Radio communication

Abstract

A radio transceiver includes one or more hardware resources, such as a processor, memory, peripheral devices, an algorithm hardware accelerator, and / or radio frequency components. A cellular communication radio device (20) is capable of operating in an active mode (24a, 24b) and an inactive mode (26a, 26b), in which the cellular communication radio device accesses the one or more hardware resources to transmit and / or receive cellular communication signals, and in the inactive mode, the cellular communication radio device does not access the one or more hardware resources. A global navigation satellite system radio device (22) arranged to use the one or more hardware resources to receive positioning signals (28a, 28b) accesses the one or more hardware resources only when the cellular communication radio device operates in the inactive mode (26a, 26b).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to sharing hardware resources between cellular communication radio systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Background Technology

[0002] Over the past few decades, the scope and technological capabilities of cellular-based radio communication systems have expanded dramatically. Many different cellular-based networks have been developed over the years, including Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), GSM Evolution Enhanced Data Rate (EDGE), and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). GSM, GPRS, and EDGE are generally referred to as second-generation (or "2G") networks, while UMTS is referred to as a third-generation (or "3G") network.

[0003] Recently, the fourth-generation (or "4G") network standard—Long Term Evolution (LTE)—designated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has gained popularity due to its relatively higher uplink and downlink speeds and greater network capacity compared to earlier 2G and 3G networks. More precisely, LTE is the access component of Evolved Packet System (EPS), a communication technology purely based on the Internet Protocol (IP), where IP carries both real-time services (such as voice) and data services. The air interface for LTE is often referred to as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (or "E-UTRA").

[0004] However, while “classic” LTE connectivity is becoming increasingly prevalent in the telecommunications industry, further development of communication standards is underway to facilitate the so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT) (a general term for the interconnection of networks of physical devices, sometimes called “smart devices”). This development aims to provide physical objects that may not have previously been connected to any network with the ability to communicate with other physical and / or virtual objects. Such smart devices include: vehicles; buildings; home appliances, lighting and heating (e.g., for home automation); and medical devices. These smart devices are typically real-world objects with embedded electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity, allowing them to collect, share, and act on that data. These devices can communicate with user equipment (e.g., docking with a user’s smartphone) and / or with other smart devices, providing “machine-to-machine” (or “machine-type”) communication. However, the development of the LTE standard makes direct connection to cellular networks more feasible.

[0005] For this purpose, 3GPP specified two versions of LTE in Release 13 of the LTE standard. The first version is called "Narrowband IoT" (NB-IoT), sometimes referred to as "LTE Cat NB1," and the second version is called "Enhanced Machine-Type Communications" (eMTC), sometimes referred to as "LTE Cat M1." It is foreseeable that in the near future, the number of devices using at least one of these IoT standards will increase dramatically.

[0006] From a communications perspective, the LTE standard (including NB-IoT and eMTC) uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) as the basis for allocating network resources. This allows user equipment (UEs) accessing the network in a given cell provided by a base station, referred to in LTE as an "enhanced Node B," "eNode B," or simply "eNB." OFDMA is a multi-user variant of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), a multiplexing scheme in which the total bandwidth is divided into multiple non-overlapping subbands, each with its own subcarrier frequencies. Unlike other Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) schemes, in OFDM, each subcarrier is orthogonal to the others, thus ideally eliminating crosstalk between subbands and eliminating the need for inter-carrier guard bands.

[0007] For IoT devices using NB-IoT or eMTC, it is also desirable to equip them with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) capabilities to utilize location services. Devices can use GNSS services to determine their current location, and then, for example, report their current location to an external server or use it internally.

[0008] Typically, devices with both LTE and GNSS capabilities will have dedicated hardware for these functions. A detailed list of the hardware in each of these wireless devices includes: processor, memory, peripherals, algorithm hardware accelerators, and radio frequency components. Summary of the Invention

[0009] From a first aspect, the present invention provides a radio transceiver comprising:

[0010] One or more hardware resources, wherein the one or more hardware resources include at least one of the following: processor; memory; peripheral devices; algorithm hardware accelerators; and radio frequency components;

[0011] A cellular communication radio device that can operate in an active mode and an inactive mode, wherein in the active mode the cellular communication radio device accesses one or more hardware resources to transmit and / or receive cellular communication signals, and in the inactive mode the cellular communication radio device does not access the one or more hardware resources; and

[0012] A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio device is configured to access the one or more hardware resources only when the cellular communication radio device is operating in the inactive mode, wherein the GNSS radio device is configured to use the one or more hardware resources to receive positioning signals.

