Patent Grant
9880282
The present disclosure generally relates to location based services and, in particular, determining the current location of a device.
The current location of a mobile device may be determined based on location data from various sources. For example, the mobile device may use a global positioning system (GPS), cell towers in a cellular network, WiFi access points, etc. to obtain location data to determine the location of the mobile device. The location data from these sources may have varying levels of accuracy. In addition, these sources may have varying levels of availability to the mobile device depending on the location of the mobile device, the movement of the mobile device, and/or the environment in which the mobile device and the sources are located.
A mobile device typically updates its current location based on the most recently received location data. However, the most recently received location data may be from a less accurate source than the current location data that it is replacing when, for example, the less accurate location data is the most recently received location data or when other more accurate sources of location data are unavailable (e.g., the signal for a location data source is too weak or not in range). As a result, the current location of the mobile device may be replaced using location data that is less accurate, even if the current location of the mobile device is still valid (e.g., if the mobile device has not moved a great deal or at all).
According to one aspect of the subject technology, a system for determining a location of a mobile device from different sources of location data is provided. The system may include a location module, an interface module, and an update module. The location module may be configured to store current location data of a mobile device, the current location data associated with a first source of location data and a first accuracy indicator for the current location data. The interface module may be configured to obtain location data from a second source of location data, wherein the obtained location data is associated with a second accuracy indicator for the obtained location data. The update module may be configured to determine whether the first accuracy indicator for the current location data overlaps with the second accuracy indicator for the obtained location data and update the current location data of the mobile device with the obtained location data from the second source if the first accuracy indicator overlaps with the second accuracy indicator and if the second accuracy indicator is more accurate than the first accuracy indicator
According to another aspect of the subject technology, a method for determining a location of a mobile device from different sources of location data is provided. The method may include storing current location data of a mobile device, the current location data associated with a first source of location data and a first accuracy indicator for the first source of location data, obtaining location data from a second source of location data, wherein the obtained location data is associated with a second accuracy indicator for the second source of location data, determining, using at least one processor, whether the obtained location data from the second source matches the stored current location data of the mobile device, and updating the current location data of the mobile device with the obtained location data from the second source if the obtained location data from the second source matches the stored current location data and if the second accuracy indicator for the second source is more accurate than the first accuracy indicator for the first source.
According to yet another aspect of the subject technology, a machine-readable medium including instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations for determining a location of a mobile device from different sources of location data is provided. The operations may include maintaining a location record configured to store current location data of a mobile device, the current location data associated with a first source of location data, obtaining location data from a second source of location data, determining, using at least one processor, whether the obtained location data from the second source matches the current location data of the mobile device, and updating the current location data of the mobile device in the location record with the obtained location data if the obtained location data does not match the current location data.
Another aspect of the subject technology relates to a system for determining a location of a mobile device from different sources of location data. The system may include one or more processors and a machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations may include storing current location data of a mobile device, the current location data associated with a first source of location data and a first accuracy indicator for the current location data, obtaining location data from a second source of location data, wherein the obtained location data is associated with a second accuracy indicator for the obtained location data, determining, using at least one processor, whether the first accuracy indicator for the current location data overlaps with the second accuracy indicator for the obtained location data, and updating the current location data of the mobile device with the obtained location data from the second source if the first accuracy indicator does not overlap with the second accuracy indicator.
Another aspect of the subject technology relates to a method for determining a location of a mobile device from different sources of location data. The method may include storing current location data of a mobile device, the current location data associated with a first source of location data and a first accuracy indicator for the current location data, obtaining location data from a second source of location data, wherein the obtained location data is associated with a second accuracy indicator for the obtained location data, determining, using at least one processor, whether the first accuracy indicator for the current location data overlaps with the second accuracy indicator for the obtained location data, and updating the current location data of the mobile device with the obtained location data from the second source if the first accuracy indicator does not overlap with the second accuracy indicator.
Another aspect of the subject technology relates to a machine-readable medium that includes instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations. The operations may include storing current location data of a mobile device, the current location data associated with a first source of location data and a first accuracy indicator for the current location data, obtaining location data from a second source of location data, wherein the obtained location data is associated with a second accuracy indicator for the obtained location data, determining, using at least one processor, whether the first accuracy indicator for the current location data overlaps with the second accuracy indicator for the obtained location data, and updating the current location data of the mobile device with the obtained location data from the second source if the first accuracy indicator does not overlap with the second accuracy indicator.
