Detecting geo-fence events using varying confidence levels

• US 9,998,866 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Natucci, Jr., Lanny D., Schneider, Janet L, Inderhees, Mark A., Gorgenyi, Frank, Harper, Stuart J., del Amo Casado, Cristina, Gonzalez, Fernando, Saha, Sanjib, Hedrick, Shaun C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Thai
• Application Number:
  US13/918,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20140370910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 4554042, 4554561, 4554562, 4554563, 455574, 701426, 701434, 701438, 702426, 702434, 702438
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

The location of a computing device is determined, and the location of an area of interest that is a geographic area referred to as a geo-fence is identified. The accuracy of the determined location of the computing device has an associated uncertainty, so the exact position of the computing device cannot typically be pinpointed. In light of this, the uncertainty associated with the determined location is evaluated relative to the size of the geo-fence in order to determine whether the computing device is inside the geo-fence or outside the geo-fence. Based on this determination, various actions can be taken if the user is entering the geo-fence, exiting the geo-fence, remaining in the geo-fence for at least a threshold amount of time, and so forth.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, a size of a geo-fence, the size of the geo-fence comprising an area encompassed by the geo-fence;

selecting, based on the size of the geo-fence, a location determination module from multiple location determination modules;

identifying, by the computing device, a size of a position uncertainty area for the location determination module, the position uncertainty area being based on an estimated accuracy error of a location for the computing device provided by the location determination module and being specific to the location determination module; and

determining, by the computing device, occurrence of one or more geo-fence events for the geo-fence based on a confidence value for a geo-fence breach condition satisfying a threshold confidence value, the threshold confidence value varying based at least in part on a ratio of the size of the geo-fence and the size of the position uncertainty area.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining that the computing device is inside the geo-fence in response to the confidence value for the geo-fence breach condition satisfying the threshold confidence value.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating the confidence value for the geo-fence breach condition using an area of overlap between a position uncertainty area for the location of the computing device and the geo-fence.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising selecting as the location determination module, one of multiple location determination modules that can provide a position with a position uncertainty area that will provide an acceptable confidence level given the size of the geo-fence.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, the threshold confidence value comprising how much error in accuracy of the location determination module is acceptable for the size of the geo-fence, and the determining comprising selecting one of multiple location determination modules that provides at least an acceptable position uncertainty area given the size of the geo-fence.

6. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

using a first acceptable position uncertainty area given the size of the geo-fence in response to the computing device being inside the geo-fence; and

using a second acceptable position uncertainty area given the size of the geo-fence in response to the computing device being outside the geo-fence.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, the determining comprising determining, as the occurrence of one or more geo-fence events the computing device entering the geo-fence.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, the determining comprising determining, as the occurrence of one or more geo-fence events, the computing device exiting the geo-fence.

19. A method as recited in claim 1, the threshold confidence value increasing as the ratio of the size of the geo-fence and the size of the position uncertainty area increases.

20. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising generating as the confidence value for the geo-fence breach condition a value that is the area of overlap between the position uncertainty area for the location of the computing device and the geo-fence divided by the position uncertainty area for the location of the computing device and the geo-fence.

9. A computing device comprising:

a data store configured to store geo-fence data for multiple geo-fences, the geo-fence data for each geo-fence identifying an area of the geo-fence;

one or more location determination modules implemented at least in part in hardware each configured to provide a location of the computing device, the location of the computing device having an associated position uncertainty area; and

a geo-fence event detection module implemented at least in part in hardware to detect occurrence of one or more geo-fence events for at least one of the multiple geo-fences based on a confidence level that varies based at least in part on a ratio of a size of at least one of the multiple geo-fences, the size of the geo-fence being an area encompassed by the geo-fence, and a size of the position uncertainty area associated with a location determination module selected based on the size of the geo-fence.

10. A computing device as recited in claim 9, the confidence level that varies being used by the geo-fence event detection module to detect one or more breach conditions of one or more geo-fences, and one of multiple location determination modules being selected based on an ability of the one location determination module to provide a location with at least an acceptable position uncertainty area given the size of at least one of the multiple geo-fences.

11. A computing device as recited in claim 10, the geo-fence event detection module being further configured to:

use one acceptable uncertainty given the size of the at least one of the multiple geo-fences in response to the computing device being inside the geo-fence; and

use a different acceptable uncertainty given the size of the at least one of the multiple geo-fences in response to the computing device being outside the geo-fence.

12. A computing device as recited in claim 9, the confidence level being determined and compared to a threshold confidence level to detect a geo-fence breach condition of a geo-fence, where:

the threshold confidence value varies relative to the size of the geo-fence and a current position uncertainty area; and

the confidence value for a current location is compared with the threshold confidence level to determine if the geo-fence breach condition has been met.

13. A computing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the geo-fence event detection module is further configured to:

generate the threshold confidence value using a formula based on the size of the geo-fence area and the size of the position uncertainty area; and

determine that the computing device is inside the geo-fence in response to the confidence value for the current location satisfying the threshold confidence value.

14. A computing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the geo-fence event detection module is further configured to generate the threshold confidence value to detect the geo-fence breach condition using an area of overlap between a position uncertainty area for the current location of the computing device and the geo-fence.

15. A computing device as recited in claim 12, wherein the geo-fence event detection module is further configured to select, as the location determination module, one of multiple location determination modules that can provide a location with an uncertainty area that will provide an acceptable confidence level to detect the geo-fence breach condition given the size of the geo-fence.

16. A computing device as recited in claim 9, wherein to detect the occurrence of the one or more geo-fence events is to detect the computing device entering the geo-fence.

17. A computing device as recited in claim 9, wherein to detect the occurrence of the one or more geo-fence events is to detect the computing device exiting the geo-fence.

18. A method comprising:

identifying a size of a geo-fence, the size of the geo-fence comprising an area encompassed by the geo-fence;

selecting, based on the size of the geo-fence, one of multiple location determination modules to use;

identifying a size of a position uncertainty area for the selected location determination module, the position uncertainty area being based on an amount of uncertainty in the accuracy of a location for a computing device provided by the location determination module;

determining a confidence value that a geo-fence has been breached using the position uncertainty area as well as an area of overlap between the position uncertainty area and the geo-fence;

determining a threshold confidence value to indicate a geo-fence breach condition using a formula based on a ratio of the size of the geo-fence area and the size of the position uncertainty area of a current location of the computing device; and

determining that the computing device is inside the geo-fence when the confidence value satisfies the threshold confidence value, otherwise determining that the computing device may not be inside the geo-fence.