JP2011135306A - Radio receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio receiver easy to operate and excelling in convenience. <P>SOLUTION: This radio receiver includes: circuits 2-7 for converting radio waves received by an antenna 1 to an audio signal to be output to a speaker 8; an operation part 10 for inputting an operation of a user; a storage part 11 for storing information of a master station and a relay station of a broadcast station; an electric field intensity detection part 12; and a control part 13. The electric field intensity detection part 12 obtains the electric field intensity of the broadcast station based on the frequency information of the broadcast station in a list. The control part 13 is configured to display information of the broadcast station on a display part 9, and to edit the information of the broadcast station based on the electric field intensity information from the electric field intensity detection part 12 and the operation information of the user from the operation part 10 to be stored in the storage part 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a radio receiver that is mounted on a mobile body and receives a radio broadcast.

  In a conventional receiver, if a GPS (Global Positioning System) is not equipped, a pre-registered broadcast station name and frequency are called by selecting an area, but the called frequency is a key called a parent station. Narrow frequencies in areas such as relay stations were not registered. In order to be able to register a relay station, it is necessary to set the area in detail, and since there are more area selection candidates and relay stations that cannot receive broadcasts are included, the operation is very cumbersome and inconvenient. It was. Therefore, in a conventional synthesizer receiver, relay station information for the master station of each broadcasting station is stored in advance in a memory, and when a master station in the area is selected, the candidate frequency of the corresponding relay station is selected. A list is displayed, and the user is made to select a desired relay station (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-284959 (pages 4-7, FIG. 4, FIG. 7)

  In a conventional synthesizer receiver, for example, when many relay stations are displayed for a broadcasting station in the Kanto area or the like, it is difficult to determine which is the optimum relay station, and lacks convenience. Also, when a new relay station is created, the relay station cannot be selected. Furthermore, when moving frequently across areas, such as moving between the Kanto area and the Tohoku area by commuting, etc., after selecting a master station in the new area, a relay station for this master station is selected. There was a problem that the user had to make a selection again, and the operation became complicated and lacked convenience.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a radio receiver that is easy to operate and excellent in convenience.

  A radio receiver according to the present invention stores a circuit for converting radio waves received by an antenna into an audio signal and outputting it to a speaker, an operation unit for inputting a user operation, and information on a master station and a relay station of a broadcasting station. A storage unit, an electric field strength detection unit, and a control unit. The electric field strength detector obtains the electric field strength of the broadcast station based on the frequency information of the broadcast station. The control unit displays the broadcast station information on the display unit, edits the broadcast station information based on the electric field intensity information from the electric field intensity detection unit and the user operation information from the operation unit, and stores the information in the storage unit It is.

  According to the present invention, since the information on the broadcast station is edited based on the electric field strength information of the broadcast station and the user's operation information, the relay station can be edited, and an appropriate relay station can be selected and operated. An easy and convenient radio receiver can be obtained.

It is a block diagram which shows the radio receiver of Embodiment 1-3 of this invention. It is a broadcasting station list of the master station and relay station which the radio receiver of Embodiment 1-3 of this invention has. It is an example of a display of the radio receiver of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the radio receiver of Embodiment 1-3 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the radio receiver of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an example of a screen display of the radio receiver of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an example of a screen display of the radio receiver of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an example of a screen display of the radio receiver of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an example of a screen display of the radio receiver of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the radio receiver of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a screen display example of the radio receiver of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the radio receiver of Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the radio receiver of Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a screen display example of the radio receiver of Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a radio receiver according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The antenna 1 receives radio waves such as FM broadcasts. The PLL (Phase Locked Loop) circuit 2 is, for example, a broadcast having an electric field strength of a certain value or more by changing the frequency of the broadcast station to be received as 80.0 MHz, 80.1 MHz, 80.2 MHz, 80.3 MHz,. Generate a local oscillation wave to capture the radio wave. The mixer 3 mixes the carrier wave of the radio wave from the antenna 1 and the local oscillation wave from the PLL circuit 2. The intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier 4 amplifies the intermediate frequency signal from the mixer 3. The detector 5 removes the carrier wave from the FM modulated wave that has been subjected to intermediate processing by the IF amplifier 4. The volume adjustment (VOL) circuit 6 adjusts the volume of the audio signal from the detector 5. The amplifier 7 amplifies the output from the VOL circuit 6 and outputs it to the speaker 8. These constitute a radio circuit that converts radio waves received by an antenna into audio signals and outputs them to speakers. In addition, you may use the antenna 1 and the speaker 8 with which moving bodies, such as a vehicle, are equipped.