It is understood that other configurations of the subject technology will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various configurations of the subject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the subject technology is capable of other and different configurations and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the scope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate disclosed aspects and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosed aspects.
The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various configurations of the subject technology and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the subject technology may be practiced. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the detailed description. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the subject technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject technology may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the subject technology.
According to various aspects of the subject technology, methods and systems for determining a current location of a mobile device using several different types of sources of location data are provided. The system may keep track of the location of a mobile device by maintaining a record containing current location data corresponding to the location of the mobile device.
The system may, from time to time, receive new location data from one or more of the sources of location data. For example, different sources of location data may be polled periodically at different rates or different sources of location data may not be available under certain conditions (e.g., the signal for a location data source is too weak or the interface that communicates with a location data source may be disabled).
In order to decide whether to update the current location data of the mobile device with the subsequently received (e.g., new) location data, the system may determine whether the mobile device has moved based on the current location data and the new location data. If it is determined that the mobile device has moved, the system will update the current location data with the new location data. If the mobile device has not moved, the system will not update the current location data unless the new location data is more accurate than the current location of the mobile device. The system may identify which location data is more accurate based on an accuracy indicator associated with the location data. The accuracy indicator associated with the location data may be obtained from the source of the location data or determined based on the type of location data (e.g., GPS location data, location data from cell tower id, location data from WiFi hotspots, etc.).
As a result, the most accurate valid location data may be used as the current location data (e.g., from WiFi hotspots) for the mobile device. For example, if the mobile device has not moved, the system will keep a more accurate current location data rather than update it with subsequently received new location data from a less accurate source (e.g., from cell tower ids). If the mobile device has not moved but the new location data is from a more accurate source than the current location data for the mobile device, then the system may use the new, more accurate location data (e.g., GPS location coordinates) as the current location data. If, on the other hand, the system detects that the mobile device has moved, the system may update the current location data for the mobile device with the new location data regardless of whether it is more accurate than the current location data because the current location data is no longer valid. Further details of the system are described below with respect to
According to one aspect, the mobile device 105 may include one or more location data interface modules 110, a location module 120, and an update module 130. The location module 120 may be configured to keep track of the current location of the mobile device. For example, the location module 120 may store a current location record or other data structure that includes an entry containing current location data for the mobile device. The current location record may also include entries containing location data from other sources of data.
The one or more location interface modules 110 may be configured to interact with the various sources of location data and obtain location data from the sources. The location data obtained from the sources may then be stored in one of the location entries 210 of the current location record 200. If an entry already contains previously obtained location data for the same source type, the location entry for that source type may be updated with the recently obtained location data. For example, if the location interface modules 110 receive GPS location coordinates, and there is a previous entry for GPS location data, the location module 120 may replace the entry for GPS location data with the received location coordinates. In some aspects, a location entry may also be removed from the current location record 200 if the location source for that location entry is no longer available (e.g., no longer in communication with the mobile device).
Referring back to
In another aspect, a location data interface module 110 may be a cellular network interface configured to communicate with one or more cell towers 160 within range of the device and determine location data based on the locations of the cell towers. For example, the cellular network interface may identify the cell tower ID of a detected cell tower and use the cell tower ID to determine the location of the cell tower by.
Although
Although the interface modules 110 may obtain location data from several different sources, the obtained location data may not be of the same quality. In many cases, the accuracy of the obtained location data varies based on the source of the location data. For example, the GPS location data obtained using a GPS interface may be accurate to within a few feet while Wi-Fi location data may be accurate to within roughly 50 to 100 feet and cell tower location data may be accurate to within as much 2 kilometers or more.
Each source of data may be associated with an accuracy indicator representing how accurate the location data may be. The accuracy indicator may be obtained from source of the location data, the mobile device, or a server in communication with the mobile device. Each accuracy indicator can be conceptually represented as a circle with a predetermined radius around the coordinates of the location data with a smaller radius representing a more accurate source.
