Methods for testing satellite navigation system receivers in wireless electronic devices

• US 8,054,221 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kong, Daniel C., Luong, Anh
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCGUE, FRANK J
• Application Number:
  US12/946,813
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.62
• US Class Current: 342/357.62
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements

Abstract

A portable user device may provide Global Positioning System (GPS) services. The device may include a GPS receiver. The GPS receiver may provide accurate information about the current location of the device. A user may use the device to perform tasks. Certain tasks may generate excess heat or de-generate heat that causes the GPS receiver to perform unsatisfactorily. Methods are provided that can test GPS receiver performance during acquisition mode and during tracking mode. During testing, the GPS receiver may be given a predetermined amount of time to acquire a GPS fix. The GPS receiver may be tested repeatedly to acquire successive GPS fixes. After a desired number of tests are performed, a success rate may be calculated. If the success rate is satisfactory, the GPS receiver satisfies design criteria. If the success rate is not satisfactory, the GPS receiver may be reconfigured with new settings.

Claims

1. A method of testing a device under test in a test system, wherein the device under test comprises a satellite navigation system receiver and wireless transceiver circuitry, the method comprising:

with the test system, turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry to transmit radio-frequency signals at a desired output power level; and

while the wireless transceiver circuitry is transmitting radio-frequency signals at the desired output power level and while the satellite navigation system receiver is rising in temperature as a result of turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry and transmitting radio-frequency signals with the wireless transceiver circuitry, determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired a satellite navigation system fix.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry comprises cellular telephone transceiver circuitry and wherein turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry to transmit the radio-frequency signals comprises:

directing the cellular telephone transceiver circuitry to transmit the radio-frequency signals.

3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver circuit and a Bluetooth transceiver circuit and wherein turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry to transmit the radio-frequency signals comprises:

directing the wireless local area network transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals; and

directing the Bluetooth transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals.

4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry comprises a cellular telephone transceiver circuit, a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver circuit, and a Bluetooth transceiver circuit and wherein turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry to transmit the radio-frequency signals comprises:

directing the cellular telephone transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals;

directing the wireless local area network transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals; and

directing the Bluetooth transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals.

5. The method defined in claim 1, wherein turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry to transmit the radio-frequency signals at the desired output power level comprises:

directing the wireless transceiver circuitry transmit the radio-frequency signals at a maximum output power level.

6. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the test system includes a test host and wherein turning on the wireless transceiver circuitry to transmit the radio-frequency signals comprises:

with the test host, directing the wireless transceiver circuitry to transmit the radio-frequency signals at the desired output power level.

7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the device under test further comprises storage and processing circuitry, the method further comprising:

with the satellite navigation system receiver, calculating satellite navigation system information; and

storing the calculated satellite navigation information in the storage and processing circuitry.

8. The method defined in claim 7, further comprising:

clearing the satellite navigation system information from the storage and processing circuitry prior to determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix.

9. The method defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix comprises:

determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix within a predetermined time period.

10. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the device under test includes a first crystal oscillator associated with the satellite navigation system receiver and a second crystal oscillator associated with the wireless transceiver circuitry, the method further comprising:

loading the device under test with a test operating system, wherein the device under test lacks a graphical user interface when configured with the test operating system.

11. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising:

turning off the wireless transceiver circuitry to prevent the wireless transceiver circuitry from transmitting radio-frequency signals; and

while the wireless transceiver circuitry is turned off and while the satellite navigation system receiver is falling in temperature as a result of turning off the wireless transceiver circuitry, determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired an additional satellite navigation system fix.

12. A method of testing a device under test in a test system, wherein the device under test includes a satellite navigation system receiver and wireless transceiver circuitry and wherein the test system includes a base station emulator, the method comprising:

directing the base station emulator to wirelessly communicate with the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test; and

while the wireless transceiver circuitry is transmitting radio-frequency signals to wirelessly communicate with the base station emulator and while the satellite navigation system receiver is rising in temperature as a result of transmitting the radio-frequency signals with the wireless transceiver circuitry, determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired a satellite navigation system fix.

13. The method defined in claim 12, wherein the test system further includes a test host and wherein directing the base station emulator to wirelessly communicate with the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test comprises:

with the test host, directing the base station emulator to wirelessly communicate with the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test.

