System for limiting received audio

• US 20060195239A1
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Wietzke, Joachim, Teichner, Detlef
• Application Number:
  US11/283,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195239A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations

Abstract

A vehicle entertainment and information processing (VEIP) system may allow a user to listen to quality broadcast signals while moving through regions of varying signal strength. The VEIP system includes a navigation unit, a tuning receiver, and a system controller to analyze broadcast signals based on a broadcast station database. The VEIP system may switch to alternate broadcast stations when the broadcast signal degrades because of terrain, position of the vehicle, or other driving conditions.

Claims

1. A vehicle entertainment and information processing system comprising:

a tuning receiver that receives broadcast signals from a broadcast station, where the receiver is tunable to a broadcast station and is configurable to receive and reproduce a broadcast program;

a navigation unit configured to receive geographical location coordinates;

a memory that stores broadcast station information; and

a system controller that determines a reception quality parameter of the broadcast station based on the position data and the broadcast station information.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising logic for correlating the position data with the broadcast station information and using the correlation in scanning and reception of the tuning receiver.

3. The system claim 1 where the reception quality parameter comprises a measure for a reception strength, an interference measurement or a signal-to-noise ratio of a received broadcast program.

4. The system of claim 1 where the memory comprises a database that stores the reception quality parameter for the broadcast station in relation to a position.

5. The system of claim 4 where the memory comprises a broadcast station database that stores a name, geographical location coordinates, strength, area of coverage, an alternative frequency, a channel identification, or a program type code for the broadcast station.

6. The system of claim 1 where the system controller further comprises a decision and evaluation unit that evaluates the broadcast station information obtained from the memory with the tuning and measurement results of the tuning receiver and decides a switch-over operation from a first broadcast station to second broadcast station.

7. The system of claim 6 where the geographical location coordinates that identify where a switch-over operation occurred comprise the first and second broadcast stations stored in the memory.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a human machine interface (HMI) that outputs a user warning message indicating an upcoming termination of a program when the reception quality parameter has been determined unsatisfactory.

9. The system of claim 8 where the tuning receiver comprises:

a learning receiver that dynamically stores broadcast information related to position data output by the navigation unit in the memory, and

logic for retrieving the stored information when a route related to the stored position data is taken by the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9 where the system controller further comprises prediction logic for predicting the reception quality parameter for a geographical location other than the present location of the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10 where the tuning receiver comprises an analog or digital audio tuner, an analog or digital television tuner, or a mobile radio communication receiver.

12. The system of claim 11 where the tuning receiver, the navigation unit, the broadcast station database, the system control unit and the HMI are integrated in a vehicle head unit and communicate with each other by a data bus.

29. The system of claim 1 where the navigation unit comprises a global positioning system (GPS) unit and outputs position data according to the vehicle'"'"'s movement.

13. A method in a vehicle entertainment and information processing system, comprising:

receiving broadcast signals from a broadcast station;

receiving geographical location coordinates from a GPS unit and outputting position data related to the vehicle'"'"'s movement;

obtaining broadcast station information from a database; and

determining a reception quality parameter of the broadcast station based on the position data and the broadcast station information.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising correlating the position data with the broadcast station information and using the correlation in scanning and reception for broadcast signals.

15. The method of claim 13 where the reception quality parameter includes a measure for a reception strength, interference or a signal-to-noise ratio of a received broadcast program.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing the reception quality parameters for a broadcast station in relation to a geographical location of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16 where the broadcast station database comprises a name, geographical location coordinates, a signal strength, an area of coverage, an alternative frequency, a channel identification, or a program type code for a broadcast station.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising evaluating the broadcast station information obtained from the database with the tuning and measurement results and deciding a switch over operation from a first broadcast station to a second broadcast station.

19. The method according to claim 18 comprising storing in the database the geographical location coordinates identifying where a switchover operation occurred.

20. The method of claim 19 where the geographical location coordinates identifying where a switchover operation occurred comprise the identity of the first and second broadcast stations.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising outputting a user warning message indicating an upcoming termination of a program when the reception quality parameter has been determined unsatisfactory.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising testing a candidate broadcast station and determining a reception quality parameter before performing a switch over operation.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising evaluating broadcast station tuning and measurement results related to route data;

and storing the evaluated broadcast station results.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising retrieving the stored broadcast station results when a route coinciding with the stored position data is taken by the vehicle.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising predicting the reception quality parameter for a geographical location other than the location of the vehicle.

26. The method of claim 25 where the broadcast signals comprise analog or digital radio broadcast signals, television broadcast signals or mobile communication signals.

27. The method of claim 25 where the broadcast station information contained in the database is dynamically updated.

28. The method of claim 27 where the update is performed by an online connection to a server or reading an external memory.