METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOVEMENT DETECTION BY EVALUATING ELEMENTARY MOVEMENT PATTERNS

• US 20100304754A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Seibert, Cristina A., Czompo, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,398,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• 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

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for detecting a movement pattern of a mobile device based at least in part on one or more signals representative of one or more sensor measurements, and for determining whether the movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting a predefined movement pattern of a mobile device based at least in part on one or more signals representative of sensor measurements; and

determining whether the predefined movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signals representative of one or more sensors measurements comprise two or more signals.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the mobile device is in a movement state or in a stationary state based on the determining whether the predefined movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement comprises filtering one or more signals corresponding to low frequency movements from the predefined movement pattern.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising transitioning the mobile device to a low power state in response to determining that the mobile device is in a stationary state.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising transitioning the mobile device to a high power state in response to determining the mobile device is in a movement state.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting a signal to one or more nearby cell towers in response to transitioning the mobile device to the high power state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensor measurements are obtained from two or more sensors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the two or more sensors comprises at least two of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a barometer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more signals representative of sensor measurements for a predefined movement pattern are obtained within a predefined time period.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular phone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

12. An apparatus, comprising:

means for detecting a predefined movement pattern of a mobile device based at least in part on one or more signals representative of one or more sensor measurements; and

means for determining whether the movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement of the mobile device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for detecting is adapted to detect the predefined movement pattern of the mobile device based at least in part on two or more signals.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising sensor means for generating the one or more signals.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the sensor means comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a barometer.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising means for determining whether the mobile device is in a movement state or in a stationary state based on a determination of whether the predefined movement pattern corresponds to the predefined level of movement.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for transitioning the mobile device to a low power state in response to determining that the mobile device is in a stationary state, or for transitioning the mobile device to a high power state in response to determining that the mobile device is in a movement state.

18. A system, comprising:

one or more sensors to generate one or more signals representative of one or more sensor measurements in response to one or more detected movements;

a mobile device comprising a special purpose apparatus adapted to;

detect a predefined movement pattern of the mobile device based at least in part on one or more signals representative of one or more sensor measurements; and

determine whether the movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement of the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the special purpose apparatus is adapted to detect the predefined movement pattern of the mobile device based at least in part on two or more signals representative of two or more sensor measurements.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a barometer.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more sensors are housed within the mobile device.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more sensors are disposed outside of the mobile device.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the special purpose apparatus is adapted to determine whether the mobile device is in a movement state or in a stationary state based on a determination of whether the predefined movement pattern corresponds to the predefined level of movement.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the special purpose apparatus is adapted to implement a low power state for the mobile device in response to determining that the mobile device is in a stationary state.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the special purpose apparatus is adapted to implement a high power state of the mobile device in response to determining that the mobile device is in a movement state.

26. An article comprising:

a storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon which, if executed by a special purpose apparatus, are adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to;

detect a predefined movement pattern of a mobile device based at least in part on one or more signals representative of one or more sensor measurements; and

determine whether the predefined movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement of the mobile device.

27. The article of claim 26, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to determine whether the mobile device is in a movement state or in a stationary state based on the determining whether the predefined movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement.

28. The article of claim 26, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the specific apparatus to determine whether the movement pattern corresponds to a predefined level of movement based, at least in part, on filtering detected low frequency movements from the predefined movement pattern.

29. The article of claim 26, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to transition to a low power state of the mobile device in response to determining that the mobile device is in a stationary state.

30. The article of claim 26, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to transition to a high power state of the mobile device in response to determining that the mobile device is in a movement state.

31. The article of claim 30, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to transmit a signal to one or more nearby cell towers in response to transitioning to the high power state.

32. The article of claim 26, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to obtain the one or more signals representative of sensor measurements from a set of sensors.

33. The article of claim 26, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to obtain the one or more signals representative of sensor measurements within a predefined time period.