EP0725500B1 - Means for managing digitally coded traffic messages in broadcast receivers - Google Patents

Description

The invention is based on a method according to the Genus of the main claim.

With the radio data system (RDS) an additional and inaudible transmission of digital data in parallel Broadcast programs in a data channel. Specifications of the radio data system for FM radio are among others in the publication Tech. 3244-E, March 1984 of the European Runfunk Union (EBU). Radio receivers with suitable RDS decoders can transmitted data in addition to radio reception with the Record and decode the same receiver. The Data transmission takes place in 32 groups of 108 bits each, each group is assigned a specific service. Group 8a is for the transmission of digitally coded Traffic announcements provided.

The structure and coding of these traffic reports are specified in detail in the standard proposal ALERT C, November 1990, published by the RDS ATT ALERT Consortium. The essential elements of a traffic announcement are the location and the event.
This information is cataloged, which means that every traffic-relevant location and every traffic-relevant event is assigned a unique code. The chaining of the locations in the location table along existing streets shows the course. In addition to the usual facilities of a receiving device with an RDS decoder, facilities for decoding, storing, further processing and outputting the traffic reports are required to use the traffic message channel TMC (Traffic Message Channel).

EP 290 679 A1 shows a device for receiving and treating Traffic information, with digitally coded traffic reports in a table are stored, with the individual traffic reports addresses and current Numbers are assigned.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for managing digital specify coded traffic reports that are about the pure storage of the Traffic reports going beyond the variety of traffic reports received is just and the received traffic reports in an advantageous manner Edition ready. The output can be by voice, by displaying Characters or through cartographic representations.

This task is characterized by the distinctive features of the independent Claim 1 solved.

The method according to the invention advantageously enables Way that all properly received traffic reports be saved and that a later access to the Traffic announcements is possible in a simple manner. Around Repeatedly received traffic reports are not additionally According to a development of the invention, having to save is provided that received Traffic reports by comparison with those already in the Memory traffic reports checked for novelty and that for the traffic reports received, the are no longer new, within the associated Management record the time of the last reception the traffic announcement is filed.

Another improvement in the management of the Traffic announcements are possible because the Administrative record contains the following additional information: Priority of the traffic report, address of the Administrative data record of the previous traffic report, Administrative record address of the following Traffic announcement, validity period and various Information about the status of the traffic report. The The status of the traffic announcement includes the following Attributes: verified, valid, new, decodable, selected, automatic traffic announcement output or whether it is a collective notification. Besides, inside of the administrative data record, according to which Category the traffic announcement as a collective announcement can be. Categories from A to Z are in the standard proposal ALERT C specified.

In order to keep the user informed, the The inventive method can also be provided that traffic reports received and recognized as valid and new checked for decodability and after comparison with a Selection criteria are decoded and output.

The selection criterion can be selected by the user via a suitable control unit of the receiving device entered , for example in the form "only traffic reports, which the A7 motorway north between Kassel and Hanover concern "or" only traffic reports, the locations within 50 km from the location of the vehicle concern ". This means that only the selected Traffic announcements are automatically output while others received traffic reports are only stored in the memory become. This will significantly relieve the burden Attention of the user is achieved.

Another development of the method according to the invention is that when the Selection criterion those stored in the memory Traffic reports with the changed selection criterion be compared and in the case of one so far not selected, but the changed selection criterion sufficient traffic announcement an automatic output he follows. It is preferably provided that in the Administrative data record the currently valid selection status is saved.

This training enables after a change of Selection criterion an edition of the so far only saved traffic reports. To the user not it is overwhelming, in particular, by the storage of the selection status possible, that for the changed Not to output the relevant traffic reports, if they are already under the previous one Selection criteria were output.

Another development of the invention is that a traffic announcement is deleted when it is not received again for a certain period of time or if it concerns a traffic report Deletion message is received. Preferably, the Administrative record the period of validity.

As is common in computer technology, deletion can be done by writing a special label in the Administrative data record. This training has the Advantage that the memory was not overhauled Traffic announcements is filled and that a deletion too is made if the radio broadcaster Deletion notification is omitted.

Fig. 1

ein Blockschaltbild eines zum Empfang von digital codierten Verkehrsmeldungen ausgelegten Empfangsgerätes und

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung eines Speichers für die Verkehrsmeldungen und die Verwaltungsdatensätze.

An embodiment is shown in the drawing using several figures and explained in more detail in the following description. It shows:

Fig. 1

a block diagram of a receiver designed for receiving digitally coded traffic reports and

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of a memory for the traffic reports and the administrative data records.

The exemplary embodiment is a block diagram shown. However, this does not mean that it is on one Realization with the help of individual blocks corresponding circuits is limited. The receiving device is rather in a particularly advantageous manner with the help of highly integrated circuits possible. You can digital signal processors are used, which at suitable programming in the block diagrams perform the processing steps shown.

