Controlling operational states of a location sensing system of a mobile device

• US 8,948,781 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alohar Mobile Inc. (Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wang, Chenyu, Yang, Jun, Liang, Sam Song, Zhou, Jianming
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US13/655,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20130102268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/13.4, 455/574, 455/457, 4553431-3432
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• 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

Methods, systems and apparatuses for controlling a location sensing system of a mobile device are disclosed. One method includes collecting location related information of the mobile device. The method further includes controllably setting the mobile device to operate in one of a high-power state, a low-power state, or a transitional state based on the collected location related information, wherein a satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device generates location information in the transitional state and in the on-state, and the satellite-based positioning system receiver does not generate location information in the low-power state. When operating in the transitional state, the mobile device repeatedly checks the collected location related information and transitions to the low-power state or the high-power state based on the collected location related information.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a location sensing system of a mobile device, comprising:

collecting location related information of the mobile device; and

controllably setting the mobile device to operate in one of a high-power state, a low-power state, or a transitional state based on the collected location related information;

wherein

a satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device generates location information in the transitional state and in the high-power state, and the satellite-based positioning system receiver does not generate location information in the low-power state, and the satellite-based positioning system receiver consumes less power in the low-power state than in the high-power state and the transitional state; and

wherein

when operating in the transitional state, the mobile device repeatedly checks the collected location related information and transitions to the low-power state or the high-power state based on the collected location related information, and if a transition is not made after a predetermined period of time, the controller automatically transitions the satellite-based positioning system receiver into either the high-power state or the low-power state;

wherein

the mobile device is operable to transition to the low-power state from the transitional state, and operable to transition to the low-power state from the high-power state, and operable to only transition to the transitional state from the low-power state, and wherein conditional requirements of the location related information or location information is harder to meet in order for the mobile device to transition from the high-power state to the low-power state, than conditional requirements of the location related information or the location information to transition from the transitional state to the low-power state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the high-power state comprises an on state, the low-power state comprises an off state, and the transitional state comprises a wake up state, and fourth state includes a standby state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wakeup state comprises a transition state wherein the satellite-based positioning system receiver runs, and after a period of collecting information, the satellite-based positioning system receiver maintains the wakeup state or transitions to the high-power state or the low-power state.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the during standby state the satellite-based positioning system receiver is turned off, and after a period of collecting information, the satellite-based positioning system receiver transitions from the standby state to the high-power state or maintains operation in the standby state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if the conditional requirements of the location related information and location information in order for the mobile device to transition from the transitional state to the high-power state is not met within the predetermined time-out period of time, the mobile device is automatically transitioned to the low-power state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditional requirements of the location related information or location information for the mobile device to transition from the high-power state to the low-power state, and the conditional requirements of the location related information or the location information for the mobile device to transition from the transitional state from the low-power state, are adaptively adjustable.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining location samples by the satellite-based positioning system receiver at a greater rate in the transitional state than in the high-power state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected location related information comprises mobile information sensed by motion sensors of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected location related information comprises mobile information that includes a determination whether a location of the mobile device changed determined by analyzing received network signals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected location related information comprises collected network location information of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected location related information comprises collected radio frequency (RF) beacon information of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising controllably transitioning the satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device from operation in the high-power state to operation in the low-power state based on detecting signal loss of the satellite-based positioning system receiver for a certain time duration, or detecting that the mobile device has an average speed less than a threshold.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining satellite-based positioning system receiver in the high-power state based on detecting that a current speed of the mobile device is greater than a threshold or a computed speed ratio of the mobile device is greater than a threshold.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising controllably transitioning the satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device from operation in the low-power state to operation in the transitional state based detecting that the mobile device is leaving a building, or detecting that a network location has changed greater than a threshold for a number location samples per a unit of time.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the satellite-based positioning system receiver in the low-power state based on detecting sensing deviation of motion of the mobile device of less than a threshold.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising controllably transitioning the satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device from operation in the transition state to operation in the low-power state based detecting that a satellite-based positioning system receiver wakeup was a false alarm after checking that a current speed of the mobile device is less than a threshold or a computed speed ratio of the mobile device is less than a threshold.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising controllably transitioning the satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device from operation in the transition state to operation in the high-power state based on detecting that a current speed of the mobile device is greater than a threshold or a computed speed ratio of the mobile device is greater than a threshold.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising controllably maintaining the satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device operating in the transitional state based on determining that enough information is not yet available to make a decision of whether to transition to the low-power state or the high-power state, and the mobile device has been operating in the transitional state for less than a time threshold.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising controllably transitioning the satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device from operation in the high-power state to operation in a standby state based on detecting that the mobile device is moving a speed greater than a threshold.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising controllably transitioning the satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device from operation in standby state to operation in a high-power state based on detecting a sensed motion of the mobile device greater than a threshold, or detecting a change is a gravity reference direction.

21. A mobile device, comprising:

a satellite-based positioning receiver;

a controller, the controller operative to set the mobile device to operate in one of a high-power state, a low-power state, or a transitional state based on the collected location related information, wherein the satellite-based positioning system receiver of the mobile device generates location information in the transitional state and in the high-power state, and the satellite-based positioning system receiver does not generate location information in the low-power state;

wherein

when operating in the transitional state, the mobile device repeatedly checks the collected location related information and transitions to the low-power state or the high-power state based on the collected location related information, and if a transition is not made after a predetermined period of time, the controller automatically transitions the satellite-based positioning system receiver into either the high-power state or the low-power state;

wherein

the mobile device is operable to transition to the low-power state from the transitional state, and operable to transition to the low-power state from the high-power state, and operable to only transition to the transitional state from the low-power state, and wherein conditional requirements of the location related information or location information is harder to meet in order for the mobile device to transition from the high-power state to the low-power state, than conditional requirements of the location related information or the location information to transition from the transitional state to the low-power state.

22. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein if the conditional requirements of the location related information and location information in order for the mobile device to transition from the transitional state to the high-power state is not met within the predetermined period of time, the mobile device is automatically transitioned to the low-power state.

23. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the conditional requirements of the location related information or location information for the mobile device to transition from the high-power state to the low-power state, and the conditional requirements of the location related information or the location information for the mobile device to transition from the transitional state from the low-power state, are adaptively adjustable.

24. The mobile device of claim 21, further comprising obtaining location samples by the satellite-based positioning system receiver at a greater rate in the transitional state than in the high-power state.