Patents Assigned to SiRF Technologies, Inc.
  • Patent number: 7711483
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system and method of dead reckoning navigation for a vehicle uses a set of accelerometers. Sensed accelerometers from the set are converted into a vehicle body frame of reference set of accelerations. The resulting converted accelerations are then used to determine a dead-reckoning longitudinal acceleration for the vehicle. By integrating the longitudinal acceleration along a heading for the vehicle, a dead-reckoning-determined location for the vehicle is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Jaime B. Colley
  • Patent number: 7702040
    Abstract: An embodiment and method of the present invention includes a frequency lock loop (FLL) having an improved frequency error estimation and a low bit error rate (BER) in data demodulation by calculating and using an improved averaged phase rotation using ‘valid’ phase rotation samples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiang Yuan, Gang Xie
  • Patent number: 7680178
    Abstract: A communication device with cross-correlation detection based upon statistical tests to determine whether the off-peak signal energy is consistent with auto-correlation energy levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: SIRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Sundar Raman, Reza Abtahi, Steven A. Gronemeyer, Andrew Chou
  • Patent number: 7680223
    Abstract: A method for detecting a positioning signal includes (a) correlating a segment of a received positioning signal with a reference signal of a selected code phase and frequency to obtain a correlation value, (b) if the correlation value is less than a predetermined minimum, assigning the correlation value to the predetermined minimum, and (c) accumulating the correlation value in a sum of correlation values obtained using other segments of the received positioning signal. In addition, the correlation value may be reduced by a predetermined value, which is preferably an expected mean value for a noise component in the segment of the received positioning signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: SirF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Julien Basch, Andrew Chou, Robert Lorenz, Jesse Stone
  • Patent number: 7679557
    Abstract: Multifunction satellite positioning receiver having a plurality of functions that are selectable in response to predetermined events or in response to user actions and enable more efficient use of the hardware and processing resources of a multifunction satellite position receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Ashutosh Pande
  • Patent number: 7672675
    Abstract: A system is described that utilizes the measured characteristics of a cell site or a plurality of cell sites (100, 102, 104) and the cellular identification to selectively provide a wireless device (118) with location aiding from a cellular network server (120). The system may include a basestation (106, 108, 110) located within the cell site, a cellular measurement unit located in the wireless device (118), and a database (214) containing positional assistance information corresponding to the characteristic information. The system may also include a processing unit in signal communication with the basestation and the database (214) and a positional determination unit in the wireless device (118).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Ashutosh Pande, Lionel Jacques Garin
  • Patent number: 7671672
    Abstract: An active circuit includes (a) a first chopper circuit that receives an input signal and a chopping signal of a frequency higher than a base band of the input signal, and that provides a modulated input signal; (b) an amplifier that receives the modulated input signal and that provides an amplified signal resulting from amplifying the modulated input signal; and (c) a second chopper circuit that receives the amplified signal and the chopping signal to provide an output signal. The chopping signal has a frequency that may be dynamically adjusted to accommodate changes in impedance and signal spectrum as a result of the operations of the chopper circuits. The active circuit further includes a low pass filter that receives the output signal and that attenuates components of the output signal above the base band of the input signal. In this manner 1/f noise introduced by the amplifier is eliminated or reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard McConnell
  • Patent number: 7672361
    Abstract: Implementation of an improved matched filter system for despreading a PN code from a spread spectrum signal utilizes a matched filter system that may be broadly conceptualized as a system that optimizes the number of multipliers and adders utilized by the system in despreading a PN code from a spread spectrum signal. This lowers the power consumption of the improved matched filter system and increases the speed at which the system despreads the PN code from the spread spectrum signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Paul A. Underbrink, Steven A. Gronemyer
  • Patent number: 7671489
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of a specified voltage source and automatically switching off a second voltage source regardless of voltage source potential of the two voltage sources are disclosed. The present invention uses pinch-off of a JFET, controlled by an inverter, to control a backup power supply based on the availability of the main supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: SIRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Allan Paul T. Uy, Richard Joseph McConnell
  • Patent number: 7668554
    Abstract: A network approach for aided GPS broadcast positioning where A-GPS data is made available in the network and broadcast via cell broadcast servers to wireless devices in order to reduce the time required to determine the position of a wireless device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Steve Chang
  • Publication number: 20100039316
