Abstract: A GPS receiver having a normal mode to receive GPS satellite signals and to provide location information, and a low power standby mode. A microprocessor system in the GPS receiver causes the GPS receiver to alternate between the normal mode and the low power standby mode in order to reduce the average power consumption in the GPS receiver. In the normal mode a GPS antenna receives GPS satellite signals, the GPS frequency downconverter converts the frequency of the GPS satellite signals to an intermediate frequency, a digital signal processing system processes the intermediate frequency to provide GPS satellite signal correlation information. The microprocessor system processes the correlation information and provides location information to a user. In the standby mode, the operating power is inhibited in the GPS antenna and the GPS frequency downconverter, the system clock is inhibited in the digital processing system, and the microprocessor clock is inhibited in the microprocessor system.

Abstract: A GPS receiver downconverter combines on a single integrated circuit, a first super-heterodyne mixer, a voltage controlled oscillator, a phase locked loop, a pair of quadrature mixers and a pair of quantizers with in-phase and quadrature-phase sampler outputs operable at twenty-five MHz and 2.5 MHz. Emitter-coupled logic and special low-voltage bipolar semiconductor technology are combined for 3.3 volt operation at under one hundred milliwatts.

Abstract: An antenna system embodiment of the present invention comprises a curved dipole antenna stood off at its center by a printed circuit board assembly containing a pre-amplifier. The curved dipole antenna is implemented with a single-sided flexible circuit and is anchored at its four free ends to a sheet metal base for a groundplane. The printed circuit board assembly containing the predetermined amplifier is fixed perpendicular to the sheet metal base and has a tab that engages a slot in the center of the single-sided flexible circuit for electrical connection of a pair of orthogonal dipoles patterned on one side of the flexible circuit.

Abstract: An antenna has a ground plane and a radiating element supported in electrically insulated, closely spaced-apart relation to the ground plane. Electrical energy is fed to the radiating element for radiation therefrom. The radiating element is constructed so as to lengthen at least one effective electrical dimension of the radiating element relative to a corresponding dimension of an orthogonal projection of the radiating element onto a plane parallel to the ground plane. In the preferred embodiment, the radiating element has a central plane portion substantially parallel to the ground plane, an outer flange portion extending towards the ground plane, and a square cutout centered with respect to the central plane portion.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention comprises a series pass transistor with its emitter arranged to receive a source of DC power, its collector arranged to supply a DC load, and its base connected to the junction of a capacitor to ground and an inductor to the collector. An output capacitor from the collector to ground is alternatively included. In a second embodiment of the present invention, an operational amplifier is inserted in the base circuit to increase the effective circuit gain.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) comprised of a differential pair of transistors that have respective positive feedback paths with phase-lead networks cross-coupled. Each positive feedback path on each side has two different phase-lead branches. The two phase-lead branches have the same phase differences on each side of the differential pair, in order to maintain a symmetry that improves common-mode noise rejection on a voltage control differential input. Current-steering is used to control the mixture of currents that arrive at the bases of the differential transistor pair from the respective two different phase-lead branches, and thereby changing the frequency of the VCO.

Abstract: An antenna comprises a base plate forming a ground plane, a coaxial feed serving as a mast connected to the base plate and extending along an axis that is normal to the ground plane, and two orthogonal dipoles each formed of two elements. Each dipole element has a first end connected to and supported by the mast at a first location spaced apart from the ground plane by a predetermined distance and a second end closer to the ground plane and exhibits a curvature in a plane containing the mast.