Infineon, Global Locate Co-Develop A-GPS Chip
Better late than never?
The Q has had A-GPS integrated into their chipset for quite some time.
They also sampled a stand alone GPS receiver (MGP6200 ) in 2002.
Snip>>>>
The MGP6200 device can also operate as a standalone GPS receiver,
An MGP6200 chipset solution will be available inside a small, commercial-quality test phone from QUALCOMM in fourth quarter of calendar 2002 to enable commercial trials by wireless operators.
Snip from the article >>>>
“Infineon and Global Locate expect to have samples available in the first quarter of 2005. The price for the Hammerhead chip will be 6.50 Euros in quantities of ten thousand units.”
Infineon, Global Locate Co-Develop A-GPS Chip
October 12, 2004 / 2:56 PM email / print / link / feedback
SAN JOSE, Calif. & MUNICH, Germany—Infineon Technologies and Global Locate today announced that they are jointly developing the industry's highest performing Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) chip for mobile telephones, smart phones and PDAs. The new Hammerhead chip is optimized for cellular handsets and can bring GPS functionality to mobile phones.
The Hammerhead chip will enable location-based services such as emergency assistance and personal navigation in deep urban canyons, moving vehicles and even indoors. Global Locate is contributing its knowledge in baseband design, GPS signal processing and control software as well as system level know-how; Infineon its expertise in radio frequency design, system integration, process technology and manufacturing. Both companies will jointly market the Hammerhead chip.
The Hammerhead A-GPS chip will be able to detect a GPS signal that is 1,000 times weaker than the normal "open sky" signal outdoors. All aspects of the design have been optimized for mobile handsets. The chip consumes very little power, has extremely robust performance and at 7mm by 7mm (about a third of an inch by a third of an inch) is no larger than a key on the dialing pad of a mobile phone.
"Once designed into a mobile handset, this state-of-the-art single chip will make it very easy for a user to find the nearest gas station, the nearest hospital, or the nearest restaurant," said Dominik Bilo, Chief Marketing Officer of Infineon's Secure Mobile Solutions business group. "It will enable mobile users calling 911 to provide emergency services with very accurate location information, both from indoors and outdoors."
In the United States, A-GPS-enabled mobile telephones are in demand due to a U.S. Federal Communications Commission mandate, E911, which requires all wireless service providers to upgrade their infrastructure to enable accurate tracking of emergency calls placed from mobile telephones by the end of 2005. In Japan, all third-generation mobile telephones sold after April 2007 require A-GPS functionality to support emergency services as well.
"In 2008, we expect more than 730 million mobile phones to be sold worldwide," said Bilo. "By then, greater than one in four mobile handsets will be equipped with GPS functionality."
How GPS Works
The Global Positioning System is a satellite navigation system that allows a user of a mobile device to pinpoint his or her exact position on the globe at any time, at any location, in any weather. More than 28 GPS satellites orbit the Earth and broadcast signals that can be detected by anyone with a GPS receiver. By using the receiver to measure the distances from a number of satellites simultaneously, a user can precisely determine his or her location at any point on Earth by a process akin to triangulation. GPS receivers are widely used in cars, trucks, ships and airplanes all over the globe.
Location-based services using GPS have been difficult to implement in mobile telephones because the weak signals are difficult to detect indoors, inside moving vehicles and other environments where mobile phones are commonly used. Even outdoors, a mobile phone's traditional GPS receiver can take several minutes to receive satellite navigation data and compute an accurate position. The technique of assisted GPS uses the cellular connection to transmit the remotely collected satellite navigation data from the basestation to the mobile phone, allowing the user to pinpoint his exact position in only seconds. Thus, A-GPS and the unique signal processing of the Hammerhead chip result in unprecedented speed and sensitivity.
"Assisted GPS is the superior technology for revenue generating location-based services," said Donald Fuchs, Executive Vice President of Business Development for Global Locate. "Users will rely on it for emergency services, finding friends or family, gaming or simple point-to-point navigation. Location-based services will provide value to users and an additional revenue stream to mobile network operators."
Availability and Pricing
Infineon and Global Locate expect to have samples available in the first quarter of 2005. The price for the Hammerhead chip will be 6.50 Euros in quantities of ten thousand units.
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