Program related data in an FM RDS receiver

• US 6,711,390 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2000
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Moers, Paulus Louis Guido
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US09/673,904
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 455/73, 455/45, 455/180.2, 455/180.4, 455/188.2, 455/186.1, 455/186.2, 455/161.1, 455/161.2, 455/161.3, 455/184.1, 455/226.1, 455/226.2
• US Class Current: 455/186.1
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0083 using two or more tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]

Abstract

Method for processing transmitter and program related data in an FM RDS receiver and receiver executing the method, providing a band scanning search for detecting FM RDS transmitters exceeding a predetermined reception quality level. To enhance efficiency in data processing and use of storage capacity, transmitter related data including tuning data is stored separately from program related RDS data. Per each detected transmitter a quality factor indicating the quality in reception quality thereof is being allocated to each detected RDS transmitter and stored in a first memory bank, along with the relevant tuning data. Per each program identification code carried in the RDS data of the so detected transmitters program related FM RDS data are being stored in a second memorybank, a linkage code defining the storage address within the second memory bank containing the program data carried by the relevant FM RDS transmitter being allocated to the transmitter data of each FM RDS transmitter and stored in the first memory bank.

Claims

1. A method for processing transmitter and program related data in an FM RDS receiver comprising the steps of:

scanning a frequency band to detect FM RDS transmitters that exceed a threshold level;

receiving signals from a first detected FM RDS transmitter that exceeds the threshold level and reading transmitter data and program related FM RDS data including a unique program identification code;

storing transmitter data for each transmitter that exceeds the threshold level, wherein the transmitter data includes tuning data and a quality factor indicating a reception quality of the transmitter;

storing program related FM RDS data for received transmitter data from the first detected FM RDS transmitter and allocating a linkage code to the transmitter data for the first detected FM RDS transmitter, wherein the linkage code defines a memory location for program data carried by the first FM RDS transmitter; and

wherein program related FM RDS data including a program identification code is read from a second detected FM RDS transmitter and the program related FM RDS data from the second detected FM RDS is compared with the stored program related FM RDS data and if the program related FM RDS data from the second detected FM RDS transmitter is identical to the stored program related RDS data, allocating the linkage code defining memory locations for program data carried by the first FM RDS transmitter to the transmitter data from the second detected FM RDS transmitter.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of performing the scanning search is repeated in subsequent scan cycles and the transmitter related data is updated as to a quality factor and transmitters are deleted when the quality factor decreases below a threshold.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of switching from a first FM RDS transmitter to a second FM RDS transmitter when the first FM RDS transmitter signal decreases below a threshold level.

4. An FM RDS receiver comprising:

first and second tuner circuits for receiving audio signals and FM RDS data;

a tuning control means which varies a tuning frequency of the second tuner circuit over a frequency band to detect FM RDS transmitters that exceed a threshold level;

wherein the first tuner circuit automatically switches from tuning to a received first FM RDS transmitter to a second FM RDS transmitter when a reception quality of the first FM RDS transmitter falls below a threshold level; and

a means for storing a quality factor associated with the received first FM RDS signal wherein a linkage code defines a storage location for program related FM RDS data including a unique program identification code associated with the received first FM RDS transmitter; and

wherein program related FM RDS data including a program identification code is read from a second detected FM RDS transmitter and the program related FM RDS data from the second detected FM RDS is compared with the stored program related FM RDS data and if the program related FM RDS data from the second detected FM RDS transmitter is identical to the stored program related RDS data, allocating the linkage code defining memory locations for program data carried by the first FM RDS transmitter to the transmitter data from the second detected FM RDS transmitter and storing a quality factor associated with the received second FM RDS signal.

5. An FM RDS receiver according to claim 4, wherein the tuning control means controls the tuning of the second tuning circuit to repeat a band scanning search in subsequent scan cycles to update a quality factor of each detected transmitter and wherein.

6. An FM RDS receiver according to claim 5, wherein a processing unit limits a selection of FM RDS transmitters which have a similar linkage code.