GNSS receivers and systems within such receivers use improvements to reduce memory usage while providing sufficient processing resources to receive and acquire and track E5 band GNSS signals directly (without attempting in one embodiment to receive L1 GNSS signals). Other aspects are also described.

A method of receiving two chip-by-chip multiplexed CSK signals (e.g., GNSS signals) and searching for a non-CSK signal with optimal performance at a given digit capacity of a sampling memory resided in parallel correlators. For CSK signals Prompt, Early and Late results for each of possible code shift are calculated as different sums of four punctured convolutions. Depending on configuration, the method allows to receive both multiplexed CSK signals with lesser quality or one of the CSK signals with better quality. The method can be implemented as an apparatus with four punctured correlators, a set of multipliers by 1 or 2.sup.N, another set of multipliers by 1 or 0, summers of four input to one result, a RAM, searchers of maximum, and conditional commutators.

A method of receiving two chip-by-chip multiplexed CSK signals (e.g., GNSS signals) and searching for a non-CSK signal with optimal performance at a given digit capacity of a sampling memory resided in parallel correlators. For CSK signals Prompt, Early and Late results for each of possible code shift are calculated as different sums of four punctured convolutions. Depending on configuration, the method allows to receive both multiplexed CSK signals with lesser quality or one of the CSK signals with better quality. The method can be implemented as an apparatus with four punctured correlators, a set of multipliers by 1 or 2.sup.N, another set of multipliers by 1 or 0, summers of four input to one result, a RAM, searchers of maximum, and conditional commutators.

A method for evaluating the quality of a radio frequency signal for a satellite navigation system, the method comprising: sampling the payload radio frequency signal of a satellite to obtain an intermediate frequency signal, and filtering the signal; downconverting the filtered intermediate signal to obtain the corresponding actual baseband signal; generating the signal components of the ideal baseband signal branches on the basis of the obtained actual baseband signal and the signal system thereof; reproducing the ideal baseband signal, which is used to evaluating the actual baseband signal; establishing a correlation function between the actual baseband signal to be evaluated and the ideal baseband signal, and obtaining through corresponding calculations a series of quality evaluation indexes such as spurious transmission in the band and related loss, thereby enabling the evaluation of the quality of the radio frequency signal. The present invention clarifies the relation between signal quality indexes and the capturing, tracking, and demodulation performance of a signal, and can clearly and regularly evaluate the effect of the signal quality on navigation performance.

The presence or absence of a preamble is detected with accuracy in a reception apparatus that receives a signal including a preamble. A reception section receives a subframe including a subframe preamble and a message and a frame including a frame preamble. A processing section performs a process of detecting the presence or absence of the subframe preamble according to whether or not a given relation holds between a reception timing of the subframe preamble and a reception timing of the frame preamble. A message decoding section extracts the message from the subframe and decodes the message in a case where the presence of the subframe preamble is detected.

The presence or absence of a preamble is detected with accuracy in a reception apparatus that receives a signal including a preamble. A reception section receives a subframe including a subframe preamble and a message and a frame including a frame preamble. A processing section performs a process of detecting the presence or absence of the subframe preamble according to whether or not a given relation holds between a reception timing of the subframe preamble and a reception timing of the frame preamble. A message decoding section extracts the message from the subframe and decodes the message in a case where the presence of the subframe preamble is detected.

Enhancing search capacity of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. A method for searching satellite signals in a receiver includes performing a plurality of searches sequentially. The method also includes storing a result from each search of the plurality of searches in a consecutive section of a memory. Further, the method includes detecting free sections in the memory. The method also includes concatenating the free sections in the memory to yield a concatenated free section. Moreover, the method includes allocating the concatenated free section for performing an additional search.

Enhancing search capacity of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. A method for searching satellite signals in a receiver includes performing a plurality of searches sequentially. The method also includes storing a result from each search of the plurality of searches in a consecutive section of a memory. Further, the method includes detecting free sections in the memory. The method also includes concatenating the free sections in the memory to yield a concatenated free section. Moreover, the method includes allocating the concatenated free section for performing an additional search.

A non-systematic convolutional decoder of a convolutionally encoded multi-level data stream includes a shift register and two or more paths of exclusive-OR (XOR) gates, arranged to reconstruct an original input information stream, each path having a quantiser arranged to quantise the signal to two levels, and a set of XOR gates arranged to match an encoding path in an associated convolutional encoder, and a selector arranged to feed an output from each path to a single input of the shift register. If the paths have differing values at their output, the selector may choose the value from the path based upon a function of the multi-level signals associated with each path, such as the path with the largest absolute signal level. The decoder provides a simple means for decoding signals while allowing the signal to also or instead be decoded using e.g. a Viterbi decoder if higher performance is required.

A non-systematic convolutional decoder of a convolutionally encoded multi-level data stream includes a shift register and two or more paths of exclusive-OR (XOR) gates, arranged to reconstruct an original input information stream, each path having a quantiser arranged to quantise the signal to two levels, and a set of XOR gates arranged to match an encoding path in an associated convolutional encoder, and a selector arranged to feed an output from each path to a single input of the shift register. If the paths have differing values at their output, the selector may choose the value from the path based upon a function of the multi-level signals associated with each path, such as the path with the largest absolute signal level. The decoder provides a simple means for decoding signals while allowing the signal to also or instead be decoded using e.g. a Viterbi decoder if higher performance is required.