Location watching

• US 9,631,931 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Shen, Guo Bin, Zhang, Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Harry
• Application Number:
  US14/257,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20140288826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 701518
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Techniques for watching a location of a device with respect to a destination target include obtaining a current location of a device from a localization operation, calculating an interval, and performing a next localization operation after the interval has expired. The interval may be calculated based on a velocity and a distance from the current location to a destination target. The techniques may also include calculating a displacement distance from the current location and adjusting the interval based on the displacement distance to thereby adjust a time for performing the next localization operation. The techniques may include performing state detection to determine a motion state of the device and performing the next localization operation based on the determined motion state.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

performing a localization operation to identify a location of a device, the localization operation including at least one of satellite-based localization, cellular-based localization, or wireless access point-based localization;

detecting an end of an interval, the interval being defined by a period of time determined based at least in part on a distance from the location of the device to a destination target and at least one of a motion state or a velocity of the device; and

in response to detecting the end of the interval, performing a next localization operation to identify a new location of the device.

2. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise:

calculating the interval based at least in part on the distance from the location of the device to the destination target and the velocity of the device; and

setting the device to at least one of a sleep mode or a suspended mode for the period of time defining the interval; and

wherein the next localization operation is performed after the device has awakened from at least one of the sleep mode or the suspended mode.

3. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 2, wherein the acts further comprise:

after the device has awakened from at least one of the sleep mode or the suspended mode and before the next localization operation is performed;

determining that the device has moved less than at least one of a threshold distance or a threshold time; and

setting the device to at least one of the sleep mode or the suspended mode again based at least in part on the determination that the device has moved less than the at least one of the threshold distance or the threshold time.

4. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 3, wherein the determination that the device has moved less than the at least one of the threshold distance or the threshold time is based at least in part on a number of common communication points from among (i) one or more communication points that provide communication coverage for the location of the device and (ii) one or more communication points that provide communication coverage for a location to where the device has moved.

5. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 2, wherein the acts further comprise:

after the device has awakened from at least one of the sleep mode or the suspended mode;

determining that the device has moved more than at least one of a threshold distance or a threshold time;

wherein the next localization operation is performed in response to the determination that the device has moved more than the at least one of the threshold distance or the threshold time.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise:

in response to performing the next localization operation;

determining that the device is within a predetermined proximity to the destination target; and

providing a notification that the device is within the predetermined proximity to the destination target.

7. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a device, a current location of the device by performing a localization operation, the localization operation including at least one of satellite-based localization, cellular-based localization, or wireless access point-based localization;

calculating, by the device, an interval based on at least one of a motion state of the device or a velocity of the device and a distance from the current location to a destination target, the interval defining a period for performing a next localization operation; and

performing the next localization operation based at least in part on an end of the interval.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

calculating, after the interval has expired, a displacement distance by estimating a displacement from the current location;

determining that the displacement distance is less than a displacement threshold; and

adjusting the interval in proportion to the displacement distance in response to the determination that the displacement distance is less than the displacement threshold; and

wherein the next localization operation is performed based at least in part on the adjusted interval.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

comparing the adjusted interval to an adjusted-interval threshold;

determining that the adjusted interval is less than the adjusted-interval threshold; and

in response to the determination that adjusted interval is less than the adjusted-interval threshold, performing state detection to determine a motion state of the device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

comparing the adjusted interval to an adjusted-interval threshold;

determining that the adjusted interval is greater than the adjusted-interval threshold; and

setting the device to at least one of a sleep mode or a suspended mode in response to the determination that the adjusted interval is greater than the adjusted-interval threshold.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

obtaining a first cell reading corresponding to a first plurality of cell towers, the first cell reading being associated with the current location;

obtaining a second cell reading corresponding to a second plurality of cell towers;

comparing the first cell reading and the second cell reading to determine whether the first plurality of cell towers and the second plurality of cell towers include any common cell towers; and

calculating a displacement distance based on the determination.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the displacement distance is calculated based at least in part on a number of the common cell towers, the displacement distance being a first distance when the number of common cell towers is a first number, the displacement distance being a second distance when the number of common cell towers is a second number, the first number being less than the second number, and the first distance being greater than the second distance.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that the displacement distance is less than a displacement threshold; and

extending the interval in response to the determination that the displacement distance is less than the displacement threshold.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that the displacement distance is greater than a displacement threshold,

wherein the next localization operation is performed in response to the determination that the displacement distance is greater than the displacement threshold.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory, communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, storing one or more components configured to;

identify a distance between a current location of a computing device and a destination target;

identify at least one of a motion state of the computing device or a velocity of the computing device;

calculate an interval based at least in part on the distance between the current location and the destination target and at least one of the motion state of the computing device or the velocity of the computing device, the interval defining a period of time;

detect an end of the interval; and

in response to detecting the end of the interval, cause a localization operation to be performed, the localization operation determining a new current location.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more components are further configured to:

obtain first wireless access point data corresponding to a first plurality of wireless access points, the first wireless access point data being associated with the current location;

obtain second wireless access point data corresponding to a second plurality of wireless access points; and

compare the first and second wireless access point data to determine whether the first plurality of wireless access points and the second plurality of wireless access points include any common wireless access points; and

wherein the localization operation is performed based at least in part on the determination.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the causing the localization operation to be performed includes calculating an interval based at least in part on the distance between the current location and the destination target, the interval defining a sampling period for performing the localization operation.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the causing the localization operation to be performed includes comparing the interval to an interval threshold and determining that the interval is less than the interval threshold;

and

wherein the one or more components are further configured to, in response to the determination that the interval is less than the interval threshold, perform state detection to determine a motion state.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the state detection determines that the motion state is a moving state; and

the localization operation is performed in response to the determination that the motion state is the moving state.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the state detection determines that the motion state is a still state; and

the one or more components are further configured to repeat state detection in response to determining that the motion state is the still state.