Apparatus having integrated radio and GPS receivers

• US 7,999,734 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyworks Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Morgan, Patrick N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nga X
• Application Number:
  US11/729,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 34235701-35717
• 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: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers

Abstract

An apparatus includes a radio receiver, a GPS receiver and a semiconductor package. The semiconductor package contains both the radio receiver and the GPS receiver.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an FM band broadcast radio receiver;

a GPS receiver;

a semiconductor package containing both the radio receiver and the GPS receiver; and

a die contained in the semiconductor package,

wherein both the radio receiver and the GPS receiver are fabricated in the die, and the FM band broadcast radio receiver comprises a front end having a first mode in which the front end functions for the FM band broadcast radio receiver and a second mode in which the front end functions for the GPS receiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second modes are time multiplexed.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the front end comprises a local oscillator to generate a first local oscillator signal during the first mode and generate a second different oscillator signal during the second mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio receiver is adapted to receive at least one of a broadcast radio signal or a service broadcast signal that is within the radio band.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor to be shared between the GPS receiver and the FM band broadcast radio receiver.

4. A wireless device, comprising:

a semiconductor package comprising an FM band broadcast radio receiver and a GPS receiver; and

a subsystem coupled to the semiconductor package to receive location information from the GPS receiver,

wherein the FM band broadcast radio receiver comprises a front end having a first mode in which the front end functions for the FM band broadcast radio receiver and a second mode in which the front end functions for the GPS receiver,

wherein the semiconductor package comprises a die, and both the radio receiver and the GPS receiver are fabricated in the die.

5. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the first and second modes are time multiplexed.

6. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the front end comprises a local oscillator to generate a first local oscillator signal during the first mode and generate a second different oscillator signal during the second mode.

11. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the subsystem is part of at least one additional semiconductor package.

12. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the subsystem comprises a navigation subsystem or a cellular telephone subsystem.

13. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the GPS receiver is adapted to receive assistance information from the radio receiver.

14. The wireless device of claim 4, wherein the radio receiver comprises at least one of an FM broadcast radio receiver and an AM broadcast radio receiver.

18. The wireless device of claim 4, further comprising:

a processor to be shared between the GPS receiver and the FM band broadcast radio receiver.

7. A method comprising:

providing an FM band broadcast radio receiver;

providing a GPS receiver;

packaging the radio receiver and the GPS receiver in the same semiconductor package; and

fabricating the radio receiver and the GPS receiver in the same die,

wherein the FM band broadcast radio receiver comprises a front end having a first mode in which the front end functions for the FM band broadcast radio receiver and a second mode in which the front end functions for the GPS receiver.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second modes are time multiplexed.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the front end comprises a local oscillator to generate a first local oscillator signal during the first mode and generate a second different oscillator signal during the second mode.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

adapting the radio receiver and the GPS receiver to communicate assistance information.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

adapting the radio receiver to receive at least one of an FM, AM, weatherband, digital audio broadcast (DAB) and radio data service (RDS) signal.

19. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

a processor to be shared between the GPS receiver and the FM band broadcast radio receiver.