Obtaining location updates about a mobile entity for use in a location-sensitive application

• US 7,477,903 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Spratt, Michael P, Crouch, Simon Edwin, Wilcock, Lawrence, Hawkes, Rycharde Jeffery
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US09/858,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20020013153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,800 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/404.1, 455/414.2, 340/988, 340/989, 340991-993, 340/995.25, 701/200, 701/213, 701/214
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer

Abstract

Location data about a mobile entity (70) is periodically provided to a location-sensitive application, for example, a route-tracking application. The location data is updated at a frequency that is adaptively varied in dependence on the provision of location data about the mobile entity from other sources (45). The update frequency can also be made dependent on further factors such as: the motion of the mobile entity(“V”), the current environment of the mobile entity (“E”), and the progress of the location-sensitive application (“Z”).

Claims

1. A method of obtaining location data about a mobile entity for provision to a location-sensitive application, the method comprising:

periodically obtaining location updates indicative of the current location of the mobile entity from a first source of location data; and

extending the interval between the location updates from said first source when location data indicative of the current location of the mobile entity is available from at least one other source of location data that operates independently of said first source and the location updates provided thereby.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first source of location data derives location data from a cellular radio network, said at least one other source of location data being short-range location beacons, the interval between updates from the first source being extended upon location data being received from a said location beacon.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the interval between location updates from the first source is dependent on the accuracy of the location data received from said at least one other source of location data.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the accuracy of location data received from a said other location data source is determined according to the nature of said other source of location data.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the accuracy of location data received from a said other location data source is explicitly provided along with that location data.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adaptive variation of the interval between updates is further dependent at least on the motion of the mobile entity.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the frequency of updates increases with velocity of the mobile entity.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adaptive variation of the interval between updates is further dependent at least on the current environment of the mobile entity.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the frequency of updates is higher in environments where the velocity of the mobile entity is expected to change more often.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein environment information is derived from a map having regard to the current location of the mobile entity.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adaptive variation of the interval between updates is further dependent at least on the progress of the location-sensitive application.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said location-sensitive application involves the approach of the mobile entity to a target location, the frequency of updates being increased the closer the mobile entity approaches the target location.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the adaptive variation of the interval between updates is further dependent at least on two of the following:

the motion of the mobile entity;

the current environment of the mobile entity;

the progress of the location-sensitive application.

14. Apparatus for obtaining location data about a mobile entity for provision to a location-sensitive application, the apparatus comprising:

a first locationdata receiving arrangement operative to periodically obtain location updates from a first source of location data about the current location of the mobile entity; and

a second location-data receiving arrangement for receiving location data about the current location of the mobile entity from at least one other source of location data that is independent of said first source;

the first location-data arrangement including an update- interval control for extending the interval between location updates obtained from the first source when location data is available from the second location-data receiving arrangement.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first location-data receiving arrangement is operative to obtain location updates from a cellular radio network serving as said first source of location, and the second location-data receiving arrangement is operative to receive location data from short-range location beacons;

the update-interval control of the first location-data receiving arrangement being operative to extend the interval between location updates from the first source upon location data being received from a said location beacon by the second location-data receiving arrangement.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the update-interval control of the first location-data receiving arrangement is operative to set the interval between location updates from the first source in dependence on the accuracy of location data received from said at least one other source of location data.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the update-interval control of the first location-data receiving arrangement is operative to determine the accuracy of location data received from a said other location data source according to the nature of said other source of location data.

18. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the update-interval control of the first location-data receiving arrangement is operative to determine the accuracy of location data received from a said other location data source on the basis of accuracy data received along with the location data by said second location-data receiving arrangement.

19. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the update-interval control of the first location-data receiving arrangement is further operative to adaptively vary the interval between updates in dependence on at least one of the following:

the motion of the mobile entity;

the current environment of the mobile entity;

the progress of the location-sensitive application.