Apparatus, methods and computer program products for GPS signal acquisition using an adaptive search engine

• US 20060033658A1
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Camp, William O. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,358,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.640
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/235 Calibration of receiver components
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/24 Acquisition or tracking or demodulation of signals transmitted by the system synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073
• 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

Abstract

A GPS receiver includes a digital signal processor (DSP) configured to receive a carrier-modulated signal and to provide an adaptive GPS search engine operative to search the carrier-modulated signal for GPS signals over a variable number of carrier timing hypotheses. A mobile terminal includes a mobile communications transceiver, a GPS receiver, and a common frequency source that provides a common frequency reference signal for the mobile communications transceiver and the GPS receiver of the mobile terminal. The common frequency source includes an automatic frequency control (AFC) circuit operative to adjust a frequency of the common frequency reference signal responsive to interaction of the mobile communications transceiver and a wireless communications system. The GPS receiver is configured to define a carrier timing search range thereof to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

Claims

1. A method of acquiring GPS signals, the method comprising:

searching over a first search space spanning a first number of carrier timing hypotheses and a first number of code timing hypotheses to acquire a first GPS signal;

responsive to acquisition of the first GPS signal, defining a second search space spanning a second number of carrier timing hypotheses and a second number of code timing hypotheses, wherein the second number of carrier timing hypotheses is different than the first number of frequency hypotheses; and

searching the second search space to acquire a second GPS signal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second number of carrier timing hypotheses is greater than the first number of carrier timing hypotheses.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second number of code timing hypotheses is less than the first number of code timing hypotheses.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second search space has a greater carrier frequency resolution that the first search space.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second search space has a lesser carrier timing search range than the first search space.

6. A method according to claim 1:

wherein searching over a first search space spanning a first number of carrier timing hypotheses and a first number of code timing hypotheses to acquire a first GPS signal comprises searching for a first integration period; and

wherein searching the second search space to acquire a second GPS signal comprises searching for a second integration period greater than the first integration period.

7. A method according to claim 1:

wherein searching the second search space to acquire a second GPS signal comprises demodulating a radio signal responsive to a local frequency source; and

wherein defining a second search space spanning a second number of carrier timing hypotheses and a second number of code timing hypotheses comprises defining the second search space to include at least one carrier timing search range corresponding to a frequency shift attributable to the local frequency source.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the local frequency source comprises a common frequency source for a mobile communications transceiver and a GPS receiver of a mobile terminal, the common frequency source producing a common frequency reference signal having a frequency that is automatically adjusted responsive to interaction of the mobile communications transceiver and a wireless communications system, and wherein defining the second search space to include at least one carrier timing search range corresponding to a frequency shift attributable to the local frequency source comprises defining a carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency source.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein defining a carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal comprises including a carrier timing search range corresponding to an incremental change in the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the mobile terminal includes an automatic frequency control (AFC) circuit that automatically adjusts the frequency of the common frequency reference signal, and wherein defining a carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal comprises adjusting the carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver responsive to the AFC circuit.

11. A method of operating a GPS-enabled mobile terminal that includes a common frequency source that provides a common frequency reference signal for a mobile communications transceiver and a GPS receiver of the mobile terminal, the method comprising:

automatically adjusting a frequency of the common frequency reference signal responsive to interaction of the mobile communications transceiver and a wireless communications system; and

defining a carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

12. A method according to claim 11:

wherein automatically adjusting a frequency of the common frequency reference signal responsive to interaction of the mobile communications transceiver and a wireless communications system comprises adjusting the frequency of the common frequency reference signal in discrete increments; and

wherein defining a carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal comprises including a carrier timing search range corresponding to an incremental change in the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the mobile terminal includes an automatic frequency control (AFC) circuit that automatically adjusts the frequency of the reference signal, and wherein defining a carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal comprises adjusting the carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver responsive to the AFC circuit.

14. A GPS receiver, comprising:

a digital signal processor (DSP) configured to receive a carrier-modulated signal and to provide an adaptive GPS search engine operative to search the carrier-modulated signal for GPS signals over a variable number of carrier timing hypotheses.

