JP2023504984A - Local, Disaggregated and Hybrid Implementations of Connected Radio - Google Patents

Abstract

a radio receiver comprising a radio frequency (RF) receiver circuit for receiving radio broadcast signals, an internet network interface, a display, a memory, a processing circuit, and a client application including instructions for execution by the processing circuit; including. The client application determines geographic location information for the radio receiver, uses the geographic location information to determine radio broadcasts that are available to the radio receiver, and from metadata stored in memory determines radio reception. configured to select metadata associated with radio broadcasts available to the machine and present information contained in the selected metadata using a display in accordance with the received radio broadcast signal. . [Selection drawing] Fig. 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The technology described in this patent document relates to systems and methods for providing supplemental data (eg, metadata) associated with over-the-air radio broadcast signals.

Wireless radio broadcast signals are used to deliver a wide variety of programming content (eg, audio, etc.) to radio receiver systems. Such radio radio broadcast signals may be conventional AM (amplitude modulated) and FM (frequency modulated) analog broadcast signals, digital radio broadcast signals, hybrid radio signals including both analog and digital broadcast signals, or other broadcast signals. can include Service data containing multimedia programming may be included with the radio broadcast. Broadcasting of service data may be contracted by companies to include multimedia content associated with primary or main radio program content.

Another approach to providing service data is to combine over-the-air (OTA) broadcast radio information with Internet Protocol (IP) distributed content to provide an enhanced user experience. An example of this type of radio service is the DTS® Connected Radio™ service, which combines wireless analog/digital AM/FM radio with IP distributed content. The combined OTA and IP radio service receives radio broadcast audio, which is then IP delivered content (artist information and song titles, logos, slogans, on-air radio program information and station contact information) and displayed on the radio receiver in the vehicle. Vehicle radio receivers integrate data from Internet services with broadcast audio to create a rich media experience. However, there may be cases where a connection to the Internet is not available to the vehicle.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In general, when access to the Internet is not available to the radio receiver for full connected radio service, local, isolated, or hybrid implementations of connected radio may be used by the receiver. The geographic location information determined by is used to determine radio broadcasts that are available to the radio receiver. Instead of receiving metadata about broadcasts via an Internet connection, the radio receiver analyzes and selects metadata stored in the memory of the radio receiver to tune the radio broadcast (tuned-in radio broadcast). Metadata is associated with radio broadcasts determined to be available by the radio receiver. A connected radio experience can still be provided to the user, although the experience typically falls short of that offered by always-on radio services.

It should be noted that alternative embodiments are possible and that steps and elements discussed herein may be changed, added, or removed depending on the particular embodiment. These alternate embodiments include alternate steps and elements that may be used and structural changes that may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals in different figures may describe like components. Similar numbers with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings broadly illustrate, by way of example and not by way of limitation, the various embodiments discussed in this document.

1 is a flow diagram of an example method of operating a radio receiver for receiving over-the-air radio broadcasts and Internet Protocol distributed content; 1 is a block diagram of a portion of an example radio receiver; FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of part of another example of a radio receiver or head unit;

In the following description of embodiments of metadata distribution systems, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. These figures show, by way of illustration, specific examples of how embodiments of the metadata distribution system may be implemented. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Wireless radio broadcast signals are commonly used to deliver a wide variety of programming content (eg, audio, etc.) to radio receiver systems. A radio broadcast receiver system may be provided with main program service (MPS) data and supplementary program service (SPS) data. Metadata associated with programming content may be distributed in MPS data or SPS data via over-the-air radio broadcast signals. Metadata may be included in sub-carriers of the main radio signal. In IBOC radio, the radio broadcast may be a hybrid radio signal that can include streamed analog broadcasts and digital audio broadcasts. Sub-carriers of the main channel broadcast may contain digital information such as text or numeric information, and metadata may be included with the digital information on the sub-carriers. Thus, a hybrid radio radio broadcast can include analog audio broadcasts, digital audio broadcasts, and other textual and numeric digital information such as metadata streamed over the radio broadcasts. Programming content may be broadcast according to the DAB standard, the Digital Radio Mondière (DRM) standard, the Radio Data System (RDS) protocol, the Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) protocol, or the High Definition (HD) IBOC radio protocol.

