Sensing and analysis of ambient contextual signals for discriminating between indoor and outdoor locations
First Claim
1. A system that facilitates determination of a device context, comprising:
- a context sensor that measures a parameter of a first context of a device; and
a context computing component that interfaces to the context sensor and facilitates determination of a change from the first context to a second context, wherein knowledge of such context transition is used to save power in certain devices by powering the devices off; and
wherein the context sensor is part of a sensing system that includes a GPS subsystem which is activated periodically to sense GPS signals, where the absence of GPS signals facilitates powering the GPS subsystem into a mode where the GPS subsystem only turns on periodically to probe for GPS signals and if no signals are sensed, the GPS subsystem is turned off after the periodic probes.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems that determine automatically the likelihood that a device is inside or outside of a structure or building. The system uses one or more sensors to detect ambient conditions, and make the determination. The inference can be used to save power or suppress services from certain devices, which are irrelevant, cannot be used effectively, or do not function under certain circumstances. In support thereof, the system includes one or more context sensors that measure parameters associated probabilistically with the context of a device. A context computing component considers one or more context sensors and facilitates determination of ideal actions, policies, and situations associated with the device. A service provided by the subject invention is the inference from one or more available observations the probability that the device is inside versus outside.
-
Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A system that facilitates determination of a device context, comprising:
-
a context sensor that measures a parameter of a first context of a device; and a context computing component that interfaces to the context sensor and facilitates determination of a change from the first context to a second context, wherein knowledge of such context transition is used to save power in certain devices by powering the devices off; and wherein the context sensor is part of a sensing system that includes a GPS subsystem which is activated periodically to sense GPS signals, where the absence of GPS signals facilitates powering the GPS subsystem into a mode where the GPS subsystem only turns on periodically to probe for GPS signals and if no signals are sensed, the GPS subsystem is turned off after the periodic probes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of determining context of a portable computing device, comprising:
-
measuring a first parameter of a first context of the portable computing device; determining a second parameter of a second context of the portable computing device; and computing a probability inference based on the first and second parameters that the portable computing device moved from the first context to the second context and turning off a component of the device based on the inference; wherein location information is longitude/latitude data that is automatically accessed via a network and entered to facilitate determination of the device context. - View Dependent Claims (14)
-
-
15. A method of determining context of a portable computing device, comprising:
-
determining a probability distribution of a first temperature of a first context of the portable computing device; measuring a second temperature of a second context of the portable computing device; and computing a probability inference based on the first and second temperatures that the portable computing device moved from the first context to the second context, wherein the probability inference is determined from at least one of a measured ambient temperature, and expected temperature inside a structure, and a temperature outside the structure derived from interpolation, and wherein the temperature outside the structure is derived by accessing longitude/latitude data. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
-
Specification