GPS Signal Acquisition through Time-Domain Serial Capture Method

The GPS signal acquisition program described herein employs a time-domain serial implementation method. This approach is widely adopted due to its straightforward implementation and proven effectiveness in signal capture operations. The algorithm functions by systematically sampling the incoming GPS signal at predetermined intervals, typically controlled by a timer interrupt routine, and transmitting these samples in sequential order through a serial data buffer. In code implementation, this typically involves configuring an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) to sample the analog GPS signal at specific rates, followed by a serial transmission protocol that streams the digitized samples to a processing unit. The captured signal data then undergoes correlation processing using PRN (Pseudo-Random Noise) codes to identify satellite signals and calculate pseudorange measurements. While various GPS signal acquisition methodologies exist, the time-domain serial technique remains particularly popular for its balance of computational efficiency and implementation simplicity. The method demonstrates reliable performance in real-world applications, utilizing sequential correlation techniques that compare incoming signals with locally generated PRN code replicas across different frequency bins. This proven reliability makes it a preferred choice for numerous GPS signal processing systems, especially in resource-constrained environments where computational overhead must be minimized while maintaining acquisition sensitivity.