Satellite positioning aided communication system selection

• US 7,949,362 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SIRF Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Erik, Turetzky, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/022,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,344 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/130, 455/12.1, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/426.1, 455/435.1, 455/67.1, 455/404, 455/521, 455/259, 455/575.7, 455/192.2, 455/75, 455/182.2, 455/150.1, 455/161.1, 455/151.3, 455/67.13, 455/552.1, 455/553, 455/127.4, 455/186.1
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/235 Calibration of receiver components
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/254 relating to Doppler shift of satellite signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/256 relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A software communication device with a tunable transceiver that is capable of receipt of both satellite positioning data and a communication network with a wireless network where positioning data is used to efficiently make a connection to the communication network or communication link to a network is used to reduce the time to acquire GPS satellites and determine position.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

receiver that is tunable between receipt of positioning signals and a communication network signal;

a memory with geographic data that is associated with at least one communication network; and

a controller coupled to the receiver in receipt of positioning data from the receiver when the receiver is in receipt of positioning signals where the memory is accessed by the controller to search for the at least one communication network using the positioning data and to thereby retrieve parameters to access the at least one communication network.

2. The device of claim 1, where the geographic data is received at the receiver and stored in the memory by the controller.

3. The device of claim 1, where the controller is configurable by software function as a satellite positioning device that processes the positioning signals and a communication device that process the communication network signal.

4. The device of claim 1, includes a common antenna coupled to the receiver.

5. The device of claim 1, where the receiver is a transceiver.

6. The device of claim 1, includes:

a timer that is configurable for a predetermined period of time set by the controller when the at least one communication network is unreachable by the device.

9. The device of claim 1, where the receiver further includes:

a first RF chip is associated with the positioning signals;

a second RF chip is associated with the communication network signal; and

a baseband processor configurable for receipt of the positioning signals from the first RF chip and then the communication network signal from the second RF chip.

7. The device of clam 1, where the geographic data has cell site information.

8. The device of claim 7, where the geographic data further includes:

a plurality of frequencies associated with a cell site.

10. A method of communication, comprising:

tuning a receiver between receipt of a positioning signals and a communication network signal;

storing in a memory geographic data that is associated with at least one communication network; and

processing at a controller coupled to the receiver, positioning data from the receiver when the receiver is in receipt of positioning signals where the memory is accessed to retrieve the parameters to access the at least one communication network.

11. The method of claim 10, including:

receiving geographic data at the receiver; and

storing the geographic data in the memory by the controller.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the controller with software to function as a satellite positioning device that processes the positioning signals and a communication device that process the communication network signal.

13. The method of claim 10, includes a common antenna coupled to the receiver.

14. The method of claim 10, where the receiver is a transceiver.

15. The method of claim 10, includes:

setting a timer for a predetermined period of time when the at least one communication network is unreachable by the device.

16. The method of claim 10, where the geographic data has cell site information.

17. The method of claim 16, where the geographic data further includes:

a plurality of frequencies associated with a cell site.

18. The device of claim 10, where tuning further includes:

receiving at a first RF chip is associated with the positioning signals;

receiving at a second RF chip is associated with the communication network signal; and

configuring a baseband processor configurable for receipt of the positioning signals from the first RF chip and then the communication network signal from the second RF chip.

19. A computer-readable media with machine readable instructions for controlling a communication device, comprising:

a first set of machine readable instructions for tuning a receiver between receipt of positioning signals and a communication network signal;

a second set of machine readable instructions for storing in a memory geographic data that is associated with at least one communication network; and

a third set of machine readable instructions for processing, at a controller coupled to the receiver, positioning data from the receiver when the receiver is in receipt of positioning signals where the memory is accessed by the controller to search for the at least one communication network using the positioning data and to thereby retrieve parameters to access the at least one communication network.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 19, including:

a fourth set of machine readable instructions for receiving geographic data at the receiver; and

a fifth set of machine readable instructions for storing the geographic data in the memory by the controller.

21. The computer-readable media of claim 19, further comprising:

a fourth set of machine readable instructions for configuring the controller with software to function as a satellite positioning device that processes the positioning signals and a communication device that process the communication network signal.

22. The computer-readable media of claim 19, where the receiver is a transceiver that is tuned by the first set of machine readable instructions.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, includes:

a fourth set of machine readable instructions for setting a timer for a predetermined period of time when the at least one communication network is unreachable by the device.

24. The computer-readable media of clam 19, where the geographic data has cell site information.

25. The media of claim 24, where the geographic data further includes:

a plurality of frequencies associated with a cell site.