Satellite positioning system navigation bit aiding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10845486-B2
Application number	US-201816142094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2018
Priority date	Sep 26, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A method of processing a satellite signal includes: receiving a satellite positioning system (SPS) signal, including an SPS data signal of unknown data content, from a satellite at a wireless communication device; receiving symbol indications, of determined symbol values, from a terrestrial wireless communication system at the wireless communication device; correlating the SPS data signal with a pseudo-random noise code to obtain first correlation results; and using the symbol indications and the first correlation results to determine a measurement of the SPS signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wireless communication device comprising:
a memory;
a receiver configured to receive a satellite positioning system (SPS) signal, including an SPS data signal of unknown data content, from a satellite and to receive symbol indications, of determined symbol values corresponding to the SPS data signal, from a terrestrial wireless communication system; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the receiver and the memory and configured to:
perform correlation of the SPS data signal with a pseudo-random noise code to obtain first correlation results; and
use the symbol indications and the first correlation results to determine a measurement of the SPS signal;
buffer, in the memory, information associated with the SPS signal at least until a corresponding one of the symbol indications is received and ready for use in determining whether to remove modulation of a respective one of the first correlation results.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein to determine the measurement of the SPS signal the processor is configured to:
remove modulation from respective ones of the first correlation results based on the symbol indications;
determine a coherent combination result by coherently combining a first one of the first correlation results, corresponding to a first data symbol, with a second correlation result; and
determine the measurement of the SPS signal using the coherent combination result.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2 , wherein to determine the coherent combination result, the processor is:
configured to coherently integrate the first one of the first correlation results and the second correlation result, wherein the second correlation result is a second one of the first correlation results; or
configured to coherently combine the first one of the first correlation results with a correlation result corresponding to an SPS pilot signal, wherein the correlation result corresponding to the SPS pilot signal is the second correlation result; or
a combination of these.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to receive signal quality indications corresponding to the symbol indications, and to determine, based on the signal quality indications, whether to use the symbol indications corresponding to the signal quality indications and associated ones of the first correlation results to determine respective coherent combination results.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to coherently integrate the first correlation results.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to buffer, as the information:
a time domain sample of the SPS signal from an analog-to-digital converter; or
a pre-processed time-domain sample of the SPS signal; or
the correlation results; or
a combination thereof.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein to determine the measurement of the SPS signal the processor is configured to obtain a carrier phase measurement by providing information regarding data symbols to a carrier tracking loop to determine a lock point of the carrier tracking loop, wherein the carrier tracking loop is configured to lock to a phase of the first correlation results.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the satellite is a primary satellite, and wherein the processor is configured to determine bit-edge timing using pilot signals with overlay codes aligned to data bit timing, or by performing satellite-vehicle differencing with satellites, other than the primary satellite, for which bit-edge timing is known, or using external aiding information, or a combination of these.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to perform correlation of the SPS data signal, and determine the measurement of the SPS signal, without performing forward error correction decoding.

10. A method of processing a satellite signal, the method comprising:
receiving a satellite positioning system (SPS) signal, including an SPS data signal of unknown data content, from a satellite at a wireless communication device;
receiving symbol indications, of determined symbol values, from a terrestrial wireless communication system at the wireless communication device;
correlating the SPS data signal with a pseudo-random noise code to obtain first correlation results;
buffering, in the wireless communication device, information associated with the SPS signal at least until a corresponding one of the symbol indications is received and ready for use in determining whether to remove modulation of a respective one of the first correlation results; and
using the symbol indications and the first correlation results to determine a measurement of the SPS signal.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
removing modulation from respective ones of the first correlation results based on the symbol indications;
determining a coherent combination result by coherently combining a first one of the first correlation results, corresponding to a first data symbol, with a second correlation result; and
determining the measurement of the SPS signal using the coherent combination result.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the coherent combination result comprises:
coherently integrating the first one of the first correlation results and the second correlation result, wherein the second correlation result is a second one of the first correlation results; or
coherently combining the first one of the first correlation results with a correlation result corresponding to an SPS pilot signal, wherein the correlation result corresponding to the SPS pilot signal is the second correlation result; or
a combination of these.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving signal quality indications corresponding to respective ones of the symbol indications; and
determining, based on the signal quality indications, whether to use the symbol indications corresponding to the signal quality indications and associated ones of the first correlation results to determine respective coherent combination results.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining bit-edge timing of the SPS signal.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the satellite is a primary satellite, and wherein determining the bit-edge timing comprises:
using pilot signals with overlay codes aligned to data bit timing; or
performing satellite-vehicle differencing with satellites, other than the primary satellite, for which bit-edge timing is known; or
using external aiding information; or
a combination of these.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining the measurement of the SPS signal comprises obtaining a carrier phase measurement by providing information regarding data symbols to a carrier tracking loop to determine a lock point of the carrier tracking loop.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving the SPS data signal at the terrestrial wireless communication system;
determining symbols of the SPS data signal without performing at least one of forward error correction (FEC) decoding or deinterleaving; and
sending the symbol indications to the wireless communication device, the symbol indications corresponding to the symbols of the SPS data signal determined without performing at least one of FEC decoding or deinterleaving.

18. A wireless communication device comprising:
means fo

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Cookman Jordan
• Wu Jie
• Pon Rayman
• Opshaug Guttorm Ringstad
• Zhang Gengsheng

Classifications

• H04B1/7087

  Carrier synchronisation aspects · CPC title

• G01S19/25 Primary

  involving aiding data received from a cooperating element, e.g. assisted GPS · CPC title

• G01S19/30

  code related {(G01S19/246 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04J13/0022

  PN, e.g. Kronecker · CPC title

• G01S19/246 Primary

  involving long acquisition integration times, extended snapshots of signals or methods specifically directed towards weak signal acquisition · CPC title