On-vehicle radio receiving device, method and program

• US 20060121868A1
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Jutori, Osamu
• Application Number:
  US11/288,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20060121868A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/238.100
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0066 with means for analysing the received signal strength H03J1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/12 Radio receiver combined with a GPS receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 7/183 combined with selection between different stations transmitting the same programm, e.g. by analysis of the received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/082 to be used in vehicles H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02

Abstract

An on-vehicle radio receiving device controls the timing of searching for channel reception levels by switching among plural channels. The on-vehicle radio receiving device has a search control function for causing a radio circuit to successively search for reception levels of plural channels, and a data reception control function for causing the radio circuit to receive data by radio over one of the plural channels based on the reception level of each channel as a result of the search. It increases the operation frequency of the search control function as a travel speed of the vehicle increases, and decreases the operation frequency of the search control function as the travel speed of the vehicle decreases.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle radio receiving device comprising:

a radio circuit capable of radio reception by switching a channel of radio reception among plural channels;

a travel speed calculating means for calculating a travel speed of a vehicle;

a search control means for causing the radio circuit to successively search for radio reception levels of the plural channels;

a data reception control means for causing the radio circuit to receive data by radio over one of the plural channels determined based on the reception level of each channel as a result of search of the search control means; and

a search time control means for changing, based on the travel speed of the vehicle calculated by the travel speed calculating means, the number of times of control that temporarily stops operation of the data reception control means for execution of a search operation of the search control means.

2. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 1,

wherein the search time control means increases the number of times of operations of the search control means as the travel speed of the vehicle calculated by the travel speed calculating means increases.

3. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 1,

wherein the search time control means prohibits the operation of the search control means when the travel speed of the vehicle calculated by the travel speed calculating means is zero.

4. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 1,

wherein the search time control means changes the number of times of control that stops the operation of the data reception control means according to which of plural speed ranges the travel speed of the vehicle calculated by the travel speed calculating means belongs to, to operate the search control means.

5. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 1, wherein:

the travel speed calculating means calculates an average travel speed in a predetermined period of the vehicle; and

the search time control means changes the number of times of control that temporarily stops the operation of the data reception control means to operate the search control means, based on the average travel speed calculated by the travel speed calculating means.

6. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 1, wherein:

the search control means successively searches for the reception levels of channels in a partial channel range in the plural channels; and

extent of the partial channel range changes depending on the travel speed of the vehicle calculated by the travel speed calculating means.

7. An on-vehicle radio receiving device comprising:

a radio circuit capable of radio reception by switching a channel of radio reception among plural channels;

a distance calculating means for calculating a travel distance of a vehicle;

a search control means for causing the radio circuit to successively search for reception levels of the plural channels; and

a data reception control means for causing the radio circuit to receive data by radio over one of the plural channels based on the reception level of each channel as a result of the search of the search control means,

wherein, at timing repeated when the travel distance of the vehicle calculated by the distance calculating means increases to a reference distance, the data reception control means stops an operation thereof and the search control means starts an operation thereof.

8. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 7,

wherein at timing when a wait time has elapsed after an increase in a travel distance of the vehicle calculated by the distance calculating means reaches a reference distance, the data reception control means stops the operation thereof and the search control means starts the operation thereof.

9. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 7,

wherein the reference distance on which stop of the operation of the data reception control means and start of the operation of the search control means depend is longer when the vehicle travels on an expressway, in comparison with when the vehicle travels on an ordinary road.

10. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a travel speed calculating means for calculating a travel speed of the vehicle,

wherein the reference distance on which stop of the operation of the data reception control means and start of the operation of the search control means depend is longer when the travel speed of the vehicle calculated by the travel speed calculating means is higher.

11. The on-vehicle radio receiving device according to claim 7,

wherein the data reception control means continues to operate all times when the travel speed of the vehicle calculated by the travel speed calculating means is zero.

12. A program medium for operating a computer to:

calculate a travel speed of a vehicle;

cause a radio circuit capable of radio reception by switching a channel of radio reception among plural channels to successively search for reception levels of the plural channels;

cause the radio circuit to receive data by radio over one of the plural channels based on the reception level of each channel as a result of the search; and

change, based on the travel speed of the vehicle, the number of times of control that temporarily stops data reception of the radio circuit for starting the search.

13. A program medium for operating a computer to:

calculate a travel distance of a vehicle;

cause a radio circuit capable of radio reception by switching a channel of radio reception among plural channels to successively search for reception levels of the plural channels; and

cause the radio circuit receive data by radio over one of the plural channels based on the reception level of each channel as a result of search,

wherein at timing repeated when the travel distance of the vehicle increases to a reference distance, the data reception is stopped and the search is started.

14. An on-vehicle radio receiving method for a vehicle having a radio circuit, the method comprising steps of:

searching for a radio reception channel through which the radio circuit receives data based on reception levels of plural channels;

receiving the data through the radio reception channel searched by the searching step;

detecting a travel condition of the vehicle; and

controlling search timing, at which the searching step is started by stopping the receiving step, variably based on the detected travel condition so that the number of times of the searching step is increased as a travel speed of the vehicle increases.

15. The on-vehicle radio receiving method according to claim 14, wherein:

the detecting step detects a travel speed of the vehicle as the travel condition; and

the controlling step changes the search timing by shortening a data receiving time length of the receiving step as the travel speed of the vehicle increases.

16. The on-vehicle radio receiving method according to claim 14, wherein:

the detecting step detects a travel distance of the vehicle as the travel condition; and

the controlling step starts the searching step to start radio reception when the detected travel distance reaches a reference distance.

17. The on-vehicle radio receiving method according to claim 16, wherein:

the detecting step further detects a travel speed of the vehicle; and

the controlling step changes the search timing by lengthening the reference distance as the detected travel speed increases.

18. The on-vehicle radio receiving method according to claim 14,

wherein the receiving step continues to receive the data at least for a time length longer than an interval between successive transmission of traffic information from a FM radio broadcasting station.

19. The on-vehicle radio receiving method according to claim 14,

wherein the travel speed of the vehicle is an average of travel speeds for a predetermined period, which is longer than an interval of a change in a traffic signal light.