Television receiver

• US 20020118313A1
• Filed: 02/11/2002
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Zahm, Michael, Geiger, Erich
• Granted Patent: US 7,136,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/838
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 3/24 of more than one resonant circuit simultaneously, the circuits being tuned to substantially the same frequency, e.g. for single-knob tuning

Abstract

A television receiver includes a tuner stage, a selective filter stage connected to the tuner stage, and a intermediate-frequency stage connected to the selective filter stage. A field-strength-detection stage is also provided, which generates a field strength signal proportional to the field strength of the received signal. The selective filter stage includes a transfer function that is modifiable by a control signal derived from the field strength signal.

Claims

1. A television receiver comprising:

a tuner that receives a transmitted signal from an antenna;

a selective filter stage connected to said tuner;

an intermediate-frequency stage connected to said selective filter stage; and

at least one field-strength-detection stage that generates a field strength signal proportional to the field strength of said received signal, and which generates a control signal derived from said field strength signal,

wherein said selective filter stage implements a transfer function that is modifiable by said control signal.

2. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth of said selective filter stage is modified as a function of said control signal.

3. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein said selective filter stage is implemented as a frequency trap, the slope of which is modifiable by said control signal.

5. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein a black-and-white signal is contained in the received signal and, in response to a low field strength signal, only black-and-white signals are transmitted by said selective filter stage.

6. The television receiver of claim 5, wherein the received signal includes a video signal, and wherein

a video signal is contained in the video signal and, in response to a low field strength signal, higher-frequency video signals are suppressed by said selective filter stage.

7. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein said selective filter stage is controlled such that given a field strength signal above a certain threshold value there is no effect on the signal by said selective filter stage.

8. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein in response to a degrading signal, said selective filter stage adapts the filter response continually or in steps.

9. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein said at least one field-strength-detection stage evaluates the received signal and generates said field strength signal.

10. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein said at least one field-strength-detection stage comprises said intermediate-frequency stage, wherein said intermediate-frequency stage generates the field strength signal.

13. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein said television receiver further comprises:

a second selective filter stage connected to said intermediate-frequency stage, said second selective filter stage being controlled by at least one of said one or more control signal.

4. The television receiver of claim 4, wherein one chrominance signal and one luminance signal are contained in the received signal,

and wherein said frequency trap is dimensioned such that, in response to a higher field strength signal, spectral components of the chrominance signal are more strongly suppressed, while in response to a lower field strength signal noise signals in the spectral range of luminance and chrominance signal are reduced.

24. The television receiver of claim 4, further comprising:

at least one additional selective filter means connected to the intermediate-frequency stage, said additional selective filter means responsive to said control signal.

11. A television receiver comprising:

a tuner that receives a transmitted signal from an antenna;

a first selective filter stage connected to said tuner, said selective filter stage implementing a transfer function that is modifiable by one or more control signals derived from a field strength signal; and

an intermediate-frequency stage connected to said selective filter stage and generating a first control signal of said one or more control signals.

12. The television receiver of claim 11, wherein said first selective filter stage modifies the bandwidth of the implemented transfer function based on said one or more control signals.

14. The television receiver of claim 13, wherein at least one of said first and second selective filter stages implements a frequency trap having a slope that is modifiable in response to said one or more control signals.

15. The television receiver of claim 14, wherein one chrominance signal and one luminance signal are contained in the received signal, and wherein said frequency trap is dimensioned such that, in response to a higher field strength signal, spectral components of the chrominance signal are more strongly suppressed, while in response to a lower field strength signal noise signals in the spectral range of luminance and chrominance signal are reduced.

16. The television receiver of claim 13, wherein a black-and-white signal is contained in the received signal and, in response to a low field strength signal, only black-and-white signals are transmitted by said first and second selective filter stages.

17. The television receiver according to claim 13, wherein the received signal comprises a video signal, and wherein, in response to a low field strength signal, higher-frequency video signals are suppressed by one or more of said first and second selective filter stages.

18. The television receiver according to claim 13, wherein in response to a degrading signal said first and second selective filter stages implement respective filter response one of either continually and in increments.

19. The television receiver of claim 13, wherein the television receiver further comprises:

at least one additional signal-processing stage connected to and following said intermediate-frequency stage, wherein at least one of said one or more control signals is derived from at least one signal from said at least one additional signal-processing stage.

20. A television receiver comprising:

a tuner that receives a transmitted signal from an antenna;

first selective filter means, connected to said tuner, for implementing a transfer function modifiable in response to one or more control signals; and

means for generating said control signal derived from a detected field strength of the received signal.

21. The television receiver of claim 20, wherein said transfer function comprises a bandwidth modifiable in response to said one or more control signals.

22. The television receiver of claim 20, wherein said means for generating a control signal derived from a detected field strength comprises:

an intermediate-frequency stage connected to said selective filter means.

23. The television receiver of claim 20, wherein said means for generating a control signal derived from a detected field strength comprises:

a field strength detector connected to receive one of either an input to or an output from said tuner.