1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to navigation systems and more specifically to methods and apparatus in global positioning system (GPS) devices that accelerate initial GPS satellite signal acquisition and reacquisition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Global positioning system receivers use signals received from typically three or more overhead satellites to determine navigational data such as position and velocity. Such systems may also provide altitude and time. GPS signals are available worldwide at no cost and can be used to determine the location of a vehicle, such as a car or truck, to within one city block, or better. Dual-frequency carrier GPS receivers typically track a pair of radio carriers, L1 and L2, associated with the GPS satellites, to generate accumulated delta-range measurements (ADR) from P-code modulation on those carriers and at the same time track L1 coarse acquisition code (C/A-code) to generate code phase measurements. Carrier L1 is positioned at 1575.42 MHz and carrier L2 is positioned at 1227.78 MHz. Less expensive receivers tune only one carrier frequency, and therefore cannot compute for themselves the local ionospheric delays that will appear as position errors. At such carrier frequencies, radio carriers travel by line-of-sight.
The constellation of GPS satellites in orbit about the earth comprises individual satellites that each transmit a unique identifying code in a code multiple access arrangement (CDMA). This allows the many GPS satellites to all transmit in spread spectrum mode at the same frequency (plus or minus a Doppler shift of that frequency as results from the satellite's velocity). Particular satellites are sorted out of the jumble of signals and noise by correlating a 1023 "chip" code to a set of predefined codes that are matched to individual GPS satellites. These codes can be out of phase with one another. Therefore, "finding" a GPS satellite initially involves searching various carrier frequencies, to account for Doppler shift and oscillator inaccuracies, and search for a code match, using 1023 different code phases and twenty or more code templates.
In large cities with many tall buildings, one or more of the GPS satellites a particular receiver may be tracking can be temporarily blocked. When the GPS signal reappears, the Doppler frequency may be different than before and code phase may have drifted. Therefore a delay in gathering useful information will be experienced while the GPS receiver re-establishes lock.
A receiver that had a lock on a GPS satellite signal and lost the lock can use information about the satellite gathered during lock to predict what carrier frequencies and code phases are most likely to re-establish lock. Such predictions may be used to constrain a search and therefore takes less time to conduct the search.