Satellite-based Position Determination

• US 20120050102A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Deutschland GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: HAMMES, Markus, SCHMID, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 8,988,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.49
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/256 relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/26 involving a sensor measurement for aiding acquisition or tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Method and apparatuses involving satellite position signals are disclosed. Based on data indicating a usage environment, parameters, for example acquisition parameters or calculation parameters, are adapted.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a wireless portion configured to receive wireless communication signals and to estimate data indicating a usage environment of the apparatus, and

a satellite receiver portion configured to receive satellite position signals, wherein the apparatus is configured to adapt at least one parameter based on the data indicating a usage environment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data indicating a usage environment comprises a channel estimation, a velocity estimation or both.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a connection between said wireless portion and said satellite receiver portion configured to transmit said data indicating a usage environment.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one parameter comprises an acquisition parameter governing the acquisition of satellite position signals.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said acquisition parameter comprises one or more of an acquisition search space, a position fixed update rate, an assistance data update rate, a self-assistance algorithm update rate, an averaging time period and an integration time.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one parameter comprises a coupling parameter determining a coupling between position data based on satellite position signals and position data obtained from a source other than satellites.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless portion comprises a baseband processor, said baseband processor being configured to estimate said data indicating a usage environment.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless portion and said satellite receiver portion are integrated in a system on-chip or in a system in-package.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless portion is configured to receive cellular communication signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said wireless portion is configured to receive one or more of GSM signals and UMTS signals.

11. A satellite receiver, comprising:

a satellite radio frequency portion configured to receive satellite position signals,

a mixer coupled to said satellite radio frequency portion to mix the received signals with a carrier frequency,

a correlator coupled with said mixer to correlate the mixed signal with a signal modulated by a code,

a processor coupled with the correlator and being configured to process the correlated signal, and

an interface, wherein said processor is further configured to adapt at least one acquisition parameter of the satellite receiver based on data received via said interface.

12. The receiver of claim 11, wherein said processor is configured to adapt said at least one acquisition parameter based on a velocity of the satellite receiver indicated by said data.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said processor is configured to adapt said at least one acquisition parameter based on a signal strength indicated by said data.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said interface is configured to receive said data from a cellular receiver.

15. The satellite receiver of claim 11, wherein said at least one acquisition parameter comprises one or more of an acquisition search space, a position update rate, an assistance data update rate, a self-assistance algorithm update rate, an averaging time period or an integration time.

16. A method, comprising:

determining data indicating a usage environment of a satellite-based position determining apparatus, and

adapting parameters for processing satellite navigation signals based on said data indicating a usage environment.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving wireless communication signals,

wherein said determining data indicating a usage environment comprises determining said data indicating usage environment based on the received wireless communication signals.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said wireless communication signals comprise cellular communication signals.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said parameters comprise acquisition parameters governing the acquisition of satellite position signals.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said acquisition parameters comprise one or more of an acquisition search space, a position fixed update rate, an assistance data update rate, a self-assistance algorithm update rate, an averaging time period and an integration time.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said parameters comprise a coupling parameter determining a coupling between position data based on satellite position signals and position data obtained from a source other than satellites.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said satellite position signals comprise one or more of GPS signals, Galileo signals, GLONASS signals and COMPASS signals.

23. A method, comprising:

receiving wireless signals,

estimating at least one of a channel characteristic or a velocity based on said wireless signals,

feeding the at least one of said channel characteristic or said velocity to a satellite receiver portion,

adapting at least one of acquisition parameters or calculation parameters based on the at least one of said channel characteristic or said velocity, and

acquiring satellite position signals based on said acquisition parameters.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising acquiring assistance signals based on said acquisition parameters.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising determining a position based on said satellite position signals, further position signals and said calculation parameters.