Mobile device power management while providing location services

• US 9,191,897 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Morrison, William James, Werner, Benjamin A., Czompo, Joseph, Ruuska, Vesa Veikko, Jia, Tao, Riley, Wyatt Thomas, Bhatia, Ashok
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tri H
• Application Number:
  US14/087,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20140286213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370254-258, 370310-350, 370400-401, 370431-437, 455431-466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The disclosure is related to managing power consumption of a user equipment (UE) while providing location services. An aspect determines whether a given sensor configuration of a plurality of sensor configurations minimizes power consumption of the UE, wherein a sensor configuration comprises a set of values for a set of one or more sensor parameters controllable by the UE, and, based upon the determining, sets the set of one or more sensor parameters to the given sensor configuration.

Claims

1. A method for managing power consumption of a user equipment (UE) while providing location services, comprising:

determining whether an accuracy of the location services is above a threshold for a given sensor configuration of a plurality of sensor configurations, wherein each sensor configuration of the plurality of sensor configurations comprises a set of values for a set of one or more sensor parameters controllable by the UE;

eliminating all sensor configurations of the plurality of sensor configurations that consume more power than the given sensor configuration based on the accuracy of the location services being above the threshold, and eliminating the given sensor configuration and all sensor configurations of the plurality of sensor configurations that cannot provide better positioning accuracy than the given sensor configuration based on the accuracy of the location services not being above the threshold; and

setting the set of one or more sensor parameters to minimize the power consumption of the UE based on the eliminating.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a list of the plurality of sensor configurations, wherein the plurality of sensor configurations comprise sensor configurations that have not been tested.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether more than one sensor configuration remains on the list of the plurality of sensor configurations; and

performing the determining based on more than one sensor configuration remaining on the list of the plurality of sensor configurations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensor configurations comprises the set of one or more sensor parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more sensor parameters comprises sensor parameters that influence power consumption of the UE.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each sensor configuration of the plurality of sensor configurations comprises a different set of values of the set of one or more sensor parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more sensor parameters comprises sensor parameters related to one or more motion sensors, a satellite positioning system receiver, and/or a wireless local area network transceiver.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether or not the UE can receive sensor data from a vehicle, and wherein the setting comprises disabling motion sensors resident on the UE and using the sensor data received from the vehicle to perform inertial navigation positioning techniques based on the UE being able to receive the sensor data from the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor data received from the vehicle comprises accelerometer data, gyroscope data, and/or odometer data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the setting the set of one or more sensor parameters causes the UE to disable the motion sensors resident on the UE and to use the sensor data received from the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether or not the UE is in a pedestrian mode, and wherein the setting comprises reducing a frequency of scanning for available local wireless networks based on the UE being in the pedestrian mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the setting the set of one or more sensor parameters causes the UE to reduce the frequency of scanning for available local wireless networks.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether an acceleration of the UE is below an acceleration threshold, and wherein the setting comprises disabling motion sensors resident on the UE other than an accelerometer based on the acceleration being below the acceleration threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the setting the set of one or more sensor parameters causes the UE to disable the motion sensors resident on the UE other than the accelerometer.

15. An apparatus for managing power consumption of a user equipment (UE) while providing location services, comprising:

logic configured to determine whether an accuracy of the location services is above a threshold for a given sensor configuration of a plurality of sensor configurations, wherein each sensor configuration of the plurality of sensor configurations comprises a set of values for a set of one or more sensor parameters controllable by the UE;

logic configured to eliminate all sensor configurations of the plurality of sensor configurations that consume more power than the given sensor configuration based on the accuracy of the location services being above the threshold, and to eliminate the given sensor configuration and all sensor configurations of the plurality of sensor configurations that cannot provide better positioning accuracy than the given sensor configuration based on the accuracy of the location services not being above the threshold; and

logic configured to set the set of one or more sensor parameters to minimize the power consumption of the UE based on the elimination.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

logic configured to generate a list of the plurality of sensor configurations, wherein the plurality of sensor configurations comprise sensor configurations that have not been tested.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not more than one sensor configuration remains on the list of the plurality of sensor configurations;

wherein the logic configured to determine whether the accuracy of the location services is above the threshold comprises logic configured to determine whether the accuracy of the location services is above the threshold based on more than one sensor configuration remaining on the list of the plurality of sensor configurations.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of sensor configurations comprises the set of one or more sensor parameters.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the set of one or more sensor parameters comprises sensor parameters related to one or more motion sensors, a satellite positioning system receiver, and/or a wireless local area network transceiver.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not the UE can receive sensor data from a vehicle,

wherein the logic configured to set comprises logic configured to disable motion sensors resident on the UE and to use the sensor data received from the vehicle to perform inertial navigation positioning techniques based on the UE being able to receive the sensor data from the vehicle.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the sensor data received from the vehicle comprises accelerometer data, gyroscope data, and/or odometer data.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the logic configured to set the set of one or more sensor parameters causes the UE to disable the motion sensors resident on the UE and to use the sensor data received from the vehicle.

23. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not the UE is in a pedestrian mode,

wherein the logic configured to set comprises logic configured to reduce a frequency of scanning for available local wireless networks based on the UE being in the pedestrian mode.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the logic configured to set the set of one or more sensor parameters causes the UE to reduce the frequency of scanning for available local wireless networks.

25. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not an acceleration of the UE is below an acceleration threshold,

wherein the logic configured to set comprises logic configured to disable motion sensors resident on the UE other than an accelerometer based on the acceleration being below the acceleration threshold.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the logic configured to set the set of one or more sensor parameters causes the UE to disable the motion sensors resident on the UE other than the accelerometer.

27. An apparatus for managing power consumption of a user equipment (UE) while providing location services, comprising:

means for determining whether an accuracy of the location services is above a threshold for a given sensor configuration of a plurality of sensor configurations, wherein each sensor configuration of the plurality of sensor configurations comprises a set of values for a set of one or more sensor parameters controllable by the UE;

means for eliminating all sensor configurations of the plurality of sensor configurations that consume more power than the given sensor configuration based on the accuracy of the location services being above the threshold, and for eliminating the given sensor configuration and all sensor configurations of the plurality of sensor configurations that cannot provide better positioning accuracy than the given sensor configuration based on the accuracy of the location services not being above the threshold; and

means for setting the set of one or more sensor parameters to minimize the power consumption of the UE based on the elimination.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for managing power consumption of a user equipment (UE) while providing location services, comprising:

at least one instruction to determine whether an accuracy of the location services is above a threshold for a given sensor configuration of a plurality of sensor configurations, wherein each sensor configuration of the plurality of sensor configurations comprises a set of values for a set of one or more sensor parameters controllable by the UE;

at least one instruction to eliminate all sensor configurations of the plurality of sensor configurations that consume more power than the given sensor configuration based on the accuracy of the location services being above the threshold, and to eliminate the given sensor configuration and all sensor configurations of the plurality of sensor configurations that cannot provide better positioning accuracy than the given sensor configuration based on the accuracy of the location services not being above the threshold; and

at least one instruction to set the set of one or more sensor parameters to minimize the power consumption of the UE based on the elimination.