CONCURRENT GEOFENCES WITH SHARED MEASUREMENTS

• US 20130295955A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheshadri, Suhas H., Srivastava, Aditya N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,965,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method for a mobile device to efficiently use a geofence capability without draining its battery, and to allow flexibility in specifying various parameters related to geofencing, such as the latency and confidence in determining when or where a geofence breach occurs, and reducing the probability of not detecting a geofence breach.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first geofence client to a first processor in a mobile device, wherein the first geofence client specifies a first geofence and a first latency setting;

running a first process on the first processor associated with the first geofence, the first process to generate a set of results associated with the mobile device and the first geofence;

providing a second geofence client to the first processor, wherein the second geofence client specifies a second geofence and a second latency setting larger than the first latency setting;

running a second process on the first processor associated with the second geofence, the second process to wake up a second processor in the mobile device in response to the set of results indicating a breach of the second geofence.

2. The method of claim 1, the mobile device further comprising a modem, the modem comprising the first processor, wherein the second processor is an application processor of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, the set of results comprising a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence.

4. The method of claim 3, the first process updating the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence at a rate depending on the first latency setting.

5. The method of claim 4, the second process to wake up the second processor in the mobile device in response to the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence indicating a second distance of the mobile device to the second geofence is greater than a threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, the set of results comprising a number of cell changes measured by the mobile device.

7. The method of claim of claim 6, the second process to wake up the second processor in the mobile device in response to the number of cell changes being greater than a threshold depending on the first latency setting.

8. The method of claim 6, the set of results further comprising:

a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence;

a velocity of the mobile device towards the first geofence.

9. A mobile device comprising:

at least one sensor to provide at least one signal;

a first processor to warn of a breach of a first geofence to a first geofence client according to a first latency setting based on the at least one signal;

the first processor to run a first process associated with the first geofence, the first process to generate a set of results based on the at least one signal;

the first processor to warn of a breach of a second geofence to a second geofence client according to a second latency setting based on the at least one signal, the second latency setting larger than the first latency setting;

a second processor, the first processor to run a second process associated with the second geofence, the second process to wake up the second processor in response to the set of results indicating a breach of the second geofence.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, further comprising a modem, the modem comprising the first processor, wherein the second processor is an application processor of the mobile device.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, the set of results comprising a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, the first process updating the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence at a rate depending on the first latency setting.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, the second process to wake up the second processor in response to the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence indicating a second distance of the mobile device to the second geofence is greater than a threshold.

14. The mobile device of claim 9, the set of results comprising a number of cell changes indicated by the at least one signal.

15. The mobile device of claim of claim 14, the second process to wake up the second processor in response to the number of cell changes being greater than a threshold depending on the first latency setting.

16. The mobile device of claim 14, the set of results further comprising:

a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence;

a velocity of the mobile device towards the first geofence.

17. A mobile device comprising:

means for sensing to provide at least one signal;

a first means for processing to warn of a breach of a first geofence to a first geofence client according to a first latency setting based on the at least one signal;

the first means for processing to run a first process associated with the first geofence, the first process to generate a set of results based on the at least one signal, the set of results including a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence and a velocity of the mobile device towards the first geofence;

the first means for processing to warn of a breach of a second geofence to a second geofence client according to a second latency setting based on the at least one signal, the second latency setting larger than the first latency setting;

a second means for processing, the first means for processing to run a second process associated with the second geofence, the second process to wake up the second means for processing in response to the set of results indicating a breach of the second geofence.

18. The mobile device of claim 17, further comprising a modem, the modem comprising the first means for processing, wherein the second means for processing is an application processor of the mobile device.

19. A computer-readable storage medium having stored instructions that when executed by a processor cause a method comprising:

providing a first geofence client to a first processor in a mobile device, wherein the first geofence client specifies a first geofence and a first latency setting;

running a first process on the first processor associated with the first geofence, the first process to generate a set of results associated with the mobile device and the first geofence, the set of results including a distance of the mobile device to the first geofence and a velocity of the mobile device towards the first geofence;

providing a second geofence client to the first processor, wherein the second geofence client specifies a second geofence and a second latency setting larger than the first latency setting;

running a second process on the first processor associated with the second geofence, the second process to wake up a second processor in the mobile device in response to the set of results indicating a breach of the second geofence.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the mobile device further comprising a modem, the modem comprising the first processor, wherein the second processor is an application processor of the mobile device.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the first process updating the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence at a rate depending on the first latency setting.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, the second process to wake up the second processor in the mobile device in response to the distance of the mobile device to the first geofence indicating a second distance of the mobile device to the second geofence is greater than a threshold.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the set of results comprising a number of cell changes measured by the mobile device.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, the second process to wake up the second processor in the mobile device in response to the number of cell changes being greater than a threshold depending on the first latency setting.