Referring back to
The current location data 405 is associated with an accuracy indicator 410 that represents the accuracy of the current location data 405 (e.g., the actual location of the mobile device, given the current location data 405, is most likely within the area indicated by the accuracy indicator 410). Similarly, the obtained location data 415 is associated with an accuracy indicator 420 that represents the accuracy of the obtained location data 415.
If the more recently obtained more recently obtained location data 415 was more accurate than the current location data 405 or equally accurate, the update module 130 may have updated the current location data 405 with the obtained location data 415. However, because the more recently obtained location data 415 is less accurate than the current location data 405, the update module 130 will only update the current location data 405 if the update module 130 determines that mobile device has moved from the time the current location data 405 was received (Time 1) to the time the subsequently obtained location data 415 was received (Time 2).
The update module 130 may determine if the mobile device has moved from Time 1 to Time 2 using the accuracy indicator 420 associated with the obtained location data 415. For example, as can be seen in
As a result, the update module 130 will not update the current location data 405. In some aspects, although the update module 130 does not update the current location data 405, the update module 130 may update the timestamp for the current location data 405 the time the subsequently obtained location data 415 was received. By doing so, the timestamp for the current location data 405 may reflect the most recent time that the current location data 405 was still valid.
If, on the other hand, the update module 130 determines that the mobile device has moved (e.g., the current location data is no longer valid), the update module 130 will update the current location data with subsequently obtained location data. For example,
The current location data 505 being incompatible with the Wi-Fi location data 525 indicates that the current location data 505 may no longer be valid (e.g., the mobile device has moved to the area indicated by the accuracy indicator 530 associated with Wi-Fi location data 525). As a result, the update module 130 may update the current location data 505 using the Wi-Fi location data 525 obtained at Time 3 since the Wi-Fi location data 525 is the most accurate source of location data available to the mobile device at Time 3. A similar result would occur if both the Cell Tower location data 515 and the Wi-Fi location data 525 were obtained at Time 2.
Even if the update module 130 does not detect that the mobile device has moved since the current location data was received, the update module 130 may update the current location data if subsequently received location data is more accurate than the current location data. For example,
The update module 130 may determine that the current location data 605 is still valid because the subsequently obtained location data 625 is compatible with the current location data 605 (e.g., the accuracy indicator 610 associated with current location data 605 intersects with the subsequently obtained location data 625. However, the current location data 605 is less accurate than the subsequently obtained location data 625. This is conceptually illustrated by the accuracy indicator 610 associated with the current location data 605 being larger (e.g., less accurate) compared to the accuracy indicator 630 associated with the subsequently obtained location data 625. As a result, according to one aspect, the update module 130 may update the current location data 605 based on the more accurate subsequently obtained location data 625.
In some aspects, the current location record 200 may also include a number of location entries 210 that may be stored with location data received from various sources of location data. For example, the location data interface modules 110 may poll one or location sources in order to obtain location data. According to one aspect, the polling may occur at periodic cycles. The location module 120 may store the obtained location data in the location entries 210 in the current location record 200 along with a timestamp referring to when the location data was received, an accuracy indicator associated with the source of the location data, and a source description, type, or identifier. In some aspects, if the location entries 210 already include an entry for the source for the obtained location data, the entry for the source may be updated with the obtained location data and timestamp instead of creating a new entry for the obtained location data.
At operation 710, the location data interface modules 110 may request and receive new location data from one or more sources. Once received, the location module 120 may determine whether the mobile device has moved by determining whether the current location data matches or is compatible with the new location data at operation 715. In one aspect described above, the current location matches the new location data if the accuracy indicator of the current location overlaps with the accuracy indicator of the new location data.
If the current location and the new location data do not match, the current location data may no longer be valid and, at operation 720, the update module 130 may update the current location data using the newly obtained location data. If the current location data and the new location data match, the current location data may still be valid. However, it may still be desirable to update the current location data if more the new location data is more accurate.
At operation 725, the location module 120 may determine whether the new location data is associated with a more accurate source than the current location. According to one aspect, this may be done by comparing the accuracy indicator of the new location data with the accuracy indicator of the current location. If the new location data is not more accurate, at operation 730, no update is performed to the current location data. In some aspects, however, the timestamp for the current location data may be updated using the time the new location data was received. If, on the other hand, the new location data is more accurate, at operation 735, the update module 130 may update the current location using the new location data.
