Method and apparatus for conserving power on a mobile device through motion awareness

• US 20060119508A1
• Filed: 11/19/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, John David
• Granted Patent: US 7,408,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.770
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• 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

An apparatus and method for conserving power on a mobile device through motion awareness. The method includes a motion model that receives location information from one or more receivers and an accelerometer. The motion model determines whether the mobile device is in motion based on the received information. If the mobile device is in motion, a scanning rate for the one or more receivers is determined based on a velocity vector, the velocity vector being determined from the received information; the determined scanning rate is sent to the one or more receivers to enable them to operate at the determined scanning rate; and the process is repeated. If the mobile device is not in motion, the scanning operations for the one or more receivers are halted while the mobile device is stationary; scanning operations for the one or more receivers are resumed when an indication that the mobile device is moving again is received from the accelerometer; and the process is repeated.

Claims

1. A location awareness mobile device power conservation method, comprising:

receiving location information from one or more receivers in a mobile device;

receiving a signal indicating whether or not the mobile device is in motion from an accelerometer in the mobile device;

determining a velocity vector from the location information received;

if the velocity vector indicates that the mobile device is not in motion, enabling scanning operations for the one or more receivers to be halted to conserve battery power for the mobile device while the mobile device is stationary; and

enabling scanning operations for the one or more receivers to resume when an indication that the mobile device is moving again is received from the accelerometer; and

repeating the process until the mobile device is placed in an off position.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling determination of a scanning rate based on the velocity vector; and

enabling the scanning rate to be sent to the one or more receivers to enable the one or more receivers to operate at the scanning rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more receivers comprises one or more of a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) receiver, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a cellular receiver, and any other type of receiver capable of providing location information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more receivers comprise a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) receiver and wherein the location information comprises signal strength information from a plurality of wireless fidelity access points.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more receivers comprise a cellular receiver and wherein the location information comprises signal strength information from a plurality of cell towers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more receivers comprise a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and the location information comprises position and velocity data derived from satellite data.

7. A method for conserving battery power on a mobile device through motion awareness, comprising:

a) receiving location information from one or more receivers and an accelerometer;

b) determining whether the mobile device is in motion based on the received information;

c) if the mobile device is in motion, determining a scanning rate for the one or more receivers based on a velocity vector determined using the received information;

sending the determined scanning rate to the one or more receivers to enable the one or more receivers to operate at the determined scanning rate; and

returning to a);

d) if the mobile device is not in motion, halting scanning operations for the one or more receivers while the mobile device is stationary;

resuming scanning operations for the one or more receivers when an indication that the mobile device is moving again is received from the accelerometer; and

returning to a).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more receivers include a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) receiver, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a cellular receiver, and other types of receivers capable of providing location information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more receivers comprises a Wireless Fidelity receiver and wherein the location information comprises signal strength information from a plurality of wireless fidelity access points.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more receivers comprises a cellular receiver and wherein the location information comprises signal strength information from a plurality of cell towers.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more receivers comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and wherein the location information comprises position and velocity data derived from satellite data.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein halting scanning operations for the one or more receivers while the mobile device is stationary enables the mobile device to conserve battery power.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the mobile device is in motion based on the received information requires location information from at least one receiver and the accelerometer.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more receivers provide location-aware computing activities.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more receivers provide always best-connected computing actitivites.

16. An apparatus for conserving battery power in mobile devices, comprising:

a motion model to receive location information from one or more receivers and a signal indicating whether or not a mobile device is in motion from an accelerometer, the motion model to generate a velocity vector using the received information; and

a power management module, coupled to the motion model, for generating a scanning rate based on the velocity vector, the scanning rate to be applied to the one or more receivers to enable the one or more receivers to scan the air for radio frequency signals at the scanning rate;

wherein when the velocity vector indicates that the mobile device is stationary, scanning of the one or more receivers is halted to conserve battery power on the mobile device, and wherein scanning of the one or more receivers is resumed when the accelerometer triggers the motion model to indicate that the mobile device is in motion again.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a scan controller coupled to the power manager to control scanning of the one or more receivers.

