Geofence Cache Management for Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices face storage and processing limitations when handling large numbers of geofences, leading to impractical database maintenance and battery drain due to frequent calculations, which hampers the effectiveness of geofence-activated services.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a mechanism to cache a limited number of geofences within a threshold distance of the mobile device's location, updating the cache based on direction, speed, and travel time, allowing the device to store only relevant geofences and reducing the need for extensive processing and battery consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mobile devices store and process large numbers of geofences, then geofence-activated services become more comprehensive and reliable, but storage capacity requirements increase and processing burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments geofences into two categories: local geofences stored in mobile device memory and remote geofences accessed via network. This segmentation allows the device to maintain a manageable local database while accessing comprehensive geofence data through the network, resolving the contradiction between service comprehensiveness and storage burden.
Solution Approach 2:
A server acts as an intermediary between mobile devices and the comprehensive geofence database. The server stores and manages the full geofence database remotely, while mobile devices access only the geofences relevant to their current location and movement, thereby reducing local storage requirements while maintaining service reliability.
2Measurement precision
If mobile devices perform frequent geofence calculations to track location changes, then location accuracy and service responsiveness improve, but battery consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing relevant geofence data in the mobile device's local cache before location changes occur. This allows the device to respond to location changes without performing extensive calculations in real-time, thereby maintaining responsiveness while reducing battery consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simplified copy of relevant geofence data in local memory rather than maintaining the full complex geofence database on the device. This copy contains only the essential information needed for location tracking, enabling accurate measurement with significantly reduced computational and energy requirements.
3Productivity
If mobile devices cache geofences within a threshold distance, then processing requirements are reduced, but the ability to detect distant geofences is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the geofence caching strategy based on the device's current state. When the device is stationary or moving slowly, more geofences are cached locally to maintain comprehensive detection capability. When the device moves quickly, the system reduces the number of cached geofences to improve processing efficiency, accepting that some distant geofences may be missed.
Data Source
AI summary
Mobile device systems and methods for monitoring geofences cache a subset of geofences within a likely travel perimeter determined based on speed and direction of travel, available roads, current traffic, etc. A server may download to mobile devices subsets of geofences within a likely travel perimeter determined based on a threshold travel time possible from a current location given current travel speed, direction and roads. Mobile device may receive a list of local geofences from a server, which may maintain or have access to a database containing all geofences. The mobile device may use the cashed geofences in the normal manner, by comparing its location to the cached list of local geofences to detect matches. In an embodiment, the mobile device may calculate or receive from the server an update perimeter, which when crossed may prompt the mobile device to request an update to the geofences stored in cache.