Positioning and transmitting system

• US 8,026,845 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wolf, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): GALT, CASSI J
• Application Number:
  US12/103,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20090033550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.02, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.12, 342/357.15, 342/357.59, 344/78, 344/79, 344218-224, 344/249.1, 344/250.1, 344/295, 344/296, 455/78, 455/79, 455218-224, 455/249.1, 455/250.1, 455/295, 455/296
• US Class Current: 342/357.29
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/21 Interference related issues ; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers

Abstract

A control module interconnecting a transmitter portion and a signal receiver portion of a mobile device is provided. The control module monitors the transmitter portion of the mobile device and, based on the monitored condition, alters the mobile device to inhibit the ability of a transmission signal from a transmitter to interfere with the signal receiver portion, i.e., intelligent blanking. In other words, the control module may disable or modify the signal receiver portion when power on the transmitter portion exceeds a predetermined power threshold level. Alternatively the control module may force the transmitter portion to transmit at a reduced power level.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a transmitter portion;

a signal receiver portion comprising a position location receiver; and

a control module to;

monitor transmission power of the transmitter portion;

in response to a determination that the monitored power exceeds a first threshold power level, determine whether the transmitter portion is transmitting voice information or data information and whether the signal receiving portion has a higher priority than the transmitter portion, wherein the first threshold is based, at least in part, on available location information associated with the position location receiver;

in response to a determination that the signal receiving portion has a higher priority than the transmitter portion, initiate an override to disable the transmitter portion;

otherwise in the absence of the override;

in response to a determination that the transmitter portion is transmitting voice information, at least partially disable the signal receiver portion; and

in response to a determination that the transmitter portion is transmitting data information, decrease at least one of;

the transmission power of the transmitter portion; and

/or, a data rate of the transmitter portion.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the signal receiver portion comprises a satellite signal receiver.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, the control module to further fully enable the satellite signal receiver portion within a predetermined time after the satellite signal receiver portion is fully or partially disabled.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, the control module to further fully enable the signal receiver portion in response to a determination that the monitored power subsequently decreases below a second threshold power level.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the first, threshold power level and the second threshold power level are the same.

6. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the first threshold power level and the second threshold power level are different.

7. The mobile device of claim. 1, wherein the first power threshold, is selected from a plurality of power thresholds associated with a plurality of physical antenna and/or mobile device location configurations.

23. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises at least one of:

a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a smart phone, a portable digital assistant, a MP-3 player, and/or a cellular telephone.

24. The mobile device of claim 1, the mobile device further to operate with at least one of a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) protocol.

26. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first threshold power level is based, at least in part, on at least one of:

an accuracy of the available location information;

a presence or absence of the available location information;

or

an error tolerance-associated with the available location information.

8. A method comprising:

monitoring a transmission power off transmitter portion of a mobile device;

in response to a determination that the transmitting power exceeds a first power level threshold, determining whether the transmitter portion is transmitting voice information or data information and whether a signal receiving portion of the mobile device has a higher priority than the transmitter portion, wherein the signal receiving portion comprises a position location receiver and the first threshold is based, at least in part, on available location information associated with the position location receiver;

in response to a determination that the signal receiving portion has a higher priority than the transmitter portion, initiating an override to disable the transmitter portion;

otherwise in the absence of the override;

in response to a determination that the transmitter portion is transmitting voice information, at least partially disabling a signal receiver portion of the mobile device; and

in response to a determination that the transmitter portion is transmitting data information, decreasing at least one of;

the transmission power of the transmitter portion; and

/or, a data rate of the transmitter portion.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the signal receiver portion comprises a satellite signal receiver.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

fully enabling the signal receiver portion in response to a determination that the transmitting power subsequently decreases below a second power level threshold.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

fully enabling the satellite signal receiver portion at a predetermined time after the satellite signal receiver portion is fully or partially disabled.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

setting the first power threshold level based, at least in part, on a physical antenna and/or mobile device location configuration.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein partially disabling the signal receiver portion of the mobile device comprises operating the signal receiver portion of the mobile device in a high linearity mode.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

operating the signal receiver portion of the mobile device in the high linearity mode if a battery power is determined sufficient otherwise fully disabling the signal receiver portion.

21. The method Of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying the physical antenna configuration based, at least in part, on a proximity of a signal receiver portion antenna to a transmitter portion antenna.

22. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying the physical antenna configuration based, at least in part, on whether a signal receiver portion antennais retracted.

27. The method of claim 8, wherein the first threshold is based, at least in part, on at least one of:

an accuracy of the available location information;

a presence or absence of the available location information;

or

an error tolerance associated with the available location information.

13. An article comprising:

a computer readable storage media having stored therein instructions implementable by a processor in a mobile device to;

monitor a transmission power of a transmitter portion of the mobile device;

determine whether the monitored power level exceeds a first power threshold level;

in response to a determination that the monitored power exceeds the first threshold power level, determine whether the transmitter portion is transmitting voice information or data information and whether the signal receiving portion has a higher priority than the transmitter portion, wherein the signal receiving portion comprises a position location receiver and the first threshold is based, at least in part, on available location information associated with the position location receiver;

in response to a determination that the signal receiving portion has a higher priority than the transmitter portion, initiate an override to disable the transmitter portion;

otherwise in the absence of the override;

in response to a determination that the transmitter portion,is transmitting voice information, at least partially disable a signal receiver portion of a mobile device; and

in response to a determination that the transmitter portion is transmitt data information, decrease at least one of the transmission power of the transmitter portion; and

/or, a data rate of the transmitter portion.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the signal receiver portion comprises satellite signal receiver.

15. The article of claim 14, the instructions implementable by the processor further to fully enable the satellite signal receiver portion after a predetermined time after the satellite signal receiver portion is fully or partially disabled.

16. The article of claim 14, the instructions implementable by the processor further to fully enable the satellite signal receiver portion in response to a determination that the monitored transmission power subsequently decreases below at least one of the first power threshold level and/or a second power threshold level, wherein the second power threshold level is different from the first power threshold level.

17. The article of claim 13, the instructions implementable by the processor further to determine a physical antenna and/or mobile device location configuration and to set the first power threshold level to based, at least in part, on the determined configuration.

28. The article of claim 13, Wherein the first threshold is based, at least in part, on at least one of:

an accuracy of the available location information;

a presence or absence of the available location information;

or

an error tolerance associated with the available location information.

18. An apparatus comprising:

means for transmitting a signal;

means for receiving a satellite signal;

means for generating location information based, at least in part, on a received satellite signal;

means for determining a transmission power of the transmitted signal;

means for determining whether the transmitted signal comprises voice information or data information, in response to a determination that the transmission power of the transmitted signal exceeds a threshold power level, wherein the threshold power level is based, at least in part, on available location information;

means for determining whether the means for receiving has a higher priority than the means for transmitting, in response to a determination that the transmission power of the transmitted signal exceeds the threshold power level;

means for initiating an override to disable the means for transmitting, in response to a determination that the means for receiving has the higher priority than the means for transmitting;

means for at least partially disabling the means for receiving the satellite signal, in the absence of the override and in response to a determination that the transmitted signal comprises voice information; and

means for decreasing, in the absence of the override and in response to a determination that the transmitted signal comprises voice information, at least one of;

the transmission power of the transmitted signal; and

/or, a data rate of the transmitted signal.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

means for initiating a restoration of an initial operating mode.

29. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the threshold power level is based, at least in part, on at least one of:

an accuracy of the available location information;

a presence or absence of the available location information;

or an error tolerance associated with the available location information.