14. The method defined in claim 13, further comprising:

with the base station emulator, detecting the presence of the device under test, wherein the test host directs the base station emulator to communicate wirelessly with the device under test in response to detecting the presence of the device under test.

15. The method defined in claim 12, wherein the device under test further comprises storage and processing circuitry, the method further comprising:

with the satellite navigation system receiver, calculating satellite navigation system information; and

storing the calculated satellite navigation information in the storage and processing circuitry.

16. The method defined in claim 15, further comprising:

clearing the satellite navigation system information prior from the storage and processing circuitry to determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix.

17. The method defined in claim 12, wherein determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix comprises:

determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix within a predetermined time period.

18. The method defined in claim 12, wherein the device under test includes a given crystal oscillator and wherein the satellite navigation system receiver and the wireless transceiver circuitry share the given crystal oscillator, the method further comprising:

loading the device under test with a normal user operating system, wherein the device under test has a graphical user interface when configured with the normal user operating system.

19. The method defined in claim 12, wherein the device under test includes a given crystal oscillator and wherein the satellite navigation system receiver and the wireless transceiver circuitry share the given crystal oscillator, the method further comprising:

loading the device under test with a test operating system, wherein the device under test lacks a graphical user interface when configured with the test operating system.

20. The method defined in claim 12, further comprising:

directing the base station emulator to terminate wireless communication with the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test; and

while the wireless communication between the base station emulator and the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test is suspended and while the satellite navigation system receiver is rising in temperature as a result of terminating the wireless communication, determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired an additional satellite navigation system fix.

21. A method of testing a device under test in a test system, wherein the device under test includes a satellite navigation system receiver and wireless transceiver circuitry and wherein the test system includes a base station emulator, the method comprising:

directing the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test to wirelessly communicate with the base station emulator;

while the wireless transceiver circuitry is transmitting radio-frequency signals to wirelessly communicate with the base station emulator and while the satellite navigation system receiver is rising in temperature as a result of transmitting the radio-frequency signals with the wireless transceiver circuitry, determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired a satellite navigation system fix.

22. The method defined in claim 21, wherein the test system further includes a test host and wherein directing the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test to wirelessly communicate with the base station emulator comprises:

with the test host, directing the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test to wirelessly communicate with the base station emulator.

23. The method defined in claim 21, wherein the device under test further comprises storage and processing circuitry, the method further comprising:

with the satellite navigation system receiver, calculating satellite navigation system information; and

storing the calculated satellite navigation information in the storage and processing circuitry.

24. The method defined in claim 23, further comprising:

clearing the satellite navigation system information from the storage and processing circuitry prior to determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix.

25. The method defined in claim 21, wherein determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix comprises:

determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired the satellite navigation system fix within a predetermined time period.

26. The method defined in claim 21, wherein the device under test includes a given crystal oscillator and wherein the satellite navigation system receiver and the wireless transceiver circuitry share the given crystal oscillator, the method further comprising:

loading the device under test with a test operating system, wherein the device under test lacks a graphical user interface when configured with the test operating system.

27. The method defined in claim 21, further comprising:

directing the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test to terminate wireless communication with the base station emulator; and

while the wireless communication between the base station emulator and the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test is suspended and while the satellite navigation system receiver is rising in temperature as a result of terminating the wireless communication, determining whether the satellite navigation system receiver has acquired an additional satellite navigation system fix.

28. The method defined in claim 21, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry comprises cellular telephone transceiver circuitry and wherein directing the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test to wirelessly communicate with the base station emulator comprises:

directing the cellular telephone transceiver circuitry to transmit the radio-frequency signals.

29. The method defined in claim 21, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry comprises a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver circuit and a Bluetooth transceiver circuit and wherein directing the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test to wirelessly communicate with the base station emulator comprises:

directing the wireless local area network transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals; and

directing the Bluetooth transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals.

30. The method defined in claim 21, wherein the wireless transceiver circuitry comprises a cellular telephone transceiver circuit, a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver circuit, and a Bluetooth transceiver circuit and wherein directing the wireless transceiver circuitry in the device under test to wirelessly communicate with the base station emulator comprises:

directing the cellular telephone transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals;

directing the wireless local area network transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals; and

directing the Bluetooth transceiver circuit to transmit the radio-frequency signals.