MONITORING A GEOFENCE USING WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS

• US 20120309413A1
• Filed: 06/03/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Grosman, Yefim, Marti, Lukas M., Grainger, Morgan, Mayor, Robert, Huang, Ronald K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,750,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0269 Inferred or constrained positioning, e.g. employing knowledge of the physical or electromagnetic environment, state of motion or other contextual information to infer or constrain a position
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems for monitoring a geofence using wireless access points are disclosed. In general, in one aspect, a mobile device receives data defining a geofence. The mobile device can select, from multiple wireless access points, one or more wireless access points for monitoring the geofence. The selected wireless access points can be monitored by a wireless processor of the mobile device. The wireless processor can detect a potential entry of the geofence when at least one of the selected one or more wireless access points is detected. Upon a detection of the potential entry of the geofence by the wireless processor, the mobile device can use an application processor of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device entered the geofence.

Claims

1. A method performed by a mobile device, comprising:

receiving data defining a geofence;

identifying one or more wireless access points for monitoring the geofence;

determining, using a wireless processor of the mobile device and based on the one or more identified wireless access points, a tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence; and

upon determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence by the wireless processor, determining whether the mobile device is inside of the geofence using an application processor of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data defining the geofence include a fence location and a fence dimension.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fence location is a center point, and the fence dimension is a radius.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence includes detecting a potential entry of the geofence when the wireless processor detects at least one of the one or more identified wireless access points.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising monitoring the one or more identified wireless access points, including scanning, on one or more channels, a signal from the one or more identified wireless access points.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein detecting at least one of the one or more identified wireless access points comprises receiving a signal associated with a media access control (MAC) address of a wireless access point, the MAC address of the wireless access point matching one of a list of MAC addresses associated with the one or more identified wireless access points.

7. The method of claim 4, comprising:

after tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence, determining, by the application processor, that the mobile device is located at a distance away from the geofence, the distance exceeding an error threshold; and

then

designating a detected wireless access point as a non-reliable wireless access point, including decreasing an access point score associated with the wireless access point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence includes detecting a potential exit of the geofence when none of the one or more identified wireless access points is detected by the wireless processor for a threshold number of consecutive scans.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence before tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless processor is a wireless chip that consumes less power than the application processor.

11. A computer program product configured to cause a mobile device to perform operations comprising:

receiving data defining a geofence;

identifying one or more wireless access points for monitoring the geofence;

determining, using a wireless processor of the mobile device and based on the one or more identified wireless access points, a tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence; and

upon determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence by the wireless processor, determining whether the mobile device is inside of the geofence using an application processor of the mobile device.

12. The product of claim 11, wherein the data defining the geofence include a fence location and a fence dimension.

13. The product of claim 12, wherein the fence location is a center point, and the fence dimension is a radius.

14. The product of claim 11, wherein:

determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence includes detecting a potential entry of the geofence when the wireless processor detects at least one of the one or more identified wireless access points.

15. The product of claim 14, the operations comprising monitoring the one or more identified wireless access points, including scanning, on one or more channels, a signal from the one or more identified wireless access points.

16. The product of claim 14, wherein detecting at least one of the one or more identified wireless access points comprises receiving a signal associated with a media access control (MAC) address of a wireless access point, the MAC address of the wireless access point matching one of a list of MAC addresses associated with the one or more identified wireless access points.

17. The product of claim 14, the operations comprising:

after tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence, determining, by the application processor, that the mobile device is located at a distance away from the geofence, the distance exceeding an error threshold; and

then designating a detected wireless access point as a non-reliable wireless access point, including decreasing an access point score associated with the wireless access point.

18. The product of claim 11, wherein:

determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence includes detecting a potential exit of the geofence when none of the one or more identified wireless access points is detected by the wireless processor for a threshold number of consecutive scans.

19. The product of claim 18, the operations comprising tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence before tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence.

20. The product of claim 11, wherein the wireless processor is a wireless chip that consumes less power than the application processor.

21. A system, comprising:

a mobile device configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving data defining a geofence;

identifying one or more wireless access points for monitoring the geofence;

determining, using a wireless processor of the mobile device and based on the one or more identified wireless access points, a tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence; and

upon determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence by the wireless processor, determining whether the mobile device is inside of the geofence using an application processor of the mobile device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the data defining the geofence include a fence location and a fence dimension.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the fence location is a center point, and the fence dimension is a radius.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein:

determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence includes detecting a potential entry of the geofence when the wireless processor detects at least one of the one or more identified wireless access points.

25. The system of claim 24, the operations comprising monitoring the one or more identified wireless access points, including scanning, on one or more channels, a signal from the one or more identified wireless access points.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein detecting at least one of the one or more identified wireless access points comprises receiving a signal associated with a media access control (MAC) address of a wireless access point, the MAC address of the wireless access point matching one of a list of MAC addresses associated with the one or more identified wireless access points.

27. The system of claim 24, the operations comprising:

after tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence, determining, by the application processor, that the mobile device is located at a distance away from the geofence, the distance exceeding an error threshold; and

then

designating a detected wireless access point as a non-reliable wireless access point, including decreasing an access point score associated with the wireless access point.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein:

determining the tentative location of the mobile device relative to the geofence includes detecting a potential exit of the geofence when none of the one or more identified wireless access points is detected by the wireless processor for a threshold number of consecutive scans.

29. The system of claim 28, the operations comprising tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence before tentatively determining that the mobile device is inside of the geofence.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the wireless processor is a wireless chip that consumes less power than the application processor.