Metadata can include both "static" and "dynamic" metadata. Static metadata rarely or never changes. Static metadata includes radio station callsign, name, logo (e.g. higher or lower logo resolution), slogan, station form, station genre, language, web page uniform resource locator (URL), social media (e.g. , Facebook, Twitter), phone number, short message service (SMS) number, SMS short code, program identification (PI) code, country, or other information.

Dynamic metadata changes relatively frequently. Dynamic metadata includes song title, artist name, album name, album image, artist image (e.g. related to the content currently being played on a broadcast), advertisements, enhanced advertisements (e.g. title, tag line ), images, phone numbers, SMS numbers, URLs, search terms), program schedules (images, time slots, titles, artist names, DJ names, phone numbers, URLs), on-air radio program information, station contact information, data May include services to follow, or other information. When a radio receiver system is receiving wireless radio broadcast signals from a particular radio station, the receiver system can receive both static and dynamic metadata.

As previously described herein, combining OTA radio broadcasts with Internet Protocol (IP) distributed content is another approach for providing service data to radio receivers. Combining wireless analog/digital AM/FM radio with IP distributed content provides an enhanced user experience. Combined OTA-IP radio services receive dynamic metadata directly from local radio broadcasters, which are then retrieved by radio receivers over IP and paired with broadcast content. , is displayed in the vehicle.

Vehicle radio receivers integrate data from Internet services with broadcast audio to create a rich media experience. A preferred implementation of the combined OTA-IP radio service is one that offers full features over an active Internet connection with data based on the radio receiver's current geographic location. A client application program or "client" running on an Internet-connected radio receiver transmits location information (e.g., GPS coordinates) from AM, FM, HD radio, and DAB radio broadcasts via an Internet connection. Send to an Internet service that can perform mathematical and geospatial functions on large datasets to determine metadata (e.g., dynamic metadata) that is available to radio receivers tuned to radio broadcasts. . Based on the location information from the radio receiver, the Internet service returns metadata related to the radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver. Radio broadcast data sets are used by broadcasters when they change radio transmitters, radio transmission types, when new radio stations go on air, when others go off air, and when rebranding existing radio stations. sometimes change. The dataset used by the combined OTA-IP radio service may be constantly updated with current data, allowing radio receivers to access the latest information and up-to-date metadata.

However, there may be situations where a connection to the Internet is not available to the in-vehicle radio receiver, or situations where the client of the radio receiver is prevented from sending its location to the Internet service. For these situations, it is desirable to implement a separate OTA-IP radio service, a local OTA-IP radio service, or a separate and local hybrid OTA-IP radio service at the radio receiver. Sometimes. These versions of the combined OTA-IP radio service provide a subset of the services available from the full feature implementation of the combined OTA-IP radio service. While these versions may be substandard when compared to full implementations, the combined OTA- Provides IP radio services.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a radio receiver for receiving OTA radio broadcasts and IP distributed content. Method 100 may be performed by a client executed by processing circuitry of a radio receiver. of the radio receiver when an Internet connection is not available to the radio receiver or when the radio receiver is unable to send location information (e.g., due to regulatory restrictions or user preferences); A client can implement the method. A radio receiver includes a memory for storing metadata about radio broadcasts. Metadata can include both static and dynamic metadata, although metadata can be a subset of what can be provided by Internet services.

At 105, geographic location information for the radio receiver is determined. For example, the radio receiver may include a GPS receiver and the geographic location information may include GPS coordinates. At 110, the radio receiver uses the location information (instead of Internet services) to determine radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver and stored metadata associated with the radio broadcasts. In certain embodiments, the radio broadcasts and selected metadata are for all available radio broadcasts in the country in which the radio receiver is located or in a smaller specific region of the world in which the radio receiver is located. may be associated. In variations, the radio broadcast and the selected metadata may be associated with radio broadcasts available for the continent on which the radio receiver is located, or may be associated with globally available radio broadcasts. may

At 115, the client selects metadata according to one or both of location information and tuning of the radio receiver to select metadata from the metadata stored in the memory of the radio receiver. This is effectively the same internet service provided by the fully featured internet connection version, but the service is implemented locally at the radio receiver without the need for an active internet connection. At 120, the information contained in the selected metadata is displayed to the user according to the tuning of the radio receiver.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portion of an example radio receiver that receives OTA radio broadcasts and IP distributed content. In certain variations, the radio receiver is a DTS Connected Radio receiver. Radio receiver 200 may be a vehicle radio receiver. Radio receiver 200 includes a wireless Internet network interface 240 for receiving metadata via wireless IP and other components for receiving wireless radio broadcast signals. Internet network interface 240 and receiver controller 230 may collectively be referred to as the radio receiver's wireless Internet protocol hardware communication module.

