High-sensitivity GPS device with directional antenna

US9671499B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC · US

Inventors

• Jie Liu · Houston, US
• Gerald DeJean · Redmond, US
• Nissanka B. Priyantha · Redmond, US
• Yuzhe Jin · Bellevue, US
• Edward Hart · Redmond, US
• S M Shahriar Nirjon · Charlottesville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 30, 2013
• Grant date: Jun 6, 2017
• Expiry date: Jan 30, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S19/36
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The effective use of weak GPS signals that are present in various environments enables an electronic device to pinpoint its location in such environments. The electronic device uses an antenna to perform sequential scanning in multiple directions for global positioning system (GPS) signals. The electronic device further analyzes GPS signals obtained from scanning the multiple directions to determine a number of acquired GPS satellites that provided the GPS signals. The GPS signals include code phases of the acquired GPS satellites. The electronic device then computes a location of the electronic device based on the code phases of the acquired GPS satellites when the number of acquired GPS satellites meets a threshold.