System and method for scheduling location measurements

• US 9,510,152 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Micro Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Location Labs (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Weiss, Andrew, Hotes, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US14/250,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20150296343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/414.2, 4554561-4566, 455/457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information

Abstract

System and method for determining when to initiate radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location. The method includes determining a plurality of locations of one or more mobile devices based on radio signal measurements. Acceleration of the one or more mobile devices between the plurality of locations is determined based on sensor measurements. A first location of a particular mobile device is determined and acceleration is measured by the particular mobile device. It is determined when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location of the particular mobile device based on the measured acceleration of the particular mobile device, the determined plurality of locations of the one or more mobile devices, and the determined acceleration of the one or more mobile devices. Radio signal measurements are initiated by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for initiating radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of locations of at least one mobile device based on radio signal measurements initiated during a first time period;

determining acceleration of the at least one mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on sensor measurements performed during the first time period;

determining at least one time interval between the plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device based on time stamps corresponding to the radio signal measurements initiated during the first time period;

initiating radio signal measurements by a particular mobile device during a second time period;

determining a first location of the particular mobile device based on the radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device initiated during the second time period;

measuring acceleration by the particular mobile device during the second time period;

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location of the particular mobile device based at least on the measured acceleration of the particular mobile device during the second time period, the determined plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device based on measurements initiated during the first time period, the at least one time interval between the plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device, and the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device based on the sensor measurements performed during the first time period; and

initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device during the second time period to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio signal measurements comprise global positioning system (GPS) measurements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one mobile device comprises a first mobile device, and the particular mobile device comprises a second mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one mobile device comprises the particular mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

training a classifier based at least on the plurality of locations, the at least one time interval, and the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device; and

applying the classifier to the acceleration measured by the particular mobile device to determine when to initiate radio signal measurements to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining at least one distance between the plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device; and

training the classifier further based on the at least one distance between the plurality of locations.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining at least one time interval between the plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device; and

training the classifier further based on the at least one time interval.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising training the classifier further based on at least one of a time of the day, a day of the week, or a date of the year corresponding to at least one of the plurality of locations.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining at least one distance between the plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device;

determining at least one velocity between the plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device based on the at least one time interval and the at least one distance; and

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device further based on the at least one velocity between the plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the first location of the particular mobile device with a map of a geographic area comprising geographic features; and

determining when to initiate the radio signal measurements further based on the location of the particular mobile device with respect to at least one geographic feature of the geographic area.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one geographic feature comprises a road, wherein it is determined when to initiate the radio signal measurements to determine the second location of the particular mobile device further based on the particular mobile device being on the road.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

training a classifier based at least on the plurality of locations, the at least one time interval, and the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device;

applying the classifier to the acceleration measured by the particular mobile device to predict at least one of a velocity of or distance traveled by the particular mobile device; and

determining when to initiate the radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device based at least on the at least one of the predicted velocity of or predicted distance traveled by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in location of at least one wireless base station relative to the particular mobile device; and

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location further based on the detected change in location of the at least one wireless base station relative to the particular mobile device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first device descriptor corresponding to the at least one mobile device;

receiving a second device descriptor corresponding to the particular mobile device; and

determining when to initiate the radio signal measurements further based on first device descriptor and the second device descriptor.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving first device setting information corresponding to the at least one mobile device;

receiving second device setting information corresponding to the particular mobile device; and

determining when ID initiate the radio signal measurements further based on the first device setting information and the second device setting information.

16. A method for initiating radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of locations of at least one mobile device based on radio signal measurements;

determining acceleration of the at least one mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on sensor measurements;

training a classifier by a network-connectable computing system based on data received from the at least one mobile device, the data comprising the determined plurality of locations and the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device;

transmitting the classifier to the particular mobile device; and

determining a first location of a particular mobile device;

measuring acceleration by the particular mobile device;

applying the classifier by the particular mobile device by at least one processor to the acceleration measured by the particular mobile device to determine when to initiate radio signal measurements to determine the second location of the particular mobile device; and

initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

17. A method for initiating radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of locations of at least one mobile device based on radio signal measurements;

comparing at least one of the plurality of locations with a map of a geographic area comprising geographic features;

determining acceleration, of the at least one mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on sensor measurements;

training a classifier based at least on the plurality of locations, the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device, and the comparison;

determining a first location of a particular mobile device;

measuring acceleration by the particular mobile device;

applying the classifier to the acceleration measured by the particular mobile device to determine when to initiate radio signal measurements to determine the second location of the particular mobile device; and

initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

18. A method for initiating radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of locations of at least one mobile device based on radio signal measurements;

determining acceleration of the at least one mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on sensor measurements;

determining a first location of a particular mobile device;

comparing the first location of the particular mobile device with a map of a geographic area comprising geographic features;

predicting a level of vehicle traffic on the road for a current time;

measuring acceleration by the particular mobile device;

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location of the particular mobile device based at least on the measured acceleration of the particular mobile device, the determined plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device, the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device, the location of the particular mobile device with respect to at least one geographic feature of the geographic area, the at least one geographic feature comprising a road, and based on the particular mobile device being on the road and the predicted level of vehicle traffic on the road; and

initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

19. A method for initiating radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of locations of at least one mobile device based on radio signal measurement;

determining acceleration of the at least one mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on sensor measurements;

determining a first location of a particular mobile device;

measuring acceleration by the particular mobile device;

predicting a velocity of the particular mobile device based at least on the acceleration of the particular mobile device, the determined plurality of locations of the at least one mobile device, and the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device; and

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location of the particular mobile device based at least on the predicted velocity of the particular mobile device; and

initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining a confidence level of the predicted velocity; and

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device further based at least on the determined confidence level.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

predicting a distance traveled by the particular mobile device based on the predicted velocity; and

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device further based on the predicted distance traveled by the particular mobile device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location of the particular mobile device responsive to the predicted distance exceeding a particular threshold.

