Techniques for determining movements based on sensor measurements from a plurality of mobile devices co-located with a person

• US 9,497,592 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Venkatraman, Sai Pradeep, Gao, Weihua, Werner, Benjamin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Minjung
• Application Number:
  US14/323,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20160007158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/16 by integrating acceleration or speed, i.e. inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Example techniques are provided that may be implemented, at least in part, at a mobile device to determine certain parameters corresponding to movement of an object that is co-located with the mobile device and at least one other mobile device. In an example implementation, a mobile device may obtain measurements corresponding to sensors of a plurality of mobile devices co-located on an object, and determine at least one of an estimated speed of the object, an estimated heading of the object, or an estimated heading rate of the object based, at least in part, on all or a selected subset of the sensor measurements which are accepted for use.

Claims

1. A method comprising, at a mobile device:

obtaining a first indication of battery life from a first battery located in said mobile device;

obtaining a second indication of battery life from a second battery located in a wearable electronic device that is detached from said mobile device; and

requesting either first measurements from a first sensor located in said mobile device, or second measurements from a second sensor located in said wearable electronic device, wherein

at least partially in response to determining that said first battery has a longer remaining battery life than said second battery, requesting only said first measurements from said first sensor, or

at least partially in response to determining that said second battery has a longer remaining battery life than said first second battery, requesting only said second measurements from said second sensor.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising, with said mobile device:

transmitting one or more instructions to said wearable electronic device to turn off the second sensor, based, at least in part, on said second indication of battery life.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising, with said mobile device:

determining that the second indication of battery life is sufficient, based at least in part on the second indication of battery life exceeding a battery life threshold.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising, with said mobile device:

obtaining a first indication of remaining operating time, wherein the first indication of remaining operating time is for said mobile device; and

obtaining a second indication of remaining operating time, wherein the second indication of remaining operating time is for said wearable electronic device,

wherein requesting either said first measurements or said second measurements for use further comprises requesting either said first measurements or said second measurements based, at least in part, on said first indication of remaining operating time and said second indication of remaining operating time.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first sensor or the second sensor comprises an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising estimating a speed of an object initially co-located with said mobile device and said wearable electronic device, a heading of said object, or an estimated heading rate of said object.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining a gravity vector from said first measurements or from said second measurements.

8. A mobile device comprising:

a first sensor;

a first battery;

a wireless receiver; and

a processing unit configured to;

obtain a first indication of battery life of said first battery;

obtain, via said wireless receiver, a second indication of battery life from a second battery located in a wearable electronic device that is detached from said mobile device; and

request either first measurements from said first sensor or second measurements from a second sensor located in said wearable electronic device, wherein

at least partially in response to a determination that said first battery has a longer remaining battery life than said second battery, request only said first measurements from said first sensor, or

at least partially in response to a determination that said second battery has a longer remaining battery life than said first second battery, request only said second measurements from said second sensor.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein said first sensor comprises at least a first accelerometer or a first gyroscope.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, further comprising a transmitter to transmit one or more instructions to said wearable electronic device to turn off the second sensor, based, at least in part, on said second indication of battery life.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein said processing unit is further configured to determine that the second indication of battery life is sufficient, based at least in part on the second indication of battery life exceeding a battery life threshold.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein said processing unit is to further:

process an obtained first indication of remaining operating time, wherein the first indication of remaining operating time is for said mobile device; and

process an obtained second indication of remaining operating time, wherein the second indication of remaining operating time is for said wearable electronic device,

wherein requesting either said first measurements or said second measurements for use further comprises requesting either said first measurements or said second measurements based, at least in part, on said first indication of remaining operating time and said second indication of remaining operating time.

13. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein said processing unit is to further estimate a speed of an object initially co-located with said mobile device and said wearable electronic device, a heading of said object, or an estimated heading rate of said object.

14. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein said processing unit is to further determine a gravity vector from said first measurements or from said second measurements.

15. A computer readable medium comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein computer implementable instructions executable by a processing unit of a mobile device to:

process a first indication of battery life obtained from a first battery located in said mobile device;

process a second indication of battery life obtained from a second battery located in a wearable electronic device that is detached from said mobile device; and

request either first measurements from a first sensor located in said mobile device, or second measurements from a second sensor located in said wearable electronic device, for use, wherein

at least partially in response to a determination that said first battery has s a longer remaining battery life than said second battery, request only said first measurements from said first sensor, or

at least partially in response to a determination that said second battery has a longer remaining battery life than said first second battery, request only said second measurements from said second sensor.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein said computer readable instructions are further executable by said processing unit to initiate transmission of one or more instructions to said wearable electronic device to turn off the second sensor, based, at least in part, on said second indication of battery life.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein said computer readable instructions are further executable by said processing unit to determine whether the second indication of battery life is sufficient, based at least in part on the second indication of battery life exceeding a battery life threshold.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein said computer readable instructions are further executable by said processing unit to:

process an obtained first indication of remaining operating time, wherein the first indication of remaining operating time is for said mobile device; and

process an obtained second indication of remaining operating time, wherein the second indication of remaining operating time is for said wearable electronic device,

wherein requesting either said first measurements or said second measurements for use further comprises requesting either said first measurements or said second measurements based, at least in part, on said first indication of remaining operating time and said second indication of remaining operating time.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first sensor or the second sensor comprises an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein said computer readable instructions are further executable by said processing unit to estimate a speed of an object initially co-located with said mobile device and said wearable electronic device, a heading of said object, or an estimated heading rate of said object.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein said computer readable instructions are further executable by said processing unit to determine a gravity vector from said first measurements or from said second measurements.

22. An apparatus for use in a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining a first indication of battery life from a first battery located in said mobile device;

means for obtaining a second indication of battery life from a second battery located in a wearable electronic device that is detached from said mobile device; and

means for requesting either first measurements from a first sensor located in said mobile device, or second measurements from a second sensor located in said wearable electronic device, wherein

at least partially in response to a determination that said first battery has a longer remaining battery life than said second battery, requesting only said first measurements from said first sensor, or

at least partially in response to a determination that said second battery has a longer remaining battery life than said first second battery, requesting only said second measurements from said second sensor.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for initiating transmission of one or more instructions to said wearable electronic device to turn off the second sensor, based, at least in part, on said second indication of battery life.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for determining whether the second indication of battery life is sufficient, based at least in part on the second indication of battery life exceeding a battery life threshold.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for processing an obtained first indication of remaining operating time, wherein the first indication of remaining operating time is for said mobile device; and

means for processing an obtained second indication of remaining operating time, wherein the second indication of remaining operating time is for said wearable electronic device,

wherein requesting either said first measurements or said second measurements for use further comprises requesting either said first measurements or said second measurements based, at least in part, on said first indication of remaining operating time and said second indication of remaining operating time.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein at least one of the first sensor or the second sensor comprises an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for estimating a speed of an object initially co-located with said mobile device and said wearable electronic device, a heading of said object, or an estimated heading rate of said object.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for determining a gravity vector said first measurements or from said second measurements.