Patent ID: 7362795

Claim:
A method of acquisition a signal having a low signal to noise ratio (SNR), wherein said signal having said low SNR is emanating from a source selected from the group consisting of {a GPS satellite; a GLONASS satellite; a GALILEO satellite; and a pseudolite}, said method comprising the steps of: (A) detecting a non-zero power in said signal having said low SNR during a power detect process; (B) receiving said signal having said low SNR by using a signal receiver having an antenna; (C1) employing an integer N plurality of In phase channel correlators configured to accumulate a plurality of I channel digital samples of an incoming signal in an In phase (I) channel, and employing said integer N plurality of Quadrature channel correlators configured to accumulate a plurality of Q channel digital samples of said incoming signal during a predetermined time period; (C2) writing into a first memory block a plurality of I channel digital samples of said incoming signal accumulated during said predetermined time period, and writing into a second memory block s a plurality of Q channel digital samples of said incoming signal accumulated during said predetermined time period to complete a loop cycle of said memory logging process; (C3) adjusting a code phase by using an expected code frequency offset deducted from a carrier frequency offset given by said power detect process to maintain a code phase of said incoming signal during said memory logging process; (C4) counting a number of completed loop cycles; (C5) if said number of completed loop cycles of said memory logging process is less than a predetermined integer number M of loop cycles, repeating said steps (C1-C5); (C6) if a number of said completed loop cycles of said memory logging process is equal to said predetermined integer number M of loop cycles, ending said memory logging process; and (D) employing an algorithm to correct defects in reception of said signal having said low SNR by minimizing a set of parameters selected from the group consisting of: {a carrier frequency offset; a code phase offset; and a data bit misalignment}.