On-demand type radio transmitting/receiving apparatus and method for car user

• US 6,721,536 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shimazu, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Application Number:
  US09/663,357
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.02, 455/3.07, 455/3.04, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/456, 455/427, 375/260, 725/86, 725/87
• US Class Current: 455/3.02
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving

Abstract

In an on-demand type radio transmitting/receiving apparatus, a commercial program stores commercial broadcasting information. A commercial broadcasting device always continuously periodically broadcasts a plurality of commercial programs as a unit. A taste storage device stores a type of information desired by the user. A time storage device holds the latest current time. A position storage device holds the latest position information. An address & longitude/latitude correspondence device incorporates a correspondence table of a normal address and longitude/latitude information and, upon receiving an address as an input, outputs corresponding longitude/latitude information. Upon receiving the commercial program, a commercial program selector compares the classification information, time information, and longitude/latitude information in the commercial program with values in the taste storage device, time storage device, and position storage device, and selects and outputs only a matching commercial program. A reproducer reproduces the content of the commercial program output from the commercial program selector. An on-demand type radio transmitting/receiving method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An on-demand type radio transmitting/receiving apparatus for selecting, from digital satellite radio broadcasting or digital ground radio broadcasting simultaneously broadcast to many unspecified persons, only information which matches a current position and current time of a car driven by a user and matches desired information registered in advance by the user, and presenting the information to the user, comprising:

a commercial program which stores commercial broadcasting information to which classification information of a content, and time information and position information, which represent effective time and position of the content, respectively, are attached;

a commercial broadcasting device which serves as a digital radio broadcasting device on a broadcasting station side, including the digital satellite radio broadcasting or digital ground radio broadcasting, and always continuously periodically broadcasts a plurality of commercial programs as a unit;

a taste storage device for storing a type of information desired by the user;

a time storage device for holding the latest current time;

a position storage device for holding the latest position information;

an address &

longitude/latitude correspondence device which incorporates a correspondence table of a normal address and longitude/latitude information and, upon receiving an address as an input, outputs corresponding longitude/latitude information;

a commercial program selector which receives the commercial program, transfers a value representing an address as position information in the commercial program to said address &

longitude/latitude correspondence device, receives longitude/latitude information converted from the address, compares the classification information, time information, and longitude/latitude information in the commercial program with values in said taste storage device, time storage device, and position storage device, and selects and outputs only a matching commercial program; and

a reproducer for reproducing the content of the commercial program output from said commercial program selector.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said apparatus further comprises

a service program which stores information available for the user,

a commercial-to-service distribution ratio designator for storing a ratio of a broadcasting time of the service program to that of the commercial program,

a service broadcasting device which sequentially broadcasts service programs, sets, between the service programs, a blank time calculated on the basis of the ratio designated by said commercial-to-service distribution ratio designator, in which no broadcasting wave is transmitted, broadcasts an identifier representing a start of the blank time and length information of the blank time at the start of the blank time, and after an elapse of the time designated by the length information, in which no broadcasting wave is transmitted, broadcasts the next service program,

a commercial program storage device for storing the commercial program output from said commercial program selector,

a timer for starting measuring time when a set time is set, and transmitting an end event after an elapse of the set time, and

a broadcasting mixer which normally receives the service program transmitted from said service broadcasting device, directly transfers the service program to said reproducer, upon detecting the identifier representing the start of the blank time between the service programs, sets the length information of the blank time in said timer, activates said timer, extracts the commercial programs stored in said commercial program storage device one by one, and transfers the commercial programs to said reproducer until the end event of the timer is detected; and

said reproducer reproduces the service program and commercial program transferred from said broadcasting mixer.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said apparatus further comprises

a second commercial broadcasting device which is assigned, in units of regions, to commercial information belonging to each region to periodically broadcast the commercial program independently of said commercial broadcasting device, and

a commercial broadcasting device selector which receives the user'"'"'s current position held in said position storage device, determines whether said commercial broadcasting device or said second commercial broadcasting device is assigned to a region to which the current position belongs, receives the commercial program on the assigned side, and transfers the commercial program to said commercial program selector;

and

said commercial program selector receives the commercial program from said commercial broadcasting device selector, transfers the value representing the address as the position information in the commercial program to said address &

longitude/latitude correspondence device, receives longitude/latitude information converted from the address, compares the classification information, time information, and longitude/latitude information in the commercial program with the values in said taste storage device, time storage device, and position storage device, and selects and outputs only a matching commercial program.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an emergency program having the same expression format as that of the commercial program and representing emergency information including accident information and earthquake/tidal wave information;

an emergency broadcasting device which has the same mechanism as that of said commercial broadcasting device and broadcasts the emergency program only when emergency information is present;

an emergency broadcasting program selector which receives the emergency program from said emergency broadcasting device, compares time information and position information contained in the emergency program with the values in said time storage device and position storage device, respectively, and selects and outputs the matching emergency program; and

an emergency broadcasting compatible broadcasting mixer which is provided in place of said broadcasting mixer, normally executes the same processing as that of said broadcasting mixer, and upon receiving the emergency program from said emergency broadcasting compatible commercial program selector, forcibly interrupts contents which are currently being broadcast to transfer the emergency program to said reproducer.

