System and method to obtain signal acquisition assistance data

• US 8,711,036 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gaal, Peter, Sheynblat, Leonid, Patrick, Christopher, Riley, Wyatt Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C
• Application Number:
  US13/214,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20120038510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.64, 342/357.69, 342/357.58
• US Class Current: 342/357.64
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/25 involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/254 relating to Doppler shift of satellite signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/258 relating to the satellite constellation, e.g. almanac, ephemeris data, lists of satellites in view
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/27 creating, predicting or correcting ephemeris or almanac data within the receiver

Abstract

Signal acquisition assistance data is obtained for receiving devices such as wireless position assisted location devices seeking signals from any source, such as satellite vehicles and base stations. The data may be obtained from previously acquired data, based upon evaluation of changes in parameters such as time and location that may jeopardize validity. In some cases the data may be adjusted for the changes in parameters. Refined data may be calculated by a receiver using partial measurements of signal sets, particularly if the acquisition assistance data provided by a remote entity includes more distinct parameters than have typically been provided. New data need not be obtained until the validity of previous data expires due to limitations upon temporal extrapolation using Doppler coefficients, unless mobile station movement that cannot be compensated is detected, and jeopardizes validity of the previous data.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring a signal at a telecommunications system receiver, the method comprising:

obtaining acquisition assistance data;

acquiring a first signal at the receiver using the obtained acquisition assistance data;

using a location of the receiver obtained using the first signal to make a validity determination of whether the obtained acquisition assistance data are valid;

calculating, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data and the location of the receiver, and in response to the validity determination indicating that the obtained acquisition assistance data are not valid, updated acquisition assistance data to acquire a second signal; and

setting a code phase window size responsive to the updated acquisition assistance data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiver is a mobile station in a telecommunications system, and wherein calculating the updated assistance data comprises calculating one or more of:

predicted time of arrival (TOA) for the second signal, predicted TOA uncertainty window size of a window around the predicted TOA for the second signal, predicted Doppler frequency for the second signal, and Doppler predicted uncertainty window size of a Doppler frequency window around the predicted Doppler frequency for the second signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating comprises:

recomputing the acquisition assistance data based on measurement results for the acquired first signal; and

calculating, based on the recomputed acquisition assistance data, the updated assistance data to acquire the second signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising compensating an estimated time of arrival, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data, for movement of the receiver subsequent to obtaining the obtained acquisition assistance data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising compensating a calculated time of arrival uncertainty window, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data, for movement of the receiver subsequent to obtaining the obtained acquisition assistance data.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the obtained acquisition assistance data are obtained from a remote entity prior to acquiring the first signal.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that the receiver has moved based upon a combination of comparisons selected from (a) a present neighbor list of the receiver to a previous neighbor list of the receiver, (b) a present active base station list of the receiver to a previous active base station list of the receiver, and (c) a present serving base station for the receiver to a previous serving base station for the receiver.

8. A telecommunications system receiver comprising:

obtaining means for obtaining acquisition assistance data;

acquiring means for acquiring a first signal at the receiver using the obtained acquisition assistance data;

means for using a location of the receiver obtained using the first signal to make a validity determination of whether the obtained acquisition assistance data are valid;

calculating means for calculating, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data and the location of the receiver, and in response to the validity determination indicating that the obtained acquisition assistance data are not valid, updated acquisition assistance data to acquire a second signal; and

means for setting a code phase window size responsive to the updated acquisition assistance data.

9. The receiver of claim 8 wherein the receiver is a mobile station in a telecommunications system, and wherein the means for calculating the updated assistance data comprises means for calculating-one or more of:

predicted time of arrival (TOA) for the second signal, predicted TOA uncertainty window size of a window around the predicted TOA for the second signal, predicted Doppler frequency for the second signal, and Doppler predicted uncertainty window size of a Doppler frequency window around the predicted Doppler frequency for the second signal.

10. The receiver of claim 8, further comprising first means for compensating an estimated time of arrival, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data, for movement of the receiver subsequent to obtaining the obtained acquisition assistance data.

11. The receiver of claim 8, further comprising second means for compensating a calculated time of arrival uncertainty window, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data, for movement of the receiver subsequent to obtaining the obtained acquisition assistance data.

12. The receiver of claim 8 wherein the obtaining means are configured to obtain at least some of the obtained acquisition assistance data from a remote entity prior to acquiring the first signal.

