Generic satellite positioning system receivers with programmable inputs

• US 7,132,978 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2004
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SIRF Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Norman, Charles P., Brodie, Keith Jacob, Orler, Anthony James
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US10/815,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20040183720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 342/352, 342/357.02, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 342/357.15, 701/213, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.75
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236

Abstract

Generic SATPS receivers and methods for configuring generic SATPS receivers that include a plurality of outputs are provided. These configurable SATPS receivers are adapted to be utilized in at least one of a plurality of particular SATPS receiver applications, and can also include a plurality of input paths, and a means for generating selected ones of the plurality of possible outputs. Selected ones of the plurality of outputs are enabled/disabled based on at least one requirement of the particular receiver application to configure or program the generic SATPS receiver to function as a SATPS receiver used for a particular SATPS receiver application or operating environment. The selected ones of the plurality of outputs can be defined by and can be those utilized by the particular SATPS receiver application or operating environment. Thus, SATPS receivers are provided that can be used in multiple applications, that can accept multiple types of assistance data, and that have multiple types of outputs depending on the application and/or desires of the user. The SATPS receiver can be implemented in SATPS systems that include at least one satellite that provides SATPS information, a generic SATPS receiver, and a remote computer.

Claims

1. A configurable SATPS receiver adapted to be utilized in at least one of a plurality of particular SATPS receiver applications, the configurable SATPS receiver including a plurality of input paths and a plurality of possible outputs, comprising:

means for generating selected ones of the plurality of possible outputs, wherein the selected ones of the plurality of possible outputs comprise outputs that are utilized by at least one particular SATPS receiver application wherein the baseband unit further comprises input paths for signals other than the RF inputs from the RF unit, and wherein at least one of the plurality of possible outputs is selected from the plurality of possible outputs and other inputs, based in part on use of signals other than the RF input.

2. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of input paths responsive to a plurality of possible RF inputs, wherein the means for generating compress:

a radio frequency (RF) unit responsive to at least one RF input, wherein the radio frequency unit generates a plurality of intermediate frequency (IF) outputs based on the RF inputs; and

a baseband unit responsive to selected ones of the intermediate frequency (IF) outputs.

3. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 2, wherein the baseband unit generates selected ones of the plurality of possible outputs utilized by the particular SATPS receiver application.

4. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 3, wherein baseband unit generates selected ones of the plurality of possible outputs based on the plurality of inputs.

5. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 1, wherein the signals comprise a plurality of assistance data-type inputs.

6. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 5, wherein the assistance data-type inputs are selected from at least one of a group comprising:

a coarse position input, a navigation data input, a Doppler input, a time input, a frequency reference input, a universal time code (UTC) correction input, a ionospheric correction input, an ephemeris input, an almanac input and/or a satellite ID input.

7. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 6, wherein the baseband unit extracts GPS data from the selected ones of the intermediate frequency (IF) outputs and generates an output relating to the position of the SATPS receiver.

8. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 2, wherein the plurality of RF inputs are selected from at least one of a group comprising:

a frequency reference input, an automatic gain control input, a blanking input, and a jammer-to-noise (J/N) switch.

9. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 7, wherein the intermediate frequency (IF) outputs are selected from at least one of a group comprising:

in-phase (I) output, quadrature-phase (Q) output, I²+Q² output, oscillator output, Intermediate Frequency (IF) output, and automatic gain control output, and other signal quality indicators.

10. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 2, wherein the intermediate frequency (IF) outputs are fed directly into the baeseband unit for processing.

11. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 2, wherein the intermediate frequency (IF) outputs are sent directly to a remote location.

12. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 2, wherein the intermediate frequency (IF) outputs are directly utilize3d for parallel processing by a remote location and the baseband unit.

13. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 1, wherein the plurality of possible outputs comprise a plurality of programmable outputs that can be enabled based on the particular receiver application.

14. The configurable SATPS reciever of claim 13, wherein the particular receiver application is determined based on current operating environment and/or user preferences.

15. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 2, wherein the plurality of possible outputs are selected from at least one of a group comprising:

a Doppler output, a pre-processed information (IF) output, a delta pseudorange output, an integrated carrier phase output, a pseudorange output, a time output, a velocity output, and a position output.

16. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 7, wherein the input paths comprise:

at least one antenna adapted to receiver RF inputs and supply the RF inputs to the RF unit.

17. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 7, wherein the at least one antenna is a first antenna, and wherein the input paths further comprise:

a second antenna adapted to selectively receive other RF signals based on the particular application.

18. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 17, wherein other RF signals are selected from at least one of a group comprising:

cellular system signals, local area network signals, Bluetooth signals, SMS signals, Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) signals, and beacon signals.

19. The configurable SATPS receiver of claim 1, wherein the particular STPS receiver applications includes at least one of a cellular telephone operating environment, an automobile operating environment, and a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) operating environment.