Power efficient activation of a device movement sensor module

• US 9,429,657 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sidhu, Gursharan S., Agarwal, Sharad
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHUDY, ANGELINA M
• Application Number:
  US13/325,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20130158867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 701/472
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

The functionality described herein allows a user device to determine an appropriate juncture at which to initiate processing within a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) dead zone in an energy-efficient manner. In one implementation, the functionality employs a sensor management module for determining when to activate a device movement sensor module provided by a user device. When activated, the user device uses the device movement sensor module to perform any environment-specific processing, such as a dead-reckoning process for determining incremental positions within the venue. Further, in a crowd-sourcing application, the user device may report the incremental positions together with beacon information to remote processing functionality.

Claims

1. A method implemented by one or more processing devices, the method comprising:

identifying a first identified region based on a first distance of a current position of a user device from a venue, the first identified region being one of a plurality of regions with respective distances from the venue;

selecting a first probing technique associated with the first identified region, the selecting based in part on the first distance of the user device from the venue, wherein the first probing technique is not associated with a second identified region associated with the venue; and

performing the first probing technique while the user device is in the first identified region to determine a new current position of the user device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeatedly identifying other identified regions associated with subsequent current positions, selecting other probing techniques associated with the other identified regions, and performing the other probing techniques to determine the subsequent current positions until it is determined, based on the subsequent current positions, that the user device has reached the second identified region associated with the venue; and

turning on a device movement sensor module of the user device when it is determined that the user device has reached the second identified region associated with the venue.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising using at least a dead-reckoning technique within the venue to determine a series of positions that are traversed by the user device within the venue, based on output of the device movement sensor module.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

collecting information regarding the series of the positions determined by the dead-reckoning technique within the venue, together with beacon information associated with the series of the positions, to provide collected information; and

sending the collected information to remote processing functionality.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first probing technique comprises:

determining that functionality is invoked which assesses a position of the user device for a purpose that is unrelated to said probing, to provide an assessed position,

the assessed position comprising the new current position of the user device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first probing technique comprises:

determining that a user has checked in at a particular site; and

identifying a site position associated with the particular site, the new current position of the user device comprising the site position.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first probing technique comprises:

receiving beacon information associated with at least one wireless signal source;

comparing the beacon information with venue information associated with the venue to provide a comparison result; and

providing the new current position based on the comparison result.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first probing technique comprises:

determining the new current position from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS).

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a wireless signal transmitted by a short-range beacon; and

determining the current position of the user device based on a known position associated with the short-range beacon.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a frequency at which updated current positions are generated using the first probing technique, the updating depending on a current distance between the user device and the venue.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a frequency at which updated current positions are generated using the first probing technique, the updating depending on a manner in which the user device is moving.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving venue information associated with other venues; and

performing the method with respect to the other venues.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a quota, the quota defining an amount of work to be performed by the user device in association with one or more information collection sessions; and

terminating said performing of the first probing technique when an amount of work that has been performed meets the quota.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a battery level of the user device; and

terminating said performing of the first probing technique when the battery level is below a prescribed threshold.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inferring a state of the user device; and

terminating said performing of the first probing technique when the state indicates that the user device is not moving.

16. A user device comprising:

at least one processing device;

at least one movement sensor device; and

at least one storage device storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to;

receive venue information associated with at least one venue;

determine a current position of the user device using at least one probing technique;

determine, based on the current position, that the user device has reached a prescribed region associated with the at least one venue;

in response to the user device having reached the prescribed region, turn on the device at least one movement sensor device of the user device; and

activate a dead-reckoning technique to generate subsequent positions using the at least one movement sensor device.

17. The user device of claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the at least one processing device to:

receive a quota, the quota defining an amount of work to be performed by the user device in association with one or more information collection sessions; and

provide collected information to remote processing functionality based on the subsequent positions generated by the dead-reckoning technique, providing that a current amount of work that has been performed is below the quota.

18. A computer readable memory device or storage device storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform acts comprising:

determining a venue to assign to an individual user device, the venue corresponding to a region in which the individual user device is asked to provide collected information, the collected information comprising positions in association with beacon information;

determining a quota for the individual user device, the quota defining an amount of work that the individual user device is allowed to perform in collecting the collected information;

sending venue information and a description of the quota to the individual user device, the venue information reflecting the venue assigned to the individual user device; and

receiving the collected information from the individual user device, the collected information being collected by the individual user device within the venue.

19. The computer readable memory device or storage device of claim 18, the acts further comprising defining at least one characteristic of the venue information associated with the venue, based on crowd-sourced collected information received from the individual user device and at least one other user device.

20. The computer readable memory device or storage device of claim 18, the acts further comprising conferring at least one reward to a user associated with the individual user device in response to receipt of the collected information from the individual user device, indicating that the individual user device has entered the venue assigned to the individual user device.