GNSS Receiver Buffer Segmentation for Reduced Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current GNSS receivers face challenges in reducing storage requirements, leading to increased implementation costs and power consumption, particularly due to larger buffer sizes needed for storing GNSS samples and local code/carrier samples, especially when dealing with longer code periods and higher sampling rates.
Innovation Solution
Implementing buffers with storage sizes less than one code period worth of samples for GNSS signals and dynamically generating partial local code and carrier samples as needed, reducing the overall storage and area requirements in the receiver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If buffer size is increased to store more GNSS samples for longer code periods and higher sampling rates, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the correlation process into multiple parallel correlators, each handling a portion of the code period. Instead of storing all samples for the entire code period in a single large buffer, the system segments the correlation tasks across multiple smaller correlators that each process smaller buffer portions, reducing individual buffer size requirements while maintaining overall measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single large buffer approach to a multi-dimensional storage architecture where multiple smaller buffers are distributed across parallel correlators. This dimensional expansion allows the system to achieve the same measurement precision as a single large buffer would provide, but with reduced storage requirements in each individual buffer.
2Measurement precision
If buffer size is increased to accommodate higher sampling rates, then measurement precision is improved, but area and implementation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the correlation function across multiple parallel correlators, each handling a portion of the sampling rate requirements. This segmentation allows each correlator to use smaller buffers, reducing the total area required compared to a single correlator that would need to store all samples for the highest sampling rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a parallel dimension to the correlation architecture, where multiple correlators operate simultaneously. This dimensional approach allows the system to meet high sampling rate requirements without proportionally increasing buffer size, as the workload is distributed across multiple smaller processing units.
3Reliability
If local code and carrier samples are stored completely for all code periods, then reliability is improved, but storage requirements and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the local code and carrier samples into portions that correspond to the divided code periods handled by each correlator. Instead of storing complete code period samples for all correlators, each correlator stores only the portion it needs for its specific correlation task, reducing overall storage requirements while maintaining correlation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by storing only the necessary portions of local code and carrier samples required for each correlator's specific code period, rather than storing complete code period samples for all correlators. This partial storage approach maintains sufficient correlation accuracy while significantly reducing storage requirements and system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver provided according to an aspect of the present invention contains a buffer to store less than a number of samples spanning a code period of a received GNSS signal, with the samples being used by a correlator and a processor to perform various searches in the receiver. Due to the use of such smaller memory space in the buffer, the overall size of receivers may be reduced. According to another aspect of the present invention, the amount of storage provided for storing local code and carrier samples (used during correlation) is also reduced by dynamically generating the local code and carrier sample as required for generating partial correlation results.