Methods and Systems for Geo-Location Optimized Tracking and Updating for Events Having Combined Activity and Location Information

• US 20140039839A1
• Filed: 08/05/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao, Park, James, Lee, Hans Christiansen
• Granted Patent: US 8,694,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/189
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/222 combined with detection or measurement of physiological parameters, e.g. heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4815 Sleep quality
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6802 Sensor mounted on worn items
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/744 Displaying an avatar, e.g. an animated cartoon character
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 : Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 : Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation

Abstract

A method includes obtaining a first geo-location and a second geo-location. The first and second geo-locations are associated with a monitoring device. The monitoring device is configured to be used by a user. The first geo-location is determined at a first time and the second geo-location is determined at a second time. The first time and the second time are associated with a rate of obtaining geo-location data. The method includes calculating a difference in distance between the second and first geo-locations and changing the rate of obtaining a third geo-location associated with the monitoring device based on the difference in distance between the second and first geo-locations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a first geo-location and a second geo-location, the first and second geo-locations associated with a monitoring device, the monitoring device configured to be used by a user, the first geo-location determined at a first time and the second geo-location determined at a second time, the first time and the second time associated with a rate of obtaining geo-location data;

calculating a difference in distance between the second and first geo-locations; and

changing the rate of obtaining a third geo-location associated with the monitoring device based on the difference in distance between the second and first geo-locations, wherein the method is executed by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the difference in distance is greater than a pre-determined distance, wherein changing the rate includes increasing the rate upon determining that the difference in distance is at greater than the pre-determined distance.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the difference in distance is equal to or less than a pre-determined distance, wherein changing the rate includes decreasing the rate upon determining that the difference in distance is equal to or less than the pre-determined distance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of obtaining geo-location data includes a first time difference between obtaining the second geo-location and obtaining the first geo-location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein changing the rate includes changing a second time difference between obtaining the third geo-location and obtaining the second geo-location, the third geo-location obtained at a third time after obtaining the second geo-location, the second time difference different than the first time difference.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the difference in distance includes a difference between a latitude of the second geo-location and a latitude of the first geo-location, or a difference between a longitude of the second geo-location and a longitude of the first geo-location, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the difference in distance includes a difference between a latitude of the second geo-location and a latitude of the first geo-location, or a difference between a longitude of the second geo-location and a longitude of the first geo-location, or a difference in an altitude of the second geo-location and an altitude of the first geo-location, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first and second geo-locations associated with the monitoring device comprises receiving the first and second geo-locations from the monitoring device, wherein the obtaining the first and second geo-locations is performed by a computing device, wherein obtaining the third geo-location associated with the monitoring device comprises receiving the third geo-location from the monitoring device, wherein the obtaining the third geo-location is performed by the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising interpolating geo-location data between the second and third geo-locations when a difference in distance between the third and second locations is less than a pre-determined distance.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a standard deviation of geo-location data between the first and third geo-locations;

determining whether a geo-location obtained at a time between obtaining the first and third geo-locations is an outlier based on the standard deviation; and

filtering the outlier upon determining that the geo-location obtained at the time between obtaining the first and third geo-locations is the outlier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is wearable as a watch, or a wrist band, or a clip.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the rate is performed to reduce power consumed by the monitoring device or by a computing device that is associated with the monitoring device.

13. A method comprising:

obtaining an identity of a network associated with a first geo-location and a second geo-location, the first and second geo-locations associated with a monitoring device, the monitoring device configured to be used by a user, the first geo-location obtained at a first time, the second geo-location obtained at a second time, the first and second times associated with a rate of obtaining geo-location data;

determining whether the identity of the network associated with the second geo-location is the same as the identity of the network associated with the first geo-location; and

changing the rate of obtaining geo-location data upon determining that the identity of the network associated with the second geo-location is different from the identity of the network associated with the first geo-location, wherein the method is executed by a processor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the rate of obtaining geo-location data includes a first time difference between obtaining the second geo-location and obtaining the first geo-location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein changing the rate includes changing a second time difference between obtaining the third geo-location and obtaining the second geo-location, the third geo-location obtained at a third time after obtaining the second geo-location, the second time difference different than the first time difference.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the network includes a Bluetooth network, or a Wi-Fi network, or a mobile network, or a satellite network.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein changing the rate is performed to reduce power consumed by the monitoring device or by a computing device that is associated with the monitoring device.

18. A method comprising:

characterizing a first activity monitored by a monitoring device, the monitoring device configured to be used by a user, the first activity associated with a first time at which a first geo-location is obtained;

characterizing a second activity monitored by the monitoring device, the second activity associated with a second time at which a second geo-location is obtained, the first time and the second time associated with a rate of obtaining geo-location data;

determining whether the second activity is the same as the first activity; and

changing the rate of obtaining geo-location data based on whether the second activity is different from the first activity, wherein the method is executed by a processor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second activity is more active than the first activity, wherein changing the rate includes increasing the rate.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the second activity is less active than the first activity, wherein changing the rate includes decreasing the rate.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

obtaining the first geo-location and the second geo-location, wherein the rate of obtaining geo-location data includes a first time difference between obtaining the second geo-location and obtaining the first geo-location.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising obtaining a third geo-location, the third geo-location corresponding to the second activity, wherein changing the rate includes changing a second time difference between obtaining the third geo-location and obtaining the second geo-location, the third geo-location obtained at a time after obtaining the second geo-location, the second time difference different than the first time difference.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein changing the rate includes increasing the rate upon determining that the second activity is more active than the first activity, wherein changing the rate includes decreasing the rate upon determining that the second activity is less active than the first activity.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein changing the rate is performed to reduce power consumed by the monitoring device or by a computing device that is associated with the monitoring device.

25. A method comprising:

characterizing a first location associated with a monitoring device, the monitoring device configured to be used by a user, the first location associated with a first time at which a first geo-location is obtained;

characterizing a second location associated with the monitoring device, the second location associated with a second time at which a second geo-location is obtained, the first time and the second time associated with a rate of obtaining geo-location data;

determining whether the second location is the same as the first location; and

changing the rate of obtaining geo-location data based on whether the second location is different from the first location, wherein the method is executed by a processor.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

obtaining the first geo-location and the second geo-location, wherein the rate of obtaining geo-location data includes a first time difference between obtaining the second geo-location and obtaining the first geo-location.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising obtaining a third geo-location, wherein changing the rate includes changing a second time difference between obtaining the third geo-location and obtaining the second geo-location, the third geo-location obtained after obtaining the second geo-location, the second and third geo-locations associated with the second location, the second time difference different than the first time difference.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein changing the rate includes increasing the rate upon determining that the second location is different from the first location, wherein changing the rate includes decreasing the rate upon determining that the second location is the same as the first location.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein changing the rate is performed to reduce power consumed by the monitoring device or by a computing device that is associated with the monitoring device.