Wireless broadcast receiving device for vehicle

• US 7,499,683 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ogasawara, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, NGUYEN THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/447,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20060276150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 455/132, 455/133, 455/179.1, 455/185.1, 455/186.1
• US Class Current: 455/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/55 for traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations

Abstract

A vehicle is provided with a navigation system that includes a traffic information receiver and a radio receiver. The traffic information receiver receives traffic information from one of multiple traffic information broadcasting stations having respective service regions. The radio receiver selectively receives (i) traffic information from one of the multiple traffic information broadcasting stations and (ii) a radio program from a radio broadcasting station. When the vehicle approaches a border between (i) a current service region where the traffic information receiver is receiving traffic information and (ii) a neighboring service region, whether the radio receiver is in use or not is determined. Based on the determination, the traffic information receiver or the radio receiver is tuned to a traffic information broadcasting station covering the neighboring service region.

Claims

1. A wireless broadcast receiving device for a vehicle, comprising:

a first receiver that wirelessly receives traffic information from one of a plurality of traffic information broadcasting stations;

a second receiver that wirelessly and selectively receives one of (i) traffic information from one of the traffic information broadcasting stations and (ii) a radio program from a radio broadcasting station;

a storage device that stores correspondence data that associates each of the traffic information broadcasting stations with a certain region included in a plurality of regions, wherein traffic information from the each of the traffic information broadcasting stations is receivable in the certain region;

a position detector that detects a current position of the vehicle; and

a controller that includes

a tuning unit that tunes the first receiver and the second receiver to the traffic information broadcasting stations based on the detected current position and

a determining unit that makes a determination whether or not the second receiver is in use when the vehicle approaches a border between (i) a current region including the current position and (ii) a neighboring region adjacent to the current region, while the first receiver is tuned to a first station of the traffic information broadcasting stations which is associated with the current region, wherein

the tuning unit tunes one of the first receiver and the second receiver to a second station of the traffic information broadcasting stations which is associated with the neighboring region, based on the determination made by the determining unit.

2. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 1, wherein

when the determination made by the determining unit is negative, the tuning unit tunes the second receiver to the second station.

3. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 1, wherein

when the determination is affirmative, the determining unit makes an additional determination whether a broadcasting station, to which the second receiver is tuned, accords with the first station, and

when the additional determination is affirmative, the tuning unit tunes the first receiver to the second station.

4. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 1, further comprising:

a third receiver for wirelessly and selectively receiving one of (i) traffic information from one of the traffic information broadcasting stations and (ii) a radio program from a radio broadcasting station, wherein

the determining unit further makes a determination whether the third receiver is also in use when the second receiver is determined to be in use.

5. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 4, wherein,

when it is determined that both the second receiver and the third receiver are in use, the determining unit determines an additional determination whether a broadcasting station, to which the second receiver, accords with the first station.

6. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 5, wherein,

when the broadcasting station to which the second receiver is determined to be not according with the first station, the tuning unit tunes the third receiver to the second station.

7. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 5, wherein,

when the broadcasting station to which the second receiver is determined to be according with the first station, the tuning unit tunes the first receiver to the second station.

8. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 1, wherein

the controller includes a destination determination unit for determining whether a destination of the vehicle is out of the current region, and

the determining unit makes any determination only when the destination is determined to be out of the current region.

9. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 1, wherein

the first receiver selectively receives one of (i) traffic information from one of the traffic information broadcasting stations and (ii) a radio program from a radio broadcasting station, like the second receiver.

10. A wireless broadcast receiving device for a vehicle, comprising:

a first receiver that wirelessly receives traffic information from one of a plurality of traffic information broadcasting stations;

a second receiver that wirelessly and selectively receives one of (i) traffic information from one of the traffic information broadcasting stations and (ii) a radio program from a radio broadcasting station;

a storage device that stores correspondence data that associates each of the traffic information broadcasting stations with a certain region included in a plurality of regions, wherein traffic information broadcasted from the each of the traffic information broadcasting stations is receivable in the certain region;

a position detector that detects a current position of the vehicle; and

a controller that includes

a tuning unit that tunes the first receiver to a first station of the traffic information broadcasting stations which is associated with a current region including the current position, and tunes the second receiver to a second station of the traffic information broadcasting stations which is associated with a neighboring region adjacent to the current region when the second receiver is not in use when the vehicle approaches a border between (i) the current region and (ii) the neighboring region; and

a determining unit that makes a determination whether a broadcasting station, to which the second receiver is tuned, accords with the first station when the second receiver is in use when the vehicle approaches the border, wherein

when the broadcasting station to which the second receiver is tuned is determined to be according with the first station, the tuning unit switches a traffic information broadcasting station, to which the first receiver is tuned, from the first station to the second station.

11. The wireless broadcast receiving device of claim 10, further comprising:

a third receiver for wirelessly and selectively receiving one of (i) traffic information from one of the traffic information broadcasting stations and (ii) a radio program from a radio broadcasting station, wherein;

when at least one receiver of the second receiver and the third receiver is not in use, the tuning unit tunes the first receiver to the first station and tunes the at least one receiver in not use to the second station when the vehicle approaches the border;

the determining unit makes the determination whether the broadcasting station, to which the second receiver is tuned, accords with the first station when both the second receiver and the third receiver are in use when the vehicle approaches the border; and

when the broadcasting station, to which the second receiver is tuned, is determined to be not according with the first station, the tuning unit tunes the third receiver to the second station.

12. A wireless broadcast receiving device for a vehicle, comprising:

a first receiver that wirelessly receives traffic information from one of a plurality of traffic information broadcasting stations;

a second receiver that wirelessly and selectively receives one of (i) traffic information from one of the traffic information broadcasting stations and (ii) a radio program from a radio broadcasting station;

a storage device that stores correspondence data that associates each of the traffic information broadcasting stations with a certain region included in a plurality of regions, wherein traffic information from the each of the traffic information broadcasting stations is receivable in the certain region;

a position detector that detects a current position of the vehicle;

tuning means for tuning the first receiver and the second receiver to the traffic information broadcasting stations based on the detected current position;

determining means for making a determination whether the second receiver is in use when the vehicle approaches a border between (i) a current region including the current position and (ii) a neighboring region adjacent to the current region, while the first receiver is tuned to a first station of the traffic information broadcasting stations which is associated with the current region, wherein

the tuning means selectively tunes one of the first receiver and the second receiver to a second station of the traffic information broadcasting stations which is associated with the neighboring region, based on the determination made by the determining means.

13. A method used in a wireless broadcast receiving device for a vehicle,

the device including:

a first receiver that wirelessly receives traffic information from one of a plurality of traffic information broadcasting stations;

a second receiver that wirelessly and selectively receives one of (i) traffic information from one of the traffic information broadcasting stations and (ii) a radio program from a radio broadcasting station;

a storage device that stores correspondence data that associates each of the traffic information broadcasting stations with a certain region included in a plurality of regions, wherein traffic information broadcasted from the each of the traffic information broadcasting stations is receivable in the certain region; and

a position detector that detects a current position of the vehicle,

the method comprising;

tuning the first receiver to a first station of the traffic information broadcasting stations which is associated with a current region including the current position;

making a first determination whether the vehicle approaches a border between (i) the current region and (ii) a neighboring region adjacent to the current region;

making a second determination whether the second receiver is in use, when the first determination is affirmative; and

selectively tuning one of the first receiver and the second receiver to a second station of the traffic information broadcasting stations which is associated with the neighboring region, based on a result of the second determination.