System and/or method for acquisition of GNSS signals

• US 8,502,732 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2011
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Pon, Rayman Wai
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US13/211,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20110298662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.68, 342/357.42
• US Class Current: 342/357.68
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/05 providing aiding data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/28 Satellite selection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/29 carrier including Doppler, related G01S19/246 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/30 code related G01S19/246 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/33 Multimode operation in different systems which transmit time stamped messages, e.g. GPS/GLONASS

Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for acquiring signal received from space vehicles (SVs) in a satellite navigation system. In one example, although claimed subject matter is not so limited, information processed in acquiring a signal from a first SV may be used in acquiring a signal from a second SV.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in a component of a wireless receiver comprising:

receiving an acquisition assistance (AA) message comprising information indicative of a reference location and information defining a first Doppler search window;

detecting a first Doppler frequency in a first signal received from a first space vehicle (SV) at the reference location; and

determining a search range defining a range of frequencies to be searched for detecting a second Doppler frequency in a second signal received at the reference location from a second SV based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency, the information defining the first Doppler search window, and a second Doppler search window, wherein determining the search range includes determining the second Doppler search window based at least in part on an estimated azimuth angle to the first SV relative to the reference location and an estimated azimuth angle to the second SV relative to the reference location, and reducing the size of the search range by selecting the smaller of the first Doppler search window and the second Doppler search window to use as the search range.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining the search range further comprises determining a center of the search range based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining the search range further comprises determining a Doppler search window about the center of the search range based, at least in part, on an uncertainty in an estimate of the reference location.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated coordinates of the first SV include an estimated azimuth angle to said first SV from the reference location and an estimated azimuth angle to said second SV from the reference location.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the estimated coordinates of the first SV include an estimated elevation angle to said first SV from the reference location and an estimated elevation angle to said second SV from the reference location.

4. An article comprising:

a tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing platform, are adapted to cause the computing platform to;

receive an acquisition assistance (AA) message comprising information indicative of a reference location and information defining a first Doppler search window;

determine a first Doppler frequency in a first signal received from a first space vehicle (SV) at the reference location; and

determine a search range defining a range of frequencies to be searched for detecting a second Doppler frequency in a second signal received at the reference location from a second SV based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency, the information defining the first Doppler search window, and a second Doppler search window, wherein the instructions to cause the computing platform to determine the search range include instructions to cause the computing platform to determine the second Doppler search window based at least in part on an estimated azimuth angle to the first SV relative to the reference location and an estimated azimuth angle to the second SV relative to the reference location, and instructions to cause the computing platform to reduce the size of the search range by selecting the smaller of the first Doppler search window and the second Doppler search window to use as the search range.

5. The article of claim 4 wherein the instructions adapted to cause the computing platform to determine the search range further comprise instructions adapted to cause the computing platform to determine a center of the search range based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency.

6. The article of claim 5 wherein the instructions adapted to cause the computing platform to determine the search range further comprise instructions adapted to cause the computing platform to determine a Doppler search window about the center of the search range based, at least in part, on an uncertainty in an estimate of the reference location.

7. A subscriber unit comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an acquisition assistance (AA) message comprising information indicative of a reference location and information defining a first Doppler search window, the subscriber unit being adapted to;

detect a first Doppler frequency in a first signal received from a first space vehicle (SV) at the reference location; and

determine a search range defining a range of frequencies to be searched for detecting a second Doppler frequency in a second signal received at the reference location from a second SV based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency, the information defining the first Doppler search window, and a second Doppler search window, wherein the receiver is further configured to determine the second Doppler search window based at least in part on an estimated azimuth angle to the first SV relative to the reference location and an estimated azimuth angle to the second SV relative to the reference location, and select the smaller of the first Doppler search window and the second Doppler search window to use as the search range.

8. The subscriber unit of claim 7 wherein the subscriber unit is further adapted to receive the AA message over a wireless communication link.

9. The subscriber unit of claim 7 wherein the subscriber unit is further adapted to determine the search range based, at least in part, on an uncertainty in an estimate of the reference location.

10. The subscriber unit of claim 7 wherein the subscriber unit is further adapted to determine the search range by determining a center of the search range based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency.

11. The subscriber unit of claim 10 wherein the subscriber unit is further adapted to determine the search range by determining a Doppler search window about the center of the search range based, at least in part, on an uncertainty in an estimate of the reference location.

12. A system comprising:

means for receiving an acquisition assistance (AA) message comprising information indicative of a reference location and information defining a first Doppler search window;

means for detecting a first Doppler frequency in a first signal received from a first space vehicle (SV) at the reference location; and

means for determining a search range defining a range of frequencies to be searched for detecting a second Doppler frequency in a second signal received at the reference location from a second SV based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency, the information defining the first Doppler search window, and a second Doppler search window, wherein the means for determining the search range includes means for determining the second Doppler search window based at least in part on an estimated azimuth angle to the first SV relative to the reference location and an estimated azimuth angle to the second SV relative to the reference location, and means for reducing the size of the search range by selecting the smaller of the first Doppler search window and the second Doppler search window to use as the search range.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the means for determining the search range are configured to determine a center of the search range based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the means for determining the search range are configured to determine a Doppler search window about the center of the search range based, at least in part, on an uncertainty in an estimate of the reference location.

15. A system comprising:

a position determination entity (PDE); and

a subscriber unit adapted to;

receive an acquisition assistance (AA) message from the PDE over a wireless communication link, the AA message comprising information indicative of a reference location and information defining a first Doppler search window;

detect a first Doppler frequency in a first signal received from a first space vehicle (SV) at the reference location; and

determine a search range defining a range of frequencies to be searched for detecting a second Doppler frequency in a second signal received at the reference location from a second SV based, at least in part, on the detected first Doppler frequency, the information defining the first Doppler search window, and a second Doppler search window, wherein the subscriber unit is configured to determine the second Doppler search window based at least in part on an estimated azimuth angle to the first SV relative to the reference location and an estimated azimuth angle to the second SV relative to the reference location, and reduce the size of the search range by selecting the smaller of the first Doppler search window and the second Doppler search window to use as the search range.