UTILIZING MOBILE WIRELESS ACCESS GATEWAYS FOR LOCATION AND CONTEXT PURPOSES

• US 20160337807A1
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Ronald K., Mayor, Robert, Marti, Lukas M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,980,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0278 involving statistical or probabilistic considerations G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems of using a mobile WAP for location and context purposes are disclosed. In general, in one aspect, a server can estimate an effective location of a wireless access gateway using harvested data. The server can harvest location data from multiple mobile devices. The harvested data can include a location of each mobile device and an identifier of a wireless access gateway that is located within a communication range of the mobile device. In some implementations, the server can identify a mobile wireless access gateway based on a distance comparison. Data indicating the mobility of a wireless access gateway can be used by a mobile device to initiate one or more actions, including managing power of the mobile device, modifying entrance and exit conditions of virtual fences and determining a context of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determining whether a wireless access gateway is mobile, comprising;

determining, using data from one or more motion sensors, that a mobile device is in motion for period of time;

determining that, during the period of time that the mobile device is in motion, the mobile device is within communication range of the wireless access gateway; and

determining that the wireless access gateway is mobile in response to determining that the wireless access gateway is in communication range with the mobile device during the time that the mobile device is in motion;

in response to determining that the wireless access gateway is mobile, determining a travel mode of a user of the mobile device based on interaction between the wireless access gateway and the mobile device; and

providing an output indicating the travel mode of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the travel mode of the user comprises:

determining whether the mobile device becomes disassociated with the wireless access gateway; and

in response to determining that the mobile device becomes dissociated with the wireless access gateway, determining that the user of the mobile device exits a vehicle carrying the wireless access gateway.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein determining whether the mobile device becomes disassociated with the wireless access gateway comprises determining that the mobile device is out of the communication range of the wireless access gateway.

4. The system of claim 1, the operations comprising:

in response to determining that the wireless access gateway is mobile, associating an identifier of the wireless access gateway with the travel mode.

5. A method comprising:

determining whether a wireless access gateway detected by a mobile device is mobile;

determining whether the mobile device is in communication range of the wireless access gateway for at least a threshold amount of time;

upon determining, by the mobile device, that the wireless access gateway is mobile and that the mobile device is in communication range of the wireless access gateway for at least the threshold amount of time, scanning for wireless access gateways at a first scan rate; and

upon determining that the wireless access gateway is not mobile, scanning for wireless access gateways at a second scan rate that is different from the first scan rate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second scan rate is lower than the first scan rate.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether the wireless access gateway is mobile is based on an indicator provided to the mobile device by a server.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein determining whether the wireless access gateway is mobile is based on motion of the mobile device while the mobile device is in communication range of the wireless access gateway.

9. The method of claim 5, comprising determining that a user is riding a vehicle of a transit system upon determining that the wireless access gateway is mobile and that the mobile device is in communication range of the wireless access gateway for at least the threshold amount of time.

10. The method of claim 5, comprising changing the first scan rate to the second scan rate upon determining that the mobile device has disassociated with the wireless access gateway.

11. A method performed by a server computer, the method comprising:

obtaining, from a mobile device, motion data for the mobile device and identifiers for a plurality of wireless access gateways detected by the mobile device;

determining, using the motion data, that the mobile device is in motion, where the motion data includes at least one of acceleration, speed or direction of travel of the mobile device;

determining, using signals from at least one wireless access gateway of the plurality of wireless access gateways, that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during a time that the mobile device is in motion;

in response to determining that the at least one wireless access gateway is in communication range during the time that the mobile device is in motion, designating the at least one wireless access gateway as a mobile wireless access gateway; and

storing an identifier of the mobile wireless gateway in a data store, wherein the method is performed by one or more hardware processors of the server computer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

using the motion data to determine or confirm a context of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, where the context associated with the mobile device is a user of the mobile device entering or exiting one of a car, bus, train, shuttle, boat or airplane.

14. A method comprising:

determining whether a wireless access gateway is mobile, the determining comprising;

determining, using data from one or more motion sensors, that a mobile device is in motion for period of time;

determining that, during the period of time that the mobile device is in motion, the mobile device is within communication range of the wireless access gateway; and

determining that the wireless access gateway is mobile in response to determining that the wireless access gateway is in communication range with the mobile device during the time that the mobile device is in motion;

in response to determining that the wireless access gateway is mobile, determining a travel mode of a user of the mobile device based on interaction between the wireless access gateway and the mobile device; and

providing an output indicating the travel mode of the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the travel mode of the user comprises:

determining whether the mobile device becomes disassociated with the wireless access gateway; and

in response to determining that the mobile device becomes dissociated with the wireless access gateway, determining that the user of the mobile device exits a vehicle carrying the wireless access gateway.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether the mobile device becomes disassociated with the wireless access gateway comprises determining that the mobile device is out of the communication range of the wireless access gateway.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising:

in response to determining that the wireless access gateway is mobile, associating an identifier of the wireless access gateway with the travel mode.