Power management of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver in a traffic tunnel

• US 10,306,559 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kench, Amol, Nirula, Gautam
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Van Roie, Justin T
• Application Number:
  US15/429,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20180227853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Techniques provided herein are directed toward using information from various sources to determine when the mobile device enters and exits a traffic tunnel, turning off the GNSS receiver of the mobile device when the mobile device enters the tunnel, and turning the GNSS receiver back on once it exits. For example, the mobile device can turn off the GNSS receiver based, at least in part, on a determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel, and a determined traffic tunnel length and/or estimated amount of time the mobile device will be in the traffic tunnel.

Claims

1. A method of operating a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver of a mobile device, the method comprising:

determining that the mobile device has entered a traffic tunnel;

turning off the GNSS receiver based, at least in part, on;

(i) the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel, and

(ii) a determination that a length of the traffic tunnel exceeds a threshold traffic tunnel length, the threshold traffic tunnel length based on;

a determined speed of traffic inside the traffic tunnel, or

a frequency at which the mobile de vice is to provide a location fix, or any combination thereof;

determining that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel; and

turning on the GNSS receiver based on the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel is based on:

a determination that a GNSS signal strength of a GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiver is below a threshold signal strength level,

a determined location of the mobile device with respect to map data,

data received from an optical sensor, or

a determined speed at which the mobile device is traveling, or

any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel is further based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera and the data received from the optical sensor comprises an image having information indicative of a location of an entrance of the traffic tunnel.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel is further based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the data is indicative of a change in ambient light.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the speed at which the mobile device is traveling by receiving information from a vehicle in which the mobile device is traveling, the information indicative of the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the speed at which the mobile device is traveling based on information obtained from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), the optical sensor, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel is based, at least in part, on:

data received from an optical sensor,

a location determination based on radio frequency (RF) signals received from one or more terrestrial transceivers,

data received from one or more motion sensors, or

any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel is further based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera and the data received from the optical sensor comprises an image having information indicative of a location of an exit of the traffic tunnel.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel is further based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the data is indicative of a change in ambient light.

10. A mobile device comprising:

a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver; and

a processing unit communicatively coupled with the GNSS receiver and configured to;

determine that the mobile device has entered a traffic tunnel;

cause the GNSS receiver to be turned off, based, at least in part, on;

(i) the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel, and

(ii) a determination that a length of the traffic tunnel exceeds a threshold traffic tunnel length, the threshold traffic tunnel length based on;

a determined speed of traffic inside the traffic tunnel, or

a frequency at which the mobile device is to provide a location fix,

or any combination thereof;

determine that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel; and

cause the GNSS receiver to be turned on, based on the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel based on:

a determination that a GNSS signal strength of a GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiver is below a threshold signal strength level,

a determined location of the mobile device with respect to map data,

data received from an optical sensor, or

a determined speed at which the mobile device is traveling, or

any combination thereof.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is configured to make the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera and the data received from the optical sensor comprises an image having information indicative of a location of an entrance of the traffic tunnel.

13. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is configured to make the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the data is indicative of a change in ambient light.

14. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the speed at which the mobile device is traveling by receiving information from a vehicle in which the mobile device is traveling, the information indicative of the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.

15. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the speed at which the mobile device is traveling based on information obtained from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), the optical sensor, or any combination thereof.

16. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processing unit is configured to make the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel based, at least in part, on:

data received from an optical sensor,

a location determination based on radio frequency (RF) signals received from one or more terrestrial transceivers,

data received from one or more motion sensors, or

any combination thereof.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the processing unit is configured to make the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel further based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera and the data received from the optical sensor comprises an image having information indicative of a location of an exit of the traffic tunnel.

18. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the processing unit is configured to make the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel further based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the data is indicative of a change in ambient light.

19. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining that a mobile device has entered a traffic tunnel;

means for turning off a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver of the mobile device based, at least in part, on;

(i) the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel, and

(ii) a determination that a length of the traffic tunnel exceeds a threshold traffic tunnel length, the threshold traffic tunnel length based on;

a determined speed of traffic inside the traffic tunnel, or

a frequency at which the mobile device is to provide a location fix,

or any combination thereof;

means for determining that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel; and

means for turning on the GNSS receiver based on the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel.

20. The apparatus claim 19, wherein the means for determining that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel determines that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel based on:

a determination that a GNSS signal strength of a GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiver is below a threshold signal strength level,

a determined location of the mobile device with respect to map data,

data received from an optical sensor, or

a determined speed at which the mobile device is traveling, or

any combination thereof.

21. The apparatus claim 20, wherein the means for determining that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel determines that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel based on the data received from the optical sensor comprising a camera, wherein the data received from the optical sensor comprises an image having information indicative of a location of an entrance of the traffic tunnel.

22. The apparatus claim 20, wherein the means for determining that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel determines that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the data is indicative of a change in ambient light.

23. The apparatus claim 20, further comprising means for determining the speed at which the mobile device is traveling by receiving information from a vehicle in which the mobile device is traveling, the information indicative of the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions embedded thereon for operating a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver of a mobile device, the instructions, when executed by one or more processing units, cause the one or more processing units to:

determine that the mobile device has entered a traffic tunnel;

turn off the GNSS receiver based, at least in part, on;

(i) the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel, and

(ii) a determination that a length of the traffic tunnel exceeds a threshold traffic tunnel length, the threshold traffic tunnel length based on;

a determined speed of traffic inside the traffic tunnel, or

a frequency at which the mobile device is to provide a location fix,

or any combination thereof;

determine that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel; and

turn on the GNSS receiver based on the determination that the mobile device has exited the traffic tunnel.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processing units, further cause the one or more processing units to make the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel based on:

a determination that a GNSS signal strength of a GNSS signal received by the GNSS receiver is below a threshold signal strength level,

a determined location of the mobile device with respect to map data,

data received from an optical sensor, or

a determined speed at which the mobile device is traveling, or

any combination thereof.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processing units, further cause the one or more processing units to make the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel further based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the optical sensor comprises a camera and the data received from the optical sensor comprises an image having information indicative of a location of an entrance of the traffic tunnel.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processing units, further cause the one or more processing units to make the determination that the mobile device has entered the traffic tunnel further based on the data received from the optical sensor, wherein the data is indicative of a change in ambient light.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processing units, further cause the one or more processing units to determine the speed at which the mobile device is traveling by receiving information from a vehicle in which the mobile device is traveling, the information indicative of the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.