Motion-based adaptive scanning

• US 10,292,105 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2013
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chhabra, Kapil, Thomas, Tito, Pallen, Vinesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maglo, Emmanuel K
• Application Number:
  US13/854,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20140105086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,234 Days
• Field of Search: 370252, 370311, 45540402, 4554142, 4554561, 4554563, 709223
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In order to facilitate reduced power consumption of an electronic device (such as a smartphone) when communicating with another electronic device (such as an access point) in a wireless network, the electronic device may change a frequency of network scans performed by an interface circuit in the electronic device based on a motion profile of the electronic device. In particular, the electronic device may determine the motion profile based on spatial information, such as: acceleration data, orientation data, Global Positioning System data and/or data from the wireless network. Then, the electronic device may change the frequency of the network scans performed by the interface circuit based on the motion profile. In this way, the frequency of the network scans can be reduced when the electronic device is stationary or moving rapidly (such as when a user of the electronic device is driving in a car).

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an interface circuit configured to communicate with a wireless network; and

a processor coupled to the interface circuit, the processor configured to;

determine a motion profile of the electronic device based at least in part on a speed of the electronic device, wherein the motion profile is determined from a plurality of preset motion profiles;

detect a Wi-Fi access point identifier during a scan, wherein the Wi-Fi access point identifier is mapped to a location associated with a reminder; and

adjust a frequency of network scans performed by the interface circuit based at least in part on the motion profile and the detection of the Wi-Fi access point identifier,

wherein the network scans comprise a connectivity scan and a location scan, and

wherein to adjust the frequency of the network scans the processor is configured to;

reduce a frequency of the connectivity scan in response to the motion profile being the stationary motion profile or the driving motion profile, and

increase a frequency of the location scan in response to the motion profile being the driving motion profile and the detection of the Wi-Fi access point identifier.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of preset motion profiles comprise a stationary motion profile, a walking motion profile, and a driving motion profile.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein:

the stationary motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being less than a first threshold;

the walking motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being between the first threshold and a second threshold; and

the driving motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being greater than the second threshold.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the motion profile of the electronic device is determined based at least in part on spatial information of the electronic device; and

the spatial information includes at least one of acceleration measurements performed by an accelerometer, orientation measurements performed by a gyroscope, and data from a Global Positioning System.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a proximity of the electronic device to the location based at least in part on the detection of the Wi-Fi access point identifier.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to provide the reminder to a user of the electronic device based at least in part on the proximity of the electronic device to the location.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the Wi-Fi access point identifier comprises a basic service set identification (BSSID) of a Wi-Fi access point.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the Wi-Fi access point identifier independent from connecting to a Wi-Fi access point.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the electronic device lacks a credential to connect with the Wi-Fi access point.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the Wi-Fi access point identifier is mapped to a latitude and a longitude corresponding to the location.

11. A computer-program product for use in conjunction with an electronic device, the computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein, to adjust a frequency of network scans, the computer-program mechanism comprising:

instructions for determining a motion profile of the electronic device based at least in part on a speed of the electronic device, wherein the motion profile is determined from a plurality of preset motion profiles comprising a stationary motion profile, a walking motion profile, and a driving motion profile;

instructions for detecting a Wi-Fi access point identifier during a scan, wherein the Wi-Fi access point identifier is mapped to a location associated with a reminder; and

instructions for adjusting the frequency of the network scans performed by an interface circuit in the electronic device based at least in part on the motion profile and the detection of the Wi-Fi access point identifier,

wherein the network scans comprise a connectivity scan and a location scan, and

wherein the instructions for adjusting the frequency of the network scans comprises;

instructions for reducing a frequency of the connectivity scan in response to the motion profile being the stationary motion profile or the driving motion profile, and

instructions for increasing a frequency of the location scan in response to the motion profile being the driving motion profile and the detection of the Wi-Fi access point identifier.

12. The computer-program product of claim 11, wherein:

the stationary motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being less than a first threshold;

the walking motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being between the first threshold and a second threshold; and

the driving motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being greater than the second threshold.

13. A method of performing network scans comprising:

determining a motion profile of an electronic device based at least in part on spatial information about the electronic device and a speed of the electronic device, wherein the motion profile is determined from a plurality of preset motion profiles comprising a stationary motion profile, a walking motion profile, and a driving motion profile;

detecting a Wi-Fi access point identifier during a scan, wherein the Wi-Fi access point identifier is mapped to a location associated with a reminder; and

adjusting a frequency of the network scans based at least in part on the motion profile and the detection of the Wi-Fi access point identifier,

wherein the network scans comprise a connectivity scan and a location scan, and

wherein the adjusting the frequency of the network scans comprises;

reducing a frequency of the connectivity scan in response to the motion profile being the stationary motion profile or the driving motion profile, and

increasing a frequency of the location scan in response to the motion profile being the driving motion profile and the detection of the Wi-Fi access point identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the stationary motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being less than a first threshold;

the walking motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being between the first threshold and a second threshold; and

the driving motion profile is determined in response to the speed of the electronic device being greater than the second threshold.