Tracking device power preservation through signal strength reduction
AssigneeTile, Inc.
InventorGuilherme de Barros Chapiewski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The power consumption of a tracking device can be reduced by managing the transmission power of the tracking device when a mobile device is at the edge of the range of the tracking device. A connection can be established between a tracking device and a mobile device at the edge of a first range of the tracking device. The transmission range of the tracking device can be reduced to sever the connection between the tracking device and the mobile device. After a pre-determined time interval or after a connection with the mobile device is re-established the transmission range of the tracking device can be restored.
Claims20
A method for conserving power for a tracking device, the method comprising:
- establishing, by a mobile device, a communicative connection with a tracking device, the tracking device having a first transmission range;
- detecting, by the mobile device, a threshold number of disconnections between the mobile device and the tracking device;
- and
- in response to detecting the threshold number of disconnections, providing, by the mobile device, an instruction to the tracking device to reduce the transmission range of the tracking device to a second transmission range smaller than the first transmission range;
- wherein the transmission range of the tracking device is increased from the second transmission range to the first transmission range in response to re-establishing the connection between the tracking device and the mobile device.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed by a processor of a mobile device cause the mobile device to perform the steps of:
- establishing, by the mobile device, a communicative connection with a tracking device, the tracking device having a first transmission range;
- detecting, by the mobile device, a threshold number of disconnections between the mobile device and the tracking device;
- and
- in response to detecting the threshold number of disconnections, providing, by the mobile device, an instruction to the tracking device to reduce the transmission range of the tracking device to a second transmission range smaller than the first transmission range;
- wherein the transmission range of the tracking device is increased from the second transmission range to the first transmission range in response to re-establishing the connection between the tracking device and the mobile device.
A mobile device comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of the mobile device, perform steps comprising:
- establishing, by a mobile device, a communicative connection with a tracking device, the tracking device having a first transmission range;
- detecting, by the mobile device, a threshold number of disconnections between the mobile device and the tracking device;
- and
- in response to detecting the threshold number of disconnections, providing, by the mobile device, an instruction to the tracking device to reduce the transmission range of the tracking device to a second transmission range smaller than the first transmission range;
- wherein the transmission range of the tracking device is increased from the second transmission range to the first transmission range in response to re-establishing the connection between the tracking device and the mobile device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.