Equipment and a method by which power consumed by a ranging receiver (12)
is reduced without appreciably impairing performance of the GPS receiver
(12), the method including: a step (21) in which a controller (15) reads
sensor signals provided by a motion sensor (14) mechanically coupled to
the ranging receiver (12); and a step (22) in which the controller (15)
powers down selected components of the ranging receiver (12) based on
whether the sensor signals indicate only at most insubstantial motion of
the ranging receiver (12). The motion sensor is advantageously a motion
sensor constructed using MEMS technology, but at any rate is of a type
using so little power as to provide a power savings when used according
to the invention, i.e. when it is always on and at least partially based
on its sensor signals, the ranging receiver (12) is sometimes at least
partially turned off.