[0013] This first aspect of the invention extends to a method of operating a radio transceiver, the radio transceiver comprising:

[0014] One or more hardware resources, wherein the one or more hardware resources include at least one of the following: processor; memory; peripheral devices; algorithm hardware accelerators; and radio frequency components;

[0015] A cellular communication radio device that can operate in an active mode and an inactive mode, wherein in the active mode the cellular communication radio device accesses one or more hardware resources to transmit and / or receive cellular communication signals, and in the inactive mode the cellular communication radio device does not access the one or more hardware resources; and

[0016] Radio circuitry section of a global navigation satellite system;

[0017] The method includes:

[0018] Access to one or more hardware resources is selectively provided to the Global Navigation Satellite System radio device only when the cellular communication radio device is in the inactive mode.

[0019] Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention provide a mechanism for sharing hardware resources between cellular radio systems and GNSS radio systems. Specifically, priority is given to cellular communication radio devices, and GNSS radio devices only access them when the cellular communication radio devices do not need to share hardware resources. The applicant has recognized that while this may limit the accuracy of GNSS radio devices in acquiring radio transceiver locations, sharing hardware resources between radio devices in this manner can achieve significant power savings and reduce material costs by using less physical hardware to implement the radio transceivers. By way of example only, the shared hardware resources may include LTE Layer 1 (physical layer) resources such as processors and / or hardware accelerators. Hardware resources may also include antennas, RF front-end clocks and / or clock sources or crystal oscillators.

[0020] For example, the allocation of shared hardware resources can be performed by a modem host control processor that has information about the state of the cellular radio system, such as the timing of idle or sleep states. This approach is advantageous because it is flexible and provides opportunities to upgrade the underlying firmware, for example, using over-the-air (OTA) updates.

[0021] Any idle period when a cellular radio is inactive can provide an opportunity for the GNSS radio to acquire a location. This can be achieved using hot acquisition (using prior knowledge of the last calculated location, known satellites being observed at that time, as well as the almanac and current time), warm acquisition (similar to hot acquisition, but without knowing which satellites were being observed at the time the last calculated location was obtained), cold acquisition (acquiring location without using the almanac or prior knowledge of location, satellite positions, etc.), or continuous tracking techniques. It should be understood that the GNSS radio may not necessarily utilize the entire duration of each idle period provided to it by the cellular radio, nor may it necessarily utilize every idle period that occurs (i.e., sometimes no radio accesses the shared hardware resources). However, according to the invention, these idle periods will be the only times when the GNSS radio can access the shared hardware resources.

[0022] In some embodiments, the radio transceiver is arranged to use cellular communication radio equipment to assist the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio equipment in acquiring positioning data. Those skilled in the art will understand that assisted GNSS (or A-GNSS) is an advantageous arrangement in which the cellular communication radio equipment acquires information about the orbits of one or more navigation satellites, and then provides said information to the GNSS radio equipment so that the GNSS radio equipment can acquire positioning data. The orbit information, or 'auxiliary data,' can be stored in a shared memory between the cellular radio equipment and the GNSS radio equipment.

[0023] It should be understood that while the present invention can be applied to various cellular communication networks, in a preferred embodiment, the cellular communication radio equipment is arranged to communicate using LTE, and the cellular communication signal includes LTE signals. Those skilled in the art will understand that the term "LTE," as used herein in connection with the various embodiments of the invention, refers to all variants specified by 3GPP, including but not limited to "classic" LTE, NB-IoT, and eMTC. In such embodiments, the LTE radio equipment will typically have multiple idle periods during which the GNSS radio equipment can access shared hardware resources.

[0024] Examples of such idle periods in LTE include discontinuous reception (DRX), extended DRX (eDRX), and power saving mode (PSM) operating modes. These idle periods can provide intervals ranging from milliseconds to days during which LTE radio equipment is not used.

