Dynamic Sleep Time Calculation for GNSS Receiver

• US 20120218146A1
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Inventors: Leclercq, Maxime
• Application Number:
  US13/218,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20120218146A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.63
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption

Abstract

A GNSS receiver includes a sensing element for detecting an environmental condition, a control unit for dynamically calculating a sleep time duration in response to the environmental condition, and a digital processing unit that operates in a first mode or in a second mode based on the calculated sleep time duration and the environmental condition. The environmental condition may include a receiver signal strength indicator, a receiver velocity, the stability and precision of a local reference clock, a recent almanac, an ephemeris data, and the like. The first operation mode may include a tracking of satellite signals, and the second operation mode may include an acquisition operation, a tracking operation, or a combination of acquisition and tracking operations of satellite signals.

Claims

1. A GNSS receiver comprising:

a sensing element configured to detect an environmental condition;

a control unit configured to calculate a sleep time duration in response to the environmental condition; and

a digital processing unit configured to operate in a first mode or in a second mode or a combination of both in response to the calculated sleep time duration.

2. The GNSS receiver of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises a receiver signal strength indication (RSSI) signal.

3. The GNSS receiver of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises a receiver velocity or acceleration.

4. The GNSS receiver of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises a reference clock frequency drift.

5. The GNSS receiver of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises valid ephemeris data.

6. The GNSS receiver of claim 1, wherein the first mode comprises a tracking operation of satellite signals and the second mode comprises an acquisition operation, a tracking operation, or a combination of the acquisition and tracking operations of the satellite signals.

7. The GNSS receiver of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises at least one of an ambient temperature, a velocity or acceleration of the receiver, a reference frequency drift, valid ephemeris data, and a received signal strength indicator signal.

8. A method for dynamically estimating a sleep time, the method comprising:

detecting an environment condition;

calculating a sleep time duration in response to the environmental condition; and

operating a first mode or a second mode of a digital signal processor in response to the calculated sleep time duration.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the environmental condition comprises a receiver signal strength indication signal.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the environmental condition comprises a receiver velocity.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the environmental condition comprises a reference clock frequency variation.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the environmental condition comprises valid ephemeris information.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first mode comprises a tracking operation of satellite signals and the second mode comprises an acquisition operation, a tracking operation, or a combination of acquisition and tracking operations of the satellite signals.

14. A machine readable media containing executable instructions which when executing by a GNSS receiver cause the receiver to perform a method comprising:

detecting an environment condition;

calculating a sleep time duration in response to the environmental condition; and

operating a first mode or a second mode of a digital signal processor in response to the calculated sleep time duration.

15. The machine readable media of claim 14, wherein the environmental condition comprises one of an ambient temperature, a velocity or an acceleration of the GNSS receiver, a receiver signal strength indicator signal, a reference frequency drift, valid ephemeris data, or a combination thereof.

16. The machine readable media of claim 14, wherein the first mode comprises a tracking operation of satellite signals and the second mode comprises an acquisition operation, a tracking operation, or a combination of acquisition and tracking operations of the satellite signals.