Geofence breach confidence

• US 9,451,402 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Srivastava, Aditya N., Sheshadri, Suhas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELNOUBI, SAID M
• Application Number:
  US13/723,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20130295970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 455/553.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 mobile device, comprising:

a set of receivers,

a modem having an integrated first processor,

a second processor, and

a memory communicatively coupled to the modem and configured to store instructions, that when executed by the first processor, perform a process comprising;

selecting a receiver from the set of receivers based upon a breach confidence setting;

selecting a time interval based upon the breach confidence setting;

identifying a component of a velocity vector in a direction of a geofence, wherein the velocity vector is a weighted sum of a set of velocity components estimated at a previous instance, the velocity vector has a direction of travel and a velocity magnitude in the direction of travel, and the component is a velocity magnitude in the direction of the geofence;

adjusting the time interval based on the component of the velocity vector;

obtaining location information from the selected receiver during the time interval;

calculating a position of the mobile device using the location information;

determining a breach of the geofence based upon the location information; and

waking up the second processor in response to the breach of the geofence.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising:

an application processor, wherein the application processor comprises the second processor.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the set of receivers comprises a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) receiver and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the process further comprises:

indexing into a table based upon the breach confidence setting to select the receiver and the time interval, wherein the table is stored in the memory.

5. A method for indicating a geofence breach by a mobile device, comprising:

providing a geofence client to a first processor integrated in a modem in the mobile device, wherein the geofence client specifies a breach confidence setting and the first processor is communicatively coupled to a memory;

selecting a receiver from a set of receivers in the mobile device based upon the breach confidence setting;

selecting a time interval based upon the breach confidence setting;

identifying a component of a velocity vector in a direction of a geofence, wherein the velocity vector is a weighted sum of a set of velocity components estimated at a previous instance, the velocity vector has a direction of travel and a velocity magnitude in the direction of travel, and the component is a velocity magnitude in the direction of the geofence;

adjusting the time interval based on the component of the velocity vector;

obtaining location information from the selected receiver during the time interval;

calculating a position of the mobile device using the location information;

determining a breach of the geofence based upon the location information; and

waking up a second processor in the mobile device in response to the breach of the geofence.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second processor is an application processor of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of receivers comprises a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) receiver and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

indexing into a table based upon the breach confidence setting to select the receiver and the time interval, wherein the table is stored in a memory of the mobile device.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein to cause a mobile device to execute a process comprising:

providing a geofence client to a first processor integrated in a modem in the mobile device, wherein the geofence client specifies a breach confidence setting and the first processor is communicatively coupled to a memory;

selecting a receiver from a set of receivers in the mobile device based upon the breach confidence setting;

selecting a time interval based upon the breach confidence setting;

identifying a component of a velocity vector in a direction of a geofence, wherein the velocity vector is a weighted sum of a set of velocity components estimated at a previous instance, the velocity vector has a direction of travel and a velocity magnitude in the direction of travel, and the component is a velocity magnitude in the direction of the geofence;

adjusting the time interval based on the component of the velocity vector;

obtaining location information from the selected receiver during the time interval;

calculating a position of the mobile device using the location information;

determining a breach of the geofence based upon the location information; and

waking up a second processor in the mobile device in response to the breach of the geofence.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the second processor is an application processor for the mobile device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the set of receivers comprises a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) receiver and a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the process further comprises:

indexing into a table based upon the breach confidence setting to select the receiver and the time interval, wherein the table is stored in a memory of the mobile device.