[0025] For example, under normal 'classic' LTE or MTC operation, the UE typically checks the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) frequently for paging messages (Paging Radio Network Temporary Identifier or 'P-RNTI' messages). However, when operating in DRX mode, the UE can instead check the PDCCH for P-RNTI messages less frequently. Intervals can be provided based on any further needs of the LTE radios, during which the LTE radios are inactive while the GNSS radios can utilize shared resources.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will understand that there are two types of DRX: Idle Mode DRX and Connected Mode DRX (C-DRX). Typically, the aforementioned P-RNTI messages are monitored only during the Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state, for a typical period of 320 ms to 2.56 s.

[0027] Under eMTC operation, eMTC IoT devices monitor the MTC Physical Downlink Control Channel (MPDCCH), while under NB-IoT operation, NB-IoT devices monitor the Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel (NPDCCH). The eDRX scheme introduced by eMTC allows the UE to notify the network that it wishes to be inactive (i.e., idle) for multiple "superframes," each 10.24 seconds long (i.e., 1024 subframes). The maximum number of superframes a UE can request is set by the network. Typically, the maximum number of superframes a UE can request should equal at least 40 minutes of idle time. This also provides GNSS radios with the opportunity to use shared hardware resources. Therefore, in eDRX, P-RNTI messages can be monitored during a period between 10.24 seconds and approximately 40 minutes.

[0028] In RRC connected mode, the eMTC UE can monitor the Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) message every 1 to 10 ms in non-DRX mode; every 2 to 640 ms in connected DRX mode; and up to every 10.24 s in connected eDRX mode.

[0029] Furthermore, the PSM scheme specified by 3GPP allows the UE to notify the network that it intends to become inactive for an indeterminate period. The UE can be intermittently woken up (e.g., to transmit data), after which the UE can provide a short receive window (e.g., 4 frames), which the network can reach before returning to an inactive state. Depending on the frequency at which the UE is woken up from PSM, GNSS radios may have longer periods of access to shared hardware resources and to obtain positioning.

[0030] In some embodiments, cellular communication radios are arranged to periodically switch between active and inactive modes. It should be understood that, according to such embodiments, the radio transceiver undergoes busy-idle operation, where a periodic schedule with specific busy-idle levels defines one or more time slots within each period during which the GNSS radio can access shared hardware resources. For example, if the GNSS radio is arranged as described above to utilize the gaps between receptions by the LTE radio in DRX mode, the UE can be woken up to periodically check the PDCCH at a predetermined frequency, and therefore the time during which the GNSS can use shared hardware resources is also periodic.

[0031] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the cellular communication radios are arranged to switch between active and inactive modes at scheduled times. In some embodiments, a processor within the radio transceiver is aware of the schedule followed by the cellular radios. In such embodiments, the processor may have prior knowledge of the scheduled transmission and reception timings. This may also apply in some cases where the GNSS is arranged to use hardware resources when the LTE radios operate under PSM – if the LTE radios are only temporarily woken up, the timing of when the LTE radios need hardware resources can be known in advance (even if they are not periodic), and access to shared hardware resources can be provided to the GNSS radios as needed between these wake-ups. This can advantageously make the GNSS module operate more efficiently because it knows in advance when it will be allowed to access shared hardware resources, rather than making ad-hoc attempts (which may be rejected).

[0032] In some embodiments, the radio transceiver includes: a memory arranged to store instructions for performing communication; and a memory management module, wherein the memory management module is arranged to:

[0033] When the cellular communication radio device is in active mode, it stores instructions for performing cellular communication; and

[0034] When the cellular radio is in an inactive mode, instructions for performing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communications are stored in this memory. These instructions can be accessed and executed by a processor, where the same processor can be used for both cellular and GNSS operations. By way of example only, this processor could be an LTE Layer 1 processor. In some such embodiments, the memory management module is arranged to store instructions for performing GNSS communications only when the GNSS radio needs to access one or more hardware resources.

