journey; and

performing a computing operation based upon the estimated location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1 being a mobile telephone.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein another travel modality in the different travel modalities is walking.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein another travel modality in the different travel modalities is driving.

5. A method performed by a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

estimating, based upon a first sensor signal generated by a first sensor and a second sensor signal generated by a second sensor, a location of a user of the mobile computing device in a predefined travel segment of a predefined journey that includes multiple travel segments, wherein different travel modalities are used when travelling over the multiple travel segments of the predefined journey, wherein a travel modality of the predefined travel segment is air travel, wherein the first sensor signal is assigned a first weight and the second sensor signal is assigned a second weight, the first weight is indicative of influence of the first sensor signal when estimating the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment, the second weight is indicative of influence of the second sensor signal when estimating the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment, the second weight is less than the first weight, and further wherein neither the first sensor nor the second sensor is a location sensor and a global positioning system (GPS) signal is unavailable at the location of the mobile computing device;

detecting that a battery that powers the first sensor and the second sensor has a low power state;

responsive to detecting that the battery has the low power state, powering off the second sensor while continuing to provide power to the first sensor, the second sensor powered off based upon the second weight assigned to the second sensor signal being less than the first weight assigned to the first sensor signal;

subsequent to powering off the second sensor, estimating, based upon the first sensor signal, the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment of the predefined journey; and

performing a computing operation based upon the estimated location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a second predefined travel segment is immediately after the predefined travel segment in the predefined journey, wherein the user travels over the second predefined travel segment using a travel modality that is different from air travel.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the mobile computing device is a mobile telephone.

8. A mobile computing device that comprises a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

estimating, based upon a first sensor signal generated by a first sensor and a second sensor signal generated by a second sensor, a location of a user of the mobile computing device in a predefined travel segment of a predefined journey that includes multiple travel segments, wherein different travel modalities are used when travelling over the multiple travel segments of the predefined journey, wherein a travel modality of the predefined travel segment is air travel, wherein the first sensor signal is assigned a first weight and the second sensor signal is assigned a second weight, the first weight is indicative of influence of the first sensor signal when estimating the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment, the second weight is indicative of influence of the second sensor signal when estimating the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment, the second weight is less than the first weight, and further wherein neither the first sensor nor the second sensor is a location sensor and a global positioning system (GPS) signal is unavailable at the location of the mobile computing device;

detecting that a battery that powers the first sensor and the second sensor has a low power state;

responsive to detecting that the battery has the low power state, powering off the second sensor while continuing to provide power to the first sensor, the second sensor powered off based upon the second weight assigned to the second sensor signal being less than the first weight assigned to the first sensor signal;

subsequent to powering off the second sensor, estimating, based upon the first sensor signal, the location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment of the predefined journey; and

performing a computing operation based upon the estimated location of the user of the mobile computing device in the predefined travel segment.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 8 being a mobile telephone.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the computing operation is outputting data to the user of the mobile computing device to inform the user that the user is complying with the predefined journey.