System and method for detecting packet synchronization

• US 9,209,893 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Gaspar, Cheng, Hao-Jen
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, STEVEN H D
• Application Number:
  US13/802,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20130195101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/243 Demodulation of navigation message
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/27 creating, predicting or correcting ephemeris or almanac data within the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/33 Multimode operation in different systems which transmit time stamped messages, e.g. GPS/GLONASS
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2125 Synchronisation

Abstract

A method of providing frame synchronization for GPS signals can include performing coherent bit extraction on the GPS bits and then performing coherent frame boundary detection based on the bits of the coherent bit extraction. Concurrently, differential bit extraction on the GPS bits and differential frame boundary detection based on bits of the differential bit extraction can be performed. Whichever of the coherent frame boundary detection and the differential frame boundary detection first finds a frame boundary, then that frame boundary is used for the frame synchronization. A method of providing string synchronization for GLONASS signals includes performing coherent and differential bit extraction on the GLONASS bits.

Claims

1. A method of providing frame synchronization for Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, the method comprising:

performing coherent bit extraction on GPS bits;

performing coherent frame boundary detection based on bits of the coherent bit extraction, wherein the coherent frame boundary detection comprises comparing first values of a plurality of GPS subframes;

performing differential bit extraction on the GPS bits;

performing differential frame boundary detection based on bits of the differential bit extraction, wherein the differential frame boundary detection comprises comparing second values of the plurality of GPS subframes, wherein the second values include fewer bits than the first values, and wherein said performing the differential frame boundary detection and said performing the coherent frame boundary detection are done concurrently; and

providing the frame synchronization, wherein whichever of the coherent frame boundary detection and the differential frame boundary detection first finds a frame boundary, that frame boundary is used for the frame synchronization.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said performing the coherent bit extraction on the GPS bits includes finding a first preamble of a first telemetry (TLM) word of a first GPS subframe, parity bits of the first TLM word, a first time of week (TOW) of a first hand over word (HOW) word of the first GPS subframe, first subframe ID bits of the first HOW word, and parity bits of the first HOW word.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said performing the coherent frame boundary detection includes checking validity of the first TLM word using the parity bits of the first TLM word.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said performing the coherent frame boundary detection includes checking a validity of the first HOW word using the parity bits of the first HOW word.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said performing the coherent frame boundary detection includes declaring a TOW synchronization when a valid first HOW word follows a valid first TLM word.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said performing the coherent bit extraction on the GPS bits includes finding a second preamble of a second TLM word of a second GPS subframe, parity bits of the second TLM word, a second TOW of a second HOW word of the second GPS subframe, second subframe ID bits of the second HOW word, and parity bits of the second HOW word.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said performing the coherent frame boundary detection includes checking validity of the second TLM word using the parity bits of the second TLM word.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said performing the coherent frame boundary detection includes checking validity of the second HOW word using the parity bits of the second HOW word.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said performing the differential bit extraction on the GPS bits includes finding a preamble of a telemetry (TLM) word of a GPS subframe, and a limited number of most significant bits (MSB) of a time of week (STOW) of a hand-over word (HOW) word.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said performing the differential frame boundary detection includes identifying the TLM word using the preamble.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said first values comprise time of week (TOW) bits of the plurality of GPS subframes, and wherein said second values comprise a limited number of most significant bits (MSB) of the TOW bits of the plurality of GPS subframes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said first values further comprise subframe ID bits of the plurality of GPS subframes.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said coherent frame boundary detection further comprises determining the validity of words of the plurality of GPS subframes, wherein said words include the first values.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said differential bit extraction comprises detecting locations of preambles of telemetry (TLM) words in the plurality of GPS subframes, and using the detected locations to locate the second values in the plurality of GPS subframes.

15. A method of providing string synchronization for GLONASS signals, the method comprising:

performing coherent bit extraction on GLONASS bits of GLONASS strings;

performing coherent string boundary detection based on bits of the coherent bit extraction, wherein bits of the coherent bit extraction are compared with a time mark of GLONASS without bit flipping;

performing differential bit extraction on the GLONASS bits of the GLONASS strings;

performing differential string boundary detection based on bits of the differential bit extraction, wherein bits of the differential bit extraction are compared with the time mark of GLONASS with bit flipping, wherein said performing the differential string boundary detection and said performing the coherent string boundary detection are done concurrently; and

providing the string synchronization, wherein whichever of the coherent string boundary detection and the differential string boundary detection first finds a string boundary, that string boundary is used for the string synchronization.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said performing the coherent bit extraction on the GLONASS bits includes extracting 30 bits every 10 ms.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said performing the differential bit extraction on the GLONASS bits includes extracting 30 bits every 10 ms.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said performing the coherent string boundary detection results in a correlation output value for each bit location of the GLONASS bits within the GLONASS strings, wherein said coherent string boundary detection further includes assigning a metric for each correlation output value.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said performing the coherent string boundary detection further includes accumulating the metric for each bit location of the GLONASS bits within the GLONASS strings.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said performing the coherent string boundary detection further includes identifying a limited number of survivor paths based on highest accumulated metrics.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said performing the coherent string boundary detection further includes updating the survivor paths as necessary for each of the GLONASS strings.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said performing the coherent string boundary detection further includes determining whether a set of accumulated metrics is greater than or equal to a threshold, and if so, then declaring a time mark boundary detection, wherein the time mark boundary detection provides the string synchronization.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein said performing the differential string boundary detection results in a correlation output value for each bit location of the GLONASS bits within the GLONASS strings, wherein said different string boundary detection further includes assigning a metric for each correlation output value.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said performing the differential string boundary detection further includes accumulating the metric for each bit location of the GLONASS bits within the GLONASS strings.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said performing the differential string boundary detection further includes identifying a limited number of survivor paths based on highest accumulated metrics.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said performing the differential string boundary detection further includes updating the survivor paths as necessary for each of the GLONASS strings.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said performing the differential string boundary detection further includes determining whether a set of accumulated metrics is greater than or equal to a threshold, and if so, then declaring a time mark boundary detection, wherein the time mark boundary detection provides the string synchronization.