Sirf Technology, Inc.

Enuvis, Inc.

Andrew Chou

Benjamin Van Roy

Anant Sahai

Jesse Stone

Wallace Mann

Scott Bloebaum

John Tsitsiklis

Julien Basch

Robert G Lorenz

Stefano Casadei

Steven A Gronemeyer

Sundar Raman

Paul Eric Beckmann

Reza Abtahi

Wungkum Fong

Methods and systems for processing a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal are provided. A method includes: transforming a time domain GPS signal to a frequency domain GPS signal; storing a frequency domain pseudorandom noise (PRN) signal; correlating the frequency domain GPS signal with the PRN signal at a plurality of frequencies, said correlating including: shifting the frequency domain GPS signal by an amount corresponding to one of the plurality of frequencies; downsampling the shifted frequency domain GPS signal; and multiplying the shifted frequency domain GPS signal by the stored frequency domain PRN signal to produce a correlated signal.

Reducing and sharing computations for GPS signal processing

A multi-function device with a positioning function and a real time positioning engine is disclosed. The device contains also a shared processor used by the positioning function and other functions of the device, such as a mobile radio-communication function. The positioning engine performs in real time the most computational intensive calculations of the positioning function, such as downsampling, Doppler mixing and correlation calculations. Since the received signal need not be stored, the memory requirements of the positioning function are significantly reduced if aiding data is available.

Multi-function device with positioning system and shared processor

A communication device with cross-correlation detection based upon statistical tests to determine whether the off-peak signal energy is consistent with auto-correlation energy levels.

Cross-correlation detection and elimination in a receiver

A method for detecting a positioning signal includes (a) correlating a segment of a received positioning signal with a reference signal of a selected code phase and frequency to obtain a correlation value, (b) if the correlation value is less than a predetermined minimum, assigning the correlation value to the predetermined minimum, and (c) accumulating the correlation value in a sum of correlation values obtained using other segments of the received positioning signal. In addition, the correlation value may be reduced by a predetermined value, which is preferably an expected mean value for a noise component in the segment of the received positioning signal.

Reducing memory usage in noncoherent signal processing

System and method to determine the location of a receiver are provided. The received signal is decomposed into signal chunks that are then correlated with the reference signals of the transmitting sources. In some embodiments, the signal chunks may be shorter than the period of the reference signals. For each signal source, a grid of correlation values is constructed containing one column of correlation values for each signal chunk. Each column contains correlation values for several code-phases. Probes are executed in the grid to acquire the location-determining signals. In some embodiments, a probe includes calculating the fourier transform of a row in the grid, yielding correlation values associated with a refined set of frequency values. Potential acquisitions are verified by processing increasing portions of the received signal. Confirmed acquisition may be used to aid further acquisitions. Some embodiments eventually compress the received signal down to a one period duration by means of an ultra-stacking method. Additional verification, comprising multi-peak test and multi-path tests, may be performed on the correlation magnitude curve obtained from the ultra-stacked signal. Finally, refined code-phase values are extracted from these correlation magnitude curves.

System and method to estimate the location of a receiver

Techniques are provided for fine-tuning estimates of a delay value for a sampled signal. One aspect of the invention is to perform, for the sampled signal, coarse-grained calculations of the In Phase and Quadrature (I and Q) correlation integrals at a limited number of points, wherein the calculations are performed over a range of hypothesized delay values. A range of delay values of interest are then determined from the coarse-grained calculations of the I and Q correlation integrals. A subset of I and Q values based on the coarse granularity calculations of the I and Q correlation functions is used to perform a time-domain interpolation to obtain fine-grained values of the I and Q integrals in the range of the delay values of interest. Magnitude calculations are performed based on the fine-grained values of the I and Q integrals. Fine-tuned estimates of delay value are based on the magnitude calculations. Alternatively, fine-tuned estimates of delay value are based on the template-matching approach.

Extracting fine-tuned estimates from correlation functions evaluated at a limited number of values

A systematic method for acquiring positioning signals, such as global positioning system (GPS) signals, uses different signal detection algorithms at different stages of signal detection. For example, a method for detecting multiple positioning signals may include first detecting a first positioning signal using a robust but less sensitive signal detection method, such as non-coherent integration. Based on the signal parameter values that allow detection of the first positional signal, detecting a second positioning signal using a more sensitive method, such as coherent integration. In this manner, by capturing the strongest signal first using a robust method, signal detection parameter values common to positioning signals can be narrowed to allow subsequent signal acquisitions using a more sensitive&#x2014;but computationally more intensive&#x2014;method.

Using multiple detection algorithms in positioning signal processing

Techniques are provided for aiding in acquiring a signal using the data bit information that is associated with each signal source. One aspect of the invention is to use the data bit information that is associated with each signal source when calculating the In Phase and Quadrature correlation integrals by using the sampled data associated with the received signal. By using the data bit information that is associated with each signal source, coherent correlation may be performed by breaking the signal into data blocks and performing calculations on a block-by-block basis. Coherent correlation is the calculation of In Phase and Quadrature correlation integrals for sampled data that is associated with the received signal.

Signal acquisition using data bit information

A method in a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver achieves enhanced performance by scheduling searches in the Doppler search space according to a cost function. The cost function relates to both the cost of building a 3-dimensional correlation grid and the cost of searching satellite, code phase, Doppler and integration time interval spaces for values that provide a maximum in the correlation grid. In one embodiment, after the clock Doppler is determined upon acquiring one satellite, the Doppler search range associated with a cell in the grid is dominated by the receiver's own motion. The scheduler schedules searching of the Doppler search space using search ranges determined empirically by the expected receiver velocity. In one embodiment, the scheduler increases integration times before changing Doppler search ranges, which require a recalculation of the grid.

Method for optimal search scheduling in satellite acquisition

To determine the clock doppler of a signal receiver, sampled data received from a receiver into are divided into data segments of incremental length. The clock doppler is estimated based on correlating each data segment with the expected signal from each satellite, from a set of satellites, that is overhead the receiver. For each data segment, the correlated result of each satellite is used to refine subsequent calculations of the clock doppler of the next overhead satellite. When the clock doppler calculations for a data segment have been performed using all overhead satellites from the set of satellites, then the results for that data segment are used to refine the calculations for the next data segment. If a current bounds for the clock doppler value is within a pre-determined clock doppler bound-width value and a current bounds for a delay value is within a pre-determined delay bound-width value, then a magnitude template is determined using magnitude calculations of the I and Q correlation integrals obtained at various clock doppler values and various delay values.

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San Mateo, CA, United States of America

Andrew Chou