System And Method For Device-Centric Location Detection And Geofencing
First Claim
1. A method for determining when a user enters a predetermined region, where the user'"'"'s present location is represented by a first circle having a first center and a first radius, where said first radius is indicative of the accuracy of said present location and the predetermined region is represented by a second circle having a second center and a second radius, comprising:
- determining, using a location sensor, when said user may have entered said predetermined region based on a distance from said user'"'"'s present location to said predetermined region, and a relationship between accuracy of said user'"'"'s present location and size of said second circle, wherein said determining calculates when said first circle intersects said second circle;
ascertaining, after said determining, when said first center is within said second circle; and
determining, after said ascertaining, when a ratio of a portion of said first circle that overlaps said second circle divided by a portion of said first circle that does not overlap said second circle, exceeds a predetermined threshold, referred to as an entry ratio;
where the entry ratio is at least 1.0.
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Abstract
A system and a plurality of methods for location detection are disclosed. In some cases, the user'"'"'s present location is represented by a circle, having a center and a radius, where the radius is indicative of the accuracy of the present location. The desired destination location, or geofence, is also defined as a circle, having a center and a radius. The various methods disclosed are used to determine when a user has entered or exited the geofence. In some embodiments, these methods attempt to minimize power consumption or another parameter. In another embodiment, the methods attempt to achieve the highest degree of accuracy possible or required for the task.
26 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for determining when a user enters a predetermined region, where the user'"'"'s present location is represented by a first circle having a first center and a first radius, where said first radius is indicative of the accuracy of said present location and the predetermined region is represented by a second circle having a second center and a second radius, comprising:
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determining, using a location sensor, when said user may have entered said predetermined region based on a distance from said user'"'"'s present location to said predetermined region, and a relationship between accuracy of said user'"'"'s present location and size of said second circle, wherein said determining calculates when said first circle intersects said second circle; ascertaining, after said determining, when said first center is within said second circle; and determining, after said ascertaining, when a ratio of a portion of said first circle that overlaps said second circle divided by a portion of said first circle that does not overlap said second circle, exceeds a predetermined threshold, referred to as an entry ratio;
where the entry ratio is at least 1.0. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for determining when a user enters a predetermined region, where the user'"'"'s present location is represented by a first circle having a first center and a first radius, where said first radius is indicative of the accuracy of said present location and the predetermined region is represented by a second circle having a second center and a second radius, comprising:
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determining, using a location sensor, when said user may have entered said predetermined region based on a distance from said user'"'"'s present location to said predetermined region, and a relationship between accuracy of said user'"'"'s present location and size of said second circle, wherein said determining calculates when said first circle intersects said second circle; ascertaining, after said determining, when said first center is within said second circle; determining, after said ascertaining, when a ratio of a portion of said first circle that overlaps said second circle divided by a portion of said first circle that does not overlap said second circle, exceeds a predetermined threshold, referred to as an entry ratio; and determining when the user has left the predetermined region when said ratio is less than a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is referred to as the exit ratio, and said exit ratio is less than said entry ratio. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. A method for determining when a user enters a predetermined region, where the user'"'"'s present location is represented by a first circle having a first center and a first radius, where said first radius is indicative of the accuracy of said present location and the predetermined region is represented by a second circle having a second center and a second radius, comprising:
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determining, using a location sensor, when said user may have entered said predetermined region based on a distance from said user'"'"'s present location to said predetermined region; calculating, after said determining, a maximum allowable first radius, where the maximum allowable first radius changes as a function of a distance between the first center and the second center; and determining when said user is within the predetermined region when the first radius is less than the maximum allowable first radius. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification