METHOD AND MOBILE PHONE CAPABLE OF AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHING RADIO CHANNELS OF A FREQUENCY MODULATION RADIO

• US 20090124264A1
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: SU, YI-JEN
• Application Number:
  US12/189,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124264A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

A mobile phone capable of switching radio channels of an FM radio is provided. The mobile phone includes antennas for receiving analog signals and wireless signals. The mobile phone includes a signal conversion module for converting the analog signals to digital signals, and a channel database for storing radio channel information corresponding to LAI information of different local areas. A communication protocol processing module of the mobile phone is configured for receiving the digital signals, and for reading the LAI information of a local area where the mobile phone is located. A FM management module of the mobile phone is configured for searching the channel database to retrieve available radio channel information in the local area, synchronously monitoring if the LAI information changes, and determining if the FM radio needs to switch from one radio channel to another radio channel.

Claims

1. A method for automatically switching radio channels of a frequency modulation (FM) radio within a mobile phone, the method comprising:

receiving analog signals broadcasted by a base transceiver station via a first antenna, and receiving wireless broadcast signals via a second antenna, wherein the analog signal comprises local area identity (LAI) information of a local area of where the mobile phone is located;

converting the analog signals to digital signals;

reading the LAI information from the analog signals;

searching a channel database to retrieve available radio channel information in the local area based on the LAI information;

displaying radio station names corresponding to a selected radio channel;

playing radio broadcast broadcasted by the selected radio station according to the wireless broadcast signals, and synchronously monitoring if the LAI information changes;

determining if the FM radio needs to switch the selected radio channel to an available radio channel upon the condition that the LAI information changes;

automatically switching the FM radio to the available radio channel upon the condition that the FM radio needs to switch the selected radio channel to the available radio channel; and

playing the radio broadcast based on the available radio channel.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the determining and switching blocks comprises:

checking if the selected radio channel of the selected radio station that the user is listening to is still available;

playing the radio broadcast continuously, on condition that the selected radio channel of the selected radio station is still available;

checking if there is any other radio channel has the same radio station name as the selected radio station, on condition that the selected radio channel of the selected radio station is unavailable; and

switching the FM radio to the radio channel has the same radio station name as the selected radio station, on condition that there is a radio channel having the same radio station name.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the determining block further comprises:

notifying the user that the selected radio station is unavailable, on condition that there is no radio channel having the same radio station name; and

going to the displaying block.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first antenna is a type of a UMTS antenna or a GSM antenna.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second antenna is a type of an FM antenna.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radio channel information comprises a radio station name, and a radio frequency band of each available radio channel.

7. A mobile phone capable of automatically switching radio channels, the mobile phone comprising an FM radio, the mobile phone comprising:

a first antenna for receiving analog signals;

a second antenna for receiving wireless signals;

a signal conversion module configured for converting the analog signals to digital signals;

the FM radio for playing radio broadcast according to the wireless signals;

a channel database configured for storing radio channel information corresponding to LAI information of different local areas around the mobile phone;

a communication protocol processing module configured for receiving the digital signals, and for reading the LAI information of a local area where the mobile phone is located; and

an FM management module configured for searching the channel database to retrieve available radio channel information in the local area, synchronously monitoring if the LAI information changes, and determining if the FM radio needs to switch from one radio channel to another radio channel.

8. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 7, further comprises a display module for displaying the radio station names of available radio channels for a user to select an available radio station to listen to the radio broadcast.

9. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 8, wherein the FM management module is further configured for:

checking if the radio channel of the selected radio station that the user is listening to is still available, on condition that the LAI information changes;

playing the radio broadcast upon the condition that the radio channel of the selected radio station is still available;

checking if there is any other radio channel has the same radio station name as the selected radio station upon the condition that the radio channel of the selected radio station is unavailable; and

switching the FM radio to the radio channel has the same radio station name as the selected radio station upon the condition that there is a radio channel having the same radio station name.

10. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 9, wherein the display module is further configured for notifying the user that the selected radio station is unavailable upon the condition that there is no radio channel having the same radio station name.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first antenna is a type of a UMTS antenna or a GSM antenna.

12. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second antenna is a type of an FM antenna.

13. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the radio channel information comprises a radio station name, and a radio frequency band of each available radio channel.

14. A storage medium having stored thereon instructions for switching radio channels of an FM radio within a mobile device, the storage medium, when executed by the mobile device, causing the mobile device to perform blocks of:

(a) receiving analog signals broadcasted by a base transceiver station via a first antenna, and receiving wireless broadcast signals via a second antenna, wherein the analog signal comprises local area identity (LAI) information of a local area of where the mobile phone is located;

(b) converting the analog signals to digital signals;

(c) reading the LAI information from the analog signals;

(d) searching a channel database to retrieve available radio channel information in the local area based on the LAI information;

(e) displaying radio station names corresponding to a selected radio channel;

(f) playing radio broadcast broadcasted by the selected radio station according to the wireless broadcast signals, and synchronously monitoring if the LAI information changes;

(g) determining if the FM radio needs to switch the selected radio channel to an available radio channel upon the condition that the LAI information changes;

(h) automatically switching the FM radio to the available radio channel upon the condition that the FM radio needs to switch the selected radio channel to the available radio channel; and

(i) playing the radio broadcast based on the available radio channel.

15. The storage medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein the blocks (g) and (h) comprise:

checking if the selected radio channel of the selected radio station that the user is listening to is still available;

playing the radio broadcast, on condition that the selected radio channel of the selected radio station is still available;

checking if there is any other radio channel has the same radio station name as the selected radio station, on condition that the selected radio channel of the selected radio station is unavailable; and

switching the FM radio to the radio channel has the same radio station name as the selected radio station, on condition that there is a radio channel having the same radio station name.

16. The storage medium as claimed in claim 15, wherein the block (g) further comprises:

notifying the user that the selected radio station is unavailable, on condition that there is no radio channel having the same radio station name; and

going to the displaying block.

17. The storage medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first antenna is a type of a UMTS antenna or a GSM antenna.

18. The storage medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second antenna is a type of an FM antenna.

19. The storage medium as claimed in claim 14, wherein the radio channel information comprises a radio station name, and a radio frequency band of each available radio channel.