Signal detect battery saver

• US 8,588,871 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2012
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Arnold, Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): DEAN, RAYMOND S
• Application Number:
  US13/645,224
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 455/434, 455/574, 455/456.4, 4553432-3434
• US Class Current: 455/574
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A computing device deactivates a sensor device after the sensor device is unable to detect a signal. A second sensor device, different from the deactivated sensor device, receives information that indicates whether the deactivated sensor device can detect a signal. The computing device activates the deactivated sensor device after the computing device determines that the deactivated sensor device can detect a signal. The determination is based, at least in part, on the information received by the second sensor device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in response to determining, by a computing device, that a first sensor device of the computing device is unable to detect a first signal at a first point in time, determining, by the computing device, a probability that indicates whether a second sensor device of the computing device is capable of receiving information prior to the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device;

in response to determining that the probability satisfies a threshold probability, determining, by the computing device, that the second sensor device can receive information that indicates whether the first sensor is able to detect the first signal;

receiving, by the computing device using the second sensor device, the information, wherein the information is usable by the computing device to determine whether the first sensor device can detect the first signal;

determining, based at least in part on the information and by the computing device, that the first sensor device is able to detect the first signal at a second point in time;

responsive to determining the first sensor device is able to detect the first signal at the second point in time, activating, by the computing device, the first sensor device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the probability comprises:

determining, by the computing device, a group of candidate signals each of which is detected by at least one sensor of a group of sensor devices operably coupled to the computing device, prior to determining that the first sensor device is unable to detect the first signal and subsequent to determining that the first sensor device is able to detect the first signal, wherein the group of sensor devices comprises the first and second sensor devices;

determining, by the computing device, a correlation between the group of candidate signals and the information received by the second sensor device, wherein the correlation indicates a degree of a relationship between the group of candidate signals and the information received by the second sensor device, and wherein the degree is within a range of magnitudes; and

determining, by the computing device and based at least in part on the correlation, the probability that the second sensor device is capable of receiving information prior to the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to determining that the first sensor device is unable to detect the first signal, the method further comprises:

polling, by the computing device, for the first signal by the first sensor device at a periodic rate of time, wherein the polling comprises;

activating, by the computing device, the first sensor device;

determining, by the computing device, if the first signal is detectable by the first sensor device; and

deactivating, by the computing device, the first sensor device if the first signal is not detectable by the first sensor device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the periodic rate is a variable periodic rate within a range of periodic rates, wherein the range of periodic rates is bounded by a minimum rate, the method further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, the variable periodic rate at least by;

if the minimum rate is faster than a threshold rate, decreasing the minimum rate; and

selecting at random, from the range of periodic rates, the variable periodic rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received using the second sensor device includes data representative of a device location, a device direction, a device speed, a device acceleration, a device orientation, or a network service set identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the probability is a first probability and the threshold probability is a first threshold probability, the method further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a group of activation signals each of which is detected by at least one sensor of a group of sensor devices operatively coupled to the computing device subsequent to determining that the first signal is detectable by the first sensor device, wherein the group of sensor devices comprises the first and second sensor devices;

determining, by the computing device, a correlation between the group of activation signals and the information received by the second sensor device, wherein the correlation indicates a degree of a relationship between the group of activation signals and the information, wherein the degree is within a range of magnitudes;

determining, by the computing device, a second probability of the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device based at least in part on the correlation; and

determining, by the computing device, whether the second probability of the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device exceeds a second threshold probability.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

activating, by the computing device, at least one sensor device from the group of sensor devices based at least in part on whether the second probability of the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device exceeds the second threshold probability.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the correlation between the group of activation signals and the information received by the second sensor device is a first correlation, the method further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a group of deactivation signals each of which is detected by at least one sensor of the group of sensors prior to determining that the first sensor device is unable to detect the first signal;

determining, by the computing device, a second correlation between the group of deactivation signals and the information received by the second sensor device, wherein the second correlation indicates a degree of a relationship between the group of deactivation signals and the information received by the second sensor device, wherein the degree is within a range of magnitudes;

determining, by the computing device, the second probability of the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device based at least in part on the second correlation; and

determining, by the computing device, whether the second probability of the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device exceeds the second threshold probability.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

deactivating, by the computing device, at least one sensor device from the group of sensor devices based at least in part on whether the second probability of the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device does not exceed the second threshold probability.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the computing device is associated with a user, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, an input from the user; and

responsive to receiving the input from the user, activating, by the computing device, the first sensor device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, the second probability of the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device, based at least in part, on the input from the user.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a third probability that indicates whether an operation is being performed by a user associated with the computing device, based at least in part on the correlation; and

determining, by the computing device, whether the operation probability exceeds third threshold probability.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

deactivating, by the computing device, at least one sensor device from the group of sensor devices based at least in part on whether the third probability exceeds the third threshold probability.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

activating, by the computing device, the at least one sensor device from the group of sensor devices based at least in part on whether the third probability exceeds the third threshold probability.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the operation being performed is the operation of using a mode of transit, wherein the mode of transit is selected from a group consisting of traveling by car, traveling by taxi, traveling by bus, traveling by train, traveling by subway, traveling by airplane, traveling by boat, traveling by ship, and traveling by foot.

16. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending, by the computing device, the group of activation signals to a remote computing device, wherein the group of activation signals is storable at the remote computing device as information within a data store; and

receiving, by the computing device, the information usable to determine whether the first signal is detectable by the first sensor device from the remote computing device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first sensor device is unable to detect the first signal includes determining that the first signal comprises a signal strength that is below a strength threshold.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the probability indicates whether the second sensor device of the computing device is capable of receiving information both prior to and subsequent to the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to perform operations comprising:

in response to determining, that a first sensor device of the computing device is unable to detect a first signal at a first point in time, determining, a probability that indicates whether a second sensor device of the computing device is capable of receiving information prior to the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device;

in response to determining that the probability satisfies a threshold, determining, that the second sensor device can receive information that indicates whether the first sensor is able to detect the first signal;

receiving, using the second sensor device, the information, wherein the information is usable to determine whether the first sensor device can detect the first signal;

determining, based at least in part on the information, that the first sensor device is able to detect the first signal at a second point in time; and

responsive to determining that the first sensor device is able to detect the first signal at the second point in time, activating the first sensor device.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a plurality of sensor devices comprising at least a first sensor device and a second sensor device; and

at least one module executable by the one or more processors to;

in response to determining that the first sensor device is unable to detect a first signal at a first point in time, determine a probability that indicates whether the second sensor device is capable of receiving information prior to the first signal being detectable by the first sensor device;

in response to determining that the probability satisfies a threshold, determine that the second sensor device can receive information that indicates whether the first sensor is able to detect the first signal;

receive, using the second sensor device, the information, wherein the information is usable to determine whether the first sensor device can detect the first signal;

determine, based at least in part on the information, that the first sensor device is able to detect the first signal at a second point in time; and

responsive to determining that the first sensor device is able to detect the first signal at the second point in time, activate the first sensor device.