USING MOTION TO IMPROVE LOCAL WIRELESS NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

• US 20140274044A1
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Jin Won, Teague, Edward Harrison
• Granted Patent: US 9,380,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to using motion to reduce unnecessary scans for local wireless networks. An aspect determines whether or not a motion state change event of a user device indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state, and if the motion state change event indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state, ignoring the motion state change event. An aspect of the disclosure is directed to using motion to reduce latency of scanning for local wireless networks. An aspect determines whether or not a user device is in motion, determines whether or not a periodic scan timer has expired and/or a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is below a threshold, and if the user device is in motion and the periodic scan timer has expired or the RSSI is below the threshold, scanning for a local wireless network.

Claims

1. A method for using motion to reduce unnecessary scans for local wireless networks, comprising:

determining whether or not a motion state change event of a user device indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state; and

if the motion state change event indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state, ignoring the motion state change event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving motion state is one of a walking motion state or a running motion state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein ignoring the motion state change event comprises:

determining whether or not a difference between a time of the motion state change event and a time of a previous motion state change event is less than a cutoff threshold; and

if the difference between the time of the motion state change event and the time of the previous motion state change event is less than the cutoff threshold, ignoring the motion state change event.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether or not a difference between a time of the motion state change event and a time of a previous motion state change event is less than a cutoff threshold; and

if the difference between the time of the motion state change event and the time of the previous motion state change event is not less than the cutoff threshold, scanning for a local wireless network.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether or not the user device is located at a same location at which it was located during a previous scan for a local wireless network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

if the user device is located at the same location, increasing the cutoff threshold; and

if the user device is not located at the same location, decreasing the cutoff threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the increasing comprises:

increasing the cutoff threshold based on a cutoff matrix that specifies a minimum, a maximum, and one or more intermediate values of the cutoff threshold.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the decreasing comprises:

decreasing the cutoff threshold based on a cutoff matrix that specifies a minimum, a maximum, and one or more intermediate values of the cutoff threshold.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining whether or not the user device is located at the same location is based on one or more parameters of one or more local wireless networks discovered during the scanning.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving motion state comprises a driving motion state.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein ignoring the motion state change event comprises:

determining whether or not the motion state change event is a first motion state change event from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state; and

if the motion state change event is not a first motion state change event from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state, ignoring the motion state change event.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

if the motion state change event is a first motion state change event from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state, scanning for a local wireless network.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

if the motion state change event does not indicate a change from a driving motion state to a stationary motion state, determining whether or not the motion state change event indicates a change from a driving motion state or a stationary motion state to a non-stationary motion state or a non-driving motion state.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

if the motion state change event indicates a change from a driving motion state or a stationary motion state to a non-stationary motion state or a non-driving motion state, scanning for a local wireless network.

15. A method of using motion to reduce latency of scanning for local wireless networks, comprising:

determining whether or not a user device is in motion;

determining whether or not a periodic scan timer has expired and/or a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is below a threshold; and

if the user device is in motion and the periodic scan timer has expired or the RSSI is below the threshold, scanning for a local wireless network.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining whether or not the scanning results in discovery of an available local wireless network; and

if the scanning does not result in the discovery of an available local wireless network, resetting the periodic scan timer and scanning for a local wireless network upon expiration of the periodic scan timer.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether or not a periodic scan counter is greater than a threshold; and

if the periodic scan counter is greater than the threshold, ceasing scanning for a local wireless network.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the user device is in motion if the user device is in a moving motion state.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a moving motion state comprises one of a motion state of walking or a motion state of running.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

if the user device is not in motion, determining whether or not a previous motion state of the user device was a moving motion state; and

if the previous motion state was a moving motion state, scanning for a local wireless network.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein determining whether or not the periodic scan timer has expired and/or the RSSI is below the threshold comprises determining that the RSSI is below the threshold.

