Abstract: A method of acquiring a weak signal includes selecting a first predetection integration time (PIT) interval for processing a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal, selecting a number of data bit edges within the PIT, computing a plurality of coherent integrations for each data bit edge, selecting a coherent integration, which corresponds to a most likely data combination for each data bit edge, from the plurality of coherent integrations, updating an incoherent integration total for each data bit edge with the coherent integration corresponding to the selected most likely data bit combination for each data bit edge, comparing the incoherent integration total for each data bit edge with a threshold after a predetermined number of steps of the coherent integration computations and incoherent integration total updates, and identifying a code delay from the incoherent integration. The method may also include determining a code delay from an estimated Doppler shift corresponding to the identified code delay.

Abstract: A method of acquiring a signal in a high dynamic environment includes generating a first set of acquired signal power values, the first set comprising an acquired signal power value for each Doppler bin in a plurality of Doppler bins over a first predetection integration time (PIT) interval for processing a digital signal, and generating a second set of acquired signal power values, the second set comprising an acquired signal power value for each Doppler bin in the plurality of Doppler bins over a second subsequent predetection integration time (PIT) interval for processing the digital signal. The first and the second sets are used to generate at least three additional sets of acquired signal power values. A new set of acquired power values is generated by selecting the maximum of the summations for each Doppler bin from the three additional sets, and a Doppler shift is identified from the Doppler bin having the maximum summation value that is greater than a threshold value.

Abstract: A method acquires a location system signal where the location system signal includes a first data signal and a second data signal superimposed on the first data signal. The method includes generating an initial Doppler frequency offset value, the initial Doppler frequency offset representing a variance from a nominal frequency for the location system signal and a frequency of a received location system signal. The method also includes using the initial Doppler frequency offset value to generate a plurality of error signals, each error signal representing a difference between a sum of consecutive correlation values and a corresponding estimated ideal value. Each error signal corresponds to a different time offset and an associated time period in which the consecutive correlation values pertain. The second data signal has a bit edge that occurs during the time period of each of at least some of the sums of consecutive correlation values.