  The display unit 9 is composed of a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays the name and frequency of the receiving station. The operation unit 10 includes a remote controller, a touch panel formed on the display unit 9, and the like, and inputs a user operation. The storage unit 11 is composed of a non-volatile memory and HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores information on the master station and relay station of the broadcast station as shown in FIG. 2 and an editable broadcast station list based on these information. To do. The electric field strength detection unit 12 detects the electric field strength from the IF amplifier 4. The control unit 13 includes, for example, a microcomputer and a memory, and operates by an application program. The control unit 13 controls the entire apparatus and also performs various data processing. For example, a signal for controlling the PLL circuit 2 is output to this circuit, broadcast stations are arranged in the order of the electric field intensity based on the electric field intensity from the electric field intensity detection unit 14 and displayed on the display unit 9, or a user from the operation unit 11 is displayed. In accordance with the input, the list of broadcast stations is corrected, a broadcast station is selected, or a broadcast station is selected based on the electric field strength.

  The operation of the radio receiver configured as described above will be described with reference to the screen display example of FIG. 3 and the flowchart of FIG. When the normal radio is turned on, a preset broadcasting station can be selected as shown in FIG. As appropriate, when the preset broadcast station button 20 is pressed, the station is changed to that broadcast station. Here, the viewing station that the user is viewing is a D-FM of 89.9 MHz. In addition, when displaying information, such as a radio program broadcast like a visible radio, as character information, it may be displayed at the lower part of the screen of FIG.

  First, the menu display in step S100 of FIG. 4 is performed. This can be done by pressing a menu button (not shown) or, if a touch panel is provided on the display, by pressing and holding the preset broadcast station button 20 on which D-FM is displayed, as shown in FIG. The menu (MENU) screen 21 shown in FIG. Here, since the D-FM button is on the left side of the screen, the menu screen is displayed on the right side so that it does not get in the way, but the position of the menu screen is changed and displayed as appropriate for easy viewing. Also good.

  On the menu screen 21, an optimization button 22, an auto reception button 23, and a list display button 24 are displayed. If the list display button 24 is pressed in step S200, processing is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. If the list display button 24 is not pressed, the process proceeds to step S300. If the optimization button 22 is pressed here, the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 10 described later is performed. If the optimization button 22 is not pressed, the process proceeds to step S400. If the auto reception button 23 is pressed here, processing is performed according to the flowcharts of FIGS. If the auto reception button 22 is not pressed, the process proceeds to step S500. In step S500, the display time of the menu display screen is measured. If it is within the predetermined time, the process returns to step S100 to display the menu screen 21 and detect key input. If the predetermined time is exceeded, a time-out occurs, the menu screen 21 is deleted, and the normal screen display of FIG.

  Next, the processing when the list display button 24 is pressed in step S200 will be described according to the flowchart of FIG. 5 and the screen display examples of FIGS. First, when the list display button 24 is selected (the cursor is moved with the up / down / left / right keys of the remote controller or the like, or lightly touched with the touch panel), a simple message 30 is displayed at the bottom of the screen as shown in FIG. Next, when the list display button 24 is pressed (such as pressing an enter key on the remote control or pressing and long pressing on the touch panel), the parent station of the viewing station currently being viewed as shown in FIG. 6B. And a list including the relay stations are displayed (step S210). At this time, the preset first broadcast station name 31 is displayed on the upper left, and the current reception frequency 32 is displayed on the upper right. In the center of the mask, the frequencies and names of the master station and the relay station are displayed on selectable buttons. Here, seven stations are registered, including the master station and the relay station. It should be noted that an operable command 33 is displayed at the bottom of the screen for easy operation.

