GPS POWER CONSERVATION USING ENVIRONMENTAL DATA

• US 20160066844A1
• Filed: 11/12/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: VENKATRAMAN, Subramaniam, PANTHER, Heiko Gernot Albert, YUEN, Shelten Gee Jao
• Granted Patent: US 9,572,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0223 Magnetic field sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02416 using photoplethysmograph signals, e.g. generated by infrared radiation A61B5/14552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02433 for infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 : Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/00 : Measuring height; Measuring distances transverse to line of sight; Levelling between separated points; Surveyors' levels G01C3/20, G01C3/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/00 : Indicating or recording presence, absence, or direction, of movement electric switches H01H; counting moving objects G06M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 : Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 : Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 : Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/012 : Identifying whether indoors or outdoors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 : Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 : Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Biometric monitoring devices, including various technologies that may be implemented in such devices, are discussed herein. Additionally, techniques, systems, and apparatuses are discussed herein for providing power-conserving techniques and systems for efficiently utilizing a GPS receiver are described. The positional fix frequency of the GPS receiver may, according to some implementations, be modified or adjusted between various levels according to data from one or more non-GPS sensors. Such non-GPS sensors may include, for example, ambient light intensity or spectrum sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, heart rate sensors, galvanic skin response sensors, infrared sensors, etc.

Claims

1. A biometric monitoring device to be worn on a person, the biometric monitoring device comprising:

A global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

a set of one or more non-GPS sensors to generate motion data; and

a controller, communicatively coupled to the GPS receiver and the set of non-GPS sensors, including at least one processor and a memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions, which when executed, cause the at least one processor to;

determine a step count from the motion data generated by the set of non-GPS sensors, and

set a frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains positional fixes at one of a plurality of levels based on the step count within a window of time or the motion data used to derive the step count within the window of time, wherein the plurality of levels includes a first level and a second level, and wherein the second level has a lower frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes than the first level.

2. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the set of non-GPS sensors includes one or more sensors selected from a group consisting of:

a single-axis accelerometer, a multi-axis accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer.

3. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the motion data is generated by an accelerometer in the set of non-GPS sensors.

4. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein:

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the first level based on a determination by the at least one processor that the biometric monitoring device has exceeded a threshold beyond which a wearer of the biometric monitoring device is considered to be in motion, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of the step count within the window of time and the motion data used to derived the step count within the window of time.

5. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein:

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the second level based on a determination by the at least one processor that a wearer of the biometric monitoring device is substantially motionless, wherein the determination is based on at least one of the step count within the window of time and the motion data used to derived the step count within the window of time.

6. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the second level supports the GPS receiver performing a warm start and does not support a hot start.

7. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to:

set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes to a third level that has a lower frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains positional fixes than the second level.

8. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein:

the set of one or more non-GPS sensors includes a light sensor; and

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels also based on a determination by the at least one processor whether data from the light sensor indicates an outdoor or indoor location.

9. The biometric monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the light sensor is an ambient light sensor, and wherein the data from the ambient light sensor is indicative of at least one of ambient light intensity and ambient light spectrum.

10. The biometric monitoring device of claim 9, wherein:

the biometric monitoring device further comprising a clock; and

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels also based on a time of day obtained from the clock.

11. The biometric monitoring device of claim 10, wherein

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels also based on a position of the biometric monitoring device on the Earth'"'"'s surface and expected data from the ambient light sensor at the time of day.

12. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein:

the set of non-GPS sensors includes an ultraviolet (UV) light sensor; and

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes also based on a determination by the at least one processor whether UV intensity measured by the UV light sensor is associated with an outdoor or indoor location.

13. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein:

the set of one or more non-GPS sensors includes a body characteristic measurement sensor to generate a body characteristic measurement of a person when wearing the biometric monitoring device; and

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels also based on a determination by the at least one processor whether the body characteristic measurement of the person is indicative of the biometric monitoring device being worn by the person.

14. The biometric monitoring device of claim 13, wherein the body characteristic measurement sensor includes one or more sensors selected from a group consisting of:

a photoplethysmographic sensor, electrocardiographic sensor, electromyographics sensor, galvanic skin response sensor, body fat measurement sensor, and bioimpedance sensor.

15. The biometric monitoring device of claim 13, wherein:

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the first level based on a determination by the at least one processor that the body characteristic measurement of the person is indicative of the biometric monitoring device being worn by the person.

16. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein:

the set of one or more non-GPS sensors includes a wireless data receiver; and

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels also based on a determination by the at least one processor of a change in identified external wireless devices within range of the wireless data receiver.

17. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein:

the set of one or more non-GPS sensors includes an altimeter; and

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels is also based on a determination by the at least one processor of a change in altitude of the altimeter.

18. The biometric monitoring device of claim 1, wherein:

the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor to set the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels also based on a determination by the at least one processor whether the biometric monitoring device is being worn by a person responsive to the motion data from the set of one or more non-GPS sensors.

19. A method in a biometric monitoring device to be worn on a person, the method comprising:

determining a step count from motion data generated by a set of non-global positioning system (GPS) sensors in the biometric monitoring device; and

setting a frequency with which a GPS receiver in the biometric monitoring device obtains positional fixes at one of a plurality of levels based on the step count within a window of time or the motion data used to derive the step count within the window of time, wherein the plurality of levels includes a first level and a second level, and wherein the second level has a lower frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes than the first level.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the set of non-GPS sensors includes one or more sensors selected from a group consisting of:

a single-axis accelerometer, a multi-axis accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein setting the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the first level is based on a determination that the biometric monitoring device has exceeded a threshold beyond which a wearer of the biometric monitoring device is considered to be in motion, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of the step count within the window of time and the motion data used to derived the step count within the window of time.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein setting the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the second level is based on a determination that a wearer of the biometric monitoring device is substantially motionless, wherein the determination is based on at least one of the step count within the window of time and the motion data used to derived the step count within the window of time.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein setting the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels is also based on a determination whether the biometric monitoring device is being worn by a person responsive to the motion data from the set of one or more non-GPS sensors.

24. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium, having stored therein computer-executable instructions which, when executed by at least one processor in a biometric monitoring device to be worn on a person, cause the biometric monitoring device to perform operations comprising:

determining a step count from motion data generated by a set of non-global positioning system (GPS) sensors in the biometric monitoring device; and

setting a frequency with which a GPS receiver in the biometric monitoring device obtains positional fixes at one of a plurality of levels based on the step count within a window of time or the motion data used to derive the step count within the window of time, wherein the plurality of levels includes a first level and a second level, and wherein the second level has a lower frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes than the first level.

25. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the second level supports the GPS receiver performing a warm start and does not support a hot start.

26. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein setting the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels is also based on a determination whether data from a light sensor in the biometric monitoring device indicates an outdoor or indoor location.

27. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein setting the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels is also based on a determination whether UV intensity measured by an ultraviolet (UV) light sensor in the biometric monitoring device is associated with an outdoor or indoor location.

28. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein setting the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels is also based on a determination whether body characteristic measurement of the person measured by a body characteristic measurement sensor in the biometric monitoring device is indicative of the biometric monitoring device being worn by the person.

29. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein setting the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels is also based on a determination of a change in identified external wireless devices within range of a wireless data receiver in the biometric monitoring device.

30. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein setting the frequency with which the GPS receiver obtains the positional fixes at the one of the plurality of levels is also based on a determination of a change in altitude of an altimeter in the biometric monitoring device.