As discussed above, the polling may occur at periodic cycles. These cycles may be at random or according to a predetermined schedule. The schedule may, for example, be based on the amount of resources (e.g., battery power) required to poll a source. According to some aspects, the location data interface modules 110 may poll locations sources requiring the least amount of power to preserve the battery in the mobile device. In other aspects, the frequency that one or more of the location sources are polled may be depend on whether the movement of the mobile device is detected. For example, the mobile device may request location data from available sources more frequently when movement is detected than when the mobile device is stationary.
In some aspects, certain quality control measures may be taken in order to improve the quality of current location results. For example, if the current location of a mobile device is in one location (e.g., Mountain View, Calif.) and mobile device receives location data that corresponds to another location (e.g., Boston, Mass.) that is over a threshold distance from the current location, the system may discard the update module 130 may ignore or discard the new location data because it is unlikely that the mobile device would have traveled from the current location to the new location in the time between the timestamp for the current location and the timestamp for the new location.
In some aspects, regardless of how location data is obtained, appropriate efforts may also be taken to protect user privacy rights. For example, collection of location data may be on an opt-in basis so that data is not collected unless the user has granted permission, with the location data stored and handled in a secure manner. Additionally, steps can be taken to anonymize the location data (e.g., to ensure that the location data cannot be tied to a particular user and/or to a particular device).
The location monitoring by the mobile device may be based on user permission/authorization. In the absence of permission/authorization set by a user of the mobile device, the mobile device may maintain only the current location record containing elements corresponding to the location sources available at the last update or may disable the location determination functionality altogether. A user may authorize the mobile device, and any services or applications running on the mobile device, to store one or more previous location records to track previous movement of the mobile device.
The example computer system 800 includes a processor 802, a main memory 804, a static memory 806, a disk drive unit 816, and a network interface device 820 which communicate with each other via a bus 808. The computer system 800 may further include an input/output interface 812 that may be configured to communicate with various input/output devices such as video display units (e.g., liquid crystal (LCD) displays, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), or touch screens), an alphanumeric input device (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse), or a signal generation device (e.g., a speaker).
Processor 802 may be a general-purpose microprocessor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microcontroller, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components, or any other suitable entity that can perform calculations or other manipulations of information.
A machine-readable medium (also referred to as a computer-readable medium) may store one or more sets of instructions 824 embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 824 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 804 and/or within the processor 802 during execution thereof by the computer system 800, with the main memory 804 and the processor 802 also constituting machine-readable media. The instructions 824 may further be transmitted or received over a network 826 via the network interface device 820.
The machine-readable medium may be a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The machine-readable medium may comprise the drive unit 816, the static memory 806, the main memory 804, the processor 802, an external memory connected to the input/output interface 812, or some other memory. The term “machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the embodiments discussed herein. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, storage mediums such as solid-state memories, optical media, and magnetic media.
Systems, methods, and machine-readable media for determining a location of a mobile device from different sources of location data is provided. The system may include a location module, an interface module, and an update module. The location module may be configured to monitor a current location of a mobile device, the current location associated with a first source of location data. The interface module may be configured to obtain location data from a second source of location data. The update module may be configured to determine whether a first accuracy indicator of the current location intersects with a second accuracy indicator of the obtained location data and update the current location of the mobile device with the obtained location data if the first accuracy indicator of the current location does not intersect with the second accuracy indicator of the obtained location data.
Those of skill in the art would appreciate that the various illustrative blocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms described herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative blocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application. Various components and blocks may be arranged differently (e.g., arranged in a different order, or partitioned in a different way) all without departing from the scope of the subject technology.
It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged. Some of the steps may be performed simultaneously. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.
The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The previous description provides various examples of the subject technology, and the subject technology is not limited to these examples. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit the invention.
A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect is essential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an aspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. An aspect may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment may apply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. An embodiment may provide one or more examples. A phrase such an embodiment may refer to one or more embodiments and vice versa. A phrase such as a “configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential to the subject technology or that such configuration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples. A phrase such a configuration may refer to one or more configurations and vice versa.
The word “exemplary” may be used herein to mean “serving as an example or illustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application 61/470,478, filed on Mar. 31, 2011, “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING DEVICE LOCATION,” the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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