5. An on-demand type radio transmitting/receiving method of selecting, from digital satellite radio broadcasting or digital ground radio broadcasting simultaneously broadcast to many unspecified persons, only information which matches a current position and current time of a car driven by a user and matches desired information registered in advance by the user, and presenting the information to the user, comprising the steps of:

causing a commercial broadcasting device serving as a digital radio broadcasting device on a broadcasting station side, including the digital satellite radio broadcasting or digital ground radio broadcasting to always continuously periodically broadcast a plurality of commercial programs as a unit, the commercial program storing commercial broadcasting information to which classification information of a content, and time information and position information, which represent effective time and position of the content, respectively, are attached;

storing a type of information desired by the user in a taste storage device;

holding the latest current time in a time storage device;

holding the latest position information in a position storage device;

causing an address &

longitude/latitude correspondence device to incorporate a correspondence table of a normal address and longitude/latitude information and, upon receiving an address as an input, output corresponding longitude/latitude information;

causing a commercial program selector to receive the commercial program, transfer a value representing an address as position information in the commercial program to the address &

longitude/latitude correspondence device, receive longitude/latitude information converted from the address, compare the classification information, time information, and longitude/latitude information in the commercial program with values in the taste storage device, time storage device, and position storage device, and select and output only a matching commercial program; and

causing a reproducer to reproduce the content of the commercial program output from the commercial program selector.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

causing a commercial-to-service distribution ratio designator to store a ratio of a broadcasting time of a service program to that of the commercial program, the service program storing information available for the user;

causing a service broadcasting device to sequentially broadcast service programs, set, between the service programs, a blank time calculated on the basis of the ratio designated by the commercial-to-service distribution ratio designator, in which no broadcasting wave is transmitted, broadcast an identifier representing a start of the blank time and length information of the blank time at the start of the blank time, and after an elapse of the time designated by the length information, in which no broadcasting wave is transmitted, broadcast the next service program;

causing a commercial program storage device to store the commercial program output from the commercial program selector;

causing a timer to start measuring time when a set time is set, and transmit an end event after an elapse of the set time;

causing a broadcasting mixer to normally receive the service program transmitted from the service broadcasting device, directly transfer the service program to the reproducer, detect the identifier representing the start of the blank time between the service programs, set the length information of the blank time in the timer, activate the timer, extract the commercial programs stored in the commercial program storage device one by one, and transfer the commercial programs to the reproducer until the end event of the timer is detected; and

causing the reproducer to reproduce the service program and commercial program transferred from the broadcasting mixer.

7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

assigning a second commercial broadcasting device, in units of regions, to commercial information belonging to each region and causing the second commercial broadcasting device to periodically broadcast the commercial program independently of the commercial broadcasting device;

causing a commercial broadcasting device selector to receive the user'"'"'s current position held in the position storage device, determine whether the commercial broadcasting device or the second commercial broadcasting device is assigned to a region to which the current position belongs, receive the commercial program on the assigned side, and transfer the commercial program to the commercial program selector; and

causing the commercial program selector to receive the commercial program from the commercial broadcasting device selector, transfer the value representing the address as the position information in the commercial program to the address &

longitude/latitude correspondence device, receive longitude/latitude information converted from the address, compare the classification information, time information, and longitude/latitude information in the commercial program with the values in the taste storage device, time storage device, and position storage device, and select and output only a matching commercial program.

8. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

causing an emergency broadcasting device which has the same mechanism as that of the commercial broadcasting device to broadcast an emergency program only when emergency information is present, the program having the same expression format as that of the commercial program and representing emergency information including accident information and earthquake/tidal wave information;

causing an emergency broadcasting program selector to receive the emergency program from the emergency broadcasting device, compare time information and position information contained in the emergency program with the values in the time storage device and position storage device, respectively, and select and output the matching emergency program; and

causing an emergency broadcasting compatible broadcasting mixer provided in place of the broadcasting mixer to normally execute the same processing as that of the broadcasting mixer, receive the emergency program from the emergency broadcasting compatible commercial program selector, and forcibly interrupt contents which are currently being broadcast to transfer the emergency program to the reproducer.