13. The receiver of claim 8 further comprising means for determining that the receiver has moved based upon a combination of comparisons selected from (a) a present neighbor list of the receiver to a previous neighbor list of the receiver, (b) a present active base station list of the receiver to a previous active base station list of the receiver, and (c) a present serving base station for the receiver to a previous serving base station for the receiver.

14. The receiver of claim 8, wherein the computing means configured for calculating, based on the measurements results for the acquired first signal at the receiver, the updated assistance data to acquire the second signal are configured for:

recomputing the acquisition assistance data based on the measurements results for the acquired first signal at the receiver; and

calculating, based on the recomputed acquisition assistance data, the updated assistance data to acquire the second signal.

15. A computer program product, for acquiring signals at a telecommunications system receiver, residing on a non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising instructions configured to cause a processor to:

obtain acquisition assistance data;

acquire a first signal at the receiver using the obtained acquisition assistance data;

make a validity determination, using a location of the receiver obtained using the first signal, of whether the obtained acquisition assistance data are valid;

calculate, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data and the location of the receiver, and in response to the validity determination indicating that the obtained acquisition assistance data are not valid, updated acquisition assistance data to acquire a second signal; and

set a code phase window size responsive to the updated acquisition assistance data.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions to cause the processor to calculate the updated assistance data comprise instructions to cause the processor to calculate, based on the measurement results, one or more of:

predicted time of arrival (TOA) for the second signal, predicted TOA uncertainty window size of a window around the predicted TOA for the second signal, predicted Doppler frequency for the second signal, and Doppler predicted uncertainty window size of a Doppler frequency window around the predicted Doppler frequency for the second signal.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to compensate an estimated time of arrival, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data, for movement of the receiver subsequent to the obtained acquisition assistance data being obtained.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to compensate a calculated time of arrival uncertainty window, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data, for movement of the receiver subsequent to the obtained acquisition assistance data being obtained.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to determine that the receiver has moved based upon a combination of comparisons selected from (a) a present neighbor list of the receiver to a previous neighbor list of the receiver, (b) a present active base station list of the receiver to a previous active base station list of the receiver, and (c) a present serving base station for the receiver to a previous serving base station for the receiver.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer instructions configured to cause the processor to calculate comprise computer instructions configured to cause the processor to:

recompute the acquisition assistance data based on measurement results for the acquired first signal; and

calculate, based on the recomputed acquisition assistance data, the updated assistance data to acquire the second signal.

21. A wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a memory to store computer instructions; and

a processor-based device configured to cause, when executing the computer instructions stored in the memory, operations comprising;

obtaining acquisition assistance data;

acquiring a first signal using the obtained acquisition assistance data;

using a location of the apparatus obtained using the first signal to make a validity determination of whether the obtained acquisition assistance data are valid;

calculating, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data and the location of the apparatus, and responsive to the validity determination indicating that the obtained acquisition assistance data are not valid, updated acquisition assistance data to acquire a second signal; and

setting a code phase window size responsive to the updated acquisition assistance data.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus is a mobile station in a telecommunications system, and wherein calculating the updated assistance data comprises calculating, based on the measurement results, one or more of:

predicted time of arrival (TOA) for the second signal, predicted TOA uncertainty window size of a window around the predicted TOA for the second signal, predicted Doppler frequency for the second signal, and Doppler predicted uncertainty window size of a Doppler frequency window around the predicted Doppler frequency for the second signal.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor-based device is further configured to cause the operations of:

compensating an estimated time of arrival, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data, for movement of the apparatus subsequent to obtaining the obtained acquisition assistance data.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor-based device is further configured to cause the operations of:

compensating a calculated time of arrival uncertainty window, based on the obtained acquisition assistance data, for movement of the receiver subsequent to obtaining the obtained acquisition assistance data.

25. The apparatus claim 21, wherein the processor-based device is configured to obtain at least some of the obtained acquisition assistance data from a remote entity prior to acquiring the first signal.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor-based device is further configured to cause the operations of:

determining that the receiver has moved based upon a combination of comparisons selected from (a) a present neighbor list of the receiver to a previous neighbor list of the receiver, (b) a present active base station list of the receiver to a previous active base station list of the receiver, and (c) a present serving base station for the receiver to a previous serving base station for the receiver.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor-based device is configured to cause the operations of:

recomputing the acquisition assistance data based on measurement results for the acquired first signal at the apparatus; and

calculating, based on the recomputed acquisition assistance data, the updated assistance data to acquire the second signal.