Patent ID: 8155611

Claim:
A GPS baseband architecture, comprising: a first stage, comprising: a low noise amplifier (LNA) having an LNA output; a SAW filter having an input coupled to the LNA output, and having an SAW filter output; a preamplifier having an input coupled to the SAW filter output, and having a preamplifier output; and a mixer having a first input coupled to the preamplifier output, and having a mixer output; and a PLL synthesizer which output is connected with a second input of the mixer; and a second stage, comprising: a programmable poly-phase filter having an input coupled to the mixer output, and a poly-phase filter output; a programmable gain amplifier (PGA), having a PGA input coupled to the poly-phase filter output, and a PGA output; an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), having an ADC input coupled to the PGA output, and an ADC output; and a digital amplifier gain control (AGC) machine having an input coupled to the ADC output, and a AGC machine output coupled to a control input of the PGA, thereby closing a control gain loop, wherein the digital AGC machine is configured to monitor one or more bits provided by the ADC, the one or more bits indicating an average time in which the ADC is saturated, the digital AGC machine controlling a PGA gain to ensure the ADC is saturated no more than a predetermined percent of the time.