Dynamic Geofence Management for Mobile Battery Conservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining multiple geofences on a mobile device consumes significant processing power and battery life, leading to limitations set by device manufacturers, making it challenging to create and manage a large number of geofences while conserving battery performance and processing demands.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that dynamically creates and updates geofences by initiating a geofence registration process on a mobile device, retrieving its location, requesting a list of eligible locations, identifying the nearest ones, generating local and exit geofences, and restarting the process when leaving the exit geofence, thereby using a limited number of geofences to manage a larger set of relevant locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple geofences are maintained on a mobile device, then the application can monitor and respond to more locations, but processing power and battery performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the geofence monitoring system into two distinct components: local geofences (small radius, immediate area) and exit geofence (large radius, broader area). This segmentation allows the application to monitor multiple locations by selectively activating different geofence types based on current location, reducing the total number of active geofences and thereby conserving battery performance while maintaining adaptability to monitor numerous locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic geofence management where the system automatically activates, deactivates, and updates geofences based on the mobile device's current location and movement status. The geofence registration process is dynamically restarted when the device leaves the exit geofence area, allowing the system to adaptively adjust the number and type of active geofences according to real-time conditions, thus optimizing battery usage while maintaining monitoring capability across multiple locations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple geofences are maintained on a mobile device, then the application can monitor and respond to more locations, but processing demands increase
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the monitoring system into local geofences for immediate areas and a single exit geofence for broader areas, the patent reduces the computational complexity of managing numerous geofences. The segmented approach allows the system to process location data more efficiently by only activating detailed local geofence monitoring when the device is within the exit geofence boundaries, thereby reducing overall processing demands while maintaining the ability to monitor multiple locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by implementing full geofence monitoring (local geofences) only when necessary (when within the exit geofence area), and using a simplified monitoring approach (exit geofence only) when detailed local monitoring is not required. This selective activation of monitoring intensity based on current location reduces processing demands while maintaining adequate monitoring coverage across multiple locations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the geofence registration process is continuously active, then all eligible locations can be monitored, but battery consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by restarting the geofence registration process only when the mobile device leaves the exit geofence area, rather than continuously maintaining all geofences. This periodic re-registration approach ensures that the system periodically updates its knowledge of eligible locations and re-establishes appropriate geofence coverage, while consuming battery power only during these periodic events rather than continuously, thus balancing coverage with energy conservation.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device may identify nearby locations, such as locations of a merchant. The mobile device may create local geofences around the nearby locations. The mobile device may create an exit geofence which includes all of the local geofences. In response to the mobile device entering one of the local geofences, the mobile device may provide a notification regarding the location. In response to the mobile device leaving the exit geofence, the mobile device may identify nearby locations based on the new location of the mobile device, and the mobile device may create new local geofences for the current nearby locations, as well as a new exit geofence.