Apparatus and method for adjusting refresh rate of location coordinates of a tracking device

• US 8,497,774 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LBT IP I LLC (Location Based Technologies, Inc.), LBT IP LLC (Location Based Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Location Based Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, Roger B., Scalisi, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US12/419,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20090189807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.21, 340/686.1, 340/636.1, 340/636.2, 340/636.19, 320/108
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/019 Energy consumption

Abstract

A local charging management device manages electrical resource capability for an electronic tracking device. In one embodiment, the electronic tracking device includes a battery power monitor, a charging unit; and an electrical power resource management component. The electrical power resource management component adjusts cycle timing of one or more of control parameters for the tracking device. Control parameters include request rate of location coordinate packets to a target host and a listen rate of the location coordinate packets. The adjustment is responsive to an estimated charge level of the charging unit, velocity of the device, and user desired inputs.

Claims

1. A portable electronic tracking device to monitor location coordinates of one or more individuals and objects using a satellite navigation system, the portable electronic tracking device comprising:

a battery having a battery charge level;

transceiver circuitry;

processor circuitry;

a battery power monitor to measure in real-time the battery charge level and to make a prediction of an estimated remaining battery charge level in response to the battery charge level;

local battery power adjustment mechanism to generate in substantially real-time an updated set of network communication signaling protocols associated with at least one of a request rate of location coordinate packets to be communicated to a target host and a listen rate of the location coordinate packets from a satellite navigation system, the updated set of network communication signaling protocols having a value that is responsive to a user input request;

wherein the local battery power adjustment mechanism actives or deactivates at least one portion of the transceiver circuitry or the processor circuitry to conserve the battery charge level in response to the value.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the local battery power adjustment mechanism comprises an adjustable screen icon to graphically display in substantially real-time a trade-off relationship between the remaining battery charge level and an update rate of the location coordinate packets that is in response to the updated set of network communication signaling protocols.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the local battery power adjustment mechanism comprises a timing adjustment mechanism that adjusts the at least one of the request rate of the location coordinate packets to the target host and the listen rate of the location coordinates from a satellite navigation system in accordance with a current position of the tracking device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the local battery power adjustment mechanism comprises a user adjustable electronic display that indicates a current level of battery power and allows a user a capability to adjust power level thereof.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the local battery power adjustment mechanism comprises an automatic sleep mode to set at least one of the request rate of the location coordinate packets to the target host and the listen rate of the location coordinates from the satellite navigation system to a minimal level until the battery power monitor measures a sustainable battery charge level to process the at least one portion of an receive signal.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the local battery power adjustment mechanism comprises a charge control management of the portable electronic tracking device that estimates charge capability and adjusts cycling of the at least one of a request rate of location coordinate packets to a target host and a listen rate of the location coordinate packets from the satellite navigation system to maximize charge capability.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the local battery power adjustment mechanism comprises a cycle management apparatus to set up a timing schedule to maximize effectiveness of the request rate and the listen rate in response to a substantially real-time measured velocity of the portable electronic tracking device.

8. A local charging management device to manage electrical resource capability for an electronic tracking device that is tracked by at least one other tracking device comprising:

a battery power level monitor;

a charging unit; and

an electrical power resource management component to adjust cycle timing of at least one of a request rate of location coordinate packets to a target host and a listen rate of the location coordinate packets responsive to an estimated charge level of the charging unit,

wherein the battery power level monitor measures a power level of the charging unit and adjusts a power level applied to location tracking circuitry responsive to one or more signal levels, the power level comprising a multitude of threshold values determined by a user or system administrator to intermittently activate or deactivate the location tracking circuitry to conserve power of the charging unit in response to the estimated charge level of the charging unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the electrical power resource management component comprises a substantially real-time user viewable display icon that indicates the estimated charge level and provides an on-line user adjustable cursor display that adjusts at least one of the request rate of the location coordinate packets to the target host and the listen rate of the location coordinate packets and gives substantially automatic updated estimated charge level of the charging unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the local charging management device comprises a charge control management of the portable electronic tracking device that estimates charge capability and adjusts cycling of the at least one of a request rate of location coordinate packets to a host target and a listen rate of the location coordinate packets to maximize charge capability.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the local charging management device comprises a cycle management apparatus to set up a timing schedule to maximize effectiveness of the request rate and listen rate responsive to measured velocity of the portable electronic tracking device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the local charging management device electrically couples to a mobile phone to remote control the local apparatus to setup a timing schedule from a multitude of wireless communication networks to communicate information between the electronic tracking device and the mobile phone.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the listen rate of the location coordinates comprises a global positioning system (GPS) system refresh rate of the location coordinates.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the request rate and the listen rate are set remotely by a user using a mobile phone or wireless communication device.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the battery power level monitor measures a power level of the charging unit and substantially automatically adjusts power usage responsive to available power of the charging unit to maximize power unit life.

16. A method to control power usage comprising:

measuring charging unit power level of a tracking device communicated by a location coordinate tracking system;

adjusting charging unit power level of the tracking device in response to a substantially-real life estimate of a unit power level of a charge unit of the tracking device;

creating an initial timing schedule for communication of signaling parameters associated with a target host request rate communicated with location coordinate information and listen rate of the location coordinate information, the initial time schedule being at least partially automatically and responsive to an estimated power level of the charge unit; and

readjusting the initial timing schedule for communication of signaling parameters in accordance with a local request by a remote user using an Internet accessible icon that displays user viewable tradeoffs between an estimated charge unit life and a charge unit update rate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein creating an initial timing schedule for communication of signaling parameters comprises creating a management schedule for setting a rate at which messages are exchanged between the tracking device and a target host.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein creating an initial timing schedule for communication of signaling parameters comprises creating a management schedule for setting a rate at which messages are exchanged between a navigational satellite system and the tracking device to a local device to maximize effectiveness of the request rate and the listen rate to the location coordinate information in response to a measured velocity of the tracking device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein readjusting the timing schedule for communication of signaling parameters in accordance with a local request by a remote user comprise electrically coupling the tracking device to a mobile phone to remote control cycling the location coordinates to setup up a timing schedule between a multitude of wireless communication networks to communicate information between the electronic tracking device and the mobile phone.