[0035] However, in some alternative embodiments, the radio transceiver includes a memory arranged to store instructions for performing communications, and a memory management module arranged to simultaneously store instructions for performing cellular communications and instructions for performing Global Navigation Satellite System communications. Those skilled in the art will understand that this increases the local program memory requirements of the radio transceiver (in order to store two sets of instructions simultaneously), but because the memory does not need to be reloaded, it can advantageously increase the response time for switching between communication types. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Some embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0037] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of multiple wireless devices according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Timing diagram of typical operation of multiple wireless devices;

[0039] Figure 3 This demonstrates when a GNSS radio device requests access to shared hardware resources. Figure 1 A flowchart of the operation of multiple wireless devices;

[0040] Figure 4 This indicates a timeline for when a GNSS radio device can access shared hardware resources, as requested by the device. Figure 1 Flowcharts of the operation of multiple wireless devices; and

[0041] Figure 5 This illustrates the case of radio device software being loaded alternately from memory. Figure 1 A flowchart of the operation of multiple wireless devices. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Figure 1This is a block diagram of a multi-radio transceiver device 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multi-radio transceiver device 2, for example, located in a smartphone, tablet, or IoT device, is connected to an antenna 4, which is used to transmit and receive RF signals. The multi-radio device 2 is arranged to implement both cellular communication radio and GNSS radio functions. In this particular embodiment, the cellular radio is an LTE radio.

[0043] The LTE / GNSS multi-radio device 2 includes: a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 6; a baseband processing module 8; and a main memory 10. The baseband processing module 8 includes a control processor 12 and one or more peripheral devices 14. These peripheral devices 14 typically include timers, radio hardware accelerators, and general purpose input / output (GPIO) interfaces.

[0044] RF transceiver 6 is connected to antenna 4 via RF front end 5 and is arranged to exchange received data 16 and transmitted data 18 with baseband processing module 8 during the receive and transmit windows, respectively. Depending on the mode of the radio device 2, this transmitted data 18 will typically be data for LTE transmission, while the received data 16 may be incoming LTE data or GNSS signals.

[0045] Processor 12 is typically the host control processor of an LTE and GNSS modem, and is generally configured to run general system administration functions and operate at least a portion (typically a higher layer) of the radio protocol. Lower layers of the protocol (e.g., the physical layer or 'Layer 1') typically run on baseband hardware, which may or may not include one or more other processors (not shown). This processor 12 may have information about the state of LTE operation, such as timing of idle or sleep states, and may use this information for the allocation of shared resources.

[0046] Processor 12 is configured to perform either LTE or GNSS operation at any given time, depending on the current operating mode of radio device 2, as will be referred to below. Figure 2 Further detailed description: Processor 12 may be loaded with software programs for each radio device; that is, processor 12 may appropriately execute software functions related to LTE or GNSS. The software is stored in memory 10 and accessed by processor 12. Processor 12 includes a controller module 13, which, in addition to other functions typical of such controllers, is arranged to handle arbitration requests, control timing, and load software. It should be understood that this controller module 13 may be a software function or task running on processor 12, rather than a dedicated hardware module itself.

[0047] In some configurations, the processor 12's local memory can simultaneously load both LTE software and GNSS software, enabling it to switch in real time between performing LTE operations and GNSS operations.

[0048] However, in other arrangements, the local memory of processor 12 (and / or any other processor in the baseband hardware as described above) may be loaded with only one of the LTE software or GNSS software. In such arrangements, processor 12 can load appropriate software from memory 10 for each operation. For example, during LTE idle periods, before reloading the LTE software from memory 10 to resume LTE operation, processor 12 can load GNSS software from memory to perform one or more GNSS operations. References will follow below. Figure 2 Describe this process in more detail.

[0049] It should be understood that processor and memory resource limitations can determine whether LTE and GNSS software can be loaded into processor 12 simultaneously or whether they need to be loaded alternately.

[0050] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The timing diagram illustrates typical operation of the devices. The timing diagram shows the transmission and reception operations of the LTE radio device 20 and the reception operation of the GNSS radio device 22.

[0051] like Figure 2 As can be seen, the LTE radio device 20 and the GNSS radio device 22 are arranged such that their respective operations never occur at the same time. That is, the multiple radio devices 2 use time division multiplexing to allocate time slots to each radio device, and give priority to the LTE radio device 20.

[0052] Initially, at time t0, LTE radio device 20 is performing transmit / receive (or "tx / rx") operation 24a, and therefore only has access to RF transceiver 6 (and extended to access antenna 4), processor 12, memory 10, and peripheral device 14. LTE radio device 20 uses these resources to send and / or receive data over the LTE network.

