Concurrent geofences with shared measurements

• US 8,965,401 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheshadri, Suhas H., Srivastava, Aditya N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, ALEXANDER J.
• Application Number:
  US13/722,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20130295955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/433, 455/421, 455/457, 455/420, 340/539.13, 701/300, 701/469
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method for a mobile device to efficiently use a geofence capability without draining its battery, and to allow flexibility in specifying various parameters related to geofencing, such as the latency and confidence in determining when or where a geofence breach occurs, and reducing the probability of not detecting a geofence breach.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first geofence client to a first processor in a mobile device, wherein the first geofence client specifies a first geofence and a first latency setting for breach notification of the first geofence;

running a first process on the first processor associated with the first geofence, the first process to generate a set of results associated with the mobile device and the first geofence, the set of results indicating a current location of the mobile device, a velocity vector of the mobile device, and whether the mobile device is outside the first geofence;

when the mobile device is outside the first geofence, determining a minimum number of cell changes between the current location of the mobile device and the first geofence and determining a breach time interval based on the velocity vector and a distance between the current location of the mobile device and the first geofence;

detecting a number of cell changes experienced by the mobile device and an elapsed time since determining the breach time interval;

upon the number of cell changes experienced by the mobile device reaching the minimum number of cell changes and the elapsed time being equal or greater than the breach time interval, running the first process on the first processor associated with the first geofence to update the set of results associated with the mobile device and the first geofence;

providing a second geofence client to the first processor, wherein the second geofence client specifies a second geofence and a second latency setting for breach notification of the second geofence larger than the first latency setting;

running a second process on the first processor associated with the second geofence, the second process to wake up a second processor in the mobile device in response to the set of results indicating a breach of the second geofence.

2. The method of claim 1, the mobile device further comprising a modem, the modem comprising the first processor, wherein the second processor is an application processor of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, the set of results comprising a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence.

4. The method of claim 3, the first process updating the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence at a rate depending on the first latency setting.

5. The method of claim 4, the second process to wake up the second processor in the mobile device in response to the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence indicating a second distance of the mobile device to the second geofence is greater than a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, the set of results further comprising:

a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence;

a number of cell changes measured by the mobile device; and

a velocity of the mobile device towards the first geofence.

7. A mobile device comprising:

at least one sensor to provide at least one signal;

a first processor to warn of a breach of a first geofence to a first geofence client according to a first latency setting for breach notification of the first geofence based on the at least one signal;

the first processor to run a first process associated with the first geofence, the first process to generate a set of results based on the at least one signal, the set of results indicating a current location of the mobile device, a velocity vector of the mobile device, and whether the mobile device is outside the first geofence;

when the mobile device is outside the first geofence, the first processor configured to determine;

a minimum number of cell changes between the current location of the mobile device and the first geofence,

a breach time interval based on the velocity vector and a distance between the current location of the mobile device and the first geofence,

a number of cell changes experienced by the mobile device,

an elapsed time since determining the breach time interval, and

upon the number of cell changes experienced by the mobile device reaching the minimum number of cell changes and the elapsed time being equal or greater than the breach time interval, update the set of results associated with the mobile device and the first geofence;

the first processor to warn of a breach of a second geofence to a second geofence client according to a second latency setting for breach notification of the second geofence based on the at least one signal, the second latency setting larger than the first latency setting;

a second processor, the first processor to run a second process associated with the second geofence, the second process to wake up the second processor in response to the set of results indicating a breach of the second geofence.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, further comprising a modem, the modem comprising the first processor, wherein the second processor is an application processor of the mobile device.

9. The mobile device of claim 7, the set of results comprising a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, the first process updating the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence at a rate depending on the first latency setting.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, the second process to wake up the second processor in response to the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence indicating a second distance of the mobile device to the second geofence is greater than a threshold.

12. The mobile device of claim 7, the set of results further comprising:

a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence;

a number of cell changes indicated by the at least one signal; and

a velocity of the mobile device towards the first geofence.

13. A mobile device comprising:

means for sensing to provide at least one signal;

a first means for processing to warn of a breach of a first geofence to a first geofence client according to a first latency setting for breach notification of the first geofence based on the at least one signal;

the first means for processing to run a first process associated with the first geofence, the first process to generate a set of results based on the at least one signal, the set of results including a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence, a current location of the mobile device, whether the mobile device is outside the first geofence, and a velocity of the mobile device towards the first geofence;

when the mobile device is outside the first geofence, the first means for processing to determine;

a minimum number of cell changes between the current location of the mobile device and the first geofence,

a breach time interval based on the velocity and the distance between the current location of the mobile device and the first geofence,

a number of cell changes experienced by the mobile device,

an elapsed time since determining the breach time interval, and

upon the number of cell changes experienced by the mobile device reaching the minimum number of cell changes and the elapsed time being equal or greater than the breach time interval, update the set of results associated with the mobile device and the first geofence;

the first means for processing to warn of a breach of a second geofence to a second geofence client according to a second latency setting for breach notification of the second geofence based on the at least one signal, the second latency setting larger than the first latency setting;

a second means for processing, the second means for processing to run a second process associated with the second geofence, the second process to wake up the second means for processing in response to the set of results indicating the breach of the second geofence.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, further comprising a modem, the modem comprising the first means for processing, wherein the second means for processing is an application processor of the mobile device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored instructions that when executed by a processor cause a method comprising:

providing a first geofence client to a first processor in a mobile device, wherein the first geofence client specifies a first geofence and a first latency setting for breach notification of the first geofence;

running a first process on the first processor associated with the first geofence, the first process to generate a set of results associated with the mobile device and the first geofence, the set of results including a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence, a current location of the mobile device, whether the mobile device is outside the first geofence, and a velocity of the mobile device towards the first geofence;

when the mobile device is outside the first geofence, determining a minimum number of cell changes between the current location of the mobile device and the first geofence and determining a breach time interval based on the velocity and the distance between the current location of the mobile device and the first geofence;

detecting a number of cell changes experienced by the mobile device and an elapsed time since determining the breach time interval;

upon the number of cell changes experienced by the mobile device reaching the minimum number of cell changes and the elapsed time being equal or greater than the breach time interval, running the first process on the first processor associated with the first geofence to update the set of results associated with the mobile device and the first geofence;

providing a second geofence client to the first processor, wherein the second geofence client specifies a second geofence and a second latency setting for breach notification of the second geofence larger than the first latency setting;

running a second process on the first processor associated with the second geofence, the second process to wake up a second processor in the mobile device in response to the set of results indicating a breach of the second geofence.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the mobile device further comprising a modem, the modem comprising the first processor, wherein the second processor is an application processor of the mobile device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the first process updating the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence at a rate depending on the first latency setting.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the second process to wake up the second processor in the mobile device in response to the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence indicating a second distance of the mobile device to the second geofence is greater than a threshold.