22. An apparatus for using motion to reduce unnecessary scans for local wireless networks, comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not a motion state change event of a user device indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state; and

logic configured to ignore the motion state change event if the motion state change event indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the moving motion state is one of a walking motion state or a running motion state.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the logic configured to ignore the motion state change event comprises:

logic configured to determine whether or not a difference between a time of the motion state change event and a time of a previous motion state change event is less than a cutoff threshold; and

logic configured to ignore the motion state change event if the difference between the time of the motion state change event and the time of the previous motion state change event is less than the cutoff threshold.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not a difference between a time of the motion state change event and a time of a previous motion state change event is less than a cutoff threshold; and

logic configured to scan for a local wireless network if the difference between the time of the motion state change event and the time of the previous motion state change event is not less than the cutoff threshold.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not the user device is located at a same location at which it was located during a previous scan for a local wireless network.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

logic configured to increase the cutoff threshold if the user device is located at the same location; and

logic configured to decrease the cutoff threshold if the user device is not located at the same location.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the logic configured to increase comprises:

logic configured to increase the cutoff threshold based on a cutoff matrix that specifies a minimum, a maximum, and one or more intermediate values of the cutoff threshold.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the logic configured to decrease comprises:

logic configured to decrease the cutoff threshold based on a cutoff matrix that specifies a minimum, a maximum, and one or more intermediate values of the cutoff threshold.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the logic configured to determine whether or not the user device is located at the same location is based on one or more parameters of one or more local wireless networks discovered during the scanning.

31. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the moving motion state comprises a driving motion state.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the logic configured to ignore the motion state change event comprises:

logic configured to determine whether or not the motion state change event is a first motion state change event from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state; and

logic configured to ignore the motion state change event if the motion state change event is not a first motion state change event from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, further comprising:

logic configured to scan for a local wireless network if the motion state change event is a first motion state change event from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not the motion state change event indicates a change from a driving motion state or a stationary motion state to a non-stationary motion state or a non-driving motion state if the motion state change event does not indicate a change from a driving motion state to a stationary motion state.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:

logic configured to scan for a local wireless network if the motion state change event indicates a change from a driving motion state or a stationary motion state to a non-stationary motion state or a non-driving motion state.

36. An apparatus for using motion to reduce latency of scanning for local wireless networks, comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not a user device is in motion;

logic configured to determine whether or not a periodic scan timer has expired and/or a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is below a threshold; and

logic configured to scan for a local wireless network if the user device is in motion and the periodic scan timer has expired or the RSSI is below the threshold.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not the scanning results in discovery of an available local wireless network; and

logic configured to reset the periodic scan timer and scanning for a local wireless network upon expiration of the periodic scan timer if the scanning does not result in the discovery of an available local wireless network.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not a periodic scan counter is greater than a threshold; and

logic configured to cease scanning for a local wireless network if the periodic scan counter is greater than the threshold.

39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the user device is in motion if the user device is in a moving motion state.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein a moving motion state comprises one of a motion state of walking or a motion state of running.

41. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising:

logic configured to determine whether or not a previous motion state of the user device was a moving motion state if the user device is not in motion; and

logic configured to scan for a local wireless network if the previous motion state was a moving motion state.

42. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the logic configured to determine whether or not the periodic scan timer has expired and/or the RSSI is below the threshold comprises logic configured to determine that the RSSI is below the threshold.

43. An apparatus for using motion to reduce unnecessary scans for local wireless networks, comprising:

means for determining whether or not a motion state change event of a user device indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state; and

means for ignoring the motion state change event if the motion state change event indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state.

44. An apparatus for using motion to reduce latency of scanning for local wireless networks, comprising:

means for determining whether or not a user device is in motion;

means for determining whether or not a periodic scan timer has expired and/or a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is below a threshold; and

means for scanning for a local wireless network if the user device is in motion and the periodic scan timer has expired or the RSSI is below the threshold.

45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for using motion to reduce unnecessary scans for local wireless networks, comprising:

at least one instruction to determine whether or not a motion state change event of a user device indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state; and

at least one instruction to ignore the motion state change event if the motion state change event indicates a change from a moving motion state to a stationary motion state.

46. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for using motion to reduce latency of scanning for local wireless networks, comprising:

at least one instruction to determine whether or not a user device is in motion;

at least one instruction to determine whether or not a periodic scan timer has expired and/or a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) is below a threshold; and

at least one instruction to scan for a local wireless network if the user device is in motion and the periodic scan timer has expired or the RSSI is below the threshold.