Shared Hardware Resources for Cellular and GNSS Radios
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices equipped with both cellular communication and GNSS capabilities often require dedicated hardware for each system, leading to increased power consumption and higher costs due to the need for multiple physical components.
Innovation Solution
A method for sharing hardware resources between cellular and GNSS radio systems, where the GNSS radio gains access to shared resources only during idle periods of the cellular radio, utilizing a modem host control processor to allocate resources and assist in location fixes through assisted GNSS techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated hardware is provided for both cellular communication and GNSS radios, then reliability and performance of both systems are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the hardware resources of cellular communication radio and GNSS radio by implementing a shared hardware architecture where both radio types utilize common components such as the RF front-end, antenna, and baseband processing resources. This consolidation reduces device complexity and component count while maintaining the reliability of both communication systems through proper resource allocation and timing management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universal hardware resources that can serve multiple functions - the same RF transceiver and processing units are designed to handle both cellular communication protocols and GNSS signal processing. The hardware is configured to perform different functions depending on the operational mode, eliminating the need for dedicated separate hardware for each radio type while preserving system reliability.
2Reliability
If dedicated hardware is provided for both cellular communication and GNSS radios, then performance of both systems is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the power consumption burden of two separate radio systems into a single shared hardware infrastructure. By merging the RF front-end, antenna, and processing resources, the system eliminates redundant power consumption from duplicate components while maintaining the performance of both cellular and GNSS operations through time-multiplexed resource allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic time-multiplexed operation where the shared hardware resources are allocated to GNSS processing during idle periods of the cellular radio. This periodic switching allows the system to maintain high performance for both functions while reducing overall power consumption by keeping hardware components in lower-power states when not actively used by either radio system.
3Measurement precision
If dedicated hardware is provided for both cellular communication and GNSS radios, then accuracy of location services is improved, but bill-of-materials increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the hardware components required for cellular and GNSS operations into a single integrated system. By combining the RF front-end, antenna, frequency synthesizers, and baseband processing units into shared resources, the patent significantly reduces the bill-of-materials while maintaining location service accuracy through proper signal processing and timing allocation during cellular radio idle periods.
Data Source
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AI summary
A radio transceiver comprises one or more hardware resources, e.g. a processor; memory; a peripheral device; an algorithmic hardware accelerator; and/or a radio frequency component. A cellular communication radio (20) is operable in an active mode (24a, 24b) in which it has access to the one or more hardware resources for transmitting and/or receiving cellular communication signals, and an inactive mode (26a, 26b) in which it does not. A global navigation satellite systems radio (22), arranged to use the one or more hardware resources to receive positioning signals (28a, 28b), has access to the one or more hardware resources only when the cellular communication radio is operated in the inactive mode (26a, 26b).