Combined GPS and wide bandwidth radiotelephone terminals and methods

• US 6,097,974 A
• Filed: 12/12/1997
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Francis Manzella
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Camp, William O. Jr., Dent, Paul Wilkinson, Horton, Robert Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gesesse, Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US08/989,508
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 455/437, 455/426, 455/552, 455/12.1, 455/553, 455/575, 455/48, 455/180.1, 455/188.1, 455/456, 370/280, 370/320, 370/347, 370/335, 370/342, 370/350, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 455/575.7
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers

Abstract

Wireless mobile terminals include a GPS Radio Frequency (RF) receiver and a wide bandwidth radiotelephone RF receiver having bandwidth that is at least half as wide as the GPS RF signal chip frequency. The wireless mobile terminals also include a shared Intermediate Frequency (IF) section that is responsive to both the GPS RF receiver and to the wide bandwidth radiotelephone RF receiver. A demodulator such as a CDMA despreader is responsive to the shared IF section. Thus, common circuitry may be provided except for the separate GPS RF receiver and wide bandwidth radiotelephone RF receiver. Low cost manufacturing and high efficiency operations may thereby be provided.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile terminal for a wireless communications system, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Frequency (RF) receiver that receives GPS signals at a predetermined chip frequency;

a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) radiotelephone RF receiver having bandwidth that is at least half as wide as the predetermined chip frequency that receives CDMA signals;

a shared Intermediate Frequency (IF) section that is responsive to both the GPS RF receiver and to the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver; and

a shared CDMA despreader that is responsive to the shared IF section to despread both the GPS signals and the CDMA signals.

2. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 1 wherein the GPS RF receiver and the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver have similar bandwidth in different RF spectra.

3. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 1 wherein the GPS RF receiver and the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver have identical bandwidth in different RF spectra.

4. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 1 wherein the GPS RF receiver comprises a GPS antenna and wherein the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver comprises a CDMA radiotelephone antenna.

5. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 1 further comprising a dual band antenna, wherein the GPS RF receiver comprises a GPS RF filter that is responsive to the dual band antenna and wherein the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver comprises a spread spectrum RF filter that is responsive to the dual band antenna.

6. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 5 further comprising a wideband RF amplifier that is responsive to the GPS RF filter and the spread spectrum RF filter.

7. A method of receiving wireless communications in a mobile terminal comprising the steps of:

receiving Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Frequency (RF) signals at a predetermined chip frequency on a first RF channel;

receiving Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) radiotelephone RF signals on a second RF channel, wherein the CDMA radiotelephone RF signals have bandwidth that is at least half as wide as the predetermined chip frequency; and

despreading both the GPS RF signals and the CDMA radiotelephone RF signals in a shared despreader.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the GPS RF signals and the CDMA radiotelephone RF signals have similar bandwidth in different RF spectra.

9. A method according to claim 7 wherein the GPS RF signals and the CDMA radiotelephone RF signals have identical bandwidth in different RF spectra.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the demodulating step comprises the step of mixing both the GPS RF signals and the CDMA radiotelephone RF signals in a shared mixer.

11. A wireless mobile terminal for a wireless communications system, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Frequency (RF) receiver that receives GPS signals at a predetermined chip frequency;

a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) radiotelephone RF receiver having bandwidth that is at least half as wide as the predetermined chip frequency that receives CDMA signals;

a GPS Intermediate Frequency (IF) section that is responsive to the GPS RF receiver;

a CDMA radiotelephone IF section that is responsive to the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver; and

a shared spread spectrum despreader that is responsive to both the GPS IF section and to the CDMA radiotelephone IF section to despread both the GPS signals and the CDMA signals.

12. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 11 wherein the GPS RF receiver and the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver have similar bandwidth in different RF spectra.

13. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 11 wherein the GPS RF receiver and the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver have identical bandwidth in different RF spectra.

14. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 11 wherein the GPS RF receiver comprises a GPS antenna and wherein the CDMA radiotelephone RF receiver comprises a CDMA radiotelephone antenna.

15. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 11 wherein the GPS IF section and the CDMA radiotelephone IF section comprise a shared local oscillator.

16. A method of receiving wireless communications in a mobile terminal comprising the steps of:

receiving Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Frequency (RF) signals at a predetermined chip frequency on a first RF channel;

receiving Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) radiotelephone signals on a second RF channel, wherein the CDMA radiotelephone signals have bandwidth at least half as wide as the predetermined chip frequency;

separately mixing the GPS RF signals and the CDMA radiotelephone signals in separate GPS and wide bandwidth radiotelephone mixers; and

despreading both the mixed GPS RF signals and the mixed wide bandwidth radiotelephone signals in a shared despreader.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the GPS RF signals and the CDMA radiotelephone RF signals have similar bandwidth in different RF spectra.

18. A method according to claim 16 wherein the GPS RF signals and the CDMA radiotelephone RF signals have identical bandwidth in different RF spectra.

19. A wireless mobile terminal for a wireless communications system, comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver that receives GPS signals at a predetermined chip frequency; and

a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) radiotelephone receiver having bandwidth at least half as wide as the predetermined chip frequency, that receives CDMA signals;

wherein the GPS receiver and the CDMA radiotelephone receiver share a spread spectrum despreader to despread both the GPS signals and the CDMA signals.

20. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 19 wherein the wherein the GPS receiver and the CDMA radiotelephone receiver also share a mixer.

21. A wireless mobile terminal according to claim 19 wherein the GPS receiver and the CDMA radiotelephone receiver have identical bandwidth in different radio frequency spectra.