Mobile device in-motion proximity guidance system

• US 9,674,664 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2016
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Laursen, Damon Gene, Yocam, Eric W.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US15/140,705
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 4554122, 345473, 340435, 701 45
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• 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 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

This disclosure describes an in-motion proximity guidance system that may alert a mobile device user of a likelihood that a projected pathway of an in-motion mobile device will intersect with a projected pathway of another in-motion mobile device or a location of a stationary object. The in-motion proximity guidance may further trigger visual and/or audible alerts to indicate an imminent collision. These alerts may be emitted from the in-motion mobile devices or stationary sensor devices physically coupled to stationary objects. Further, the in-motion proximity guidance system may transmit a corrective action to a collision avoidance system of a vehicle that is communicatively coupled to a mobile device in order to reduce a likelihood of an imminent collision. The in-motion proximity guidance system may also interact with a smart traffic light system, such that a sequence of traffic light indications may be altered to avoid an imminent collision between vehicles.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a sensor that detects a movement of the mobile device;

a processor coupled to the sensor;

memory coupled to the processor, the memory including modules that are executable by the processor to;

receive, from the sensor, sensor data indicating a location and a velocity of the mobile device;

process the sensor data to determine a projected pathway of the mobile device for a predetermined time interval;

transmit, to a server, the sensor data;

receive, from the server, a data packet that includes an alert projecting that at a second point in time, a distance between the mobile device and an additional device falls below a predetermined distance threshold;

determine that the mobile device is located within a moving vehicle, based at least in part on the sensor data; and

establish a communicative connection between the mobile device and a collision avoidance system associated with the moving vehicle,

wherein the data packet received from the server further includes a signal that causes the collision avoidance system to reduce a speed of the moving vehicle by a predetermined amount that is sufficient to reduce a likelihood that, at the second point in time, the distance between the mobile device and the additional device is to be below the predetermined distance threshold.

2. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the alert comprises at least one of a visual alert that displays on a user interface of the mobile device, an audible alert that is transmitted via a speaker of the mobile device, or a haptic alert that is transmitted through a vibration of the mobile device.

3. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional device is physically coupled to a misplaced item, and wherein the one or more modules are further executable by the one or more processors to:

transmit, via a user interface of the mobile device and to the server, a request to locate the misplaced item,

wherein to receive, from the server, the data packet that includes the alert is based at least in part on the request.

4. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional device is physically coupled to a fixture, and wherein the one or more modules are further executable by the one or more processors to:

transmit, to the additional device, a signal that causes an activation of at least one of a visual alert on the additional device or an audible alert on the additional device, the visual alert and the audible alert identifying a location of the fixture.

5. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein to receive the sensor data indicating the location and the velocity of the mobile device is based at least in part on a detection of a user interaction with a user interface of the mobile device, or a determination that the velocity of the mobile device is greater than a predetermined velocity threshold.

6. The mobile device as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a barometer, a proximity sensor, a digital camera, and a global position system (GPS) sensor.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile device, from a sensor of the mobile device, sensor data indicating a location and a velocity of the mobile device;

processing, by the mobile device, the sensor data to determine a projected pathway of the mobile device for a predetermined time interval;

transmitting, by the mobile device, to a server, the sensor data;

receiving, by the mobile device, from the server, a data packet that includes an alert projecting that at a second point in time, a distance between the mobile device and an additional device falls below a predetermined distance threshold;

determining, by the mobile device, that the mobile device is located within a moving vehicle, based at least in part on the sensor data; and

establishing, by the mobile device, a communicative connection between the mobile device and a collision avoidance system associated with the moving vehicle,

wherein the data packet received from the server further includes a signal that causes the collision avoidance system to reduce a speed of the moving vehicle by a predetermined amount that is sufficient to reduce a likelihood that, at the second point in time, the distance between the mobile device and the additional device is to be below the predetermined distance threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the alert comprises at least one of a visual alert that displays on a user interface of the mobile device, an audible alert that is transmitted via a speaker of the mobile device, or a haptic alert that is transmitted through a vibration of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting, via a user interface of the mobile device and to the server, a request to locate a misplaced item that is physically coupled to the additional device,

wherein receiving the data packet is based at least in part on the request to locate the misplaced item.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting, to the additional device, a signal that causes an activation of at least one of a visual alert on the additional device or an audible alert on the additional device, the visual alert and the audible alert identifying a location of a fixture that is physically coupled to the additional device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving the sensor is based at least in part on a detection of a user interaction with a user interface of the mobile device, or a determination that the velocity of the mobile device is greater than a predetermined velocity threshold.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a barometer, a proximity sensor, a digital camera, and a global position system (GPS) sensor.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions for programming a mobile device that, when executed by the mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

receiving from a sensor of the mobile device, sensor data indicating a location and a velocity of the mobile device;

processing the sensor data to determine a projected pathway of the mobile device for a predetermined time interval;

transmitting, to a server, the sensor data;

receiving, from the server, a data packet that includes an alert projecting that at a second point in time, a distance between the mobile device and an additional device falls below a predetermined distance threshold;

determining that the mobile device is located within a moving vehicle, based at least in part on the sensor data; and

establishing a communicative connection between the mobile device and a collision avoidance system associated with the moving vehicle,

wherein the data packet received from the server further includes a signal that causes the collision avoidance system to reduce a speed of the moving vehicle by a predetermined amount that is sufficient to reduce a likelihood that, at the second point in time, the distance between the mobile device and the additional device is to be below the predetermined distance threshold.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the alert comprises at least one of a visual alert that displays on a user interface of the mobile device, an audible alert that is transmitted via a speaker of the mobile device, or a haptic alert that is transmitted through a vibration of the mobile device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising transmitting, via a user interface of the mobile device and to the server, a request to locate a misplaced item that is physically coupled to the additional device,

wherein receiving the data packet is based at least in part on the request to locate the misplaced item.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising transmitting, to the additional device, a signal that causes an activation of at least one of a visual alert on the additional device or an audible alert on the additional device, the visual alert and the audible alert identifying a location of a fixture that is physically coupled to the additional device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein receiving the sensor is based at least in part on a detection of a user interaction with a user interface of the mobile device, or a determination that the velocity of the mobile device is greater than a predetermined velocity threshold.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a barometer, a proximity sensor, a digital camera, and a global position system (GPS) sensor.