    Abstract: A wireless device including a transceiver that utilizes a power supply is described. The wireless device includes a Global Positioning System (“GPS”) section having a plurality of GPS subsystems and a power controller in signal communication with the power supply and GPS section, wherein the power controller is configured to selectively power each GPS subsystem from the plurality of GPS subsystems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2009
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicant: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven A. Gronemeyer, Sanjai Kohli, Mark A. Sturza, Don K. Leimer
  • Patent number: 7664206
    Abstract: A radio frequency integrated circuit for a global positioning system (GPS) application mixes radio frequency GPS signals from an external source with a predetermined intermediate frequency that is less than 4fo. In one embodiment, the intermediate frequency is selected to be 1.5fo. An intermediate frequency filter then band-limits the intermediate frequency GPS signals, rolling off at a frequency in the vicinity of 2.5 MHz to achieve substantial attenuation at 3.5-4.0 MHz. An automatic gain control circuit amplifies the filtered intermediate frequency GPS signals to proper voltage levels. The amplified intermediate frequency GPS signals is then digitized by an analog-to-digital converter at a predetermined sampling rate more than twice the intermediate frequency to provide samples of a predetermined number of bits, which are then provided for base band processing by a general purpose microprocessor over an industry-standard serial bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Erik Anderson, Daniel Babitch, Majid Hashemi
  • Patent number: 7664187
    Abstract: An input random access memory (RAM) module of a fast Fourier transform (FFT) engine of a DVB receiver is used to store, during a first time period, delayed versions of an input signal that includes a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) symbol and a cyclic prefix therefor received at the receiver, and samples for a second OFDM symbol to be demodulated using the FFT engine during a second time period. Delayed versions of the input signal are stored in the input RAM module of the FFT engine in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) fashion for signal acquisition and for FFT processing. Similarly, an output RAM module of the FFT engine is used to store moving averages of an autocorrelation of the input signal with its cyclic prefix computed over presumed guard intervals and over multiple symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Chen, Howard K. Luu
  • Patent number: 7660373
    Abstract: A method to determine the polarity of navigation data from weak satellite signals is disclosed. After bit edge is detected, a method in frequency domain is used to determine the present bit polarity with the help of several prior data bits which are already known, is disclosed. The impact of residual frequency can be mitigated by frequency transform. This method is especially useful in removing the data modulation in the weak signal for subsequent long coherent integrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhike Jia, Chi-Shin Wang
  • Patent number: 7642957
    Abstract: A GPS Mobile Unit is described. The GPS Mobile Unit may include at least two antennas, at least two GPS receivers, and a position solution module in signal communication with the at least two GPS receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: SIRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary Lennen, Daniel Babitch
  • Publication number: 20090323779
    Abstract: A positioning system receiver that mitigates narrowband interference by dynamically choosing the mitigation technique that yields the best interference mitigation capability with the least signal degradation to maximize receiver performance parameters such as receiver sensitivity, multipath resolution, and low power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary LENNEN
  • Publication number: 20090323780
    Abstract: A positioning system receiver that mitigates the effect of continuous wave (CW) carrier interference with post correlation processing in a satellite positioning receiver, while not distorting the signal waveform or degrading receiver sensitivity and performing in low signal and dynamic interference environments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary LENNEN
  • Publication number: 20090325521
    Abstract: A Radio Frequency Receiver on a Single Integrated Circuit (“RFSIC”) is described. The RFSIC may include a mixer, a phase-locked loop (“PLL”) in signal communication with the mixer, and an on-chip auto-tuned RF filter in signal communication with both the mixer and PPL, such that the same PLL simultaneously tunes the frequency of the VCO and the frequency response of the auto-tuned RF filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Noshir DUBASH, Jeffrey E. KOELLER, Daniel BABITCH
  • Publication number: 20090322606
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for real time clock brownout detection. A low power real time clock (RTC) operates continuously to keep time in a global positioning system (GPS) receiver while some receiver components are powered down. In various embodiments, a brownout detector circuit detects a loss of RTC clock cycles. If a loss of RTC clock cycles exceeds a predetermined threshold such that the RTC is not reliable for GPS navigation, an RTC status signal so indicates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: SIRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven A. Gronemeyer
  • Publication number: 20090322604
    Abstract: A positioning system receiver that mitigates cross correlation of received signals from positioning system satellite vehicles by generating the strong satellite vehicle signal and subtracting it from the received signal before correlation while eliminating the need for cross correlation signature without changing the C/A code.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Publication date: December 31, 2009
    Applicant: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary Lennen