CPC Class H04W

In one embodiment, a mobile device detects one or more wireless local area network (WLAN) access points (APs) and a WLAN-based location estimate is determined for the mobile device using a wireless local area network based positioning system (WLAN-PS). The WLAN-based location estimate is based on the one or more detected WLAN APs and information maintained in a reference database associated with the one or more detected WLAN APs. The mobile device also obtains a plurality of satellite-based positioning system (SPS) measurements. A selection of a set of SPS measurements is made from the plurality of SPS measurements based on consistency of the set of SPS measurements with the WLAN based location estimate. The selected set of SPS measurements is used in determining a final location estimate of the mobile device.

A radio wave receiver includes a radio wave reception processor which receives radio waves and obtains signals transmitted from positioning satellites from the received radio waves; and a processor which sets reception start timing of the radio waves by the radio wave reception processor and controls the radio wave reception processor to start reception. The processor sets the reception start timing so that following reception conditions are satisfied: (i) a total power consumption amount of a power amount necessary for positioning and a power amount according to an obtaining upper limit time from start timing of a positioning operation by the radio wave reception processor to when the radio wave reception processor obtains signals necessary for computing a present position and the positioning operation is equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit power consumption amount, and (ii) the obtaining upper limit time is equal to or more than a predetermined reference time.

Methods and systems for operating a process plant include multiple user interface devices, each operating a plurality of applications, and operable to pass device state from device to device. A first user interface device is communicatively coupled to a unitary, logical data storage area, and executes one or more first routines for performing a function. A second user interface device is communicatively coupled via a network to the unitary, logical data storage area and executes one or more stored routines each corresponding to one of the first routines. The first user interface device passes to the second user interface device state information indicative of one or more first routines operating on the first user interface device such that the second user interface device, upon receiving the state information, executes one or more of the second routines corresponding to one or more of the first routines.

In a process plant, a mobile device detects a physical phenomenon and converts the detected physical phenomenon to digital data representative of the physical phenomenon. The data are transmitted to an expert system and analyzed by the expert system to determine a state of one or more process elements. Abnormal conditions associated with the process elements may be detected, and a cause of the abnormal condition may be determined from the digital data. Process control parameters may be automatically changed to correct the abnormal condition, work items may be created to cause personnel to take action to correct the abnormal condition, and/or an operator may be prompted to take a corrective action to resolve the abnormal condition.

A method for controlling a sensor may be performed by a mobile device including a processor and a memory. The method may include receiving raw data from the sensor, classifying the raw data into a context value, interpreting the context value into a higher-level context, receiving a predicted context based on the higher-level context, and controlling the sensor based on the predicted context. Controlling the sensor may include controlling a frequency at which raw data is received from the sensor, or an on/off state of the sensor. Control of the sensor may also be based on both the higher-level context and the predicted context.