23. A method for initiating radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of locations of at least one mobile device based on radio signal measurements;

determining acceleration of the at least one mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on sensor measurements;

training a classifier based at least on the plurality of locations and the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device;

determining a first location of a particular mobile device;

measuring acceleration by the particular mobile device;

applying the classifier to the acceleration measured by the particular mobile device to predict at least one of a velocity of or distance traveled by the particular mobile device;

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location of the particular mobile device based at least on the at least one of the predicted velocity of or predicted distance traveled by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device;

initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device;

determining a distance traveled by the particular mobile device based on the first location and the second location of the particular mobile device;

comparing the determined distance traveled by the particular mobile device with the predicted distance traveled by the particular mobile device; and

retraining the classifier based at least on the comparison of the determined distance and the predicted distance.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein retraining the classifier comprises adjusting a velocity result of the classifier based at least on the determined distance.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the classifier is retrained further based on at least one of a geographic feature, a time of the day, a day of the week, or a date of the year corresponding to at least one of the first location or the second location of the particular mobile device.

26. A method for initiating radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of locations of at least one mobile device based on radio signal measurements;

determining acceleration of the at least one mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on sensor measurements;

training a classifier based at least on the plurality of locations and the determined acceleration of the at least one mobile device;

determining a first location of a particular mobile device;

measuring acceleration the particular mobile device;

applying the classifier to the acceleration measured by the particular mobile device to predict at least one of a velocity of or distance traveled by the particular mobile device;

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location of the particular mobile device based on the predicted distance exceeding a predetermined threshold;

initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

determining a distance traveled by the particular mobile device based on the first location and the second location of the particular mobile device;

comparing the determined distance traveled by the particular mobile device with the predicted distance traveled by the particular mobile device; and

adjusting the predetermined threshold based on the comparison of the determined distance and the predicted distance.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising

measuring additional acceleration by the particular mobile device;

applying the classifier to the additional acceleration measured by the particular mobile device to predict an additional distance traveled by the particular mobile device;

determining to initiate additional radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device further based on the predicted additional distance traveled by the particular mobile device exceeding the adjusted threshold; and

initiating the additional radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a third location of the particular mobile device.

29. A method for initiating radio signal measurements to determine mobile device location, the method comprising:

initiating radio signal measurements by a mobile device during a first time period and determining a plurality of locations of the mobile device based on the radio signal measurements initiated during the first time period;

determining at least one time interval between the plurality of locations of the mobile device based on the radio signal measurements initiated during the first time period;

performing acceleration measurements by the mobile device during the first time period and determining acceleration of the mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on the acceleration measurements performed during the first time period;

initiating radio signal measurements by the mobile device during a second time period and determining a first location of the mobile device corresponding to the second time period based on the radio signal measurements initiated during the second time period;

performing acceleration measurements by the mobile device during the second time period and determining acceleration of the mobile device based on the acceleration measurements by the mobile device performed during the second time period;

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location of the particular mobile device based at least on the measured acceleration during the second time period, the determined plurality of locations during the first time period, the at least one time interval between the plurality of locations during the first time period, and the determined acceleration during the first time period; and

initiating radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising providing an application to the mobile device, the application via one or more processors of the mobile device enabling:

the determining of when to initiate the radio signal measurements;

the initiating of the radio signal measurements; and

the performing of the acceleration measurements.

31. The method of claim 29, initiating the radio signal measurements comprising initiating GPS location requests via GPS hardware on the mobile device.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising performing the acceleration measurements via an accelerometer on the mobile device.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

comparing at least one of the plurality of locations with a map of a geographic area comprising geographic features; and

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location further based on the comparison.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

comparing the first location with a map of a geographic area comprising geographic features; and

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements by the particular mobile device to determine a second location further based on the comparison.

35. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

training a classifier based at least on the plurality of locations, the at least one time interval, and the acceleration measured by the mobile device during the first time period; and

applying the classifier to the acceleration measured by the mobile device during the second time period to determine when to initiate radio signal measurements to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

comparing at least one of the plurality of locations with a map of a geographic area comprising geographic features; and

training the classifier further based on the comparison.

37. A mobile device comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium, at least one processor, an acceleration sensor, and radio signal measurement hardware, the computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor of the device, cause the device to perform a process comprising:

initiating radio signal measurements during a first time period and determining a plurality of locations of the mobile device based on the radio signal measurements initiated during the first time period;

determining at least one time interval between the plurality of locations of the mobile device based on the radio signal measurements initiated during the first time period;

performing acceleration measurements by the acceleration sensor during the first time period and determining acceleration of the mobile device at least between the plurality of locations based on the acceleration measurements performed during the first time period;

initiating radio signal measurements during a second time period and determining a first location of the mobile device corresponding to the second time period based on the radio signal measurements initiated during the second time period;

performing acceleration measurements by the acceleration sensor during the second time period and determining acceleration of the mobile device based on the acceleration measurements by the mobile device performed during the second time period;

determining when to initiate radio signal measurements to determine a second location of the particular mobile device based at least on the measured acceleration during the second time period, the determined plurality of locations during the first time period, the at least one time interval between the plurality of locations during the first time period, and the determined acceleration during the first time period; and

initiating radio signal measurements to determine the second location of the particular mobile device.