Radio receiver 200 includes a radio frequency (RF) receiver circuit including a tuner 256 having an input 252 connected to an antenna 254 . Antenna 254, tuner 256, and baseband processor 251 may collectively be referred to as the wireless radio broadcast hardware communication module of the radio receiver. The RF circuitry is configured to receive audio broadcast signals including digital audio files.

Within baseband processor 251, intermediate frequency signal 257 from tuner 256 is provided to an analog-to-digital converter and digital down-converter 258 to produce a baseband signal at output 260 containing a series of complex signal samples. Signal samples are complex in that each sample contains a "real" component and an "imaginary" component. Analog demodulator 262 demodulates the analog modulated portion of the baseband signal to produce an analog audio signal on line 264 . The digitally modulated portion of the sampled baseband signal is filtered by a separation filter 266 having a passband frequency response that includes the collective set of subcarriers f ₁ -f _n present in the received OFDM signal. be done. A first-adjacent canceller (FAC) 268 suppresses the effects of a first-adjacent interferer. The complex signal 269 is routed to the input of an acquisition module 270 which extracts the OFDM symbol timing offset/error and carrier frequency offset from the received OFDM symbol as represented in the received complex signal 269 . / get or recover error. Acquisition module 270 generates symbol timing offset Δt and carrier frequency offset Δf, as well as status and control information. The signal is then demodulated to demodulate the digitally modulated portion of the baseband signal (block 272). The digital signal is deinterleaved by deinterleaver 274 and decoded by Viterbi decoder 276 . Service demultiplexer 278 decouples the main program signal and the supplemental program signal from the data signal. The supplemental program signal can include digital audio files received in the IBOC DAB radio broadcast signal.

Audio processor 280 processes the received signal to produce an audio signal on line 282 and MPSD/SPSD 281 . In an embodiment, the analog audio signal and the main digital audio signal are mixed, or a supplemental program signal is passed through, to produce an audio output on line 286, as shown in block 284. FIG. Data processor 288 processes the received data signals and produces data output signals on lines 290 , 292 and 294 . Data lines 290, 292, and 294 may be multiplexed together on a suitable bus such as ^I2c , SPI, UART, or USB. The data signal may include, for example, data representing metadata to be rendered at the radio receiver.

A wireless Internet network interface may be managed by the receiver controller 230 . As illustrated in FIG. 2, internet network interface 240 and receiver controller 230 are operatively coupled via line 242 such that data transmitted between internet network interface 240 and receiver controller 230 is It is sent on line 242 . Selector 220 may be connected to receiver controller 230 via line 236 to select individual data received from internet network interface 240 . The data can include metadata (e.g., text, images, video, etc.) substantially simultaneously with rendering the primary or supplemental programming content received over the air in the IBOC DAB radio signal; can be rendered.

Receiver controller 230 receives and processes the data signal. Receiver controller 230 may include a microcontroller operably coupled to user interface 232 and memory 234 . The microcontroller may be an 8-bit RISC microprocessor, an evolved RISC machine 32-bit microprocessor, or any other suitable microprocessor or microcontroller. Additionally, some or all of the functionality of receiver controller 230 may be implemented in a baseband processor (eg, audio processor 280 and/or data processor 288). User interface 232 may include an input/output (I/O) processor to control a display, which may be any suitable visual display such as an LCD or LED display. In certain embodiments, user interface 232 can also control user input components via a touch screen display. In certain embodiments, user interface 232 can also control user input from a keyboard, dial, knob, or other suitable input. Memory 234 may include any suitable data storage medium such as RAM, flash ROM (eg, SD memory card), and/or hard disk drive. Radio receiver 200 may also include a GPS receiver 296 for receiving GPS coordinates.

