Systems and methods for power efficient satellite tracking strategy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12498492-B2
Application number	US-202318137700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2023
Priority date	Apr 21, 2023
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

An efficient satellite vehicle (SV) tracking mode that, when utilized by user equipment (UE), consumes less power and/or computing resources of the UE than a default SV tracking mode of tracking all visible SV, while maintaining consistent signal quality and/or positional, navigational, and/or timing information accuracy standards. Furthermore, use of the efficient SV tracking mode may be determined and implemented based on a signal environment associated with a location of the UE. In particular, the efficient SV tracking mode may be associated with a location based on a determination that signal quality thresholds are met during use of the efficient SV tracking mode at the location. Additionally or alternatively, the location may be associated with a geofenced area. The geofenced area may define a geographical area corresponding to implementation of the efficient SV tracking mode by a UE located within the geofenced area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
a global navigation satellite system receiver; and one or more processors coupled to the global navigation satellite system receiver, the one or more processors configured to
receive first positional data associated with the electronic device via the global navigation satellite system receiver when operating using a first set of global navigation satellite system resources,
receive first performance values associated with the first set of global navigation satellite system resources,
receive second positional data associated with the electronic device via the global navigation satellite system receiver when operating using a second set of global navigation satellite system resources, the second set of global navigation satellite system resources being less than the first set of global navigation satellite system resources,
receive second performance values associated with the second set of global navigation satellite system resources,
continue operating using the second set of global navigation satellite system resources based on the second performance values being within a threshold range of the first performance values, and
switch to operating using the first set of global navigation satellite system resources based on the second performance values not being within the threshold range of the first performance values.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first performance values and the second performance values are associated with a global navigation satellite system signal strength, a ratio of tracked global navigation satellite system satellites to available global navigation satellite system satellites, a position and velocity accuracy output, a heat map generated based on previous global navigation satellite system data, or any combination thereof.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of global navigation satellite system resources comprises tracking modernized global navigation satellite system signals and legacy global navigation satellite system signals, and the second set of global navigation satellite system resources comprises tracking the modernized global navigation satellite system signals and not the legacy global navigation satellite system signals.

4 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of global navigation satellite system resources comprises tracking high elevation signals, medium elevation signals, and low elevation signals, and the second set of global navigation satellite system resources comprises tracking the high elevation signals and the medium elevation signals, and not the low elevation signals.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first set of global navigation satellite system resources comprises tracking L1 signals and L5 signals, and the second set of global navigation satellite system resources comprises the L1 signals and not the L5 signals, or the L5 signals and not the L1 signals.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising a receiver, the one or more processors being coupled to the receiver and configured to cause the receiver to receive signal environment data indicating a plurality of geographic areas and whether to operate using the first set of global navigation satellite system resources or the second set of global navigation satellite system resources in each geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas.

7 . The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine to operate using the first set of global navigation satellite system resources based on the first positional data corresponding to a geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas.

8 . The electronic device of claim 6 , comprising a transmitter, the one or more processors being coupled to the transmitter and configured to cause the transmitter to transmit an indication that a geographical area associated with the second positional data is to be associated with operating using the second set of global navigation satellite system resources.

9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit the indication to a radio access network.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein an operator of the radio access network is configured to update the signal environment data based on the indication.

11 . One or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media comprising instructions, that when executed by processing circuitry of user equipment, cause the processing circuitry to:
receive a first location of the user equipment via a global navigation satellite system receiver of the user equipment based on operating using a first set of global navigation satellite system resources; receive first performance values associated with the first set of global navigation satellite system resources; receive a second location of the user equipment via the global navigation satellite system receiver based on operating using a second set of global navigation satellite system resources, the second set of global navigation satellite system resources being less than the first set of global navigation satellite system resources; receive second performance values associated with the second set of global navigation satellite system resources; and continue operating using the second set of global navigation satellite system resources at the second location of the user equipment based on the second performance values being within a threshold range of the first performance values.

12 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to operate using the first set of global navigation satellite system resources at the second location based on the second performance values not being within the threshold range of the first performance values.

13 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to receive signal environment data from a wireless communication network indicating a plurality of geographic areas and whether to operate using the first set of global navigation satellite system resources or the second set of global navigation satellite system resources in each geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas.

14 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to operate using the first set of global navigation satellite system resources based on the first location being within a first geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas.

15 . The one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to transmit, via a transmitter of the user equipment, an indication that a geographical area associated with the second location is to be associated with operating using the second set of global navigation satellite system resources.

16 . A method performed by an electronic device comprising:
receiving, via a global navigation satellite system receiver of the electronic device, first positional data associated with the electronic device when operating using a first tracking mode of global navigation satellite system resources;

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• SHIRAHATTI Harsha
• Wang Chaochao

Classifications

• G01S19/21

  Interference related issues {; Issues related to cross-correlation, spoofing or other methods of denial of service} · CPC title

• G01S19/28

  Satellite selection · CPC title

• G01S19/32

  Multimode operation in a single same satellite system, e.g. GPS L1/L2 · CPC title

• G01S19/34

  Power consumption · CPC title

• G01S19/24 Primary

  Acquisition or tracking {or demodulation} of signals transmitted by the system {(synchronisation aspects of direct sequence spread spectrum modulation H04B1/7073)} · CPC title