Method and apparatus for receiving a global positioning system signal using a cellular acquisition signal

• US 20060244658A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Global Locate Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Abraham, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,884,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.440
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/235 Calibration of receiver components
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/252 Employing an initial estimate of location in generating assistance data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/256 relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset
• 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 19/29 carrier including Doppler, related G01S19/246 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers

Abstract

Method and apparatus for a GPS device that uses at least one cellular acquisition signal is described. More particularly, a GPS device is configured to receive at least one cellular acquisition signal for obtaining benefits associated with AGPS with only a small subset of AGPS circuitry to interact with a cell phone network. This facilitates use of GPS devices without subscription to a cell phone service provider, thus avoiding cellular subscription fees.

Claims

1. A method for determining position of a Global Positioning System (GPS) handheld device in proximity to a base station of a wireless network, the method comprising:

obtaining from the base station without having to have fee-based access to the wireless network at least one of location information and identification information; and

determining, responsive to the at least one of location information and identification information, a position estimate of the GPS handheld device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing, responsive to the position estimate, any of a pseudorange and a pseudorange rate.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

computing, responsive to the position estimate, a pseudorange; and

determining, responsive to the pseudorange, a window of delay search for receiving GPS signals.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing, responsive to the pseudorange, coherent averaging to navigation data bits.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

computing, responsive to the position estimate, a pseudorange rate; and

determining, responsive to a pseudorange rate, a window of frequency search for receiving a GPS signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises a location of the base station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification information is a cell identifier of the base station.

8. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the position estimate comprises:

using the cell identifier to obtain a location of the base station from a lookup table having a relationship between the location and the cell identifier.

9. A Global Positioning System (GPS) mobile device, comprising:

at least one antenna;

a first front end communicatively coupled to the at least one antenna, the first front end being adapted to receive an acquisition signal from a wireless network;

a second front end communicatively coupled to the at least one antenna, the second front end being adapted to receive a satellite signal from at least one satellite of a GPS network;

a baseband processor adapted to (i) receive from the first front end a first signal that is associated with the acquisition signal, and (ii) receive from the second front end a second signal that is associated with the satellite signal;

a reference oscillator communicatively coupled to the baseband processor;

a general-purpose processor communicatively coupled to the baseband processor; and

memory communicatively coupled to the general-purpose processor.

10. The device of claim 10, wherein the device does not comprise a transmitter for transmitting signals to the wireless network.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the device is not combined with a handset for communicating with the wireless network.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the first and second front ends are formed in a single integrated circuit.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the baseband processor comprises a first baseband processor for receiving the first signal that is associated with the acquisition signal, and a second baseband processor for receiving the second signal that is associated with the satellite signal, and wherein the first and second baseband processors are combined in a single integrated circuit.

14. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

a timekeeping counter communicatively coupled with the reference oscillator and the baseband processor.

15. A method for determining position of a Global Positioning System (GPS) handheld device in proximity to a base station of a wireless network, the method comprising:

obtaining from the base station without having to transmit a signal to the wireless network at least one of location information and identification information;

determining, responsive to the at least one of location information and identification information, a position estimate of the GPS handheld device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

computing, responsive to the position estimate, any of a pseudorange and a pseudorange rate.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

computing, responsive to the position estimate, a pseudorange; and

determining, responsive to the pseudorange, a window of delay search for receiving GPS signals.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

synchronizing, responsive to the pseudorange, coherent averaging to navigation data bits.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the position estimate comprises:

using a cell identifier of the base station to obtain a location of the base station from a lookup table having a relationship between the location and the cell identifier.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the location information comprises a location of the base station.