The processing circuitry of receiver controller 230 is configured to implement instructions contained in client 246 installed in radio receiver 200 . Client 246 determines the geographic location of the radio receiver, such as by using GPS receiver 296 . Using the geographic location, client 246 determines radio broadcasts that are available to the radio receiver. Client 246 can perform the same mathematical and spatial functions on local datasets that Internet services perform on full datasets. For example, the client 246 can perform R-tree calculations or similar calculations on the local dataset to determine radio broadcasts that are available to the radio receiver.

The client selects metadata associated with radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver from the data set stored in memory for presentation to the user using display 244 . The metadata may be selected from static metadata stored in memory. Image assets (eg, radio station logos) may be stored in memory, and the client selects image assets for display according to available radio broadcasts and radio receiver tuning.

As explained above, the services performed locally by client 246 are effectively the same Internet services provided by the full-featured Internet-connected version, but the services are smaller than those stored in memory 234. Work from local datasets. The dataset may be a baseline dataset distributed with the radio service and updates to the local dataset may be performed periodically. In some embodiments, the client is configured to detect when access to the Internet network is available. Internet network access may be a home Internet network, an Internet network link provided by the user's smart phone, or a network accessible at an automobile service center. In response to detecting that access to the Internet network is available, the client 246 initiates downloading updated metadata via the Internet network interface and stores the downloaded metadata in memory. do.

In certain embodiments, the client initiates downloading and storing metadata via the Internet network interface in response to prompts received at the radio receiver. In certain embodiments, the radio receiver includes a port (eg, a universal serial bus (USB) port, or other communication port) through which metadata is sent to memory 234 when the vehicle is serviced. may be downloaded to For these types of embodiments, Internet network interface 240 may be a wired interface.

A client can send a query to the metadata service application via the Internet interface in response to detecting that Internet access is available. If the receiver is restricted from sending location information, geographic location information can be excluded from the query. A local dataset may be downloaded to the radio receiver according to an identifier or a subscription identifier provided by the client to determine which dataset to download to the radio receiver.

In response to queries that do not include location information and that use identifiers present in the local dataset for geolocation, the radio receiver can receive dynamic metadata. The identifier can uniquely identify any radio broadcast that allows geolocation information to be deduced from the identifier. The radio receiver was selected from metadata contained in the received dynamic metadata and stored locally in the radio receiver's memory according to the received radio broadcast or according to the tuning of the radio receiver. Information contained in metadata can be presented. In addition to dynamic metadata, other static metadata and other content such as services can also be received in response to queries. This hybrid functionality allows IP services to be paired with local dataset metadata to approximate full feature functionality without requiring the radio receiver to send geolocation information. become.

In some embodiments, the baseline data set is updated with new data in response to the client sending a request to the metadata service application when Internet access is detected. Only new information is sent in order to be transfer bandwidth efficient. In an illustrative example, intended to be non-limiting, the update request includes a timestamp (eg, 2018-11-01T13:35.30.813131+00:00) to identify the requested metadata. May include and exclude geographic location information. The metadata service application will deliver a data set containing only the necessary additions and deletions of data from that timestamp onwards, and the receiver memory will have the current data. Image assets may be updated at the same time. In some embodiments, the client 246 flags one or more pieces of metadata stored in memory as outdated after a specified amount of time after the metadata has been stored in memory without updating. or otherwise identify them and exclude expired metadata from the metadata selected for presentation to the user.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of part of another example radio receiver or head unit 300 . Head unit 300 includes a radio tuner circuit 356 for receiving radio broadcast signals 304, a display 344, and memory. The memory may include any suitable data storage medium for storage 334 of logos and other image data, and for storage of a radio broadcast database 335 that may store metadata about radio broadcasts. Head unit 300 also includes a wireless internet network interface 340 for communication with server 306 . Wireless Internet network interface 340 may communicate information using one or both of a WiFi network and a cellular telephone network.

The server 306 includes an application program interface (API) and the head unit 300 includes an API client 346 including data update services. API client 346 may be executed by the processing circuitry of head unit 300 . Processing circuitry may also implement a GPS lookup service 396 to determine geographic location information.

