GPS Receiver Periodic Data Processing for Power Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional GPS receivers face power consumption issues and reduced functionality in challenging environments, such as indoors or urban canyons, due to high power consumption and sensitivity requirements, which lead to short battery life and unreliable location fixes.
Innovation Solution
A method that periodically records GPS data samples and processes them irregularly spaced in time to obtain a position fix, reducing power consumption by allocating processing resources efficiently and allowing for historical data usage to assist in position determination, including additional sampling triggered by environmental changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS data is processed in real-time continuously, then position fix accuracy is maintained, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system processes GPS data periodically rather than continuously, examining stored data samples at regular intervals to determine position fixes. This periodic processing approach maintains position accuracy while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous real-time processing.
Solution Approach 2:
GPS data samples are stored in advance in memory before processing occurs. By pre-capturing and storing data samples, the system can perform batch processing at later times when power is available, eliminating the need for continuous real-time processing and reducing overall power consumption.
2Reliability
If GPS receiver sensitivity is increased to work in challenging environments, then position fix reliability improves, but power consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-stores multiple data samples in memory before processing, ensuring sufficient data is available even in challenging environments. This approach improves reliability in difficult GPS conditions without requiring increased receiver sensitivity or more complex hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing interval is adjusted dynamically based on environmental conditions and power availability. In challenging environments, the system may process data more frequently or examine more historical samples, while in favorable conditions it can reduce processing frequency to conserve power.
3Loss of time
If GPS data is processed frequently to ensure accurate location, then position determination timeliness improves, but battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic processing of stored GPS data samples at optimized intervals that balance timeliness requirements with power conservation. By processing data periodically rather than continuously, the system maintains acceptable position determination timeliness while extending battery life.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses previously stored data samples to satisfy position determination requests without requiring continuous external power supply for processing. The stored data serves the system's own needs for position fixes, reducing the frequency of active processing cycles and conserving battery power.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach extends battery life and improves GPS functionality in challenging environments by efficiently using processing resources and historical data to achieve position fixes where real-time processing is not possible, providing a balance between power consumption and successful location determination.
Implementation Method 1
By processing the apparent Doppler shifts of the signals from the satellites, a GPS receiver can also accurately provide speed and direction of travel
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining a location of an event of interest by processing signals from a satellite positioning system comprises periodically recording blocks of data samples of a satellite broadcast. In response to a request for a position determination at a particular time, a most recent block of data samples is processed in an attempt to obtain a position fix. If unsuccessful, the method further comprises processing blocks of data samples which were recorded further back in time in a sequence to make further attempts to obtain a position fix, until a position fix is obtained. The blocks of data samples used for the further attempts are irregularly spaced in time, for example more densely populated in relatively recent time than in relatively ancient time with respect to the particular time. This enables the processing resource in attempting to obtain a position fix to be allocated efficiently, thereby reducing power consumption.