Apparatus and method for controlling receiving rate of GPS signal

• US 6,788,248 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG-Ericsson Company Limited (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Seong-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULL, FRED H
• Application Number:
  US10/321,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.02, 342/357.12
• US Class Current: 342/357.62
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling a receiving rate of a GPS signal performs position/time control of a mobile terminal for a predetermined time even if the receiving status of the GPS signal is poor, by outputting normal status information and normal GPS data outputted previously. Then, outputting the actual abnormal status information and GPS data after a predetermined time has passed since the output of the normal GPS data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing an input signal, comprising:

a processor that processes an input signal of a prescribed channel having one of a normal status or an abnormal status;

a detector circuit that detects whether the input signal has a normal status or an abnormal status; and

an output generator that generates an output signal based on the input signal, wherein if the detector circuit detects the abnormal status, the output generator uses a previous input signal of the prescribed channel to generate the output signal,

wherein the processor comprises;

an analog/digital converter that converts an analog global-positioning system signal to a digital signal; and

a plurality of data detectors, each of the plurality of data detectors processing the digital signal of a prescribed channel to generate the input signal, and

wherein the detector circuit comprises;

a status detector that detects the status of the input signal and generates a prescribed status signal if the abnormal status is detected;

a status generator connected to the status detector that generates a generated normal status in response to the prescribed status signal; and

a counter responsive to the prescribed status signal, the counter generating a counter signal after a prescribed period of time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output generator comprises:

a memory connected to the detector circuit that stores the input signal output from the detector circuit when the detected status is the normal status; and

the signal generator performs a time and position control on the input signal to generate the output signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the previous input signal is a previously stored input signal of the memory and the detector circuit outputs to the signal generator the input signal when the detected status is the normal status and outputs to the signal generator the previous input signal when the detected status is the abnormal status.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the detector circuit outputs to the signal generator the input signal when the detected status is the abnormal status in response to the counter signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the status generator outputs the generated normal status to the signal generator in place of the abnormal status of the input signal until the counter signal is generated.

6. An apparatus for controlling a receiving rate of a GPS signal, comprising:

a GPS signal processing unit for detecting GPS data and status information from a GPS signal;

a receiving rate controlling unit for forcibly outputting normal status information and GPS data previously outputted for a predetermined time using an output generator that generates an output signal based on an input signal when the detected status information indicates an abnormal status and the output generator uses a previous input signal of a prescribed channel to generate the output signal; and

a clock signal generator for performing position and time control of a mobile terminal according to the GPS data and the status information outputted from the receiving rate controlling unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the receiving rate controlling unit outputs the detected GPS data and the detected status information front the GPS signal processing unit when the detected status information indicates a normal status.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the receiving rate controlling unit outputs the detected GPS data and the status information indicating the abnormal status outputted from the GPS signal processing unit after a predetermined time has passed.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a memory in which the GPS data and the status information outputted from the GPS signal processing unit are stored temporarily.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the receiving rate controlling unit comprises:

a status detecting unit checking the status information output from the GPS signal processing unit and outputting the detected GPS data and the detected status information when the status information indicates a normal status, the status detecting unit outputting a driving signal until a time-out signal is inputted and outputting previously outputted GPS data stored in a memory when the detected status information indicates the abnormal status;

a normal status generator for generating normal status information in response to the driving signal; and

a counter performing a counting operation in response to the driving signal and outputting the time-out signal to the status detecting unit.

11. An apparatus for controlling a receiving rate of a GPS signal, comprising:

a GPS signal processing unit, the GPS signal processing unit receiving GPS data and status information for the GPS signal and outputting the received GPS data and the received status information;

a status detecting unit coupled to the GPS signal processing unit, the status detecting unit checking a status of the received status information;

the status detecting unit outputting the received GPS data and the received status information when the status is normal, and outputting a drive signal for a predetermined time when the status is abnormal;

a memory coupled to the status detecting unit, the memory storing GPS data and outputting the stored GPS data when the status is abnormal;

a normal status generator coupled to the status detecting unit, the normal status generator generating normal status information in response to the driver signal; and

a counter coupled to the status detecting unit, the counter performing a count operation in response to the driving signal and outputting a time-out signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the time-out signal is output after the predetermined time to the status detecting unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the memory stops outputting the stored GPS data and the status detecting unit outputs the received GPS data and the received status information in response to the time-out signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the memory stores the received GPS data when the status is normal.

15. A method for controlling a receiving rate of a GPS signal, comprising:

detecting GPS data and status information in a GPS satellite signal;

outputting the detected GPS data and the detected status information when the detected status information indicates a normal status, and forcibly outputting generated status information and previous GPS data for a predetermined time when the detected status information indicates an abnormal status; and

performing position/time control of a mobile terminal according to the outputted GPS data and the outputted status information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein outputting the GPS data and the status information comprises:

outputting the detected GPS data and the detected status information when the status information indicates the normal status;

outputting a driving signal until a time-out signal is inputted and outputting the previous GPS data stored in a memory when the detected status information indicates the abnormal status;

generating normal status information in response to the driving signal; and

outputting the time-out signal based on a counting operation performed in response to the driving signal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising outputting the detected GPS data and the detected status information when the time-out signal is inputted.

18. An apparatus for processing an input signal comprising:

a processor that processes an input signal of a prescribed channel having one of a normal status or an abnormal status;

a detector circuit that detects whether the input signal has a normal status or an abnormal status; and

an output generator that generates an output signal based on the input signal wherein if the detector circuit detects the abnormal status, the output generator uses a previous data having a normal status within a same data transmission operation to generate the output signal,

wherein the output generator generates an output signal based on the input signal, and

wherein if the detector circuit detects the abnormal status, the output generator uses a previous input signal of a prescribed channel to generate the output signal and a receiving rate controlling unit outputs normal status information instead of the abnormal status information to a micro processor unit (MPU) for a predetermined time and outputs GPS data previously stored in a memory to the MPU instead of currently received GPS data.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the data transmission includes two or more sets of data in a prescribed channel and if one of the sets of data is abnormal, the output generator uses a previous set of data containing normal status information to generate the output signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein when the status information indicates an abnormal status, the status detecting unit reads previous GPS data from the memory, outputs previous GPS data to the MPU, and outputs a driving signal to a normal status generator and a counter signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein when the MPU outputs inputted normal status information and the GPS data to an outer clock signal generator and the clock signal generator performs position and time controls using the GPS data.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein after a predetermined time has passed, the receiving rate controlling unit allows currently detected instead of previously stored GPS data and abnormal status information outputted from the GPS signal processing unit and input to the MPU.