Configurable satellite positioning system receivers with programmable inputs

• US 7,545,319 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2003
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SIRF Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Norman, Charles P., Brodie, Keith Jacob, Orler, Anthony James
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US10/518,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20060279456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,183 Days
• Field of Search: 342/352, 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 342/357.15, 701/213, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.75
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/37 Hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236

Abstract

Generic SATPS receivers and methods for configuring generic SATPS receivers that include a plurality of outputs are provided. These configurable SATPS receivers are adapted to be utilized in at least one of a plurality of particular SATPS receiver applications, and can also include a plurality of input paths, and a means for generating selected ones of the plurality of possible outputs. Selected ones of the plurality of outputs are enabled/disabled based on at least one requirement of the particular receiver application to configure or program the generic SATPS receiver to function as a SATPS receiver used for a particular SATPS receiver application or operating environment. The selected ones of the plurality of outputs can be defined by and can be those utilized by the particular SATPS receiver application or operating environment. Thus, SATPS receivers are provided that can be used in multiple applications, that can accept multiple types of assistance data, and that have multiple types of outputs depending on the application and/or desires of the user. The SATPS receiver can be implemented in SATPS systems that include at least one satellite that provides SATPS information, a generic SATPS receiver, and a remote computer.

Claims

1. A method of adapting a configurable Satellite Positioning System (SATPS) receiver for use in at least one of a plurality of particular SATPS receiver applications, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of input paths to the configurable SATPS receiver responsive to a plurality of possible radio frequency (RF) inputs;

providing a plurality of possible types of SATPS outputs from the configurable SATPS receiver;

determining the at least one particular SATPS receiver application from the plurality of particular SATPS receiver applications based on the plurality of possible RF inputs; and

selecting at least one SATPS output from the plurality of possible SATPS outputs responsive to the determination of the at least one particular SATPS receiver application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the at least one particular SATPS receiver application further includes the step of generating a plurality of intermediate frequency (IF) type of SATPS outputs based on the plurality of possible RF inputs.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one selected SATPS output is selected from the plurality of possible types of SATPS outputs by a baseband unit responsive to selected ones of the plurality of the IF type of SATPS outputs.

4. The method of claim 3, further including the steps of:

providing input paths to the baseband unit for inputs other than the plurality of possible RF inputs; and

selecting the at least one of the plurality of possible types of SATPS outputs from the plurality of possible types of SATPS outputs based in whole or in part on the inputs other than the RF inputs.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the inputs other than the RF inputs include a plurality of assistance data-type inputs.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the assistance data-type inputs are selected from at least one of a group consisting of:

a coarse position input, a navigation data input, a Doppler input, a time input, a frequency reference input, a universal time code (UTC) correction input, an ionospheric correction input, an ephemeris input, an almanac input, and a satellite ID input.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the steps of:

extracting Global Positioning System (GPS) data from the selected ones of the plurality of the IF type of SATPS outputs; and

generating an output relating to the position of the configurable SATPS receiver.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of possible RF inputs are selected from at least one of a group consisting of:

a frequency reference input, an automatic gain control input, a blanking input, and jammer-to-noise (J/N) switch.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the IF types of SATPS outputs are selected from at least one of a group consisting of:

an in-phase (I) output, a quadrature-phase (Q) output, an I²+Q² output, an oscillator output, an Intermediate Frequency (IF) output, an automatic gain control output, and other signal quality indicators.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the selected ones of the plurality of the IF type of SATPS outputs are fed directly into the baseband unit for processing.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the selected ones of the plurality of the IF type of SATPS outputs are sent directly to a remote location.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the selected ones of the plurality of the IF type of SATPS outputs are directly utilized for parallel processing by a remote location and the baseband unit.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of possible types of SATPS outputs includes a plurality of programmable outputs that can be enabled based on the at least one particular SATPS receiver application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one particular SATPS receiver application is determined based on current operating environment and/or user preferences.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of possible types of SATPS outputs are selected from at least at least one of a group consisting of:

a Doppler output, a pre-processed information (IF) output, a delta pseudorange output, an integrated carrier phase output, a pseudorange output, a time output, a velocity output, and a position output.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RF input paths includes at least one antenna adapted to receive RF signals inputs and supply the RF signals as RF inputs to an RF unit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one antenna is a first antenna adapted to selectively receive other RF signals based on the at least one particular SATPS receiver application.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of RF input paths further includes a second antenna adapted to selectively receive the other RF signals inputs based on the at least one particular SATPS receiver application.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein other RF signals are selected from at least one of a group consisting of:

cellular system signals, local area network signals, Bluetooth signals, SMS signals, Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) signals, and beacon signals.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular SATPS receiver applications include at least one of a cellular telephone operating environment, an automobile operating environment, and a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) operating environment.