ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING GEO-FENCE SERVICE WITH LOW POWER CONSUMPTION

• US 20140302879A1
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Min-June, KANG, Young-Ae, KIM, Dae-Jin, PARK, Jong-Man
• Granted Patent: US 9,974,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• 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 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method used by an electronic device receiving a geo-fence service, determines whether a current position of the electronic device, determined using a cellular positioning system (CPS), is located within a first distance from a central point of a geo-fence service area. In response to determining that the current position is located within the first distance, the current position is determined using a Wi-Fi positioning system (WPS) and it is further determined whether the WPS determined current position is located within a second distance from the central point of the geo-fence service area. In response to the determination the current position is located within the second distance, it is determined whether the current position calculated using a global positioning system (GPS), is located within a boundary of a geo-fence service area.

Claims

1. A method for use by an electronic device receiving a geo-fence service, comprising:

(1) determining whether a current position of the electronic device determined using a cellular positioning system (CPS) is located within a first distance from a central point of a geo-fence service area;

(2) in response to determining that the current position is located within the first distance, determining the current position using a Wi-Fi positioning system (WPS);

(3) determining whether the WPS determined current position is located within a second distance from the central point of the geo-fence service area; and

(4) in response to the determination the current position is located within the second distance, determining whether the current position calculated using a global positioning system (GPS), is located within a boundary of a geo-fence service area.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether serving cell information of a cell currently serving information to the electronic device matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area; and

in response to a match, displaying information indicating that the electronic device is located within the geo-fence service area.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area; and

in response to an absence of a match, indicating that the serving cell information does not match.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

switching to an idle mode when it is determined that the current position is located outside of the first distance;

in the idle mode, determining whether the serving cell information is changed; and

in response to a determined change, switching to a wake-up mode from the idle mode.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the current position calculated using the WPS is located outside of the second distance, repeatedly performing step (1).

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the current position calculated using the GPS is located outside of a boundary of the geo-fence service area, repeatedly performing step (2).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the current position calculated using the GPS is located within the boundary of the geo-fence service area, displaying information indicating that the electronic device is located within the geo-fence service area.

8. A method used by an electronic device which receives a geo-fence service, comprising:

(1) determining whether serving cell information of a cell currently serving information to the electronic device matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within a predetermined range and outside of a geo-fence service area;

(2) in response to a determined match, determining whether the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area; and

(3) in response to an absence of a match of the serving cell information and the base station cell information, determining whether a current position is located within the geo-fence service area using a global positioning system (GPS).

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, from a server, cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area and cell information of one or more base stations located within a predetermined range and outside of the geo-fence service area.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving the serving cell information from a server.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

switching to an idle mode in response to determining that the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the predetermined range and outside of the geo-fence service area;

in the idle mode, determining whether the serving cell information is changed; and

in response to determining that the serving cell information is changed, switching to a wake-up mode from the idle mode and repeatedly performing the step (1).

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising, when it is determined that the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area, displaying information indicating that the electronic device is located within the geo-fence service area.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising, when it is determined that the current position is located within the geo-fence service area, displaying information indicating that the electronic device is located within the geo-fence service area.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising, when it is determined that the current position is not located within the geo-fence service area, repeatedly performing the step (3).

15. An electronic device which receives a geo-fence service, comprising:

a processor unit for,

determining whether a current position calculated using a cellular positioning system (CPS) is located within a first distance from a central point of a geo-fence service area,

in response to determining that the current position is located within the first distance, determining the current position using a Wi-Fi positioning system (WPS),

determining whether the WPS determined current position is located within a second distance from the central point of the geo-fence service area, and

in response to the determination the current position is located within the second distance, determining whether the current position calculated using a global positioning system (GPS), is located within a boundary of a geo-fence service area; and

a memory for storing information processed by the processor unit.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising a touchscreen for displaying information indicating that the electronic device is located within the geo-fence service area in response to determining that serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area,

wherein the processor unit determines whether the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor unit determines whether serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area, and in response to an absence of a match of the serving cell information and the base station cell information, indicating the absence of a match.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor unit switches to an idle mode and determines whether serving cell information is changed in response to determining that the current position is located outside of the first distance, switches to a wake-up mode from the idle mode in response to determining that the serving cell information is changed, and repeatedly performs determination of whether the current position calculated using the CPS is located within the first distance from a central point of the geo-fence service area.

19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor unit repeatedly performs determination of whether the current position calculated using the CPS is located within the first distance from the central point of the geo-fence service area in response to determining that the current position calculated using the WPS is located outside of the second distance.

20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor unit repeatedly performs determination of whether the current position calculated using the WPS is located within the second distance from the central point of the geo-fence service area in response to determining that a current position calculated using a GPS is located outside of a boundary of the geo-fence service area.

21. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising a touchscreen for displaying information indicating that the electronic device is located within the geo-fence service area when it is determined that the current position calculated using the GPS is located within the boundary of the geo-fence service area.

22. An electronic device which receives a geo-fence service, comprising:

a processor unit for,

determining whether serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within a predetermined range outside of a geo-fence service area,

in response to determining that the serving cell information matches an item of cell information, determining whether the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area, and

in response to determining that the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area, determining whether a current position is located within the geo-fence service area by using a GPS; and

a memory for storing information processed by the processor unit.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, further comprising a communication module for receiving, from a server, cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area and cell information of one or more base stations located within a predetermined range and outside of the geo-fence service area.

24. The electronic device of claim 22, further comprising a communication module for receiving the serving cell information from the server.

25. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the processor unit switches to an idle mode in response to determining that the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the predetermined range and outside of the geo-fence service area, determines whether the serving cell information is changed, in response to determining that the serving cell information is changed, switches to a wake-up mode from an idle mode, and iteratively determines whether the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the predetermined range and outside of the geo-fence service area.

26. The electronic device of claim 22, further comprising a touchscreen for displaying information indicating that the electronic device is located within the geo-fence service area in response to determining that the serving cell information matches an item of cell information of one or more base stations located within the geo-fence service area.

27. The electronic device of claim 22, further comprising a touchscreen for displaying information indicating that the electronic device is located within the geo-fence service area in response to determining that the current position is located within the geo-fence service area.

28. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the processor unit repeatedly determines whether the current position is located within the geo-fence service area by using a GPS in response to determining that the current position is located outside of the geo-fence service area.