GPS.WIFI terminal

• US 7,515,102 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Monnerat, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga X
• Application Number:
  US11/296,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20060139208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 34235701-35717, 342/456
• US Class Current: 342/357.63
• 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 19/37 Hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/7071 with dynamic control of receiver resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2601 Multicarrier modulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2628 Inverse Fourier transform modulators, e.g. inverse fast Fourier transform [IFFT] or inverse discrete Fourier transform [IDFT] modulators H04L27/2634 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/265 Fourier transform demodulators, e.g. fast Fourier transform [FFT] or discrete Fourier transform [DFT] demodulators H04L27/26524 takes precedence

Abstract

A terminal, in particular a mobile terminal, comprises means for processing a positioning signal coming from a satellite positioning system, means for computing direct and inverse Fourier transforms, wireless communication means using OFDM modulation, and priority management means for assigning resources of the direct/inverse Fourier transform computation means either to the positioning signal processing means or to the wireless communication means.

Claims

1. A terminal, in particular a mobile terminal, comprising:

means for processing a positioning signal coming from a satellite positioning system,

means for computing direct and inverse Fourier transforms adapted to cooperate to compute the position of the terminal,

wireless communication means using OFDM modulation, and

priority management means for assigning resources of the direct/inverse Fourier transform computation means either to the positioning signal processing means or to the wireless communication means.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the positioning signals being divided into blocks, said priority management means include an algorithm comprising the following steps:

detection of whether the direct/inverse Fourier transform computation means are being used by the wireless communication means,

if said computation means are being used by said wireless communication means, a request for use of the resources of said computation means by said positioning signal processing means is put on hold until at least said wireless communication means have finished using said resources of said computation means,

if said computation means are not being used by said wireless communication means, then said request for use of said resources of said computation means by said positioning signal processing means is granted at least for processing over the duration of one block.

3. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein said algorithm further comprises the following step:

if said computation means are being used by said positioning signal processing means, then said request for use of said resources of said computation means by said wireless communication means is put on hold until at least said positioning signal processing means have finished using said resources of said computation means over the duration of the current block, said resources of said computation means being assigned with the highest priority to said wireless communication means at the end of said positioning processing for said current block.

4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication using OFDM modulation either conforms to the 802.11a or 802.11g WiFi™

standard or is effected by means of a dual-band chip conforming to a standard that is not compatible with OFDM modulation and to a standard that is compatible therewith.

5. A method of optimizing the resources of direct and inverse Fourier transform computation means of a terminal, in particular a mobile terminal, comprising means for processing a positioning signal coming from a satellite positioning system, said computation means being adapted to cooperate to compute the position of said terminal, which further includes wireless communication means using OFDM modulation, said method comprising a priority management step for assigning resources of said direct/inverse Fourier transform computation means either to said positioning signal processing means or to said wireless communication means.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, said positioning signals being divided into blocks, said method includes the following steps:

detection of whether the direct/inverse Fourier transform computation means are being used by the wireless communication means,

if said computation means are being used by said wireless communication means, a request for use of the resources of said computation means by said positioning signal processing means is put on hold until at least said wireless communication means have finished using said resources of said computation means,

if said computation means are not being used by said wireless communication means, then said request for use of said resources of said computation means by said positioning signal processing means is granted at least for processing over the duration of one block.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, if said computation means are being used by said positioning signal processing means, then said request for use of said resources of said computation means by said wireless communication means is put on hold until at least said position signal processing means have finished using said resources of said computation means over the duration of the current block, said resources of said computation means being assigned with the highest priority to said wireless communication means at the end of said positioning processing for said current block.

8. The terminal according to claim 5, wherein said wireless communication using OFDM modulation either conforms to the 802.11a or 802.11g WiFi™

standard or is effected by means of a dual-band chip conforming to a standard that is not compatible with OFDM modulation and to a standard that is compatible therewith.

9. A communication device comprising;

a position signal processor processing a positioning signal coming from a satellite positioning system,

a direct and inverse Fourier transforms module adapted to cooperate to compute the position of the terminal,

wireless communication apparatus using OFDM modulation, and

priority management module for assigning resources of the direct/inverse Fourier transform module either to the positioning signal processor or to the wireless communication apparatus.

10. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein, the positioning signals being divided into blocks, said priority management module include an algorithm comprising the following steps:

detection of whether the direct/inverse Fourier transform module is being used by the wireless communication apparatus,

if said direct/inverse Fourier transform module is being used by said wireless communication apparatus, a request for use of the resources of said direct/inverse Fourier transform module by said position signal processor is put on hold until at least said wireless communication apparatus has finished using said resources of said direct/inverse Fourier Transform module,

if said direct/inverse Fourier transform module is not being used by said wireless communication apparatus, then said request for use of said resources of said direct/inverse Fourier transform module is granted at least for processing over the duration of one block.

11. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein said algorithm further comprises the following step:

if said direct/inverse Fourier transform module is being used by said position signal processor, then said request for use of said resources of said direct/inverse Fourier transform module by said wireless communication apparatus is put on hold until at least said position signal processor has finished using said resources of said direct/inverse Fourier transform module over the duration of the current block, said resources of said direct/inverse Fourier transform module being assigned with the highest priority to said wireless communication apparatus at the end of said positioning processing for said current block.

12. The communication device according to claim 9, wherein said wireless communication using OFDM modulation either conforms to the 802.11a or 802.11g WiFi™

standard or is effected by a module of a dual-band chip conforming to a standard that is not compatible with OFDM modulation and to a standard that is compatible therewith.