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US 10,477,505 B2Granted
Mobile transceiver for asset tracking having a power saving scheme for network access
AssigneeBlackBerry Limited
InventorsJasmin Mulaosmanovic, Robert Joseph Lombardi, Sergio Javier Berriz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mobile transceiver for asset tracking having a power saving scheme for network access and related method are provided. In one aspect, the method comprises determining a location of the mobile transceiver, determining whether cellular service is likely to be available at the determined location based on a stored signal strength database, and activating the cellular transceiver from a low power mode when it is determined cellular service is likely to be available at the determined location.
Claims15
A method of operating a mobile transceiver, the mobile transceiver comprising a processor, and a memory, satellite receiver and cellular transceiver each coupled to the processor, the method comprising:
- activating the processor and the satellite receiver from a low power mode in response to an alarm while maintaining the cellular transceiver in a low power mode;
- determining, via the satellite receiver, a current location of the mobile transceiver;
- determining, by the processor, whether cellular service is likely to be available at the current location based on a signal strength database stored in the memory by
- identifying a record in the signal strength database nearest to the current location, each record in the signal strength database including a signal strength indication and a location associated with the signal strength indication;
- determining that cellular service is likely to be available at the current location in response to a determination that the signal strength indication in the identified record is equal to or greater than the signal strength threshold;
- determining that cellular service is unlikely to be available at the current location in response to a determination that the signal strength indication in the identified record is less than the signal strength threshold;
- activating the cellular transceiver from a low power mode in response to a determination that cellular service is likely to be available at the current location;
- and
- switching the satellite receiver into the low power mode in response to a determination that cellular service is unlikely to be available at the current location.
6 more elements
A mobile transceiver, comprising:
- a processor;
- a satellite receiver coupled to the processor;
- and
- a cellular transceiver coupled to the processor;
- a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile transceiver to:
- activate the processor and the satellite receiver from a low power mode in response to an alarm while maintaining the cellular transceiver in a low power mode;
- determine, via the satellite receiver, a current location of the mobile transceiver;
- determine, by the processor, whether a cellular service is likely to be available at the current location based on a signal strength database stored in the memory by
- identifying a record in the signal strength database nearest to the current location, each record in the signal strength database including a signal strength indication and a location associated with the signal strength indication;
- determining that cellular service is likely to be available at the current location in response to a determination that the signal strength indication in the identified record is equal to or greater than the signal strength threshold;
- determining that cellular service is unlikely to be available at the current location in response to a determination that the signal strength indication in the identified record is less than the signal strength threshold;
- activate the cellular transceiver from a low power mode in response to a determination that cellular service is likely to be available at the current location;
- and
- switch the satellite receiver into the low power mode in response to a determination that cellular service is unlikely to be available at the current location.
11 more elements
A non-transitory machine readable medium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions for execution by a processor of a mobile transceiver, the mobile transceiver comprising a memory, a satellite receiver, and a cellular transceiver each coupled to the processor, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile transceiver to:
- activate the processor and the satellite receiver from a low power mode in response to an alarm while maintaining the cellular transceiver in a low power mode;
- determine, via the satellite receiver, a current location of the mobile transceiver;
- determine, by the processor, whether a cellular service is likely to be available at the current location based on a signal strength database stored in the memory by
- identifying a record in the signal strength database nearest to the current location, each record in the signal strength database including a signal strength indication and a location associated with the signal strength indication;
- determining that cellular service is likely to be available at the current location in response to a determination that the signal strength indication in the identified record is equal to or greater than the signal strength threshold;
- determining that cellular service is unlikely to be available at the current location in response to a determination that the signal strength indication in the identified record is less than the signal strength threshold;
- activate the cellular transceiver from a low power mode in response to a determination that cellular service is likely to be available at the current location;
- and
- switch the satellite receiver into the low power mode in response to a determination that cellular service is unlikely to be available at the current location.
6 more elements
A method of operating a mobile transceiver, the mobile transceiver comprising a processor, and a memory, satellite receiver and cellular transceiver each coupled to the processor, the method comprising:
- activating the processor and the satellite receiver from a low power mode in response to an alarm while maintaining the cellular transceiver in a low power mode;
- determining, via the satellite receiver, a current location of the mobile transceiver;
- calculating, by the processor, a speed of travel using location data obtained from the satellite receiver or an asset tracking log;
- identifying, by the processor, one or more waypoints in a travel itinerary at which cellular service is likely to be available at the current location based on a signal strength database by
- identifying one or more waypoints in the travel itinerary nearest to the current location,
- identifying a record in the signal strength database for each of the one or more waypoints in the travel itinerary nearest to the current location, each record in the signal strength database including a signal strength indication and a location associated with the signal strength indication;
- determining that cellular service is likely to be available at a waypoint in the travel itinerary in response to a determination that the signal strength indication in the identified record is equal to or greater than the signal strength threshold;
- determining that cellular service is unlikely to be available at a waypoint in the travel itinerary in response to a determination that the signal strength indication in the identified record is less than the signal strength threshold;
- determining one or more estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) at the identified one or more waypoints based on the calculated speed;
- and
- setting one or more alarms to be triggered at the one or more ETAs.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.