Portable electronic devices with an emergency mode for locating survivors in disasters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10405139-B2
Application number	US-201715470000-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2017
Priority date	May 31, 2016
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

An emergency mode is provided in a portable electronic device for locating a survivor in a disaster. The device includes a wireless antenna to transmit and receive wireless signals; a memory to store one or more identifiers; a user interface to receive a command that enables the emergency mode. The device also includes one or more processors, which, in response to the command, detect via the wireless receiver a predetermined identifier that matches a stored identifier identifying a sender of the predetermined identifier as a trusted node. When the predetermined identifier and a timing measurement frame are received from the trusted node, the device sends a response to the trusted node to indicate its presence.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a portable electronic device to provide an emergency mode, comprising:
receiving, by the portable electronic device via a user interface, a command that enables the emergency mode of the portable electronic device;
in response to receiving the command that enables the emergency mode, turning off one or more applications, system operations or hardware functions of the portable electronic device;
detecting, by the portable electronic device while the emergency mode is enabled, a broadcast message including one of stored identifiers stored in the portable electronic device, wherein each of the stored identifiers identifies a sender of the broadcast message as a first trusted node;
receiving, by the portable electronic device from the first trusted node while the emergency mode is enabled, a timing measurement frame based on which a first distance between the portable electronic device and the first trusted node is calculated;
sending a response to the timing measurement frame from the portable electronic device to the first trusted node;
receiving, by the portable electronic device from a second trusted node while the emergency mode is enabled, a second timing measurement frame based on which a second distance between the portable electronic device and the second trusted node is calculated; and
sending a response to the second timing measurement frame from the portable electronic device to the second trusted node, whereby a location of the portable electronic device is determined based on at least the first and second distances.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the broadcast message further comprises:
detecting one or more identifiers in a set of predetermined identifiers, each predetermined identifier identifying one or more trusted nodes.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the first and second timing measurement frames is performed by a Wi-Fi receiver operative to receive wireless signals over one or more Wi-Fi frequency bands.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the response further comprises:
replying to the first trusted node with an acknowledgement including a first time instant of receiving the timing measurement frame and a second time instant of sending the acknowledgement.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the timing measurement frame is a Fine Timing Measurement (FTM) protocol according to WLAN standard practices and associated technologies.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in response to the command, the method further comprises:
entering a power saving state; and
waking up periodically from the power saving state to attempt to detect a stored identifier.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein sending the response further comprises:
generating a siren to indicate the presence of the portable electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
keeping a wireless receiver on continuously to detect one or more identifiers in a set of predetermined identifiers over one or more predetermined frequency bands.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the broadcast message, the timing measurement frame and the response are conveyed via wireless communication.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the portable electronic device from a third trusted node while the emergency mode is enabled, a third timing measurement frame based on which a third distance between the portable electronic device and the third trusted node is calculated; and
sending a response to the third timing measurement frame from the portable electronic device to the third trusted node, whereby a location of the portable electronic device is determined based on the first, second and third distances.

11. A portable electronic device that provides an emergency mode, comprising:
a wireless antenna including a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver to transmit and receive wireless signals, respectively;
a memory to store one or more identifiers;
a user interface to receive a command that enables the emergency mode; and
one or more processors coupled to the wireless antenna, the memory and the user interface, wherein the one or more processors, in response to the command, are operative to:
in response to receiving the command that enables the emergency mode, turn off one or more applications, system operations or hardware functions of the portable electronic device;
detect, while the emergency mode is enabled, a broadcast message including one of stored identifiers stored in the memory, wherein each of the stored identifiers identifies a sender of the broadcast message as a first trusted node;
receive, from the first trusted node while the emergency mode is enabled, a timing measurement frame based on which a first distance between the portable electronic device and the first trusted node is calculated;
send a response to the timing measurement frame to the first trusted node;
receive, by the portable electronic device from a second trusted node while the emergency mode is enabled, a second timing measurement frame based on which a second distance between the portable electronic device and the second trusted node is calculated; and
send a response to the second timing measurement frame from the portable electronic device to the second trusted node, wherein a location of the portable electronic device is determined based on at least the first second distances.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors, in response to the command, are further operative to:
detect one or more identifiers in a set of predetermined identifiers, each predetermined identifier identifying one or more trusted nodes.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the wireless receiver includes a Wi-Fi receiver operative to receive wireless signals over one or more Wi-Fi frequency bands.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors, in response to the timing measurement frame, are further operative to:
reply to the first trusted node with an acknowledgement including a first time instant of receiving the timing measurement frame and a second time instant of sending the acknowledgement.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the timing measurement frame is a Fine Timing Measurement (FTM) protocol according to WLAN standard practices and associated technologies.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors, in response to the command, are further operative to:
enter a power saving state; and
wake up periodically from the power saving state to attempt to detect a stored identifier.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors, in response to the command, are further operative to:
generate a siren to indicate presence of the portable electronic device.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors, in response to the command, are further operative to:
keep the wireless receiver on continuously to detect one or more identifiers in a set of predetermined identifiers over one or more predetermined frequency bands.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are operative to:
receive, by the portable electronic device from a third trusted node while the emergency mode is enabled, a third timing measurement frame based on which a third distance between the portable electronic device and

Assignees

• Mediatek Inc

Inventors

• Shung Chuen-Shen Bernard
• Liu Jianhan
• Chien George
• Hsu Yungping
• Rajakarunanayake Yasantha
• Jann Dingchung
• KAO Tom Hsiou-Cheng

Classifications

• G08B25/016

  Personal emergency signalling and security systems (emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12) · CPC title

• G08B21/0272

  System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS · CPC title

• H04W64/006

  with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination · CPC title

• H04W52/0264

  by selectively disabling software applications · CPC title

• H04W56/002

  Mutual synchronization · CPC title