[0053] LTE radio device 20 continues to use these resources until t1, at which point LTE radio device 20 stops performing tx / rx operations. Then, LTE radio device 20 enters an idle period 26a, during which GNSS radio device 22 can use the resources; otherwise, when LTE radio device 20 needs resources for its tx / rx operations 24a, the GNSS radio device is in its own idle period 30a.

[0054] Although GNSS radio device 22 does not immediately begin reception (or "rx") operation at time t1, resources are available from the beginning of t1. However, at time t2, GNSS radio device 22 begins rx operation 28a, during the idle period 26a of LTE radio device 20. During this period, the GNSS radio device is provided with the opportunity to acquire positioning using thermal acquisition, warm acquisition, cold acquisition, or continuous tracking techniques. At time t3, GNSS radio device 22 ceases its rx operation 28a and enters another idle period 30b.

[0055] At t4, LTE radio 20 initiates a new tx / rx operation 24b, again preventing GNSS radio 22 from accessing the shared hardware resources. This tx / rx operation 24b continues until all scheduled transmissions and / or receptions are completed at t5, at which point LTE radio 20 enters another idle period 26b, during which GNSS radio 22 is again able to access the shared hardware resources. During the idle period 26b of LTE radio 20, GNSS radio 22 initiates another rx operation 28b at t6.

[0056] Figure 3 This indicates a timeline for when the GNSS radio device 22 can access shared hardware resources. Figure 1 A flowchart of the operation of multiple radio devices. In this exemplary embodiment, both LTE and GNSS software are loaded from memory 10. Figure 3 The process shown in the flowchart begins at step 44 and at step 46 provides the GNSS radio 22 with a timetable for the tx / rx timing of the LTE radio 20.

[0057] In step 48, a check is performed to determine whether LTE radio device 20 has scheduled tx / rx operations 24a, 24b and / or when LTE radio device 20 will be in idle mode. If tx / rx operations 24a, 24b of LTE radio device 20 have not been scheduled, then in step 50, GNSS radio device 22 is granted permission to access shared hardware resources, thereby enabling GNSS radio device 22 to perform its rx operations 28a, 28b until it is determined in step 48 that LTE radio device 20 has scheduled tx / rx operations 24a, 24b.

[0058] However, if LTE radio 20 does schedule TX / RX operations 24a and 24b, GNSS radio 22 will wait at 52 until no more TX / RX operations 24a and 24b are scheduled. The amount of time GNSS radio 22 waits at 52 is based on the schedule provided at 46.

[0059] Figure 4 This illustrates when GNSS radio device 22 requests access to shared hardware resources. Figure 1 The flowchart illustrates the operation of the multiple radio devices 2. In this exemplary embodiment, both LTE and GNSS software are loaded from memory 10. Figure 3 The process shown in the flowchart begins at step 32, and at step 34, GNSS radio device 22 requests access to shared hardware resources.

[0060] In step 36, a check is performed to determine whether the LTE radio device 20 is currently performing tx / rx operations 24a and 24b. If the LTE radio device 20 is not performing tx / rx operations 24a and 24b, then in step 36, permission is granted to the GNSS radio device 22 to access shared hardware resources, thereby enabling the GNSS radio device 22 to perform its rx operations 28a and 28b, and the process ends at step 40.

[0061] However, if LTE radio device 20 is performing TX / RX operations 24a, 24b, GNSS radio device 22 waits for a period of time at 42, and then checks again at 36 whether LTE radio device 20 still needs to access the shared hardware resources. The amount of time GNSS radio device 22 waits at 42 can be based on a predetermined waiting time (e.g., a certain number of clock cycles for a timer peripheral), or it can be determined by LTE radio device 20 (e.g., a master device such as a modem host control processor) how long the GNSS radio device should wait before attempting to perform RX operations 28a, 28b.

[0062] In some embodiments, if LTE radio 20 needs to use shared hardware resources that are allocated to GNSS radio 22, a way is provided for LTE radio 20 to take over from GNSS radio 22 (e.g., immediately), meaning LTE radio 20 is given a higher priority than GNSS radio 22. In other arrangements, the two systems can perform a negotiated sequence. As an example only, this could provide GNSS radio 22 with a certain amount of 'protection time' or by giving GNSS radio 22 advance warning of LTE radio 20's intention to take over.

