Energy conservation apparatus for geofence applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9651673-B2
Application number	US-201313831684-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices are provided for operating a GPS engine in an active geofence monitoring state for no more than a first QoS period to obtain a first GPS fix. The GPS engine may also be set to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than a second lower QoS period to obtain a second GPS fix in response to determining the first GPS fix was not obtained. The method may determine whether a geofence breach is detected in response to determining the GPS engine obtained the first GPS fix. The GPS engine may be set to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period to obtain the second GPS fix in response to determining the geofence breach is not detected. The GPS engine may thus operate in the active geofence monitoring state to obtain the second GPS fix.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a global positioning system (GPS) engine, comprising:
operating, by a processor of a wireless tracking device, the GPS engine in an active geofence monitoring state for no more than a first quality of service (QoS) period to obtain a first GPS fix;
determining, by the processor, whether the GPS engine obtained the first GPS fix;
setting, by the processor, the GPS engine to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than a second QoS period to obtain a second GPS fix in response to determining the first GPS fix was not obtained, wherein the second QoS period is less than the first QoS period;
determining, by the processor, whether a geofence breach is detected in response to determining the GPS engine obtained the first GPS fix;
setting, by the processor, the GPS engine to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period to obtain the second GPS fix in response to determining the geofence breach is not detected; and
operating, by the processor, the GPS engine in the active geofence monitoring state to obtain the second GPS fix.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating the GPS engine to obtain the second GPS fix for no more than the first QoS period in response to determining the geofence breach is detected.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining a first actual time-to-fix in response to determining the GPS engine obtained the first GPS fix; and
setting the GPS engine to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period to obtain the second GPS fix in response to determining the first actual time-to-fix is not below a QoS threshold.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising operating the GPS engine to obtain the second GPS fix for no more than the first QoS period in response to determining the first actual time-to-fix is below the QoS threshold.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the QoS threshold corresponds to a statistical average time value needed to obtain a fix in a common indoor environment.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a skip count of a number of prior times the GPS engine was set to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period; and
setting the GPS engine to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period to obtain the second GPS fix and incrementing the skip count in response to determining the skip count is not above a skip count threshold.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising operating the GPS engine to obtain the second GPS fix for no more than the first QoS period in response to determining the skip count is above the skip count threshold and the skip count may be reset.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geofence breach is determined when a region of uncertainty corresponding to a location of the first GPS fix does not overlap a geofence region associated with the GPS engine, wherein the region of uncertainty extends beyond a region of accuracy corresponding to the location of the first GPS fix.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first QoS period corresponds to a maximum duration of a run-time of the GPS engine needed to obtain a fix in an indoor environment corresponding to at least a 95 percent yield rate.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second QoS period corresponds to a minimum run-time of the GPS engine needed to obtain a fix and maintain a geofence breach false alarm rate below a false alarm threshold.

11. A wireless tracking device comprising:
a global positioning system (GPS) engine; and
a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
operate the GPS engine in an active geofence monitoring state for no more than a first quality of service (QoS) period to obtain a first GPS fix;
determine whether the GPS engine obtained the first GPS fix;
set the GPS engine to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than a second QoS period to obtain a second GPS fix in response to determining the first GPS fix was not obtained, wherein the second QoS period is less than the first QoS period;
determine whether a geofence breach is detected in response to determining the GPS engine obtained the first GPS fix;
set the GPS engine to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period to obtain the second GPS fix in response to determining the geofence breach is not detected; and
operate the GPS engine in the active geofence monitoring state to obtain the second GPS fix.

12. The wireless tracking device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:
operate the GPS engine to obtain the second GPS fix for no more than the first QoS period in response to determining the geofence breach is detected.

13. The wireless tracking device of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:
determine a first actual time-to-fix in response to determining the GPS engine obtained the first GPS fix; and
set the GPS engine to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period to obtain the second GPS fix in response to determining the first actual time-to-fix is not below a QoS threshold.

14. The wireless tracking device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:
operate the GPS engine to obtain the second GPS fix for no more than the first QoS period in response to determining the first actual time-to-fix is below the QoS threshold.

15. The wireless tracking device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the QoS threshold corresponds to a statistical average time value needed to obtain a fix in a common indoor environment.

16. The wireless tracking device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:
determine a skip count of a number of prior times the GPS engine was set to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period; and
set the GPS engine to operate in the active geofence monitoring state for no more than the second QoS period to obtain the second GPS fix and incrementing the skip count in response to determining the skip count is not above a skip count threshold.

17. The wireless tracking device of claim 16 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:
operate the GPS engine to obtain the second GPS fix for no more than the first QoS period in response to determining the skip count is above the skip count threshold and the skip count may be reset.

18. The wireless tracking device of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the geofence breach is determined when a region of uncertainty corresponding to a location of the first GPS fix does not overlap a geofence region associated with the GPS engine, wherein the region of uncertainty extends beyond a region of accuracy corresponding to the location of the first GPS fix.

19. The wireless tracking device of claim 11 , wherein the p

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Lacatus Catalin
• Moussa Alaa-Addin
• Gill Harleen K
• Parikh Hemish K

Classifications

• H04W52/0209 Primary

  in terminal devices · CPC title

• G01S19/34

  Power consumption · CPC title

• G08B21/023

  Power management, e.g. system sleep and wake up provisions · CPC title

• G01S19/24 Primary

  Acquisition or tracking {or demodulation} of signals transmitted by the system {(synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073)} · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title