18. An apparatus for conserving power, comprising:

at least one receiver to determine location information for a mobile device;

an accelerometer to determine whether the mobile device is in motion;

a motion model, coupled to the at least one receiver and the accelerometer to determine a velocity vector based on the information received from the at least one receiver and the accelerometer;

a power manager coupled to the motion model to determine a scanning rate for the at least one receiver; and

a scan controller, coupled to the power manager and the at least one receiver to enable or disable scanning operations for the at least one receiver based on the scanning rate, wherein when the velocity vector indicates that the mobile device is stationary, scanning of the at least one receiver is halted to conserve battery power on the mobile device, wherein scanning of the at least one receiver is resumed when the accelerometer triggers the motion model to indicate that the mobile device is in motion again.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one receiver to provide always best-connected computing data to the motion model.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one receiver to provide location-aware computing data to the motion model.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the accelerometer to provide an indication of whether or not the mobile device is in motion.

22. An article comprising:

a storage medium having a plurality of machine accessible instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the instructions provide for;

receiving location information from one or more receivers in a mobile device;

receiving a signal indicating whether or not the mobile device is in motion from an accelerometer in the mobile device;

determining a velocity vector from the location information received;

if the velocity vector indicates that the mobile device is not in motion, enabling scanning operations for the one or more receivers to be halted to conserve battery power for the mobile device while the mobile device is stationary; and

enabling scanning operations for the one or more receivers to resume when an indication that the mobile device is moving again is received from the accelerometer; and

repeating the process until the mobile device is placed in an off position.

23. The article of claim 22, further comprising instructions for:

enabling determination of a scanning rate based on the velocity vector; and

enabling the scanning rate to be sent to the one or more receivers to enable the one or more receivers to operate at the scanning rate.

24. The article of claim 22, wherein the one or more receivers comprises one or more of a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) receiver, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a cellular receiver, and any other type of receiver capable of providing location information.

25. The article of claim 22, wherein the one or more receivers comprise a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) receiver and wherein the location information comprises signal strength information from a plurality of wireless fidelity access points.

26. The article of claim 22, wherein the one or more receivers comprise a cellular receiver and wherein the location information comprises signal strength information from a plurality of cell towers.

27. The article of claim 22, wherein the one or more receivers comprise a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and the location information comprises position and velocity data derived from satellite data.

28. An article comprising:

a storage medium having a plurality of machine accessible instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the instructions provide for;

a) receiving location information from one or more receivers and an accelerometer;

b) determining whether the mobile device is in motion based on the received information;

c) if the mobile device is in motion, determining a scanning rate for the one or more receivers based on a velocity vector determined using the received information;

sending the determined scanning rate to the one or more receivers to enable the one or more receivers to operate at the determined scanning rate; and

returning to a);

d) if the mobile device is not in motion, halting scanning operations for the one or more receivers while the mobile device is stationary;

resuming scanning operations for the one or more receivers when an indication that the mobile device is moving again is received from the accelerometer; and

returning to a).

29. The article of claim 28, wherein the one or more receivers include a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) receiver, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a cellular receiver, and other types of receivers capable of providing location information.

30. The article of claim 28, wherein the one or more receivers comprises a Wireless Fidelity receiver and wherein the location information comprises signal strength information from a plurality of wireless fidelity access points.

31. The article of claim 28, wherein the one or more receivers comprises a cellular receiver and wherein the location information comprises signal strength information from a plurality of cell towers.

32. The article of claim 28, wherein halting scanning operations for the one or more receivers while the mobile device is stationary enables the mobile device to conserve battery power.

33. The article of claim 28, wherein determining whether the mobile device is in motion based on the received information requires location information from at least one receiver and the accelerometer.

34. The article of claim 28, wherein the one or more receivers provide location-aware computing activities.

35. The article of claim 28, wherein the one or more receivers provide always best-connected computing activities.