Control section for an RDS-TMC radio receiver

• US 5,603,108 A
• Filed: 12/20/1994
• Issued: 02/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Thoone, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANKS HAROLD, MARSHA DENISE
• Application Number:
  US08/359,368
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 455/185.1, 455/186.1, 455/226.2, 455/184.1, 455/186.2, 455/161.1, 455/166.2, 455/45, 455/345, 455/153.1, 340/905
• US Class Current: 455/186.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/094 Hardware aspects; Signal processing or signal properties, e.g. frequency bands

Abstract

A control section for a radio receiver receives and decodes information transmitted in coded form in the Radio Data System (RDS) in its Traffic Message Channel (TMC). The control section, which should simplify access to the transmitted information, has an information key and/or an area key and/or storage keys. The information key can activate a plurality of functions. The area key and the storage keys provide access to information about selected areas.

Claims

1. A control section for a mobile radio receiver which receives and decodes information transmitted in coded form in the Radio Data System (RDS) in its Traffic Message Channel (TMC), wherein the control section comprises an information key which, when actuated for the duration of a first time interval, causes received, decoded and previously stored information to be reproduced, and which, when actuated for the duration of a second time interval, searches for other RDS-TMC stations than the currently received ROS-TMC station.

2. A control section for a mobile radio receiver as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control section further comprises an area key upon whose actuation only that information is reproduced which corresponds to the immediate surrounding area in which the radio receiver is situated.

3. A control section for a radio receiver, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the area in which the receiver is situated is derived from the frequency of the received station and/or the alternative frequencies transmitted in the RDS information.

4. A control section for a radio receiver, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the duration of the first time interval is shorter than the duration of the second time interval.

5. A control section for a radio receiver as claimed in claim 1 wherein said information key comprises a single key with a single actuation position.

6. A control section for a radio receiver as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a separate area key which, when actuated, causes only that information to be reproduced which corresponds to the area in which the radio receiver is situated.

7. A control section for a radio receiver as claimed in claim 6 which further comprises plural storage keys via which actuation thereof causes only selected stored areas and/or selected itineraries corresponding to an actuated storage key to be reproduced.

8. A control section for a radio receiver as claimed in claim 6, wherein the area in which the receiver is situated is derived from the frequency of the received station and/or the alternative frequencies transmitted in the RDS information.

9. A control section for a mobile radio receiver which receives and decodes information transmitted in coded form in the Radio Data System (RDS) in its Traffic Message Channel (TMC), wherein the control section comprises:

an information key which, when actuated for the duration of a first time interval, causes received, decoded and previously stored information to be reproduced, and which, when actuated for the duration of a second time interval, searches for other RDS-TMC stations than the currently received RDS-TMC station, and storage keys by means of which selected areas and/or selected itineraries can be stored and upon whose actuation only that information is reproduced which corresponds to the areas and or itineraries stored in relation to an actuated key.

11. A control section for a radio receiver as claimed in claim 9 wherein the areas and/or itineraries to be stored under a storage key are selected from a selection list.

12. A control section for a radio receiver as claimed in claim 11 wherein the control section further comprises an area key upon whose actuation only that information is reproduced which corresponds to the area in which the radio receiver is situated.

10. A control section for a radio receiver which receives and decodes information transmitted in coded form in the Radio Data System (RDS) in its Traffic Message Channel (TMC), wherein the control section comprises:

storage keys by means of which selected areas and/or selected itineraries can be stored and upon whose actuation only that information is reproduced which corresponds to the areas and or itineraries stored in relation to an actuated key, and the areas and/or itineraries to be stored under a storage key are selected from a selection list.