Method of tuning a radio receiver using RDS information

Details Method of tuning a radio receiver using RDS information Method of tuning a radio receiver using RDS information

1992-12-30

1995-02-14

Kuntz, Curtis

Telecommunications

Receiver or analog modulated signal frequency converter

Signal selection based on frequency

4551662, 4551861, 4551941, H04B 116

Patent

active

053903439

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method of tuning a microcomputer-controlled radio receiver to the one of several transmitters broadcasting the same program best satisfying reception quality requirements by making use of RDS information and preferably by using only one receiving section. The method according to the invention is particularly intended for application in mobile radio receivers, especially car radios.
Since the availability of RDS information it has become possible to automatically tune also radio receivers having merely one receiving section to the one of several transmitters broadcasting the same program best satisfying the requirements of reception quality. The RDS information also facilitates achieving radio receivers having two receiving sections, one of which is continuously involved in checking the alternative transmitter frequencies transmitted in the RDS information.
To be able to select from the alternative transmitter frequencies as contained in the RDS data stream the one actually having the best quality of reception, each of the individual alternative transmitter frequencies must be tested. Since up to 40 alternative transmitter frequencies can be identified to the transmitter set in each case, checking all of the frequencies necessitates a time duration of considerable length. Although the quality of reception of a transmitter can be measured relatively quickly on the basis of the field strength and other signals indicating the occurrence of noise in reception (multi-path reception, adjacent and co-channel noise), determining the identity code of a transmitter set for checking takes up a time period of up to 1 second. Checking the identity code is necessary, however, since due to random overlapping of reception sectors ambiguities may arise. Due to special conditions of reception it is possible that a program can be received under a given frequency contained in the RDS data stream which is different to that to which the transmitter is momentarily tuned, the alternative frequencies of which are included in the data stream.
Since checking the quality of reception and the identity code of all alternative frequencies listed in the RDS data stream necessitates a considerable time period there is the problem particularly in mobile radio receivers that the information obtained in checking the alternative transmitters is no longer current at the moment at which tuning to an alternative transmitter is required, due to the quality of reception of the transmitter tuned momentarily deteriorating. This problem is particularly serious in radio receivers having only a single receiver section since this is to be tuned to an alternative frequency only for a very brief time so that the changeover does not become a nuisance. Checking the identity code is only possible when the receiver remains tuned to the alternative frequency for a time period of at least a few hundred milliseconds which requires that the quality of reception is sufficient.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention creates a method of tuning a microcomputer-controlled radio receiver by making use of the RDS information which can be applied to both two-receiver and single-receiver concepts, the advantages of which are particularly obvious with receivers having only a single receiver section and with mobile receivers. The invention is based on the knowledge that in tuning to an alternative frequency stated in the RDS data stream the probability of selecting the one actually satisfying the best requirements for quality of reception can be considerably enhanced when dynamic handling of the established quality evaluation information and identity code results. The data obtained from the RDS data stream is first memorized in a table of alternative transmitters. As soon as tuning to a transmitter occurs, the frequency of which is held in the table, a quality evaluation information is memorized in relation to this frequency. In tuning to one of the alternative frequencies of the table the priority resulting from the

REFERENCES:
patent: 4641367 (1987-02-01), Van Dearson et al.
patent: 4783658 (1988-11-01), Nakano et al.
patent: 4881273 (1989-11-01), Koyama et al.
patent: 5027431 (1991-06-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5212818 (1993-03-01), Fukami
patent: 5222254 (1993-06-01), Verron et al.

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