API client 346 can control the operation of the radio receiver according to the method of FIG. API client 346 can receive specified types of data about radio broadcasts according to the mode in which wireless Internet interface 340 is operating. For example, when the interface is in offline mode and not communicating using a cellular network, the head unit 300 may periodically receive updates to the radio broadcast database using detected WiFi networks. can. The radio broadcast database 335 is updated with the received data using the API's data update service. This data can include metadata about a radio broadcast that can be displayed when the head unit is tuned to that broadcast, even if the metadata is not being received live during the broadcast.

In another example, the head unit 300 performs live data queries when the interface is operating in a hybrid mode in which data may be received using one or both of a WiFi network or a cellular network, or can serve. Live data may be used to display metadata associated with live radio broadcasts. In another example, the head unit 300 can receive logo data when the interface is operating in either offline mode or hybrid mode.

API client 346 can perform broadcast queries using the GPS lookup service to determine which broadcasts are available. Metadata about the broadcast can be retrieved from memory without requiring the head unit 300 to send location information (eg, GPS information) to retrieve the metadata. The metadata retrieval service is implemented locally at the head unit 300 without the need for an active connection to the Internet's cellular network.

The systems, devices, and methods described allow the user's To do so, let the radio receiver emulate the Internet-connected radio experience.

(I. Alternative Embodiments and Exemplary Operating Environments)
Example 1 includes a radio frequency (RF) receiver circuit configured to receive a radio broadcast signal, an internet network interface, a display, a memory, a processing circuit, and instructions for execution by the processing circuit. including client applications; and including subjects (such as radio receivers). The client application determines geographic location information for the radio receiver, uses the geographic location information to determine radio broadcasts that are available to the radio receiver, and from metadata stored in memory determines radio reception. configured to select metadata associated with radio broadcasts available to the machine and present information contained in the selected metadata using a display in accordance with the received radio broadcast signal. .

In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 detects when access to the Internet network is available, initiates downloading metadata over the Internet network interface, and begins to download metadata when access to the Internet network is available. A client application configured to store the downloaded metadata in memory in response to detecting the capability may be included.

In Example 3, the subject of Example 2 is downloading metadata over an Internet network interface and storing the downloaded metadata in memory in response to prompts received at the radio receiver. It may include a client application configured to start.

In Example 4, the subject of one or both of Examples 2 and 3 initiates sending queries to the metadata service application via the Internet interface in response to detecting that Internet access is available. wherein the query requests metadata for download to the radio receiver and excludes geographic location information about the radio receiver.

In Example 5, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 2-4 is responsive to detecting that access to an Internet network is available, according to the determined geographic location information. may include a client application configured to send a metadata update request to the metadata service application via the interface, wherein the request includes a timestamp to identify the requested metadata; Exclude geolocation information.

In Example 6, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-5 was configured to perform an R-tree calculation to determine the radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver. It may also include a client application.

In Example 7, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-6 extracts metadata associated with radio broadcasts available to a radio receiver from static metadata stored in memory. A client application configured to select may be included.

In Example 8, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-7 is the subject of one or more of the metadata stored in memory a specified time after the metadata is stored in memory. A client application configured to flag portions as outdated and to exclude outdated metadata from the selected metadata may be included.

Example 9, when performed by processing circuitry of a radio receiver, determines geographic location information for the radio receiver and uses the geographic location information to determine which radio broadcasts are available to the radio receiver. determining, selecting metadata associated with radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver from metadata stored in the memory of the radio receiver, and viewing information contained in the selected metadata. , computer readable storage media containing instructions to cause processing circuitry to perform functions including presenting using a display in accordance with the tuning of a radio receiver (or to include such subject matter) , with one or any combination of Examples 1-8).

In Example 10, the subject matter of Example 9 is detecting when Internet access is available and, in response to detecting that Internet access is available, for storing in the radio receiver's memory , a computer readable storage medium containing instructions to cause a processing circuit to perform functions including downloading metadata over an internet network interface of the radio receiver.

In Example 11, the subject of Example 10 is receiving at the receiver a prompt to download metadata via the Internet network interface of the radio receiver, and in response to the prompt, for storing in memory. , a computer readable storage medium containing instructions that cause processing circuitry to perform functions including downloading metadata over an Internet network interface.

In Example 12, the subject matter of one or both of Examples 10 and 11 sending queries for metadata updates according to geographic location information in response to detecting that Internet access is available. a computer, wherein the query includes instructions to cause the processing circuitry to perform operations including sending the query, including timestamps to identify metadata for updating, excluding location information of the radio receiver; It may also include a readable storage medium.

