Mobile Device Battery Management

• US 20100194632A1
• Filed: 01/13/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Steven John, Maynard, David S., Raento, Mika
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/23 for mobile advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products. Data representing a plurality of power management profiles for a battery-operated wireless computing device are stored on the device. The power management profiles correspond to different power consumption levels. Each power management profile defines a feature for determining a geographic location of the device from among a plurality of features that are available for determining the geographic location of the device, and a frequency for employing the feature to determine the geographic location of the device. A first battery level of the device is determined. If the determined battery level is lower than a first predetermined amount, the device switches from a first power management profile having a first consumption level to a second power management profile having a second consumption level that is lower than the first consumption level.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented power management method, comprising:

storing, on a battery-operated wireless computing device, data representing a plurality of power management profiles for the device, wherein the power management profiles correspond to different power consumption levels on the device, and each power management profile defines (i) a feature for determining a geographic location of the device from among a plurality of features that are available for determining the geographic location of the device, and (ii) a frequency for employing the feature to determine the geographic location of the device;

determining a first battery level of the device; and

switching from a first power management profile having a first consumption level to a second power management profile having a second consumption level that is lower than the first consumption level, if the determined battery level is lower than a first predetermined amount.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, subsequent to switching from the first power management profile to the second power management profile, a second battery level of the device; and

switching to a third power management profile having a third consumption level that is lower than the second consumption level if the second determined battery level is below a second predetermined amount.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining geographic location information for the device at a first frequency if the device is determined to be substantially stationary, and at a second frequency greater than the first frequency if the device is determined to be moving geographically.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first and second power management profiles each define a frequency of obtaining location-based measurements, wherein location-based measurements are obtained at a higher frequency under the first power management profile than under the second power management profile.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that an application is invoked, wherein the application relies on the device location to select location-specific content for display to a user of the device; and

determining, in response to determining that the application is invoked, a geographic location of the device using another location-based feature that is not one of the plurality of features.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of features includes a transmitting cellular telephone tower identification and the another location-based feature includes space-based global navigation satellite system positioning identification.

7. A computer-implemented power management method, comprising:

receiving, at a server system providing a location-based service, information identifying a location of a particular remote computing device;

receiving, with the information identifying the location, information identifying a next time for an updated location from the particular remote computing device; and

determining that a reported location of a user associated with the particular remote computing device is stale if an updated location is not received from the remote computing device before a predetermined time period that is relative to the identified next time for an update.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that a reported location of the user is stale comprises adding information that indicates that a location of the user is unknown to transmissions made to acquaintances of the user as part of a friend finding application.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising, transmitting to another mobile device information that indicates that a reported location of the user is stale.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising presenting on a display device of the another mobile device an indication of a location of the user on a map and an interface element that indicates that the location of the user is stale.

11. A computer-implemented power management method, comprising:

monitoring, using a source on a mobile device, a battery level for the mobile device and geographic movement of the mobile device using signals from electronic beacons; and

selecting a frequency for obtaining information about a location of the device based on the monitored battery level and a determination, from the monitored geographic movement, whether the device is moving or stationary.

13. The computer-implemented power management method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting the source on the device from a plurality of sources for monitoring geographic movement of the mobile device using signals from electronic beacons, the selection of the source based on the determination, from the monitored geographic movement, whether the device is moving or stationary.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sources includes a transmitting cellular telephone tower identification unit and space-based global navigation satellite system positioning unit.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein a lower frequency for obtaining location information is selected if the device is stationary and a higher frequency for obtaining location information is selected if the device is moving.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising determining that the device is moving by:

identifying a first cluster of transmitting antenna cell regions, the first cluster of cells including a first cell associated with the location of the device, the first cluster of cells forming a clique that is based on a first cell that includes a location of the device and a list of cells that the device has historically been located within,

determining that the device has changed locations to a different cell,

identifying a second cluster of cells forming a clique based on the different cell, and

determining that the first cluster is not the same as the second cluster.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising determining that the device is stationary despite a change in cell by:

identifying a first cluster of transmitting antenna cell regions, the first cluster of cells including a first cell associated with the location of the device, the cluster of cells forming a clique that is based on a first cell that includes a location of the device and a list of cells that the device has historically been located within,

determining that the device has changed locations to a different cell,

identifying a second cluster of cells forming a clique based on the different cell, and

determining that the first cluster is the same as the second cluster.

12. (canceled)