15. A GPS receiver according to claim 14, wherein the GPS search engine is operative to search over a first search space spanning a first number of carrier timing hypotheses and a first number of code timing hypotheses to acquire a first GPS signal, to define a second search space spanning a second number of carrier timing hypotheses and a second number of code timing hypotheses, the second number of carrier timing hypotheses different than the first number of carrier timing hypotheses, responsive to acquisition of the first GPS signal and to search the second search space to acquire a second GPS signal.

16. A GPS receiver according to claim 15, wherein the second number of carrier timing hypotheses is greater than the first number of carrier timing hypotheses.

17. A GPS receiver according to claim 15, wherein the second number of code timing hypotheses is less than the first number of code timing hypotheses.

18. A GPS receiver according to claim 15, wherein the GPS search engine is operative to demodulate the carrier-modulated signal responsive to a local frequency source and to define the second search space to include at least one carrier timing search range corresponding to a frequency shift attributable to the local frequency source.

19. A GPS receiver according to claim 18, wherein the local frequency source comprises a common frequency source for a mobile terminal transceiver and the GPS receiver in a mobile terminal, the common frequency source producing a common frequency reference signal having a frequency that is automatically adjusted responsive to interaction of the mobile communications transceiver and a wireless communications system, and wherein the GPS search engine is operative to define a carrier timing search range thereof to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

20. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a mobile communications transceiver;

a GPS receiver; and

a common frequency source that provides a common frequency reference signal for the mobile communications transceiver and the GPS receiver of the mobile terminal, the common frequency source including an automatic frequency control (AFC) circuit operative to adjust a frequency of the common frequency reference signal responsive to interaction of the mobile communications transceiver and a wireless communications system,

wherein the GPS receiver is configured to define a carrier timing search range thereof to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

21. A mobile terminal according to claim 20:

wherein the AFC circuit is operative to adjust the frequency of the common frequency reference signal in discrete increments; and

wherein the GPS receiver is operative to define the carrier timing search range to include a carrier timing search range corresponding to an incremental change in the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

22. A mobile terminal according to claim 21, wherein the GPS receiver is operative to define the carrier timing search range to include respective carrier timing search ranges corresponding to respective automatic incremental increases and decreases in the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

23. A mobile terminal according to claim 20, wherein the GPS receiver is operative to adjust the carrier timing search range responsive to the AFC circuit.

24. A computer program product for acquiring GPS signals, the computer program product including computer program code embodied in a computer readable storage medium, the computer program code comprising:

code configured to search over a first search space spanning a first number of carrier timing hypotheses and a first number of code timing hypotheses to acquire a first GPS signal;

code configured to define, responsive to acquisition of the first GPS signal, a second search space spanning a second number of carrier timing hypotheses and a second number of code timing hypotheses, the second number of carrier timing hypotheses different than the first number of frequency hypotheses; and

code configured to search the second search space to acquire a second GPS signal.

25. A computer program product according to claim 24, wherein the second number of carrier timing hypotheses is greater than the first number of carrier timing hypotheses.

26. A computer program product according to claim 24:

wherein the code configured to search the second search space to acquire a second GPS signal comprises code configured to demodulate a carrier-modulated signal responsive to a local frequency source; and

wherein the code configured to define a second search space spanning a second number of carrier timing hypotheses and a second number of code timing hypotheses comprises code configured to define the second search space to include at least one carrier timing search range corresponding to a frequency shift attributable to the local frequency source.

27. A computer program product for operating a GPS receiver of a GPS-enabled mobile terminal including a common frequency source that generates a common frequency reference signal for a mobile communications transceiver and the GPS receiver and that automatically adjusts a frequency of the common frequency reference signal responsive to interaction of the mobile communications transceiver, the computer program product comprising computer program code embodied in a computer readable storage medium, the computer program code comprising:

code configured to define a carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.

28. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein common frequency source adjusts the frequency of the common frequency reference signal in discrete increments, and wherein the code configured to define a carrier timing search range of the GPS receiver to accommodate the automatic adjustment of the frequency of the common frequency source comprises code configured to include a carrier timing search range corresponding to an incremental change in the frequency of the common frequency reference signal.