  Here, when the receivable station button 34 is pressed (step S220), first, the electric field strength is checked from the candidate frequencies (step S221). Specifically, the control unit 13 instructs the PLL circuit 2 on the frequencies of the parent station and the relay station in the list of viewing stations that the user is viewing, and uses the field strength data from the field strength detection unit 12. Receive. Next, the list of candidate frequencies is rearranged in the descending order of electric field strength (step S222). Here, as shown in FIG. 7A, the master station or relay station having a frequency equal to or higher than a certain threshold is displayed (step S223). In the case of a broadcasting station with many relay stations, displaying a relay station that cannot receive signals due to weak electric field strength makes the display complicated and less convenient, but displays a relay station that has a field strength above a certain threshold and can receive broadcasts. This is for the convenience of the user. Thereafter, the broadcast station is displayed in step S270, and it is determined whether the return button 35 is pressed in step S280. When the button is pressed, the list display is terminated, and the screen returns to the initial screen of FIG. If the return button 35 is not pressed, step S220 is repeated again.

  If the receivable station button 34 is not pressed in step S220, the process proceeds to step S230, and it is determined whether the tune button 36 for selecting a channel is pressed. If pressed, the reception frequency 32 is changed as shown in FIG. 7B (step S231). At this time, pressing the “<<” portion on the left side of the tune button may decrease the frequency, and pressing the right “>>” portion may increase the frequency. The frequency may be changed manually, or the frequency may be moved automatically. Thereafter, as described above, the same processing as in steps S270 and S280 is performed.

  When the tune button 36 is not pressed in step S230, the process proceeds to step S240, and it is determined whether the registration button 37 is pressed. If pressed, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the frequency is not registered, the reception frequency 32 is added to the list (step S241). Here, the relay station button 38 is registered (8) th at 88.8 MHz. Thereafter, as described above, the same processing as in steps S270 and S280 is performed.

  When a new relay station is created or when moving across areas, registering the relay station in the same list improves user convenience. For example, if the Kanto area and the Tohoku area are frequently moved by commuting, it is preferable to register frequently used Kanto area broadcasting stations and broadcasting stations of the same affiliated Tohoku area in the same list. Conventionally, the area selection, the master station selection, and the relay station selection must be repeated every time the user moves across the area, but in the present embodiment, it is only necessary to register as a relay station in the same list. Therefore, it is possible to easily switch between broadcasting stations, and user convenience is improved. A broadcasting station having only a master station may register an affiliated station as a relay station in the same manner.

  When the registration button 37 is not pressed in step S240, the process proceeds to step S250, and it is determined whether the candidate frequency buttons for the master station and the relay station are pressed. If the button is pressed, a candidate frequency to be operated such as deletion or registration described later is determined (step S251). For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the 87.1 MHz Ashiya station number (1) is selected as the relay station button 39, the reception frequency 32 is changed to the operation target candidate frequency of 87.1 MHz. To do. Thereafter, as described above, the same processing as in steps S270 and S280 is performed.

  If the candidate frequency button is not pressed in step S250, the process proceeds to step S260. Here, if there is no candidate frequency to be operated, as described above, the same processing as in steps S270 and S280 is performed.

  If there is a candidate frequency to be operated in step S260, the process proceeds to step S261. If the registration button 37 is pressed, the preset broadcast station relay station is changed in step S262. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, the preset frequency of the broadcast station name 31 is changed. As a result, when returning to the initial screen as shown in FIG. 8C, the frequency of the D-FM registered in the preset broadcast station button 20 is changed, and a new relay station is selected. The relay station registered in the preset broadcast station button 20 has a better reception state when the electric field strength is higher. Therefore, when selecting a candidate frequency to be operated in step S250 and step S251, it is preferable to select a relay station having a higher electric field strength. . Therefore, when the relay stations in the list are arranged and displayed in the order of the electric field strength, the user can easily understand and the convenience is improved.

  When the registration button 37 is not pressed in step S261, the process proceeds to step S265. Here, when the delete button 40 is pressed, the candidate frequency to be operated is deleted from the list (step S266). As shown in FIG. 9A, when the relay button 41 is selected in advance in steps S250 and S251, when the delete button 40 is pressed, the broadcast station to be operated is displayed as shown in FIG. 9B. Deleted. It should be noted that the list used by the user is deleted, and it is preferable that the list is not deleted from the list of the radio receiver from the beginning. This is convenient when you want to return to the original position, such as when you accidentally delete it, or when you want to use a broadcast station that has already been erased when the area where the radio receiver is used changes.

  It should be noted that erasure of the relay station is preferably used for a station that cannot receive because the electric field strength is weak or a station that has many relay stations and has a complicated screen display and therefore has a lower electric field strength and is less frequently used than other relay stations. This improves the convenience for the user.

