PCI card for receiving a GPS signal

• US 6,018,784 A
• Filed: 11/02/1998
• Issued: 01/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Gildea, David R., Nagel, Mark L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Application Number:
  US09/184,728
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 342/57, 701/213, 710/129
• US Class Current: 710/311
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/37 Hardware or software details of the signal processing chain

Abstract

A peripheral component interconnect (PCI) global positioning system (GPS) card for receiving a GPS signal. In a first embodiment the PCI card includes a GPS downconverter. In a second embodiment the PCI card including the GPS downconverter is integrated into a personal computer for correlating a GPS signal and computing a GPS location. In a third embodiment the PCI card includes a GPS downconverter and a GPS correlator. In a fourth embodiment the PCI card including the GPS downconverter and the GPS correlator is integrated into a personal computer for computing a GPS location.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal having GPS location-determination data, comprising:

receiving said GPS signal at a high frequency;

downconverting and quantizing said GPS signal for providing a lower frequency GPS signal;

formatting said lower frequency GPS signal as a peripheral component interconnect (PCI)-formatted signal having said GPS location-determination data; and

issuing said PCI-formatted signal.

2. The step of claim 1, further including steps of:

receiving said PCI-formatted signal in a computing device;

de-formatting said PCI-formatted signal for providing a computing device signal having said GPS location-determination data; and

determining a GPS-based location from said computing device signal.

3. A Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for receiving a GPS signal including GPS location-determination data, comprising:

a GPS downconverter including a quantizer for receiving said GPS signal at a high frequency and issuing a quantized GPS signal at a lower frequency; and

a peripheral component interconnect (PCT) bus bridge coupled to the GPS downconverter for receiving said lower frequency GPS signal, for formatting said lower frequency GPS signal according to a PCI bus format, and for issuing a PCI-formatted signal including said GPS location-determination data.

4. The GPS receiver of claim 3, further comprising:

a PCI bus for receiving said PCI-formatted signal;

a second PCI bus bridge de-formatting said PCI-formatted signal for providing a computing device signal having said GPS location-determination data; and

a processor for determining a GPS-based location from said computing device signal.