Abstract: A tracking device and method of determining a location of a tag connected to an object. The method comprises transmitting a first message from a server over a long range communication protocol to the tag so that the tag emits short and long range distress messages; receiving at a server the long range distress messages including location data using the long range communication protocol; using the location data to determine a geographical area in which the tag is located; transmitting a message from the server to one or more mobile devices in the geographic area to enable the mobile devices to receive the short range distress messages; receiving at the mobile devices the short range distress messages from the tag and using the received short range distress message to locate the tag; and transmitting a second message from the mobile devices to the server including the location of the tag.

Abstract: Among other things, safety performance of vehicles is monitored or evaluated, or both. Sensor data is received from one or more sensors at a vehicle. One or more risk sources encountered by the vehicle during a period of operation of the vehicle are identified based on the sensor data. One or more safety events experienced by the vehicle during the period of operation are identified based on the sensor data. A risk of a safety event experienced by the vehicle during the period of operation is determined based on the one or more risk sources. A safety performance of the vehicle during the period of the vehicle during the period of operation of the vehicle is determined based on the one or more safety events and the risk.

Abstract: A configurable radio frequency device includes a surface and a plurality of configurable radio frequency elements disposed on the surface. The radio frequency elements can be configured to absorb, reflect, or pass a radio transmission. A controller is configured to control the configuration of the surface by setting the state of the radio frequency elements. The controller also determines a deployment configuration for the surface by applying a series of test configurations to the surface and receiving a measurement of signal quality as measured by a receiver. The controller can then use these measurements to determine how to set the states of the radio frequency elements for the deployment configuration.

Abstract: A sensor tag which in use will be affixed to a vehicle for obtaining vehicle telematics data includes a battery for powering the tag and a processor running executable code to process accelerometer data. An accelerometer measures the acceleration of the tag and thereby of the vehicle, and also controls the operation of the processor. A memory is used for storing a unique tag identifier of the tag and for storing trip data including information about trips and acceleration data. Finally, a communication module is used for short range wireless communication with a mobile communications device located in the vehicle via a short range wireless communications protocol, the communication module transmitting the tag's unique identifier and a sequence of time stamped acceleration data. The mobile communications device obtains GPS data, combines this with the acceleration date and transmits this to a server for analysis.

Abstract: Personal safety concerns for users of vehicles can be indicated, identified, communicated, analyzed, or acted on to make the users and other participants in the technology aware of the safety concerns and to reduce the risks to the users associated with the safety concerns. Personal safety concerns can be recognized based on safety concern triggers. Once recognized, the personal safety concerns can be reported to the users and other participants in the technology by safety alerts. The safety alert can prompt one or more telematics devices at the vehicle to capture, store, or transmit telematics data, including, for example, audio, image, or video data or combinations of them. The captured telematics data can be used to verify the safety alert and the safety concern and present the captured data to a third party participant to enable the third party participant to determine an appropriate response or action.

Abstract: Personal safety concerns for users of vehicles can be indicated, identified, communicated, analyzed, or acted on to make the users and other participants in the technology aware of the safety concerns and to reduce the risks to the users associated with the safety concerns. Personal safety concerns can be recognized based on safety concern triggers. Once recognized, the personal safety concerns can be reported to the users and other participants in the technology by safety alerts. The safety alert can prompt one or more telematics devices at the vehicle to capture, store, or transmit telematics data, including, for example, audio, image, or video data or combinations of them. The captured telematics data can be used to verify the safety alert and the safety concern and present the captured data to a third party participant to enable the third party participant to determine an appropriate response or action.

Abstract: Data from a communications channel is decoded by receiving data bits corresponding to encoded data, determining a set of data representations from the data bits, distributing the set of data representations into bins across a dynamic range to generate a distribution of the data representations, assigning a respective intermediate scale factor to each bin, deriving a set of moments from the intermediate scale factors, combining the moments into a scaling factor, scaling the data representations by the scaling factor, and sending the scaled data representations to a decoder. The data representations may be a histogram or cumulative distribution function of log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) or values based on channel estimates. In an iterative implementation performed until a stopping condition is met, the data representations may be scaled down on later iterations to avoid saturation. A correction factor may be applied to update the scaling factor for later data bits.

Abstract: A first communication device generates a first portion and a second portion of a wakeup radio (WUR) wakeup packet. The first portion of the WUR wakeup packet corresponds to a wireless local area network (WLAN) legacy preamble, and spans a first frequency bandwidth. The second portion of the WUR wakeup packet spans a second bandwidth that is less than the first bandwidth, and is configured to cause a WUR of a second communication device to cause a WLAN network interface device of the second communication device to transition from a low power state to the active state. Generating the second portion of the WUR wakeup packet includes i) generating a sync portion having a plurality of sync symbols, and ii) generating a wakeup packet body. The first communication device transmits the WUR wakeup packet.

Abstract: A system for tracking objects includes tracking devices each attached to an object to be tracked and including a short range communications module. A server includes a processor and a memory. A mobile communications device (typically a mobile telephone) includes memory for storing an identification of the mobile device, a long range communication module for communication over a cellular communication network and a short range communications module for receiving short range signals transmitted from tracking devices. The mobile telephone also includes a location determination module to determine the location of the mobile telephone. On receipt of a short range distress signal from a tracking device, a location is obtained from the location module and a signal transmitted to the server including at least the identification of the tracking device, a time of receipt of the short range signal from the tracking device and the determined location of the tracking device when the short range signal was received.