  If the process after step S266 or the delete button 40 is not pressed in step S265, the same process as in steps S270 and S280 is performed as described above.

  If the list (FIG. 6B) displayed in step S210 is arranged in the order of electric field strength, it is possible to know which relay station has a strong radio wave and can be received satisfactorily, which improves user convenience. The list may be in order of frequency, or may be rearranged according to the user's preference (for example, by clicking and dragging buttons). At that time, the field strength of the relay station may be displayed numerically, color-coded, or displayed as a bar graph. In this case, the buttons are easier to understand.

  Here, the field strength of the parent station and relay station of the viewing station currently being viewed is obtained, and the list is edited and the channel is selected. However, if the number of viewing station relay stations is small, the field strength is detected. As a result, the interruption of the program of the viewing station is shortened, and when there are two tuners, there is no interruption of the program when the electric field strength is detected. Therefore, in these cases, the electric field strengths of the master station and relay station of other preset broadcast stations including the viewing station may be obtained. In this case, the list can be edited and the channel can be selected smoothly even when the current viewing station is changed to listen to another affiliated broadcasting station.

  In the radio receiver configured as described above, since the information on the broadcast station is edited based on the field intensity information of the broadcast station and the user operation information, the relay station can be edited and an appropriate relay station is available. This makes it possible to select a radio receiver that is easy to operate and excellent in convenience. Further, since it is not necessary to perform complicated operations such as moving across areas, the convenience of the user is improved.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, the user selects a relay station. In the second embodiment, a radio receiver that optimizes the relay station and selects the relay station with the highest electric field strength will be described.

  The apparatus configuration and the broadcast station list are the same as the block diagram of FIG. 1 and the list of FIG. The processing after the optimization button 22 is pressed in step S300 is different from the flowchart of FIG. 4 and will be described according to the flowchart of FIG. 10 and the screen display example of FIG.

  First, when the optimization button 22 is selected (such as moving the cursor with the up / down / left / right keys of the remote controller or lightly touching with the touch panel), a simple message 50 is displayed at the bottom of the screen as shown in FIG. Next, when the optimization button 22 is pressed (such as pressing an enter key on a remote controller or the like, pressing strongly or long pressing on the touch panel), the process proceeds to step S310 in FIG. Here, the electric field strength is checked from the candidate frequencies in the list. Specifically, the control unit 13 instructs the PLL circuit 2 on the frequencies of the parent station and the relay station of the viewing station in the list, and receives the electric field strength data from the electric field strength detection unit 12. Next, the list of candidate frequencies is rearranged in the descending order of electric field strength (step S320). Thereafter, the station with the highest electric field strength is selected (step S330), and the frequency change confirmation screen 51 is displayed as shown in FIG. 11B (step S340). If the frequency change is accepted, the OK button 52 is pressed (step S350), the frequency is changed (step S360), and the screen shown in FIG. 11C is displayed, and the frequency of the D-FM on the preset broadcast station button 20 is displayed. Is changed. If the frequency is not changed, the frequency is not changed by pressing the CANCEL button 53 in step S350.

  In the radio receiver configured in this way, when the user becomes difficult to hear, such as when the noise of the broadcasting station that the user is currently listening to increases, or during commercials, the user appropriately instructs the optimization of the relay station. As a result, the relay station with the highest electric field strength is selected. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the selection of different stations and to continue listening to the same broadcast program. In addition, since the station can be changed to an optimum station without selecting an area or place name, the operation is simplified and the convenience for the user is improved.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the second embodiment, the optimum relay station is selected when the user presses the optimization button as appropriate. In the third embodiment, a radio receiver that automatically switches to a relay station having a high electric field strength will be described. .

  The apparatus configuration and the broadcast station list are the same as the block diagram of FIG. 1 and the list of FIG. Since the processing after the auto receive button 22 is pressed in step S400 is different from the flowchart of FIG. 4, description will be made according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13 and the screen display example of FIG.

