METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEARCHING FOR OR TUNING TO ONE OR MORE RADIO STATIONS WITH MINIMUM INTERACTION WITH HOST PROCESSOR

• US 20090129361A1
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Masamoto, James Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,216 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/343
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/18 on copying information

Abstract

A host system for searching for or tuning to one or more radio stations includes a host processor and a data processor. The data processor is configured to receive a command from the host processor. The data processor is further configured, based on the command, to perform multiple search operations for radio stations without interrupting the host processor, to search for a radio station based on radio data system (RDS) data without interrupting the host processor, or to tune to a radio station based on RDS data without interrupting the host processor. A method is also provided for searching for or tuning to one or more radio stations.

Claims

1. A host system for searching for or tuning to one or more radio stations, comprising:

a host processor; and

a data processor configured to receive a command from the host processor, the data processor further configured, based on the command, to perform multiple search operations for radio stations without interrupting the host processor, to search for a radio station based on radio data system (RDS) data without interrupting the host processor, or to tune to a radio station based on RDS data without interrupting the host processor.

2. The host system of claim 1, wherein the command is to perform multiple search operations to search for multiple radio stations which meet a predetermined signal quality threshold, and wherein the data processor is configured to perform the multiple search operations to search for multiple radio stations without interrupting the host processor.

3. The host system of claim 2, wherein if a radio station meets the predetermined signal quality threshold, the data processor is configured to enable an audio output for the radio station and to wait for a predetermined time period before performing a successive search operation.

4. The host system of claim 2, wherein the data processor is configured to continue the multiple search operations without interrupting the host processor until the data processor receives a command, from the host processor, to stop the multiple search operations.

5. The host system of claim 2, wherein the data processor is configured to continue the multiple search operations without interrupting the host processor until an entire radio station frequency band is scanned.

6. The host system of claim 1, wherein the command is to scan for a plurality of radio stations producing the strongest received signal strengths, and wherein the data processor is configured to scan a radio station frequency band to determine the plurality of radio stations without interrupting the host processor.

7. The host system of claim 6, wherein the data processor is configured to tune to one of the plurality of radio stations having the strongest received signal strengths and/or to provide the determination to the host processor.

8. The host system of claim 1, wherein the command is to scan for a plurality of radio stations producing the weakest received signal strengths, and wherein the data processor is configured to scan a radio station frequency band to determine the plurality of radio stations without interrupting the host processor.

9. The host system of claim 8, wherein the data processor is configured to tune to one of the plurality of radio stations having the weakest received signal strengths and/or to provide the determination to the host processor.

10. The host system of claim 8, wherein the host processor is configured to select one of the plurality of radio stations and to transmit a signal on the one of the plurality of radio stations.

11. The host system of claim 1, wherein the command is to search for a radio station or radio stations transmitting a specified RDS program type (PTY), and wherein the data processor is configured to determine which radio station or which radio stations transmit the specified RDS PTY without interrupting the host processor.

12. The host system of claim 1, wherein the command is to search for a radio station or radio stations transmitting a specified RDS program identification (PI), and wherein the data processor is configured to determine which radio station or which radio stations transmit the specified RDS PI without interrupting the host processor.

13. The host system of claim 1, wherein the command is to tune to an RDS alternative frequency (AF), if available, wherein the data processor is configured to maintain an RDS AF list, which includes a plurality of radio stations that transmit a same RDS data, and wherein the data processor is configured to tune to one of the plurality of radio stations without interrupting the host processor.

14. The host system of claim 13, wherein the same RDS data is an RDS program identification (PI).

15. The host system of claim 1, wherein the data processor is configured to decode the RDS data, and wherein the RDS data includes an RDS program type (PTY), RDS program identification (PI) or an RDS alternative frequency (AF) information.

16. The host system of claim 1, further comprising:

an audio component, a display module, a keypad module, and a data memory.

17. A data processor for searching for or tuning to one or more radio stations, comprising:

a receive module configured to receive a command from a host processor; and

one or more modules configured, based on the command, to perform multiple search operations for radio stations without interrupting the host processor, to search for a radio station based on radio data system (RDS) data without interrupting the host processor, or to tune to a radio station based on RDS data without interrupting the host processor.

18. The data processor of claim 17, wherein the command is to perform multiple search operations to search for multiple radio stations which meet a predetermined signal quality threshold, and wherein the one or more modules of the data processor are configured to perform the multiple search operations to search for multiple radio stations without interrupting the host processor.

19. The data processor of claim 18, wherein if a radio station meets the predetermined signal quality threshold, the one or more modules of the data processor are configured to enable an audio output for the radio station and to wait for a predetermined time period before performing a successive search operation.

20. A host system for searching for or tuning to one or more radio stations, comprising:

a host processor; and

a data processor comprising;

means for receiving a command from the host processor; and

means for performing multiple search operations for radio stations without interrupting the host processor based on the command, searching for a radio station associated with radio data system (RDS) data without interrupting the host processor based on the command, or tuning to a radio station associated with RDS data without interrupting the host processor based on the command.

21. The host system of claim 20, wherein the command is to perform multiple search operations to search for multiple radio stations which meet a predetermined signal quality threshold, and wherein the means for performing performs the multiple search operations to search for multiple radio stations without interrupting the host processor based on the command.

22. The host system of claim 21, wherein if a radio station meets the predetermined signal quality threshold, the means for performing enables an audio output for the radio station and waits for a predetermined time period before performing a successive search operation.

23. A method for searching for or tuning to one or more radio stations utilizing a data processor, the method comprising:

receiving, by a data processor, a command from a host processor;

performing one of the following by the data processor based on the command;

performing multiple search operations for radio stations without interrupting the host processor;

searching for a radio station based on radio data system (RDS) data without interrupting the host processor;

or

tuning to a radio station based on RDS data without interrupting the host processor.

24. The host system of claim 23, wherein the command is to perform multiple search operations to search for multiple radio stations which meet a predetermined signal quality threshold, and the multiple search operations to search for multiple radio stations are performed without interrupting the host processor.

25. A machine-readable medium encoded with instructions for searching for or tuning to one or more radio stations utilizing a data processor, the instructions comprising code for:

receiving, by a data processor, a command from a host processor;

performing one of the following by the data processor based on the command;

performing multiple search operations for radio stations without interrupting the host processor;

searching for a radio station based on radio data system (RDS) data without interrupting the host processor;

or

tuning to a radio station based on RDS data without interrupting the host processor.