Methods and apparatus for controlling the transmission and/or reception of safety messages by portable wireless user devices

• US 8,868,141 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Subramanian, Sundar, Yang, Sichao, Wu, Xinzhou, Li, Junyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ajayi, Joel
• Application Number:
  US14/050,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20140045556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/246 Signals or brake- or lighting devices mounted on the road vehicle and controlled from the vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/28 electrically operated
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/087 Override of traffic control, e.g. by signal transmitted by an emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Safety message monitoring operations and/or safety message transmission operations are controlled for a mobile wireless communications device. The periodicity with regard to safety message monitoring and/or safety message transmissions is varied based on the environment of the mobile wireless device. The transmission power level with regard to safety message transmissions is varied based on the environment of the mobile wireless device. In some embodiments, safety message monitoring and transmission operations are disabled when the mobile device is determined to be inside a building or inside a vehicle. In some embodiments, safety message monitoring rate and safety message transmission rate is varied as a function of proximity to vehicular traffic and/or the level of detected vehicular traffic. In some embodiments, safety message transmission power level is varied as a function of proximity to vehicular traffic and/or the level of detected vehicular traffic.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication of a wireless communication device comprising:

generating inertial guidance information from an inertial guidance module;

determining a status of the wireless communication device based on the inertial guidance information; and

controlling a power consumption of a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) module based on the status of the wireless communication device, the power consumption being decreased by powering off the DSRC module when the status indicates that the wireless communication device is stationary.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising an at least one wireless communication module.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the power consumption comprises increasing the power consumption of the DSRC module when the status indicates that the wireless communication device is currently moving.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein increasing the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises increasing a monitoring periodicity or a transmitting periodicity of DSRC messages.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a current location of the wireless communication device, wherein controlling the power consumption comprises decreasing the power consumption of the DSRC module when the current location is an indoor area.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein decreasing the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises decreasing a monitoring periodicity or a transmitting periodicity of DSRC messages.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the inertial guidance module is powered on prior to the DSRC module if the DSRC module has a higher power consumption than the first wireless communication module.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining whether the wireless communication device is approaching an outdoor area when the current location is an indoor area, wherein controlling the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises powering the DSRC module on when the wireless communication device is approaching the outdoor area.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein controlling the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises powering the DSRC module off when the current location is an indoor area.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a current battery level of the wireless communication device, wherein controlling the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises increasing the power consumption when the current battery level is greater than a first threshold and decreasing the power consumption when the current battery level is less than a second threshold.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein controlling the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises adjusting a duty cycle of the DSRC module based on a performance of the at least one wireless communication module.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one wireless communication module comprises at least one of an acoustic interface module, a global positioning signal (GPS) module, or a wide area network (WAN) module.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a communication, wherein controlling the power consumption of the at least one wireless communication module comprises at least one of powering on the at least one wireless communication module or increasing a duty cycle of the at least one wireless communication module when the communication indicates an approaching vehicle or an emergency situation.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving statistical information related to a location from a server, wherein controlling the power consumption of the at least one wireless communication module comprises at least one of powering on or increasing a duty cycle of the at least one wireless communication module when the current location is at the location or proximate to the location.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

means for generating inertial guidance information;

means for determining a status of the apparatus based on the inertial guidance information; and

means for controlling a power consumption of a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) module based on the status of the apparatus, the power consumption being decreased by powering off the DSRC module when the status indicates that the wireless communication device is stationary.

16. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processing system configured to;

generate inertial guidance information;

determine a status of the apparatus based on the inertial guidance information; and

control a power consumption of a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) module based on the status of the apparatus, the power consumption being decreased by powering off the DSRC module when the status indicates that the wireless communication device is stationary.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising an at least one wireless communication module.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein control of the power consumption comprises increasing the power consumption of the DSRC module when the status indicates that the apparatus is currently moving.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein increasing the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises increasing a monitoring periodicity or a transmitting periodicity of DSRC messages.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor system is further configured to determine a current location of the apparatus, wherein control of the power consumption comprises decreasing the power consumption of the DSRC module when the current location is an indoor area.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein decreasing the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises decreasing a monitoring periodicity or a transmitting periodicity of DSRC messages.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one wireless communication module is powered on prior to the DSRC module if the DSRC module has a higher power consumption than the at least one communication module.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, the processing system further configured to determine whether the apparatus is approaching an outdoor area when the current location is an indoor area, wherein controlling the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises powering the DSRC module on when the apparatus is approaching the outdoor area.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein control of the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises powering the DSRC module off when the current location is an indoor area.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, the processing system further configured to determine a current battery level of the apparatus, wherein controlling the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises increasing the power consumption when the current battery level is greater than a first threshold and decreasing the power consumption when the current battery level is less than a second threshold.

26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein controlling the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises adjusting a duty cycle of the DSRC module based on a performance of the at least one communication module.

27. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one wireless communication module comprises at least one of an acoustic interface module, a global positioning signal (GPS) module, a wide area network (WAN) module, or an inertial guidance module.

28. The apparatus of claim 16, the processing system further configured to receive a communication, wherein control of the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises at least one of powering on the DSRC module or increasing a duty cycle of the DSRC module when the communication indicates an approaching vehicle or an emergency situation.

29. The apparatus of claim 16, the processing system further configured to receive statistical information related to a location from a server, wherein controlling the power consumption of the DSRC module comprises at least one of powering on or increasing a duty cycle of the DSRC module when the current location is at the location or proximate to the location.

30. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code for;

generating inertial guidance information;

determining a status of a wireless communication device based on the inertial guidance information; and

controlling a power consumption of a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) module based on the status of the wireless communication device, the power consumption being decreased by powering off the DSRC module when the status indicates that the wireless communication device is stationary.