[0063] Figure 5 This illustrates the case of radio device software being loaded alternately from memory. Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the operation of multiple wireless devices. (See reference...) Figure 3 The described operations are similar. Figure 5The flowchart illustrates when a timeline is provided for when GNSS radio device 22 can access shared hardware resources. Figure 1 The operation of multiple radio devices, where the same reference numerals denote the same elements. However, with reference... Figure 3 The operation described is different, and processor 12 (and / or any other baseband processor as previously outlined) is equipped with software for one of the radio devices 20, 22 at a time.

[0064] In this case, prior to step 50, which grants GNSS radio device 50 access to shared hardware resources, step 49 loads the software of GNSS radio device 22 from memory 10, enabling processor 12 to perform GNSS functions.

[0065] Once the time allocated to GNSS radio device 22 for accessing shared hardware resources ends, the software of LTE radio device 20 is loaded from memory 10 in step 51 so that processor 12 (and / or any other baseband processor as described above) can resume execution of LTE functions in its next designated tx / rx time slot.

[0066] Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention provide a mechanism for sharing hardware resources between cellular radio devices (e.g., LTE radio devices) and GNSS radio devices co-located within a radio transceiver, thereby reducing the overall power consumption and material costs associated with the radio transceiver. Those skilled in the art will understand that the specific embodiments described herein are merely exemplary, and many variations are conceivable within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A radio transceiver, comprising: Shared hardware resources, including antennas, RF transceiver modules and RF front-ends, with the RF transceiver modules connected to the antennas via the RF front-ends; A cellular communication radio device capable of operating in an active mode and an inactive mode, wherein in the active mode the cellular communication radio device accesses the shared hardware resources to transmit and / or receive cellular communication signals, and in the inactive mode the cellular communication radio device does not access the shared hardware resources; A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio device is configured to access the shared hardware resources only when the cellular communication radio device is operating in the inactive mode, wherein the GNSS radio device is configured to use the shared hardware resources to receive positioning signals. A memory, which is arranged to store instructions for performing communications; and Memory management module; The memory management module is arranged as follows: When the cellular communication radio device is in the activity mode, it stores instructions to perform cellular communication; and When the cellular communication radio device is in the inactive mode, it stores instructions for performing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communication.

2. The radio transceiver of claim 1, further configured to use the cellular communication radio equipment to assist the global navigation satellite system radio equipment in acquiring positioning data.

3. The radio transceiver of claim 1, wherein the cellular communication radio device is configured to communicate using LTE, and the cellular communication signal includes an LTE signal.

4. The radio transceiver of claim 1, wherein the cellular communication radio device is arranged to periodically switch between the active mode and the inactive mode.

5. The radio transceiver of claim 1, wherein the cellular communication radio is configured to switch between the active mode and the inactive mode at scheduled times.

6. The radio transceiver according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the memory management module is arranged to store instructions for performing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communications only when the GNSS radio equipment needs to access the shared hardware resources.

7. A method of operating a radio transceiver, the radio transceiver comprising: Shared hardware resources, including antennas, RF transceiver modules and RF front-ends, with the RF transceiver modules connected to the antennas via the RF front-ends; A cellular communication radio device capable of operating in an active mode and an inactive mode, wherein in the active mode the cellular communication radio device accesses the shared hardware resources to transmit and / or receive cellular communication signals, and in the inactive mode the cellular communication radio device does not access the shared hardware resources; Radio circuitry section of a global navigation satellite system; A memory, which is arranged to store instructions for performing communications; and Memory management module; The method includes: Access to the shared hardware resources is selectively provided to the Global Navigation Satellite System radio equipment only when the cellular communication radio equipment is in the inactive mode; When the cellular communication radio device is in the activity mode, instructions for performing cellular communication are stored in the memory management module; and When the cellular communication radio device is in the inactive mode, the instructions for executing global navigation satellite system communication are stored in the memory management module.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: The cellular communication radio equipment is used to assist the global navigation satellite system radio equipment in acquiring positioning data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the cellular communication radio device is configured to communicate using LTE, and the cellular communication signal includes an LTE signal.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising periodically switching between the active mode and the inactive mode.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising switching between the active mode and the inactive mode at a scheduled time.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising: Instructions for executing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communications are stored in the memory management module only when the GNSS radio equipment needs to access shared hardware resources.

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