Fig. 1 shows some to explain the invention required modules of a radio receiver and in Dashed framed part especially for the invention Setup of existing assemblies. The ones to be received Signals are sent to a receiving part 2 via an antenna 1 fed to the output of which an RDS decoder 3 is connected is. To control the radio receiver via a Control unit 4 serves a microcomputer 5. This is about a frequency adjuster 6 with a control input of the Receiving part 2 and with a control input one Audio amplifier 7 connected to the desired station and the playback parameters, such as volume, treble and Depth increase, etc. To an exit of the Audio amplifier 7, a speaker 8 is connected. The microcomputer 5 is also connected to a clock 9, from which data can be called up, which the date and represent the time.

At the center of the traffic information processing (TMC) serving facilities is another Microcomputer 11. This is the output signals of RDS decoders 3 supplied, from which the traffic reports be selected. The TMC microcomputer 11 is a Device 12 for handling the operation with the Microcomputer 5 connected. For example Commands processed by the control unit 4 to messages output or edit selection criteria that in a designated non-volatile Read / write memory 13 are stored.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is a Provided speech. This will be done in a Speech synthesis device 14 which decoded at 15 Traffic reports converted into voice signals and the Audio amplifier 7 fed. Traffic announcements and Administrative records are stored in memory 13. Just Read memories 16 and 17 contain a location list and one Events list.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the structure of the memory 13 (FIG. 1), the division of the individual memory or address areas being flexible depending on the length of the individual data records or traffic reports. Administrative data records 21 to 2n are stored in a first part 20 of the message memory, each of which contains the following data: Ser. Surname Explanation no. 1. * ptr_mes Pointer to the memory that contains the traffic announcement Second meld_nr Serial number of the traffic announcement according to the order Third meld_prio Priority (normal, urgent, extremly urgent) 4th * ptr_pre Pointer to traffic announcement before 5th * ptr_post Pointer to the next traffic announcement 6th Erstzeitstempel Month, week, day, hour, minute, second 7th Update timestamp Month, week, day, hour, minute, second 8th. period of validity Month, week, day, hour, minute, (calculated from the transmitted duration) 9th verified (0 = no, 1 = yes) 10th valid (0 = no, 1 = yes) 11th New (0 = no, 1 = yes) 12th decoded (0 = no, 1 = yes) 13th selected (0 = no, 1 = yes) 14th automatic traffic announcement (0 = no, 1 = yes) 15th collective-meld (0 = no, 1 = yes) 16th collective-kat Category according to which the traffic report can be regarded as a collective report A ... Z / 1 /

The pointer ptr_post is required to view the traffic reports to output in the order previously specified while the pointer ptr_pre is used after the output of a Traffic announcement at the request of the user repeat or several by making the appropriate operator inputs to repeat past.

With the help of those stored in the administrative records Addresses can then appear on traffic reports 31 to 3n in the part 30 of the memory can be accessed, which is indicated by arrows 41, 42, 43 is shown schematically. Arrows 44, 45 illustrate the pointers of an administrative record, those on the previous and the following Point out administrative data record.

Quick access to each Administrative data record and, if necessary, also on the respective traffic announcement is achieved in that a so-called header 46 is stored in the memory, which the Number n of traffic reports, a pointer PTR1 to the first management data record, a pointer PTRn to the last management record and a pointer PTRx to the administrative data record currently being processed contains.

Claims (6)

1. Method for administering digitally coded traffic messages in receivers, received traffic messages which have been tested for validity and novelty being stored in a memory and an administration data record (21 to 2n) being generated and stored per received new traffic message, the administration data record containing the following information:

   address of the associated traffic message in the memory,

   serial number of the traffic message according to the order in which it was first received,

   characterized in that the administration data record also contains at least the time of the first reception of the traffic message, in that the decodability of traffic messages which have been received and recognized and valid and novel is tested, and after the comparison with a selection criterion said traffic messages are decoded and output, and in that the respectively valid selection status is stored in the administration data record.
2. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that received traffic messages are tested for novelty by comparison with the traffic messages already stored in the memory, and in that, with respect to the received traffic messages which are no longer novel, the time of the respective last reception of the traffic message is stored within the associated administration data record.
3. Method according to one of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the administration data record (21-2n) contains the following further information:

   priority of the traffic message,

   address of the administration data record of the preceding traffic message,

   address of the administration data record of the following traffic message,

   duration of validity, and

   various information relating to the status of the traffic message.
4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when the selection criterion is changed, the traffic messages which are stored in the memory are compared with the changed selection criterion and a traffic message which has previously not been selected but satisfies the changed selection criterion is output automatically.
5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a traffic message is deleted if it is not received again for a specific period or if a delete message relating to this traffic message is received.
6. Method according to Claim 5, characterized in that the administration data record contains the period of validity.

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