Method for the field strength dependent analysis of radio information for vehicles
First Claim
1. In a vehicle with a radio receiver unit comprising a scanner-receiver, a frequency demodulator, a radio data signal program identification coder, an analog-to-digital converter, and a frequency counter, wherein the scanner-receiver supplies an intermediate frequency signal comprising a data signal to the frequency demodulator, wherein the frequency demodulator has an output coupled to the radio data signal program identification coder, wherein responsive to the frequency demodulator output, the radio data signal program identification coder outputs a radio data signal comprising an identification sign for a specific transmission program, wherein the analog-to-digital converter is coupled to the scanner-receiver and outputs a currently received field-strength signal responsive to the scanner receiver, and wherein the frequency counter is coupled to the scanner receiver and outputs a currently received frequency signal responsive to the scanner-receiver, a method for field-strength-dependent analysis of radio information comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of reference field-strength profiles in a memory of a microcomputer unit, each reference profile having a corresponding information data;
periodically scanning the scanner-receiver to obtain (i) a radio data signal, (ii) a field-strength signal, and (iii) a frequency signal for a plurality of received radio signals, each received radio signal transmitted from a different radio transmitter;
coupling the radio data signals, field-strength signals and frequency signals to the microcomputer unit, wherein the microcomputer unit includes an electronic control unit;
responsive to the radio data signal, identifying the radio transmitters transmitting the received radio signals;
responsive to each field-strength signal, assigning a received field-strength value to the corresponding identified radio transmitter;
forming in the electronic control unit, a current field-strength profile for the identified radio transmitters dependent on a receiving location, according to the sub-steps of(i) coding the identified transmitters, and(ii) ordering the codes according to a magnitude of the assigned received field-strength values to form ordered sequences;
storing the current field-strength profile in the memory of the microcomputer unit;
comparing the current field-strength profile to each of the reference field-strength profiles; and
responsive to the comparison, outputting the data information corresponding to the reference field-strength profile that is equal to the current field-strength profile.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention pertains to a method for the field strength-dependent analysis of radio information for vehicles with a radio receiver unit (I), comprising a scanner-receiver (1), which supplies a radio data signal (RDS) as an identification sign for a specific transmission program through a radio data signal program identification decoder (3). The currently received field strength appears at the output of an analog-to-digital converter (4), and the currently received frequency (f) is measured by a frequency counter (5). The scanner-receiver (1) is periodically scanned, and the RDS sign, field strength (FS) and frequency (f) are linked in a microcomputer unit (II) for identification of the received transmitters and for assignment of the received field strength to the corresponding transmitter. This assignment is used to form current field-strength profile, which depends on the receiving location. In the arithmetic-logic unit (9) of the microcomputer system (II), the current field-strength profile is compared with reference field-strength profiles from a reference memory (8, 11). When they are the same, an output unit (10) is supplied with the information that is assigned to the reference field-strength profile.
23 Citations
11 Claims
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1. In a vehicle with a radio receiver unit comprising a scanner-receiver, a frequency demodulator, a radio data signal program identification coder, an analog-to-digital converter, and a frequency counter, wherein the scanner-receiver supplies an intermediate frequency signal comprising a data signal to the frequency demodulator, wherein the frequency demodulator has an output coupled to the radio data signal program identification coder, wherein responsive to the frequency demodulator output, the radio data signal program identification coder outputs a radio data signal comprising an identification sign for a specific transmission program, wherein the analog-to-digital converter is coupled to the scanner-receiver and outputs a currently received field-strength signal responsive to the scanner receiver, and wherein the frequency counter is coupled to the scanner receiver and outputs a currently received frequency signal responsive to the scanner-receiver, a method for field-strength-dependent analysis of radio information comprising the steps of:
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storing a plurality of reference field-strength profiles in a memory of a microcomputer unit, each reference profile having a corresponding information data; periodically scanning the scanner-receiver to obtain (i) a radio data signal, (ii) a field-strength signal, and (iii) a frequency signal for a plurality of received radio signals, each received radio signal transmitted from a different radio transmitter; coupling the radio data signals, field-strength signals and frequency signals to the microcomputer unit, wherein the microcomputer unit includes an electronic control unit; responsive to the radio data signal, identifying the radio transmitters transmitting the received radio signals; responsive to each field-strength signal, assigning a received field-strength value to the corresponding identified radio transmitter; forming in the electronic control unit, a current field-strength profile for the identified radio transmitters dependent on a receiving location, according to the sub-steps of (i) coding the identified transmitters, and (ii) ordering the codes according to a magnitude of the assigned received field-strength values to form ordered sequences; storing the current field-strength profile in the memory of the microcomputer unit; comparing the current field-strength profile to each of the reference field-strength profiles; and responsive to the comparison, outputting the data information corresponding to the reference field-strength profile that is equal to the current field-strength profile. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. In a vehicle with a radio receiver unit comprising (i) a scanner-receiver for supplying an intermediate frequency signal comprising a data signal, (ii) a frequency demodulator coupled to the scanner-receiver and receiving the intermediate frequency signal, (iii) a radio data signal program identification coder coupled to an output of the frequency demodulator, wherein responsive to the frequency demodulator output, the radio data signal program identification coder outputs a radio data signal comprising an identification sign for a specific transmission program, (iv) an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the scanner-receiver and, responsive thereto, outputting a currently received field-strength signal, and (v) a frequency counter, coupled to the scanner receiver and outputting a currently received frequency signal responsive to the scanner-receiver, a method for field-strength-dependent analysis of radio information comprising the steps of:
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storing a plurality of reference field-strength profiles, each reference profile having a corresponding information data; periodically scanning the scanner-receiver to obtain (i) a radio data signal, (ii) a field-strength signal, and (iii) a frequency signal for a plurality of received radio signals, each received radio signal transmitted from a different radio transmitter; forming a current field-strength profile for the identified radio transmitters dependent on a receiving location; comparing the current field-strength profile to each of the reference field-strength profiles; and responsive to the comparison, outputting the data information corresponding to the reference field-strength profile that is equal to the current field-strength profile, wherein the output data information is received by a vehicle operator and comprises traffic information relevant only to the region in which the vehicle is presently located.
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Specification