METHODS AND APPARATUSES USING MIXED NAVIGATION SYSTEM CONSTELLATION SOURCES FOR TIME SETTING

• US 20110102260A1
• Filed: 11/04/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Morrison, William James
• Granted Patent: US 8,866,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.73
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/256 relating to timing, e.g. time of week, code phase, timing offset
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/33 Multimode operation in different systems which transmit time stamped messages, e.g. GPS/GLONASS

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are provided that may be implemented in various electronic devices to possibly reduce a first-time-to-fix and/or otherwise increase the performance or efficiency of a device by using portions of system time identifiers from different systems to determine at least one navigation system time.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

with a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver enabled device;

obtaining one or more electronic signals representing partial first system time information, said partial first system time information comprising one or more portions but not all of a first system time identifier associated with a first navigation system;

obtaining one or more electronic signals representing second system time information, said second system time information comprising at least a portion of a second system time identifier associated with a second system; and

generating one or more electronic signals operatively identifying a first system time associated with said first navigation system based, at least in part, on said partial first system time information and at least said portion of said second system time information.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said first navigation system and said second system comprise different Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein one of said first navigation system or said second system does not comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said first system time identifier comprises a plurality of data portions that together identify said first system time.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein at least two of said plurality of data portions are periodically transmitted by said first navigation system at different intervals.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein said partial first system time information comprises a subset of said plurality of data portions.

7. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein at least one of said plurality of data portions has not been obtained, and wherein generating said one or more electronic signals operatively identifying said first system time further comprises operatively substituting at least said portion of said second system time information for said at least one of said plurality of data portions that has not been obtained.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein operatively substituting at least said portion of said second system time information for said at least one of said plurality of data portions that has not been obtained further comprises at least one of:

converting at least said portion of said second system time information for use with said partial first system time information, and/or

converting at least a portion of said partial first system time information for use with at least said portion of said second system time information.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said one or more electronic signals operatively identifying said first system time specifies a first system time offset operatively associated with a locally maintained time.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

with said SPS receiver enabled device;

obtaining one or more electronic signals representing third system time information, said third system time information comprising at least a portion of a third system time identifier associated with a third system, and wherein generating said one or more electronic signals operatively identifying said first system time further comprises generating said one or more electronic signals operatively identifying said first system time based also, at least in part, on at least said portion of said third system time information.

11. An apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining partial first system time information, said partial first system time information comprising one or more portions but not all of a first system time identifier associated with a first navigation system;

means for obtaining second system time information, said second system time information comprising at least a portion of a second system time identifier associated with a second system; and

means for identifying a first system time associated with said first navigation system based, at least in part, on said partial first system time information and at least said portion of said second system time information.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said first navigation system and said second system comprise different Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein one of said first navigation system or said second system does not comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said first system time identifier comprises a plurality of data portions that together identify said first system time.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein at least two of said plurality of data portions are periodically transmitted by said first navigation system at different intervals.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said partial first system time information comprises a subset of said plurality of data portions.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein at least one of said plurality of data portions has not been obtained, and further comprising:

means for operatively substituting at least said portion of said second system time information for said at least one of said plurality of data portions that has not been obtained.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising at least one of:

means for converting at least said portion of said second system time information for use with said partial first system time information, and/or

means for converting at least a portion of said partial first system time information for use with at least said portion of said second system time information.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

means for obtaining a locally maintained time; and

wherein said first system time specifies a first system time offset operatively associated with said locally maintained time.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

means for obtaining third system time information, said third system time information comprising at least a portion of a third system time identifier associated with a third system, and wherein said means for identifying said first system time further identifies said first system time based also, at least in part, on at least said portion of said third system time information.

21. An apparatus comprising:

memory having stored therein partial first system time information, said partial first system time information comprising one or more portions but not all of a first system time identifier associated with a first navigation system, and second system time information, said second system time information comprising at least a portion of a second system time identifier associated with a second system; and

one or more processing units coupled to said memory to operatively identify a first system time associated with said first navigation system based, at least in part, on said partial first system time information and at least said portion of said second system time information.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein said first navigation system and said second system comprise different Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein one of said first navigation system or said second system does not comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein said first system time identifier comprises a plurality of data portions that together identify said first system time.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver coupled to at least one of said memory and/or said one or more processing units to receive at least two of said plurality of data portions as periodically transmitted by said first navigation system at different intervals.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein said partial first system time information comprises a subset of said plurality of data portions.

27. The apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein at least one of said plurality of data portions is unavailable in said memory, and wherein said one or more processing units operatively substitutes at least said portion of said second system time information for said at least one of said plurality of data portions that is unavailable in said memory.

28. The apparatus as recited in claim 27, wherein said one or more processing units converts at least said portion of said second system time information for use with said partial first system time information, and/or converts at least a portion of said partial first system time information for use with at least said portion of said second system time information.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein said first system time specifies a first system time offset operatively associated with a locally maintained time.

30. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein said memory has stored therein third system time information, said third system time information comprising at least a portion of a third system time identifier associated with a third system, and wherein said one or more processing units further identifies said first system time based also, at least in part, on at least said portion of said third system time information.

31. An article comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer implementable instructions stored thereon that in response to being executed by one or more processing units in an electronic device enable the electronic device to;

access partial first system time information, said partial first system time information comprising one or more portions but not all of a first system time identifier associated with a first navigation system;

access second system time information, said second system time information comprising at least a portion of a second system time identifier associated with a second system; and

identify a first system time associated with said first navigation system based, at least in part, on said partial first system time information and at least said portion of said second system time information.

32. The article as recited in claim 31, wherein said first navigation system and said second system comprise different Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

33. The article as recited in claim 31, wherein one of said first navigation system or said second system does not comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System.

34. The article as recited in claim 31, wherein said first system time identifier comprises a plurality of data portions that together identify said first system time.

35. The article as recited in claim 34, wherein at least two of said plurality of data portions are periodically transmitted by said first navigation system at different intervals.

36. The article as recited in claim 34, wherein said partial first system time information comprises a subset of said plurality of data portions.

37. The article as recited in claim 34, wherein at least one of said plurality of data portions is unavailable, and wherein the computer implementable instructions in response to being executed by the one or more processing units in the electronic device further enable the electronic device to:

operatively substituting at least said portion of said second system time information for said at least one of said plurality of data portions that is unavailable.

38. The article as recited in claim 37, wherein the computer implementable instructions in response to being executed by the one or more processing units in the electronic device further enable the electronic device to:

convert at least said portion of said second system time information for use with said partial first system time information, and/or

convert at least a portion of said partial first system time information for use with at least said portion of said second system time information.

39. The article as recited in claim 31, wherein said first system time specifies a first system time offset operatively associated with said locally maintained time.

40. The article as recited in claim 31, wherein the computer implementable instructions in response to being executed by the one or more processing units in the electronic device further enable the electronic device to:

access third system time information, said third system time information comprising at least a portion of a third system time identifier associated with a third system; and

identify said first system time based also, at least in part, on at least said portion of said third system time information.