Reactive hybrid location determination method and apparatus

• US 9,989,621 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2016
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluedot Innovation Pty Ltd. (Bluedot Innovation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bluedot Innovation Pty Ltd. (Bluedot Innovation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eldic, Filip
• Primary Examiner(s): AYOTUNDE, AYODEJI O
• Application Number:
  US15/379,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20170090008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 342458, 4554142, 4554561
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/396 Determining accuracy or reliability of position or pseudorange measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/01 Determining conditions which influence positioning, e.g. radio environment, state of motion or energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/019 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0244 Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method is described of using the mobile device so as to control the drain of power from the power source of the mobile device, the mobile device having at least two location determination techniques having respective power drain characteristics, the method includes selecting the location determination technique having a lower power drain characteristic the greater the determined distance of the mobile device from a predetermined location or area, and selecting the location determination technique having the greater power drain characteristic the smaller the determined distance of the mobile device from a predetermined location or area. The method thus uses the least accurate technique when furthest away and the most accurate technique when closer to a predetermined location or area.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location of a device using a plurality of location determination techniques available to the device, the method comprising:

determining, by a mobile device, a location of the mobile device using a first location determination technique having a first accuracy of determination;

determining, by the mobile device, a distance from the determined location to a predetermined location;

adjusting, by the mobile device, the determined distance by a marginal distance;

determining, by the mobile device, a travel speed of the mobile device;

determining, by the mobile device, a first error distance based on the first location determination technique and the travel speed;

determining, by the mobile device, responsive to the adjusted distance being less than the first error distance, an additional location of the mobile device using a second location determination technique having a second accuracy of determination, the second location determination technique consuming more power of the mobile device than the first location determination technique and the second accuracy of determination greater than the first accuracy of determination; and

determining, by the mobile device, responsive to the adjusted distance being greater than a third error distance, an additional location of the mobile device using a third location determination technique having a third accuracy of determination, the third location determination technique consuming less power of the mobile device than the first location determination technique and the third accuracy of determination less than the first accuracy of determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein location of the mobile device is determined according to a first frequency using the first location determination technique, and the method further comprises:

determining, responsive to the adjusted distance being less than the first error distance, location of the mobile device according to a second frequency using the second location determination technique, the second frequency greater than the first frequency; and

determining, responsive to the adjusted distance being greater than the third error distance, location of the mobile device according to a third frequency using the third location determination technique, the third frequency less than the first frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first location determination technique has been used for a predetermined period of time;

determining, responsive to the adjusted distance being greater than the third error distance and determining that the first location determination technique has not been used for the predetermined period of time, the additional location of the mobile device using the first location determination technique; and

determining, responsive to the adjusted distance being greater than the third error distance and determining that the first location determination technique has been used for the predetermined period of time, the additional location of the mobile device using the third location determination technique.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

increasing the first error distance in response to the travel speed of the mobile device increasing.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decreasing the first error distance in response to the travel speed of the mobile device decreasing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first error distance is determined based on whether the mobile device is traveling towards or away from the predetermined location.

7. A method comprising:

determining, by a mobile device, a location of the mobile device using a first location determination technique having first power drain characteristics and a first accuracy of determination;

determining, by the mobile device, a distance based on the determined location and a predetermined location;

determining, by the mobile device, a travel speed of the mobile device;

determining, by the mobile device, a first error distance based on the first location determination technique and the travel speed; and

determining, by the mobile device responsive to the determined distance and the first error distance, an additional location of the mobile device using a second location determination technique having second power drain characteristics different than the first power drain characteristics and a second accuracy of determination different than the first accuracy of determination.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, responsive to the determined distance being less than the first error distance, the additional location of the mobile device using the second location determination technique having the second accuracy of determination, the second location determination technique consuming more power than the first location determination technique and the second accuracy of determination greater than the first accuracy of determination.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, responsive to the determined distance being greater than a second error distance, the additional location of the mobile device using the second location determination technique, the second location determination technique consuming less power than the first location determination technique and the second accuracy of determination less than the first accuracy of determination of the first location determination technique.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

adjusting the determined distance by a marginal distance prior to determining an additional location of the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

increasing the first error distance in response to the travel speed of the mobile device increasing.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

decreasing the first error distance in response to the travel speed of the mobile device decreasing.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the first error distance is determined based on whether the mobile device is traveling towards or away from the predetermined location.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein a frequency of location determination is determined based on the determined distance.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

causing the mobile device to enter dormant mode responsive to the mobile device being static for a time longer than a predetermined period.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein one or more location determination techniques are disabled and one or more location determination techniques remain active during dormant mode.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the location is determined by the mobile device using the first location determination technique and the distance is determined by a server in communication with the mobile device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by at least one processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a location of a mobile device using a first location determination technique having first power drain characteristics and a first accuracy of determination;

determining a distance based on the determined location and a predetermined location;

determining a travel speed of the mobile device;

determining a first error distance based on the first location determination technique and the travel speed; and

determining, responsive to the determined distance and the first error distance, an additional location of the mobile device using a second location determination technique having second power drain characteristics different than the first power drain characteristics and a second accuracy of determination different than the first accuracy of determination.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining, responsive to the determined distance being less than the first error distance, the additional location of the mobile device using the second location determination technique having the second accuracy of determination, the second location determination technique consuming more power than the first location determination technique and the second accuracy of determination greater than the first accuracy of determination.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the location is determined by the mobile device using the first location determination technique and the distance is determined by a server in communication with the mobile device.