In Example 13, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 10-12 is a radio receiver for storage in the receiver's memory in response to detecting that Internet access is available. A computer readable storage medium containing instructions that cause processing circuitry to perform functions including downloading static metadata over the Internet network interface of the computer.

In Example 14, the subject of one or any combination of Examples 9-13 is to perform computations on data sets local to the radio receiver to determine radio broadcasts that are available. It may also include a computer readable storage medium containing instructions that cause processing circuitry to perform the functions of including.

In Example 15, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 9-14 is one or more of the metadata stored in memory a specified time after the metadata is stored in memory. including a computer readable storage medium containing instructions that cause processing circuitry to perform operations including marking a plurality of portions as outdated and excluding metadata marked as outdated from selected metadata. It's okay.

Example 16 illustrates determining geographic location information for a radio receiver, using the geographic location information to determine radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver, and determining the radio receiver's Internet network interface. to a metadata service application, the query requesting dynamic metadata for download to a radio receiver based on identifiers contained in data stored in memory. and metadata associated with the determined radio broadcast available to the radio receiver from sending and metadata stored in the memory of the radio receiver, excluding geographic location information about the radio receiver. and presenting the received dynamic metadata and the information contained in the selected metadata in memory using a display according to the tuning of the radio receiver (radio methods of controlling the operation of a broadcast receiver, etc.) or may be combined with one or any combination of Examples 1-15 to include such subject matter.

In Example 17, the subject of Example 16 is detecting when access to an Internet network is available for a radio receiver; It may include sending a query to the service application and storing the downloaded dynamic metadata in memory.

In Example 18, the subject matter of Example 17 may include the radio receiver performing computations on data sets local to the radio receiver to determine radio broadcasts that are available.

In Example 19, the subject matter of one or both of Examples 17 and 18 is to retrieve one or more portions of the metadata stored in memory a specified time after the metadata is stored in memory. Marking as out of date and excluding the metadata indicated as out of date from the selected metadata may be included.

In Example 20, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 17-19 stores metadata according to the determined geographic location information in response to detecting that access to the Internet network is available. , where the query includes a timestamp to identify the requested metadata and excludes geographic location information.

These non-limiting examples can be combined in any permutation or combination. Many other variations beyond those described herein will become apparent from this document. For example, depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or functions of any of the methods and algorithms described herein may be performed in different sequences, added, or combined. , or may be omitted entirely (thereby not all illustrated acts or events are required to practice the methods and algorithms). Moreover, in certain embodiments, work or events may be performed concurrently rather than sequentially, such as through multithreaded processing, interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores, or on other concurrent architectures. . Additionally, different tasks or processes may be performed by different machines and computing systems that can work together.

The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, methods, and algorithmic processes and sequences described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. may be To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, and process actions have been described above broadly in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. The described functionality may be implemented in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of this document.

The various illustrative logic blocks and modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein include general-purpose processors, processing devices, computing devices with one or more processing devices, digital signal processors ( DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or to perform the functions described herein. may be implemented or performed by a machine such as any combination thereof designed to A general-purpose processor and processing device may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be a controller, microcontroller, or state machine, combinations thereof, or the like. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination DSP and microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. may

Embodiments of the in-vehicle live guide generation system and method described herein are operable within environments or configurations of many types of general-purpose or special-purpose computing systems. In general, computing environments include one or more microprocessor-based computer systems, mainframe computers, digital signal processors, portable computing devices, personal organizers, device controllers, computing in appliances, to name a few. Any type of computer system can be included including, but not limited to, appliances with engines, mobile phones, desktop computers, mobile computers, tablet computers, smart phones, and embedded computers.

Such computing devices are typically personal computers, server computers, handheld computing devices, laptop or mobile computers, communication devices such as cell phones and PDAs, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmable It can be found in devices with at least some minimal computing power, including but not limited to consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, audio or video media players, and the like. In some embodiments, a computing device will include one or more processors. Each processor may be a specialized microprocessor such as a digital signal processor (DSP), very long instruction word (VLIW), or other microcontroller, or a specialized processor in a multicore central processing unit (CPU). It can also be a conventional CPU with one or more processing cores, including an integrated graphics processing unit (GPU)-based core.

