Global positioning system receiver with phase offset compensation

• US 8,665,148 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hakim, Joseph, Mow, Matt A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US13/098,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20110273331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.62, 342/357.76
• US Class Current: 342/357.62
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end

Abstract

An electronic device such as a cellular telephone may include transceiver circuitry for handling wireless communications. The transceiver circuitry may include a transceiver such as a cellular telephone transceiver or a wireless local area network receiver and may include a satellite positioning system receiver. Radio-frequency circuitry may be used to couple the transceiver circuitry to antenna structures. When operating the transceiver in different modes of operation, the radio-frequency circuitry may be adjusted to optimize performance. Adjustments to the radio-frequency circuitry may impose phase offsets on satellite positioning system signals that are received through the antenna structures and radio-frequency circuitry. These phase offsets which would otherwise cause degradation in the satellite positioning system receiver can be compensated by applying stored compensating phase offset values to the satellite positioning system receiver during operation.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

adjustable radio-frequency circuitry and antenna structures that are operable in a plurality of different modes;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that transmits and receives radio-frequency signals through the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry and antenna structures; and

satellite navigation system receiver circuitry that receives satellite navigation signals through the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry and antenna structures, wherein a phase offset is imposed on the received satellite navigation signals by the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry and antenna structures when switching between the different modes and wherein the satellite navigation system receiver circuitry uses at least one compensating phase offset value to compensate the received satellite navigation system signals for the imposed phase offset, and wherein the satellite navigation system receiver circuitry includes a multiplexer having a plurality of inputs and an output and further includes a plurality of storage elements each of which provides a respective compensating phase offset value to a respective one of the plurality of inputs.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry and antenna structures include an antenna and wherein the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry transmits and receives the radio frequency signals through the antenna and wherein the satellite navigation system receiver circuitry receives the satellite navigation signals through the antenna.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and the satellite navigation system receiver circuitry are formed on at least one integrated circuit that issues first control signals that adjust the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry and antenna structures and that issues second control signals that adjust how the satellite navigation system receiver circuitry uses the compensating phase offset value.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the multiplexer is controlled by the second control signals.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the satellite navigation system receiver circuitry includes a summer and wherein the output of the multiplexer is connected to the summer.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the satellite navigation system receiver circuitry comprises a numerically controlled oscillator that receives output from the summer.

7. A method for operating an electronic device that includes an antenna structure, transceiver circuitry that includes a satellite navigation system receiver that receives satellite navigation system signals, and adjustable radio-frequency circuitry interposed between the antenna structure and the transceiver circuitry, comprising:

storing calibration settings in the satellite navigation system receiver wherein each calibration setting includes a compensating phase offset value;

adjusting the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry to optimize performance of the transceiver circuitry, wherein adjusting the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry produces phase offsets in the satellite navigation system signals; and

while adjusting the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry, adjusting the satellite navigation system receiver by selecting one of the stored calibration settings to compensate for the phase offsets.

8. The method defined in claim 7 wherein adjusting the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry comprises operating the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry in at least first and second modes of operation each of which imposes a different associated phase offset on the satellite navigation system signals.

9. The method defined in claim 8 wherein adjusting the satellite navigation system receiver comprises selecting a first compensating phase offset value for the satellite navigation system receiver when the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry is operated in the first mode and selecting a second compensating phase offset value that is different than the first compensating phase offset value for the satellite navigation system receiver when the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry is operated in the second mode.

10. The method defined in claim 8 wherein the transceiver circuitry comprises cellular telephone transceiver circuitry that handles a first cellular telephone communications band in the first mode and that handles a second cellular telephone communications band in the second mode that is different than the first cellular telephone communications band, wherein adjusting the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry comprises adjusting the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry to optimize performance for the cellular telephone transceiver in the first cellular telephone communications band when operating in the first mode and comprises adjusting the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry to optimize performance for the cellular telephone transceiver in the second cellular telephone communications band when operating in the second mode.

11. Apparatus, comprising:

an antenna;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that includes a transceiver and a satellite navigation system receiver; and

adjustable radio-frequency circuitry that is interposed between the antenna and the radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and that is operable in a plurality of different modes, wherein;

the satellite navigation system receiver receives satellite navigation signals through the antenna and the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry;

a phase offset is imposed on the satellite navigation signals by the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry when the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry switches between the different modes;

when the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry is operating in a first mode, the satellite navigation system receiver uses a first predetermined compensating phase offset value corresponding to the first mode to compensate the received satellite navigation system signals for the imposed phase offset; and

when the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry is operating in a second mode, the satellite navigation system receiver uses a second predetermined compensating phase offset value corresponding to the second mode to compensate the received satellite navigation system signals for the imposed phase offset.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the transceiver and the satellite navigation system receiver are configured to issue first control signals that adjust the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein the transceiver and the satellite navigation system receiver are configured to issue second control signals that adjust how the satellite navigation system receiver uses the compensating phase offset values.

14. The apparatus define in claim 13 wherein the satellite navigation system receiver includes a multiplexer that is controlled by the second control signals.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein the multiplexer has a plurality of inputs and an output and wherein the satellite navigation system receiver includes a plurality of storage elements each of which provides a respective compensating phase offset value to a respective one of the plurality of inputs.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 15 wherein the satellite navigation system receiver comprises:

a summer; and

a numerically controlled oscillator that receives output from the summer, wherein the output of the multiplexer is connected to the summer.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the transceiver comprises a cellular telephone transceiver.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

adjustable radio-frequency circuitry;

radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that transmits and receives radio-frequency signals through the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry and that generates a compensating phase offset control signal;

a receiver circuit which receives a satellite navigation system signal through the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry; and

a multiplexing circuit which receives the compensating phase offset control signal and applies a corresponding compensating phase offset to the receiver circuit to compensate the receiver circuit for a phase offset in the satellite navigation system signal, wherein the phase offset is generated from adjustments in the adjustable radio-frequency circuitry.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the receiver circuit includes a numerically controlled oscillator, wherein the multiplexer has a plurality of inputs each of which receives a respective compensating phase offset value, wherein the multiplexer has a control input that receives the compensating phase offset control signal, and wherein the multiplexer has an output at which the multiplexer supplies a selected one of the compensating phase offset values for the receiver circuit to use in producing the compensating phase offset.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 wherein the receiver circuit further comprises a summer that is interposed between the output of the multiplexer and the numerically controlled oscillator.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 20 wherein the multiplexing circuit further comprises a plurality of storage elements each of which provides a respective one of the compensating phase offset values to a respective one of the plurality of inputs.