Estimation of the speed of a mobile device

• US 7,895,013 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Simmons, Sean Bartholomew, Dietz, David Blaine, Sangary, Nagula Tharma
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cherry; Stephen J
• Application Number:
  US12/050,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 702/75, 702/96, 702/142, 702/182, 702/189
• US Class Current: 702/142
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/10 using Doppler effect
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

A mobile device configured to estimate the speed at which it is moving. The mobile device includes a timing component configured to perform a plurality of Doppler shift measurements on a timing signal received by the mobile device. The mobile device also includes a processing component configured to correlate the size of the range of the plurality of Doppler shift measurements to the speed at which the mobile device is moving.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a component configured to perform a plurality of Doppler shift measurements made at different times on a signal received by the mobile device;

a processor configured to correlate a size of a range of the plurality of Doppler shift measurements to estimate a speed at which the mobile device is moving

wherein the size of the range is a difference between a highest magnitude Doppler shift measurement and a lowest magnitude Doppler shift measurement of the plurality of Doppler shift measurements.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor correlates the size of the range of the plurality of Doppler shift measurements to the speed at which the mobile device is moving by comparing the size of the range to a predefined size and, when the size of the range is greater than the predefined size, determining that the speed at which the mobile device is moving is greater than a threshold.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the component is an automatic frequency control system.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the component and the processor are one of separate components;

and portions of a single component.

5. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein, when the speed at which the mobile device is moving is greater than the threshold, an output component on the mobile device provides a notification of an impending disablement of at least one function of the mobile device, and an input component promotes controlling whether to disable the at least one function.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the output component is at least one of a text-based message, a voice-based message, an audible alarm, a visible alarm, and a tactile alarm.

7. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the input component is at least one of a pressable button, a touch-sensitive area, and a voice command receptor.

8. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein, when the input component does not receive an appropriate input within a specified time period, the at least one function is disabled.

14. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a timing signal.

9. A method comprising:

determining, by a mobile device, a size of a range of a plurality of Doppler shift measurements made by the mobile device at different times;

analyzing, by the mobile device, a speed of the mobile device by using the size of the range of the Doppler shift measurements;

wherein the size of the range is a difference between a highest magnitude Doppler shift measurement and a lowest magnitude Doppler shift measurement of the plurality of Doppler shift measurements.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising when the size of the range of the Doppler shift measurements is greater than a predefined size, determining that the speed of the mobile device is greater than a threshold.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

when the speed of the mobile device exceeds a threshold, providing a notification on the mobile device related to activating a safety feature; and

controlling whether to activate the safety feature.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising activating the safety feature when the mobile device does not receive a timely override input that prevents the activation.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the safety feature is at least one of a disablement of a user interface on the mobile device, a disablement of a text-based message sending capability of the mobile device, and a disablement of a voice-based message sending capability of the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the signal comprises a timing signal.

16. A mobile device comprising:

a component configured to perform a plurality of frequency measurements at different times on a signal received by a mobile device;

a processor configured to determine a distribution of the frequency measurements and correlate a size of a range of the distribution of the frequency measurements to estimate a speed at which the mobile device is moving;

wherein the size of the range is a difference between a highest magnitude frequency measurement and a lowest magnitude frequency measurement of the plurality of frequency measurements.

17. A mobile device comprising:

a component configured to perform a plurality of Doppler shift measurements at different times on a signal received by a mobile device;

a processor configured to correlate a size of a range of a frequency error distribution of the plurality of Doppler shift measurements to estimate a speed at which the mobile device is moving, wherein the size of the range is a difference between a highest magnitude Doppler shift measurement and a lowest magnitude Doppler shift measurement of the plurality of Doppler shift measurements.