Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Yahoo! Inc.

Arvind Thiagarajan

David George Butler

Richard William Mincher

Andrew David Price

Evan Jeng

Yi Zhu

Shih-Chun Chang

Utkarsh Srivastava

Subram Narasimhan

Jin Dong Kim

Mete Rodoper

James J Wolfe

Vijay Rangarajan

Shrinivas Mohan

Sunil Kumar Garg

Anand Balakrishnan

Described are systems to manage the rate of energy delivery to computing devices. The computing devices may connect to a shared data and power distribution system. Techniques are described for distributing energy to the computing devices directly or via an energy and data delivery device using limits determined for the computing devices. Once the energy transfer to the computing devices is complete, the limits on the rate of energy delivery may be rescinded.

Management of energy delivery rate to computing devices

Described are systems and techniques for determining a position of one or more people within a physical environment, such as an aisle in a fulfillment center. In some instances, the aisle is instrumented with a plurality of radio frequency receivers (RFRXs), active infrared transmitter-receiver pairs (AIRTRPs), and passive infrared (PIR) proximity sensors. A radio frequency-emitting tag carried by the user is detected by the RFRX to determine an identity and approximate position along the length of the aisle. Data indicating obscuration of beams from one or more of the AIRTRPs provides further refinement as to position along the length of the aisle. Data from the PIR provides disambiguation as to which side of the aisle the user is on. Accordingly, the user may be identified and precisely positioned in the aisle.

System for determining position of an object

Described are systems to manage energy distribution and operation of computing devices ('devices'). The devices may connect to a shared data and power distribution system, such as receiving electrical energy in conjunction with data signals using Power over Ethernet (POE). During activation of the facility, such as after an energy outage, the demand for energy from many devices attempting to startup may exceed the energy capacity available. Described are devices and techniques for distributing energy to devices, coordinating operating mode of the devices, and so forth, to mitigate demand spikes for electrical energy that exceed the capacity of the energy distribution system.

Energy management system

Described is an improved active-beacon/passive-listener time difference of arrival navigation system that relies on the multiple beacons to transmit uncoded acoustic pulses of a same frequency that propagate in the system at a same time for high-speed device tracking. Listening devices may receive multiple encoded radio frequency pulses (RF) prior to a single acoustic pulse, and then resolve which RF pulse corresponds to the acoustic pulse using triangulation techniques.

Geometrical scheduling algorithm for acoustic positioning beacons

Knowing a location of a sensor or other device may be useful in a variety of settings. Described herein are devices and techniques for using modular sections of known dimensions that are configured to couple to one another at predetermined coupling positions. The modular sections may intercommunicate to provide data identifying adjacent modular sections, the respective coupling positions, and where on each of the modular sections a device is attached. By analyzing this data, two- or three-dimensional arrangement data of the modular sections and devices may be generated. Using information about the physical dimensions of the modular sections, spatial coordinates indicative of where the devices are located in space may be determined. As devices or modular sections are added, removed, or replaced, the arrangement and the corresponding spatial coordinates may be updated to reflect the changes.

Spatially aware mounting system

An electronic device has a processor, a Wi-Fi radio, a first database and a second database. The first database includes geolocation and identity information of a sparse subset of a global catalog of Wi-Fi access points. The second database includes locally stored location-based content. The processor: (i) controls the Wi-Fi radio so as to detect one or more Wi-Fi access points proximate to the electronic device, (ii) makes an identification of the one or more detected Wi-Fi access points, (iii) makes a coarse determination of a location of the electronic device by comparing the identification of the one or more detected Wi-Fi access points with the geolocation identity information in the first database, (iv) selects location based content corresponding to the coarse determination from the second database or from a server, and (v) outputs the selected location-based content to a user of the electronic device.

Sparse Wi-Fi access point database for mobile devices

An improved active-beacon/passive-listener time difference of arrival navigation system that relies on the multiple beacons to transmit uncoded acoustic pulses of a same frequency that propagate in the system at a same time for high-speed device tracking. Beacons are scheduled to transmit independent of the location of listening devices in the system. Listening devices may receive multiple encoded radio frequency pulses (RF) prior to a single acoustic pulse, and then resolves which RF pulse corresponds to the acoustic pulse using triangulation techniques.

Techniques for precisely determining a location of a mobile computing device based on both wireless signal strengths measured at the mobile computing device and movement of the device. The wireless signal strengths may represent the strength of a connection between the device and wireless access points (WAPs), cellular towers, or the like. Furthermore, the techniques described herein may utilize movement data provided by the device. For instance, the device may include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and/or any other components configured to recognize when a device is moving, a direction that the device is moving, or the like. In one example, the accelerometer reports when the device has moved by a certain amount, while the gyroscope reports a direction in which the device is moving. The techniques then utilize this information in addition to the wireless signal strengths to estimate locations of the device as the device moves over time.

Determining device locations using movement, signal strength

A misplaced user device deactivates processors and other resources so as to conserve residual battery power, while a radio frequency (RF) circuit remains active. The RF circuit transmits a beacon signal at time intervals to aid a user in locating and recovery of the misplaced user device by way of another user device operating in search mode. Information regarding the identity or other characteristics of the misplaced user device may be encoded in the beacon signal to assist in the search. The misplaced user device may modify the beacon signaling RF power, time intervals, information, or other parameters in response to an acknowledgement signal received from the searching user device.

Locating user device using beacon signal

Systems and methods for receiving a plurality of wireless communication signals and identifying an antenna occlusion condition from the received plurality of wireless communication signals is disclosed. A correction factor may be determined based at least in part on determined signal strength corresponding to each of the received wireless communication signals. The correction factor may be used to determine a location based at least in part on the signal strength corresponding to each of the received communication signals and the determined correction factor.

Location determination by correcting for antenna occlusion

A system and method for sharing content with a group of devices based on proximity. A sharing device transmits an SSID and an audio signal containing a key. The audio signal may be controlled to limit the area in which the audio signal may be received or heard by a receiving device. For example, the audio signal may be controlled to limit receipt to a device at a same table (a few feet away from the first device), in a same room, etc. This allows the sharer to selectively share content with one or more receiving devices without sharing with all devices in proximity to the first device.

Proximity based sharing

A user device acquires identifiers and signal strengths corresponding to detectable wireless devices. The user device associates one or more of the identifiers with one or more venues, assigning a confidence value to each association. A score value is also assigned to each association based on the signal strengths and the confidence values. One of the associations is selected based on the score values, and is designated as the most likely venue where the user device is located. Information may be accessed or requested, or one or more operations may be performed, in accordance with the most likely venue.

Determining present venue for a user device

A system including an active stylus and a mobile computing device where an electronic signal emitted by the tip of the stylus that the mobile computing device uses to locate the tip is turned on and off when the stylus is not being used to save power. Whether the stylus is being used is determined based on an orientation of the stylus in comparison to an orientation of an electronic writing surface of the computing device. Difference in barometric air pressure or altitude between the stylus and mobile computing device may also be used to turn the tip signal on and off.

Stylus power management using motion and orientation sensing

A system and method for controlling access to digital content based on proximity and location of a user device. A user device connects to a local network and an audio transmission including a perpetually rolling key is transmitted within a geo-fence in the local area. The user device hears the audio transmission and uses the key to authenticate to a content server over the network. Once authenticated, the user device may then stream content from the content server. In order to terminate access to the content when the user device leaves the geo-fence, the content server may require the key to be retransmitted from the user device at regular intervals to re-authenticate the user device. Other factors such as radio fingerprints from the user device may also be used instead of or in addition to the audio to verify the user device's presence within the geo-fence.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Arvind Thiagarajan