The process actions or operations of the methods, processes, or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented directly in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or any combination of the two. may be embodied in A software module may be embodied in computer-readable media that can be accessed by a computing device. Computer-readable media includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, either removable, non-removable, or some combination thereof. Computer-readable media may be used for storage of information such as computer-readable or computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media.

Computer storage media include Blu-ray discs (BD), digital versatile discs (DVD), compact discs (CD), floppy discs, tape drives, hard drives, optical drives, solid state memory devices, RAM memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory , EEPROM memory, flash memory or other memory technology, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage device or other computer or machine readable media or storage device, or used to store desired information It includes, but is not limited to, any other device that can be accessed by one or more computing devices.

A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, or any other form of art. can reside in physical computer storage known as An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and storage media may reside in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and storage media may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

The phrase "non-transitory," as used in this document, means "permanent or long-lasting." The phrase "non-transitory computer-readable media" includes any and all computer-readable media with the sole exception of transitory propagating signals. This includes, by way of example and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media such as register memory, processor cache, and random access memory (RAM).

The phrase "audio signal" is a signal that represents physical sound.

Carrying information, such as computer readable or computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules, etc., may also be implemented in various communication media, electromagnetic waves (such as carrier waves), for encoding one or more modulated data signals. , or by using other transport mechanisms or communication protocols, including any wired or wireless information delivery mechanism. Generally, these communication media refer to signals that have one or more of their characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information or instructions in the signal. Communication media includes, for example, wired media such as a wired network or direct wired connection that carries one or more modulated data signals, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, laser, and so on. or any other wireless medium for transmitting, receiving, or both, multiple modulated data signals or electromagnetic waves. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of communication media.

Additionally, any one or any combination of software, programs, computer program products embodying some or all of the various embodiments of the in-vehicle live guide generation systems and methods described herein, or any combination thereof. Portions may be stored, received, or transmitted in the form of computer-executable instructions or other data structures from a computer or machine-readable medium or any desired combination of storage devices and communication media. , or may be read out.

Embodiments of the in-vehicle live guide generation systems and methods described herein may be further described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by computing devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The embodiments described herein may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by one or more remote processing devices or in a cloud of one or more devices. Those devices are linked through one or more communication networks. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including media storage devices. Still further, the instructions described above may be implemented partially or wholly as hardware logic circuitry, which may or may not include a processor.

In particular, conditional language used herein such as “can,” “may,” “may,” “for example,” etc. is used unless otherwise stated or used. In general, it is intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements and/or states, but other embodiments do not, unless otherwise understood within the context of the there is Thus, such conditional language implies that the feature, element, and/or state is somehow required for one or more embodiments, or that the author's input or prompt Whether or not these features, elements, and/or states are included in or should be implemented in any particular embodiment. , is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments necessarily include. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” etc. are synonymous and are used inclusively and open-ended and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, acts, etc. Also, the term "or" is used in its inclusive sense (and not its exclusive sense), whereby, for example, when used to connect elements of a list, the term "or" is , means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.

While the foregoing detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features as applied to various embodiments, various omissions, substitutions, and alterations in form and detail of the devices or algorithms illustrated may It will be appreciated that this may be done without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As will be appreciated, certain embodiments of the invention described herein may be used or practiced separately from other features, and thus may be used or practiced separately from other features. It may be embodied in less than all of the described features and benefits.

Claims (20)

