Control of activation of location-related sensors of a mobile device

• US 9,167,529 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2012
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Blane J
• Application Number:
  US13/907,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20130324196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 871 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/574
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/00 Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/00 Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units program control for peripheral devices G06F13/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• 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 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatuses for selecting which of a plurality of sensors to use for location detection of a mobile device are disclosed. One method includes activating lowest-power location-related sensors of the mobile device at power up of a mobile device, and activating medium-power location-related sensors of the mobile device upon detection of motion of the mobile device and/or a change in a wireless connection to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

one or more lowest-power location-related sensors;

one or more medium-power location-related sensors; and

a controller operative to;

activate at least one of the lowest-power location-related sensors of a low power state of the mobile device at power up of the mobile device, wherein the lowest-power location-related sensors include motion sensors;

activate medium-power location-related sensors of a medium-power state of the mobile device upon detection of a change in a wireless connection to the mobile device;

activate at least one highest-power location-related sensors of a high-power state of the mobile device upon detection of sensed signals of the lowest-power sensors and signals of the medium-power sensors exceeding predetermined thresholds, and deactivate the highest-power location-related sensors upon detection of motion of the mobile device of less than a threshold;

wherein at least one of the medium-power location-related sensors or high-power location-related sensors include a lowest-power location-related sensor operating with a sampling rate that is greater than a threshold;

wherein

the mobile device is operable to transition to the low-power state from the medium-power state, and operable to transition to the low-power state from the high-power state, and operable to transition to the medium-power state from both the low-power state and the high power state.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein activating the medium-power location-related sensors of the mobile device further includes detection of a change in motion of the mobile device.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, further comprising upon detection of motion of the mobile device or a change in a cell tower identification, the controller operative to switch from system sleeping mode to system waking up mode for timer-based running tasks used in sensing medium-power sensors.

4. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein detection of motion comprises the motion sensors generating sensed motion signals greater than a threshold.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the change in the wireless connection comprises a change in a cell tower identification.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the change in the wireless connection comprises a change in a wireless access point (WAP) connection.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the change in a wireless access point (WAP) connection comprises at least one of the mobile device obtaining a WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) connection, the mobile device losing a WiFi connection, or the mobile device changing from one WiFi connection to another WiFi connection.

8. The mobile device of claim 6, further comprising a wireless transceiver, wherein the change of cell tower identification indicates that the mobile device has changed cell towers in which the transceiver of the mobile device is receiving wireless signals.

9. The mobile device of claim 1, 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 medium-power state to the low-power state.

10. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the lowest-power location-related sensors further comprise mobile cell tower identifiers.

11. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the medium-power location-related sensor comprise WiFi network location listener processing or WiFi access point signal detection processing.

12. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the highest-power location-related sensors comprise GPS sensors.

13. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein a POI (point of interest) or place determination of a user of the mobile device influences activation of the lowest-power location-related sensors, the medium-power location-related sensors, and the high-power location-related sensors.

14. A method of selecting which of a plurality of sensors to use for location detection, comprising:

activating lowest-power location-related sensors of a low power state of a mobile device at power up of the mobile device, wherein the lowest-power location-related sensors include motion sensors;

activating medium-power location-related sensors of a medium-power state of the mobile device upon detection of a change in a wireless connection to the mobile device;

activating at least one highest-power location-related sensors of the mobile device of a high-power state upon detection of sensed signals of the lowest-power sensors and signals of the medium-power sensors exceeding predetermined thresholds, and deactivate the highest-power location-related sensors upon detection of motion of the mobile device of less than a threshold;

wherein at least one of the medium-power location-related sensors or high-power location-related sensors include a lowest-power location-related sensor operating with a sampling rate that is greater than a threshold;

wherein

the mobile device is operable to transition to the low-power state from the medium-power state, and operable to transition to the low-power state from the high-power state, and operable to transition to the medium-power state from both the low-power state and the high power state.

15. The method of claim 14, 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 medium-power state to the low-power state.

16. A wireless location system, comprising:

an upstream server;

a mobile device electronically connected to the upstream server, the mobile device, comprising;

a controller;

one or more lowest-power location-related sensors;

one or more medium-power location-related sensors;

one or more highest-power sensors;

wherein

at least one of the upstream server and the controller are operative to;

activate at least one of the lowest-power location-related sensors of a low power state of the mobile device at power up of the mobile device, wherein the lowest-power location-related sensors include motion sensors;

activate medium-power location-related sensors of a medium-power state of the mobile device upon detection of a change in a wireless connection to the mobile device;

activate at least one highest-power location-related sensors of the mobile device of a high-power state upon detection of sensed signals of the lowest-power location-related sensors and signals of the location-related medium-power sensors exceeding predetermined thresholds, and deactivate the highest-power location-related sensors upon detection of motion of the mobile device of less than a threshold;

wherein at least one of the medium-power location-related sensors or high-power location-related sensors include a lowest-power location-related sensor operating with a sampling rate that is greater than a threshold;

wherein

the mobile device is operable to transition to the low-power state from the medium-power state, and operable to transition to the low-power state from the high-power state, and operable to transition to the medium-power state from both the low-power state and the high power state.

17. The system of claim 16, 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 medium-power state to the low-power state.

18. A wireless location system, comprising:

an upstream server;

a mobile device electronically connected to the upstream server, the mobile device, comprising;

a controller;

one or more lowest-power location-related sensors;

one or more medium-power location-related sensors;

one or more highest-power sensors;

wherein

at least one of the upstream server and the controller are operative to;

activate at least one of the lowest-power location-related sensors of a low power state of the mobile device at power up of the mobile device, wherein the lowest-power location-related sensors include motion sensors;

activate medium-power location-related sensors of a medium-power state of the mobile device upon detection of a detection of a change in motion of the mobile device;

activate at least one highest-power location-related sensors of the mobile device of a high-power state upon detection of sensed signals of the lowest-power sensors and signals of the medium-power sensors exceeding predetermined thresholds, and deactivate the highest-power location-related sensors upon detection of motion of the mobile device of less than a threshold;

wherein at least one of the medium-power location-related sensors or high-power location-related sensors include a lowest-power location-related sensor operating with a sampling rate that is greater than a threshold;

wherein

the mobile device is operable to transition to the low-power state from the medium-power state, and operable to transition to the low-power state from the high-power state, and operable to transition to the medium-power state from both the low-power state and the high power state.