Improving scalability and reliability of hardware geo-fencing with failover support

• US 9,258,677 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Saha, Sanjib, Gonzalez, Fernando, Hedrick, Shaun, Singh, Parmjeet, Gadre, Ashish, Gorgenyi, Frank, Inderhees, Mark, Schneider, Janet, Harper, Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, CONGVAN
• Application Number:
  US14/086,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20150141037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/461, 455/40.2, 455/414.24
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

Systems and methods disclosed herein may include tracking one or more geo-fences using a GNSS hardware processor within a computing device. The tracking may use at least one GNSS signal. State changes of the one or more geo-fences during the tracking may be saved in a shared state database. The shared state database may be shared between the GNSS hardware processor and an application processor within the computing device. Upon detecting a deterioration of the at least one GNSS signal, tracking the one or more geo-fences may be switched from using the GNSS hardware processor to using the application processor. After the switching, an initial state of each of the one or more geo-fences may be set by using states currently stored in the shared state database prior to the switching.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

tracking one or more geo-fences using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) hardware processor within a computing device, wherein;

the tracking uses at least one GNSS signal; and

state changes of the one or more geo-fences during the tracking are saved in a shared state database, the shared state database shared between the GNSS hardware processor and an application processor within the computing device; and

upon detecting inability by the GNSS hardware processor to determine location;

switching from tracking the one or more geo-fences using the GNSS hardware processor to tracking the one or more geo-fences using the application processor; and

after the switching, setting an initial state of each of the one or more geo-fences using states currently stored in the shared state database prior to the switching.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising identifying, at the computing device, the one or more geo-fences for tracking and wherein:

the GNSS signal comprises a GPS signal and the GNSS hardware processor comprises a GPS hardware processor operable to determine location using at least one GPS signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the identifying comprises at least one of:

retrieving the one or more geo-fences from storage; and

receiving the one or more geo-fences from at least one application executing on the computing device.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

detecting occurrence of at least one geo-fence event based on a location of the computing device in proximity to a selected one of the one or more geo-fences.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the at least one geo-fence event comprises a geo-fence enter event or a geo-fence exit event.

6. The method according to claim 4, comprising:

upon detecting the occurrence of the at least one geo-fence event, recording a state change in the shared state database for the selected one of the one or more geo-fences.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the state change comprises:

an entry state change indicating that a location of the computing device has moved from outside the selected one of the one or more geo-fences to inside the selected one of the one or more geo-fences; and

an exit state change indicating that a location of the computing device has moved from inside the selected one of the one or more geo-fences to outside the selected one of the one or more geo-fences.

8. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

monitoring, after the switching, condition of the at least one GNSS signal using the GNSS hardware processor.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the GNSS hardware processor is in a passive state during the monitoring.

10. The method according to claim 8, comprising:

upon detecting ability of the GNSS processor to determine location;

switching from tracking the one or more geo-fences using the application processor to tracking the one or more geo-fences using the GNSS hardware processor; and

after the switching, setting an initial state of each of the one or more geo-fences using the states currently stored in the shared state database prior to the switching.

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

saving the state changes of the one or more geo-fences during the tracking in the shared state database and in a secondary storage accessible by the computing device.

12. A computing device, comprising:

a GNSS hardware processor configured to track one or more geo-fences using at least one GNSS signal;

an application processor configured to take over tracking the one or more geo-fences upon deterioration of the at least one GNSS signal; and

a shared state database configured to store state changes of the one or more geo-fences during the tracking, wherein;

the shared state database is shared between the GNSS hardware processor and the application processor;

upon switching from tracking the one or more geo-fences using the GNSS hardware processor to tracking the one or more geo-fences using the application processor, the application processor being operable to set an initial state of each of the one or more geo-fences using states currently stored in the shared state database prior to the switching; and

upon detecting an improvement of the at least one GNSS signal;

switching back from tracking the one or more geo-fences using the application processor to tracking the one or more geo-fences using the GPS hardware processor; and

after the switching back, setting an initial state of each of the one or more geo-fences using the states currently stored in the shared state database prior to the switching back.

13. The computing device of claim 12, comprising:

at least one location determination module operable to determine location of the computing device in relation to the one or more geo-fences upon switching to tracking the one or more geo-fences using the application processor.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein:

the at least one location determination module is operable to determine the location of the computing device based on one or more of Wi-Fi signal positioning, network address positioning, and cellular signal positioning.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the GNSS hardware processor and the application processor are both configured to:

detect occurrence of at least one geo-fence event based on a location of the computing device in proximity to a selected one of the one or more geo-fences, wherein the at least one geo-fence event comprises a geo-fence enter event or a geo-fence exit event; and

upon detecting the occurrence of the at least one geo-fence event, record a state change in the shared state database for the selected one of the one or more geo-fences.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the state change comprises:

an entry state change indicating that a location of the computing device has moved from outside the selected one of the one or more geo-fences to inside the selected one of the one or more geo-fences; and

an exit state change indicating that a location of the computing device has moved from inside the selected one of the one or more geo-fences to outside the selected one of the one or more geo-fences.