Abstract: Among other things, information generated by sensors of a mobile phone and indicative of motion of the mobile phone and state information indicative of a state of operation of the mobile phone are monitored. Based on the monitoring, distraction by a user of the mobile phone who is a driver of a vehicle is determined.

Abstract: Data from a communications channel is decoded by receiving data bits corresponding to encoded data, determining a set of data representations from the data bits, distributing the set of data representations into bins across a dynamic range to generate a distribution of the data representations, assigning a respective intermediate scale factor to each bin, deriving a set of moments from the intermediate scale factors, combining the moments into a scaling factor, scaling the data representations by the scaling factor, and sending the scaled data representations to a decoder. The data representations may be a histogram or cumulative distribution function of log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) or values based on channel estimates. In an iterative implementation performed until a stopping condition is met, the data representations may be scaled down on later iterations to avoid saturation. A correction factor may be applied to update the scaling factor for later data bits.

Abstract: Among other things, information generated by sensors of a mobile phone and indicative of motion of the mobile phone and state information indicative of a state of operation of the mobile phone are monitored. Based on the monitoring, distraction by a user of the mobile phone who is a driver of a vehicle is determined.

Abstract: Among other aspects, information is received at or from a mobile device. The information is derived from one or more position or motion sensors of the mobile device. The derived information is indicative of a position or a velocity of the mobile device. The position or the velocity of the mobile device conforms to a position or a velocity of a vehicle. The derived information is used to identify a dangerous situation involving the vehicle and a person on foot or a bicyclist. A notification is provided of the dangerous situation.

Abstract: Among other features, a time series of values of an electrical parameter of an electrical system of a vehicle is accessed. An event or a state of the vehicle is determined based on the time series of values of the electrical parameter. The event or state is communicated to an occupant of the vehicle or to a third party.

Abstract: Data processing techniques and systems for processing telematics data associated with a vehicle, such as an automobile, to classify how the vehicle is being operated by a driver. The telematics data can include the use of image data captured by a camera of the vehicle. The image data is processed in conjunction with vehicular telematics data such as position, speed, and acceleration data of the vehicle obtained from, for example, smartphone sensors. The image data is processed and used by a processing system to provide a context for the telematics data. The image data and the telematics data are classified by the processing system to identify driving behavior of the driver, determine driving maneuvers that have occurred, scoring driving quality of the driver, or a combination of them.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method of providing a user with a roadway route to a destination that maximizes the probability of reaching the destination by a deadline includes providing a database of traffic delay probability distributions based on historical traffic delay information, performing route-planning using at least one of the traffic delay probability distributions and parametric optimization to determine at least one route to the destination that maximizes the probability of reaching the destination by the deadline, and displaying the at least one route to the user.

Abstract: Among other aspects, information is received at or from a mobile device. The information is derived from one or more position or motion sensors of the mobile device. The derived information is indicative of a position or a velocity of the mobile device. The position or the velocity of the mobile device conforms to a position or a velocity of a vehicle. The derived information is used to identify a dangerous situation involving the vehicle and a person on foot or a bicyclist. A notification is provided of the dangerous situation.

Abstract: A sensor tag which in use will be affixed to a vehicle for obtaining vehicle telematics data includes a battery for powering the tag and a processor running executable code to process accelerometer data. An accelerometer measures the acceleration of the tag and thereby of the vehicle, and also controls the operation of the processor. A memory is used for storing a unique tag identifier of the tag and for storing trip data including information about trips and acceleration data. Finally, a communication module is used for short range wireless communication with a mobile communications device located in the vehicle via a short range wireless communications protocol, the communication module transmitting the tag's unique identifier and a sequence of time stamped acceleration data. The mobile communications device obtains GPS data, combines this with the acceleration date and transmits this to a server for analysis.

Abstract: A sensor tag which in use will be affixed to a vehicle for obtaining vehicle telematics data includes a battery for powering the tag and a processor running executable code to process accelerometer data. An accelerometer measures the acceleration of the tag and thereby of the vehicle, and also controls the operation of the processor. A memory is used for storing a unique tag identifier of the tag and for storing trip data including information about trips and acceleration data. Finally, a communication module is used for short range wireless communication with a mobile communications device located in the vehicle via a short range wireless communications protocol, the communication module transmitting the tag's unique identifier and a sequence of time stamped acceleration data. The mobile communications device obtains GPS data, combines this with the acceleration date and transmits this to a server for analysis.

Abstract: A first communication device generates a first portion and a second portion of a wakeup radio (WUR) wakeup packet. The first portion of the WUR wakeup packet corresponds to a wireless local area network (WLAN) legacy preamble, and spans a first frequency bandwidth. The second portion of the WUR wakeup packet spans a second bandwidth that is less than the first bandwidth, and is configured to cause a WUR of a second communication device to cause a WLAN network interface device of the second communication device to transition from a low power state to the active state. Generating the second portion of the WUR wakeup packet includes i) generating a sync portion having a plurality of sync symbols, and ii) generating a wakeup packet body. The first communication device transmits the WUR wakeup packet.