User equipment near-field communications gating according to kinetic speed detection and cell visitation history

• US 9,635,494 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brisebois, Arthur Richard, Cui, Zhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US14/520,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412, 455 76, 4555521
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are described herein for user equipment (“UE”) near-field communications (“NFC”) gating according to kinetic speed detection and cell visitation history. According to one aspect disclosed herein, a mobile initiator device, such as a UE that includes an NFC hardware component, can determine a mobility state of the mobile initiator device. The mobile initiator device can control, based upon the mobility state, activation of a radio frequency field that is used to activate a passive NFC device. In this manner, detection of the passive NFC device and battery efficiency can each be maximized when appropriate.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a mobile initiator device comprising a processor, a physical cell identifier of a camping cell site upon which the mobile initiator device is camping;

determining, by the mobile initiator device, based upon the physical cell identifier, whether at least one passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site;

when the at least one passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site, activating, by the mobile initiator device, via a near-field communication hardware component of the mobile initiator device, a radio frequency field in accordance with a first radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of the at least one passive near-field communication device;

when no passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site

determining, by the mobile initiator device, a mobility state of the mobile initiator device; and

controlling, by the mobile initiator device, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field that is used to activate a passive near-field communications device so that activation of the radio frequency field is either in accordance with a second radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device or the first radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of any passive near-field communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining, by the mobile initiator device, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, by the mobile initiator device, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a pedestrian mobility state; and

controlling, by the mobile initiator device, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, by the mobile initiator device, based upon the pedestrian mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the first radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of the passive near-field communications device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

determining, by the mobile initiator device, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, by the mobile initiator device, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a vehicular mobility state;

and

controlling, by the mobile initiator device, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, by the mobile initiator device, based upon the vehicular mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the first radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining, by the mobile initiator device, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, by the mobile initiator device, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a stationary mobility state; and

controlling, by the mobile initiator device, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, by the mobile initiator device, based upon the stationary mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the first radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the mobile initiator device, a change from the mobility state to a new mobility state; and

in response to detecting the change from the mobility state to the new mobility state, activating, by the mobile initiator device, the radio frequency field for a specified time.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile initiator device, a response from the passive near-field communications device;

and

associating, by the mobile initiator device, the physical cell identifier with the passive near-field communications device in a cell visitation history storage.

7. A mobile initiator device comprising:

a mobility state determination hardware component;

a near-field communications hardware component;

a processor; and

a memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising

determining a physical cell identifier of a camping cell site upon which the mobile initiator device is camping,

determining, based upon the physical cell identifier, whether at least one passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site,

when the at least one passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site, activating, via the near-field communication hardware component, a radio frequency field in accordance with a first radio frequency duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of the at least one passive near-field communication device,

when no passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site

determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, a mobility state of the mobile initiator device, and

controlling, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate at least one passive near-field communications device so that activation of the radio frequency field is either in accordance with a second radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device or the first radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of any passive near-field communications device.

8. The mobile initiator device of claim 7, wherein:

determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a pedestrian mobility state; and

controlling, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, based upon the pedestrian mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that the activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of the passive near-field communications device.

9. The mobile initiator device of claim 7, wherein:

determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a vehicular mobility state; and

controlling, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, based upon the vehicular mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that the activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device.

10. The mobile initiator device of claim 7, wherein:

determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a stationary mobility state; and

controlling, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, based upon the stationary mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that the activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device.

11. The mobile initiator device of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting, via the mobility state determination hardware component, a change from the mobility state to a new mobility state; and

in response to detecting the change from the mobility state to the new mobility state, activating, via the near-field communications hardware component, the radio frequency field for a specified time.

12. The mobile initiator device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the near-field communications hardware component, a response from a passive near-field communications device;

and

associating the physical cell identifier with the passive near-field communications device in a cell visitation history storage.

13. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a mobile initiator device, cause the mobile initiator device to perform operations comprising:

determining a physical cell identifier of a camping cell site upon which the mobile initiator device is camping;

determining, based upon the physical cell identifier, whether at least one passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site;

when the at least one passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site, activating, via the near-field communication hardware component, a radio frequency field in accordance with a first radio frequency duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of the at least one passive near-field communication device;

when no passive near-field communication device is available in the camping cell site

determining, via a mobility state determination hardware component of the mobile initiator device, a mobility state of the mobile initiator device; and

controlling, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via a near-field communications hardware component of the mobile initiator device, that is used to activate a passive near-field communications device so that activation of the radio frequency field is either in accordance with a second radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device or the first radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of any passive near-field communications device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a pedestrian mobility state; and

controlling, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, based upon the pedestrian mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that the activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize detection success of the passive near-field communications device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a vehicular mobility state; and

controlling, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, based upon the vehicular mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that the activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device comprises determining, via the mobility state determination hardware component, the mobility state of the mobile initiator device to be a stationary mobility state; and

controlling, based upon the mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field, via the near-field communications hardware component, that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device comprises controlling, based upon the stationary mobility state, activation of the radio frequency field that is used to activate the passive near-field communications device so that the activation of the radio frequency field is in accordance with the radio frequency field duty cycle designed to maximize battery efficiency of the mobile initiator device.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting, via the mobility state determination hardware component, a change from the mobility state to a new mobility state;

in response to detecting the change from the mobility state to the new mobility state, activating, via the near-field communications hardware component, the radio frequency field for a specified time;

receiving, via the near-field communications hardware component, a response from a passive near-field communications device;

and

associating the physical cell identifier with the passive near-field communications device in a cell visitation history storage.