GB2089154A

GB2089154A - Radio having characters and digits providing a transmitter identification display

Info

Publication number: GB2089154A
Application number: GB8133313A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Grundig EMV Elektromechanische Versuchsanstalt Max Grundig GmbH
Current assignee: Grundig EMV Elektromechanische Versuchsanstalt Max Grundig GmbH
Priority date: 1980-11-28
Filing date: 1981-11-04
Publication date: 1982-06-16
Also published as: NL8103464A; FR2495405A1; FR2495405B1; GB2089154B; JPS57113611A; DE3044908A1

Abstract

Arrangement for the input and recall of characters and digits providing a transmitter identification in a radio receiver comprises a push-button 8 for switching the tuning knob 3 so as to operate as a selector of the individual characters and digits for display at 5. Push-button 9 serves for place-shifting on the display and push-button 10 serves to feed the selected characters and digits into a memory store. Recall to the display is effected by the appropriate one of station selector pushbuttons 11. The tuning knob is magnetically detented by a magnet 15, Figure 2 and a detent wheel 14 and coded characters and digits are recalled via a progammable control unit or microprocessor with pulses produced by an optical coupler including a L E D 16 and a photo diode 17 which cooperate with the detent wheel 14. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Radio receiver arrangement for the input and recall of characters and digits providing a transmitter identification This invention relates to an arrangement, in or for a radio receiver, for the input and recall of characters and digits providing a transmitter identification.

Radio receivers are known wherein the indication of the received station comprises a digital frequency (carrier frequency) indication in addition to the usual scale indication or instead thereof. With the VHF receivers usual today, it is not possible to provide the names of the received stations on the scale since, because of the short range of VHF transmitters, the same carrier frequencies are allocated to different transmitters in different receiving areas. Thus it is preferable to provide the receiver with an alphanumeric transmitter-identification which can be altered as necessary. Thus receivers are already known wherein the transmitter identification is effected by characters and digits which appear on a display for a selected station, the characters and digits having previously been fed into a memory store of the receiver by the user of the receiver.With such receivers, the indication gives the name of the received station or an abbreviation of that name. It is necessary for the receiving portion of the radio receiver to be coupled to a programmable control and storage unit and for a transmitter identification to be associated with the carrier frequency. Hitherto, a keyboard has been provided, with keys for all the individual alphanumeric characters, for the selection of the address store (letters A to Z, numbers 0 to 9).

The keyboard has required a number of keys which corresponds at least to the alphabet (A to Z) and the series of numbers 0 to 9. It is difficult to accommodate such a keyboard on the front of a modern tuner in addition to the push-buttons already present. This is particularly so in the case of a tuner which is made particularly flat in its structural height (for example a structural height of about 5 cm). Furthermore, the user becomes confused with such a large number of push-buttons. In addition, such an extensive keyboard requires considerable expense particularly taking into consideration the fact that a keyboard comprising at least 37 keys serves predominantly only to set once the transmitter stations to be indicated.

These arrangements hitherto known for the input of the transmitter identification are therefore disadvantageous for reasons of lack of space for a large-area keyboard on a modern flat receiving set and because of a great expenditure on components and cannot be realized with some forms of construction for reasons of space.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided an arrangement in or for a radio receiver for the input and recall of characters and digits providing a transmitter-identification, the receiver comprising a tuning knob, a station keyboard, a programmable control and memory store with a storage selector switch and an indicating display, and in which arrangement the tuning knob has a plurality of detent positions and a selector'switch associated with the tuning knob is actuable so as to enable the tuning knob, upon turning, to select characters and digits preset in the programmable control unit, the storage selector switch being then actuable to feed the selected characters and digits into the store, the characters and digits representing each transmitter identification being recalled and indicated on the display upon actuation of a respective preprogrammed station selector switch.

An embodiment of this invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a simplified perspective view of a radio receiver with means serving forthe input and recall of characters and digits providing transmitter identification; and Figure 2 is a simplified perspective view of a detenting device of a tuning knob of the receiver.

Referring to Figure 1, a radio receiver is disposed in a shallow housing 1. At the front 2 of the receiver there is a tuning knob 3, and an indicator panel 4 divided into a plurality of sections for an indicating display. The first display 5 is arranged to give the transmitter identification, the second display 6 to indicate the address of memory store where the transmitting station identification is stored and the third display 7 serves for the digital frequency indication (carrier frequency). Two electric pushbuttons 8 and 9 associated at least functionally with the tuning knob 3 serve on the one hand to switch over the tuning knob to a single-knob selector switch and on the other hand for a place-shift of the selected characters and digits. By pressing a storage push-button 10, all the preselected settings are fed into the memory store.A keyboard 11 serve for the recall of the carrier frequency, which is generally stored before the alphanumeric transmitter identification, giving the number of the store location and possibly the digital frequency indication.

Now if a transmitter identification is to be allocated to a transmitter which has been set via the finder operation either manually or by recall of frequency information already stored, the pushbutton 8 provided for the switching over of the tuning knob should be actuated first, At the same time, by turning the tuning knob 3 in either direction, the alphabet in capital letter and the digits 0 to 9 are called up step by step and indicated on the first display section 5. As soon as the required character has been set, the place shift is effected by pressing the second push-button 9 and the new selection of the next character to be set can be effected.As soon as all the characters and digits, which are necessary or desired for a specific transmitter identification, have been set and indicated, the selected transmitter identification in relation to the required station push-button with the frequency information fed in is stored by pressing the storage push-button 10.

A device for magnetically detenting the tuning knob 3 is illustrated in simplified form in Figure 2, the tuning knob itself not being shown. A spindle 12, on which the tuning knob is fitted and which is mounted in the chassis 13 of the receiver, carries a raised multi polar detent wheel 14. At one side of the detent wheel, a permanent magnet 15 is associated therewith so that the detent wheel can only be turned step by step. At the other side there is an optical coupler consisting of a light-emitting diode 16 and a photodiode 17. The coded characters and digits are recalled via a programmable control unit or microp rocessorwith the pulses of the optical coupler.

It will be appreciated that a control element (tuning knob 3) already required for the radio receiver is used for the data input.

Claims

1. Arrangement in or for a radio receiver for the input and recall of characters and digits providing a transmitter-identification, the receiver comprising a tuning knob, a station keyboard, a programmable control and memory store with a storage selector switch and an indicating display, and in which arrangement the tuning knob has a plurality of detent positions and a selector switch associated with the tuning knob is actuable so as to enable the tuning knob, upon turning, to select characters and digits preset in the programmable control unit, the storage selector switch being then actuable to feed the selected characters and digits into the store, the characters and digits representing each transmitter identification being recalled and indicated on display upon actuation of a respective pre-programmed station selector switch.

2. Arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, in which said selector switch associated with the tuning knob serves to switch over the tuning knob into a rotatable single-knob selector switch for the selection of the characters and digits for display on the indicating display and a second selector switch associated with the tuning knob serves for place-shift of the characters and digits on the display.

3. Arrangement as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which a multipolar detent wheel, on which a magnet acts, is coupled with the tuning knob.

4. Arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the number of detent positions of the tuning knob is different from the number of characters and digits which can be selected.

5. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.