Radio receiver with a radio data signal (RDS) decoder

• US 5,428,827 A
• Filed: 07/24/1991
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Blaupunkt-Werke GmbH (Aurelius AG)
• Original Assignee: Blaupunkt-Werke GmbH (Aurelius AG)
• Inventors: Kasser, Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Application Number:
  US07/735,059
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 455/32.1, 455/45, 455/161.1, 455/161.2, 455/161.3, 455/164.1, 455/164.2, 455/165.1, 455/166.1, 455/166.2, 455/185.1, 455/186.1, 455/228
• US Class Current: 455/161.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/22 Arrangements for broadcast of identical information via plural broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]

Abstract

A radio data system (RDS) receiver has a station selector circuit including a microprocessor, several Alternative Frequency (AF) memory cells, and at least one learning memory cell associated with each AF memory cell. In a preferred embodiment, a counter is associated with each learning memory cell. The AF memory cells store alternative frequencies decoded from a Radio Data System signal. As each station is tuned successfully, i.e. with adequate signal strength, its frequency is stored in one of the learning memory cells. When signal deterioration requires a skip to a new frequency, the "skip frequencies" stored in the learning memory cells are preferred to other frequencies. The counters keep track of how many times, since power-up, each frequency has been successfully tuned, and the frequency with the highest count is the "most preferred" alternative frequency.

Claims

1. A radio receiver according to the radio data system (RDS) standard, having

a tuner (2);

a radio data signal decoder (9) coupled to the output of said tuner (2);

an automatic transmitter or station selector (3) having an input coupled to the output of said decoder (9) and having an output coupled to a control input of said tuner (2), for directing said tuner to change from a first reception frequency which has inadequate signal strength for reproduction of a radio program to one of a plurality of alternative reception frequencies having adequate signal strength for reproduction of radio program,

wherein each one of the reception frequencies includes a program identification (PI) code, and the program identification codes transmitted at said first and said alternative frequencies are all identical;

a memory means having a plurality of memory units (13), each memory unit storing one of the plurality of alternative reception frequencies, as defined in said RDS standard, decoded from said radio data signal;

a microprocessor (16) in said station selector (3) with a program for changing the tuning of said tuner (2) to one of the alternative reception frequencies as stored in said memory units (13); and

a counter (15) associated with, and coupled to each memory cell (14) to count how often a change to the respective alternative frequency of the associated memory cell (14) is made;

and wherein each said memory units (13) includes at least one respective memory cell (14);

the memory cells (14) of said memory units store the alternative frequency of the respective reception frequency to which the tuning of the tuner is to be changed upon change from the first reception frequency to that one of the alternative reception frequencies having adequate signal strength for reproduction of the radio program, and

wherein, when the signal strength of a currently tuned transmitted is below a predetermined threshold level, and a frequency change is therefore necessary, said microprocessor (16) compares respective count values stored in said counters (15) and direct said tuner to tune to that alternative frequency stored in that one of the memory units (13), which is coupled to and connected to the memory cell (14), in which the associated counter (15) has the highest of the count values of all the counters.

2. The radio receiver according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of memory cells (14) are provided forming a group of memory cells, which group of cells is coupled to each memory unit (13).