Methods and devices for determining a location estimate

• US 9,646,426 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Prechner, Gaby, Eyal, Elad
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US14/576,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20160180606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561, 4554565, 4554042, 455434, 455 6711, 455 631, 455 6713
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/019 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00

Abstract

Generally discussed herein are systems and apparatuses for managing a plurality of location providers and/or assigning a location provider to provide a location estimate. Also discussed herein are methods of using the systems and apparatuses. According to an example a method may include receiving a location estimate request from one or more location clients, determining, using a power cost heuristic, a power cost of using each of a plurality of location providers in performing a location estimate in accord with the location estimate request, assigning the location estimate request to a location provider of the plurality of location providers associated with a lowest determined power cost, and/or providing the location estimate to the location client.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising processing circuitry to:

receive a location estimate request from one or more location clients;

receive one or more performance parameters from the one or more location clients, the performance parameters comprising at least one of a maximum power, a maximum time, and a maximum error to be used in determining the location estimate of the device;

receive from each of a plurality of location providers a list of available operational states, each operational state including one or more of a plurality of characteristics including whether a location estimate is available upon request, a maximum time it takes to complete a location estimate, whether a periodic location estimate is available, a time period the periodic location estimate is available, a best case expected error in the location estimate, a worst case expected error in the location estimate, an energy consumption per unit time in performing the location estimate, an energy consumption per transition into the operational state, and an energy consumption per location estimate;

determine, using a power cost heuristic, a power cost of using each of the plurality of location providers in performing a location estimate in response to the location estimate request;

assign the location estimate request to a location provider of the plurality of location providers associated with a lowest determined power cost; and

provide the location estimate to the one or more location clients that issued the location estimate request.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further to assign the location estimate request to a location provider of the plurality of location providers by comparing the one or more performance parameters to a characteristic of the plurality of characteristics and assigning the request to the location provider that includes a characteristic that best matches the performance parameter with the lowest determined power cost.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the power cost heuristic includes the energy consumption per location estimate divided by a lowest common denominator of the time periods of periodic requests assigned to the location provider of the plurality of location providers.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the power cost heuristic includes a sum of the energy consumption per unit time in performing the location estimate, the energy consumption per transition into the operational state, and the energy consumption per location estimate.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of location providers include a Wi-Fi location provider, a satellite location provider, and a cellular location provider.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of location providers determine the location estimate using a Time of Flight (ToF) of a signal from the device to the location provider and back to the device, triangulation and a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) technique.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the processing circuitry is to assign the received location estimate request to a different location provider only if the different location provider provides the location estimate with a lower determined power cost, a lower maximum time it takes to complete a location estimate as detailed in the list of operational states, or a lower worst case expected error in the location estimate as detailed in the list of operational states than is provided by a location provider of the plurality of location providers currently assigned to perform the location estimate.

8. A method of performing a location estimate comprising operations performed by one or more hardware processor, the operations comprising:

receiving a location estimate request from one or more location clients;

receiving one or more performance parameters associated with the location estimate request, the performance parameters comprising at least one of a maximum power, a maximum time, and a maximum error to be used in satisfying the location estimate request;

receiving from each of a plurality of location providers a list of available operational states, each operational state including one or more of a plurality of characteristics including whether a location estimate is available upon request, a maximum time it takes to complete a location estimate, whether a periodic location estimate is available, a time period the periodic location estimate is available, a best case expected error in the location estimate, a worst case expected error in the location estimate, an energy consumption per unit time in performing the location estimate, an energy consumption per transition into the operational state, and an energy consumption per location estimate;

determining, using a power cost heuristic, a power cost of using each of the plurality of location providers in performing a location estimate in accord with the location estimate request;

assigning the location estimate request to a location provider of the plurality of location providers associated with a lowest determined power cost; and

providing the location estimate to the location client.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein assigning the location estimate request to a location provider of the plurality of location providers includes comparing the one or more performance parameters to a characteristic of the plurality of characteristics and assigning the request to the location provider that includes a characteristic that best matches the performance parameter with the lowest determined power cost.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the power cost heuristic includes the energy consumption per location estimate divided by a lowest common denominator of the time periods of periodic requests assigned to the location provider of the plurality of location providers.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the power cost heuristic includes a sum of the energy consumption per unit time in performing the location estimate, the energy consumption per transition into the operational state, and the energy consumption per location estimate.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning the received location estimate request to a different location provider of the plurality of location providers only if the different location provider provides the location estimate with a lower determined power cost, a lower maximum time it takes to complete a location estimate as detailed in the list of operational states, or a lower worst case expected error in the location estimate as detailed in the list of operational states than is provided by a location provider of the plurality of location providers currently assigned to perform the location estimate.

13. At least one machine-readable medium comprising instructions, when performed by a machine, cause the machine to:

receive a location estimate request from one or more location clients;

receive one or more performance parameters associated with the location estimate request, the performance parameters comprising at least one of a maximum power, a maximum time, and a maximum error to be used in satisfying the location estimate request;

receive from each of the plurality of location providers a list of available operational states, each operational state including one or more of a plurality of characteristics including whether a location estimate is available upon request, a maximum time it takes to complete a location estimate, whether a periodic location estimate is available, a time period the periodic location estimate is available, a best case expected error in the location estimate, a worst case expected error in the location estimate, an energy consumption per unit time in performing the location estimate, an energy consumption per transition into the operational state, and an energy consumption per location estimate;

determine, using a power cost heuristic, a power cost of using each of a plurality of location providers in performing a location estimate in accord with the location estimate request;

assign the location estimate request to a location provider of the plurality of location providers associated with a lowest determined power cost; and

provide the location estimate to the location client.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions for assigning the location estimate request to a location provider of the plurality of location providers include instructions, when performed by the machine, cause the machine to compare the one or more performance parameters to a characteristic of the plurality of characteristics and assigning the request to the location provider that includes a characteristic that best matches the performance parameter with the lowest determined power cost, wherein the power cost heuristic includes the energy consumption per location estimate divided by a lowest common denominator of the time periods of periodic requests assigned to the location provider of the plurality of location providers or a sum of the energy consumption per unit time in performing the location estimate, the energy consumption per transition into the operational state, and the energy consumption per location estimate.