a radio frequency (RF) receiver circuit configured to receive radio broadcast signals;
an internet network interface;
a display unit;
memory;
a processing circuit;
a client application including instructions for execution by said processing circuit,
The client application
determining geographic location information for the radio receiver;
determining radio broadcasts that are available to the radio receiver using the geographic location information;
selecting metadata associated with the radio broadcast available to the radio receiver from the metadata stored in the memory;
configured to present information contained in the selected metadata using the display in accordance with the received radio broadcast signal;
radio receiver. The client application
detect when access to the Internet network is available,
initiate downloading metadata over the Internet network interface;
configured to store downloaded metadata in the memory in response to detecting that access to the Internet network is available;
2. A radio receiver as claimed in claim 1. such that the client application initiates downloading metadata over the Internet network interface and storing the downloaded metadata in the memory in response to prompts received at the radio receiver. consists of
3. A radio receiver as claimed in claim 2. The client application is configured to initiate, in response to the detection that Internet access is available, sending a query to a metadata service application via the Internet interface, the query being based on the radio reception. 3. The radio receiver of claim 2, requesting metadata for download to a device and excluding said geographic location information about said radio receiver. a metadata service wherein, in response to detecting that the access to the Internet network is available, the client application sends a request for updating metadata via the Internet interface according to the determined geographic location information to a metadata service; 3. A radio receiver as claimed in claim 2, configured to be sent to an application, wherein the request includes a timestamp for identifying the requested metadata and excludes the geographic location information. The radio of claim 1, wherein the client application is configured to perform computations on data sets local to the radio receiver to determine the radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver. Receiving machine. 2. The client application of claim 1, wherein the client application is configured to select the metadata associated with the radio broadcast available to the radio receiver from static metadata stored in the memory. radio receiver. The client application flags one or more portions of the metadata stored in the memory as out-of-date after a specified time after the metadata is stored in the memory, and the metadata that has expired is flagged as out-of-date. 2. A radio receiver according to claim 1, configured to exclude data from said selected metadata. When implemented by the processing circuitry of the radio receiver,
determining geographic location information of the radio receiver;
determining radio broadcasts that are available to the radio receiver using the geographic location information;
selecting metadata associated with the radio broadcast available to the radio receiver from metadata stored in a memory of the radio receiver;
a computer readable storage medium containing instructions that cause the processing circuitry to perform operations including presenting information contained in the selected metadata using a display in accordance with tuning of the radio receiver. detecting when internet access is available;
downloading metadata via an internet network interface of the radio receiver for storage in the memory of the radio receiver in response to detecting that internet access is available; 10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, comprising instructions for causing the processing circuitry to perform. receiving a prompt at the receiver to download the metadata via the radio receiver's Internet network interface;
11. The method of claim 10, comprising instructions for causing the processing circuit to perform operations including, in response to the prompt, downloading the metadata via the Internet network interface for storage in the memory. computer-readable storage media. sending a query for updating metadata according to the geolocation information in response to detecting that Internet access is available, the query identifying metadata for updating; 11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, comprising instructions for causing the processing circuitry to perform operations including sending a query, including time stamping, excluding location information of the radio receiver. responsive to the detection that internet access is available, downloading static metadata via the internet network interface of the radio receiver for storage in the memory of the receiver; 11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, comprising instructions that cause the processing circuit to perform: 10. The computer of claim 9, comprising instructions for causing the processing circuitry to perform operations including performing computations on a data set local to the radio receiver to determine the radio broadcasts that are available. readable storage media. indicating one or more portions of the metadata stored in the memory as out-of-date a specified time after the metadata is stored in the memory; and the metadata indicated as out-of-date. 10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, comprising instructions for causing the processing circuitry to perform operations including excluding from the selected metadata. A method of operating a radio broadcast receiver comprising:
determining geographic location information of the radio receiver;
determining radio broadcasts that are available to the radio receiver using the geographic location information;
sending a query to a metadata service application using the radio receiver's Internet network interface, the query querying the radio receiver based on an identifier contained in data stored in memory; sending a query requesting dynamic metadata for download and excluding the geolocation information for the radio receiver;
selecting metadata associated with the determined radio broadcast available to the radio receiver from metadata stored in a memory of the radio receiver;
and presenting information contained in the received dynamic metadata and the metadata selected in memory using a display in accordance with tuning of the radio receiver. detecting when access to an internet network is available for the radio receiver;
sending the query to the metadata service application in response to detecting that the access is available;
and storing downloaded dynamic metadata in the memory. Determining the radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver includes performing computations by the radio receiver on a data set local to the radio receiver to determine the radio broadcasts available. 18. The method of claim 17, comprising: indicating one or more portions of the metadata stored in the memory as outdated after a specified time after the metadata is stored in the memory;
18. The method of claim 17, comprising excluding metadata indicated as out of date from the selected metadata. sending the query comprises sending a query requesting an update of metadata according to the determined geographic location information in response to detecting that the access to the Internet network is available; 18. The method of claim 17, wherein a query includes a timestamp to identify the requested metadata and excludes the geographic location information.

Images