Global-Positioning System (GPS) Update Interval Based on Sensor

• US 20130331119A1
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gabriel Grise
• Inventors: Vaccari, Andrea, Gris, Gabriel, Tretti, Alberto, Lahiri, Mayank
• Granted Patent: US 9,088,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes transmitting at a pre-determined polling frequency an activation signal waking from a sleep mode an application on a mobile computing device and causing the application to activate a location service of the mobile computing device for a pre-determined sampling duration. The pre-determined polling frequency and the pre-determined sampling duration are determined at least in part by detecting a movement of the mobile computing device. The method also includes receiving location data from the mobile computing device after the pre-determined sampling duration. The location data is responsive to a transmission signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by a server, transmitting at a pre-determined polling frequency an activation signal waking from a sleep mode an application on a mobile computing device and causing the application to activate a location service of the mobile computing device for a pre-determined sampling duration, the pre-determined polling frequency and the pre-determined sampling duration being determined at least in part by detecting a movement of the mobile computing device; and

by the server, receiving location data from the mobile computing device after the pre-determined sampling duration, the location data being responsive to a transmission signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement is a travel distance of the mobile computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the travel distance by comparing a position of the mobile computing device from a most-recent location reading to a position of the mobile computing device from a second-most-recent location reading.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising decreasing the pre-determined polling frequency and increasing the pre-determined sampling duration in response to the determined travel distance being below a measurement accuracy of a global positioning system (GPS) function of the mobile computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement is determined based at least in part on output from an accelerometer or gyroscope of the mobile computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location service comprises polling a location of a cellular tower, a location of a WI-FI hotspot, or a GPS function of the mobile computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising polling the location of the cellular tower or the location of the WI-FI hotspot in response to a failure of the GPS function to acquire GPS data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a location-service activation signal during the pre-determined sampling duration.

9. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software configured when executed to:

transmit at a pre-determined polling frequency an activation signal waking from a sleep mode an application on a mobile device and causing the application to activate a location service of the mobile device for a pre-determined sampling duration, the pre-determined polling frequency and the pre-determined sampling duration being determined at least in part by detecting a movement of the mobile computing device; and

receive location data from the mobile computing device after the pre-determined sampling duration, the location data being responsive to a transmission signal.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the movement is a travel distance of the mobile computing device.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the software is further configured to determine the travel distance by comparing a position of the mobile computing device from a most-recent location reading to a position of the mobile computing device from a second-most-recent location reading.

12. The media of claim 10, wherein the software is further configured to decrease the pre-determined polling frequency and increase the pre-determined sampling duration in response to the determined travel distance being below a measurement accuracy of a global positioning system (GPS) function of the mobile computing device.

13. The media of claim 9, wherein the movement is determined based at least in part on output from an accelerometer or gyroscope of the mobile computing device.

14. The media of claim 9, wherein the location service comprises polling a location of a cellular tower, a location of a WI-FI hotspot, or a GPS function of the mobile computing device.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further configured to poll the location of the cellular tower or the location of the WI-FI hotspot in response to a failure of the GPS function to acquire GPS data.

16. The media of claim 9, wherein the software is further configured to transmit a location-service activation signal during the pre-determined sampling duration.

17. A device comprising:

a processor coupled to a storage; and

one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media coupled to the processor and embodying software configured when executed to;

transmit at a pre-determined polling frequency an activation signal waking from a sleep mode an application on a mobile computing device and causing the application to activate a location service of the mobile device for a pre-determined sampling duration, the pre-determined polling frequency and the pre-determined sampling duration being determined at least in part by detecting a movement of the mobile computing device; and

receive location data from the mobile computing device after the pre-determined sampling duration, the location data being responsive to a transmission signal.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the movement is a travel distance of the mobile computing device.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the software is further configured to determine a travel distance associated with the movement by comparing a position of the mobile computing device from a most-recent location reading to a position of the mobile computing device from a second-most-recent location reading.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the movement is determined based at least in part on output from an accelerometer or gyroscope of the mobile computing device.