  First, when the Auto reception button 23 is selected (the cursor is moved with the up / down / left / right keys of the remote controller or the like, or lightly touched with the touch panel), a simple message 60 is displayed at the bottom of the screen as shown in FIG. Next, when the Auto reception button 23 is pressed (such as pressing an enter key on a remote controller or the like, pressing hard or long on the touch panel, etc.), the process proceeds to step S410 in FIG. If the automatic reception is not set, the process proceeds to step S420, and the automatic reception setting is turned ON. If it has already been set, the setting for auto reception is turned off (step S430), and auto reception is cancelled. In this case, as described in the first and second embodiments, the user may select a relay station as appropriate.

  The automatic reception process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When auto reception is performed by interrupt processing of a microcomputer or the like, first, in step S440, it is checked whether auto reception is set. Exit if not set. If it is set, the current field strength of the station is checked (step S450). When the electric field strength is higher than the predetermined value, it is easy to hear with less noise and the like, and the process ends without changing the broadcasting station.

  If the electric field strength is lower than the predetermined value and there is a lot of noise or the like, switching to reception of the next candidate station in the list (step S460) and checking the electric field strength (step S470). Here, if there is an electric field strength equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the operation is terminated while leaving the switched station. If the electric field strength is lower than the predetermined value, it is determined whether there is an unchecked station in the list (step S480). If there is, the process returns to step S460, the next candidate station is switched, and the operation of checking the electric field strength is repeated. If there is no unchecked station, the original frequency is restored (step S490). A display example in the case of performing automatic reception in this way is shown in FIG. A message 60 indicating that auto reception is in progress is displayed at the bottom of the screen, and the frequency of the D-FM on the preset broadcast station button 20 is appropriately changed.

  Depending on the area in which the vehicle is traveling, there is a possibility that the relay station is frequently changed by auto reception. Therefore, the user may be able to select the timing and conditions for checking auto reception. For example, the electric field strength is predicted from the rate of change of the electric field strength and checked at that timing, checked at regular time intervals, checked at every fixed distance, or the time when commercials seem to flow (4:00 It may be checked a little before the scheduled time such as 4:30, 5:00). In addition, the relay stations in the list have latitude / longitude information, and the distance between the relay stations is obtained from this value, and the relay stations are searched in order from the closest distance to the currently listening relay station. Also good. It is considered that the relay station closer to the current relay station has a higher electric field strength than the relay station that is currently listening, so the switching time of the relay station can be shortened.

  Also, if you have two tuners and listen to the current relay station with the main tuner and check the field strength of the relay stations in the list with the sub tuner, you can switch between broadcast stations smoothly. You can eliminate the discomfort of time.

  In the radio receiver configured as described above, since the relay station is automatically switched, it is possible to save the user's operation and further improve the convenience for the user. At this time, if the timing of automatic reception can be set or the distance information between broadcast stations is calculated, the uncomfortable feeling at the time of switching between broadcast stations can be reduced. In addition, if you use a double tuner, you can eliminate the uncomfortable feeling when switching between broadcast stations.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna 2 PLL circuit 3 Mixer 4 IF amplifier 5 Detector 6 VOL circuit 7 Amplifier 8 Speaker 9 Display part 10 Operation part 11 Memory | storage part 12 Electric field strength detection part 13 Control part 20 Preset broadcast station button 21 Menu screen 22 Optimization button 23 Auto reception button 24 List display button 30 Message 31 Broadcast station name 32 Reception frequency 33 Command 34 Receivable station button 35 Return button 36 Tune button 37 Registration button 38, 39 Relay station button 40 Delete button 41 Relay Station button 50 Message 51 Confirmation screen 52 OK button 53 Cancel (CANCEL) button 60 Message

Claims (7)

A circuit that converts radio waves received by the antenna into audio signals and outputs them to a speaker;
An operation unit for inputting a user's operation;
A storage unit for storing information of a master station and a relay station of a broadcasting station;
An electric field strength detector for determining the electric field strength of the broadcasting station based on the frequency information of the broadcasting station;
The broadcast station information is displayed on a display unit, and the broadcast station information is edited based on the electric field intensity information from the electric field intensity detection unit and the user operation information from the operation unit, and stored in the storage unit. A radio receiver including a control unit.   The radio receiver according to claim 1, wherein the electric field strength detection unit obtains electric field strengths of a parent station and a relay station of a viewing station that a user is viewing.   The radio receiver according to claim 2, wherein the control unit displays information on a parent station and a relay station of the viewing station on the display unit, and edits information on the parent station and the relay station.   The radio receiver according to claim 3, wherein the control unit displays information on a parent station and a relay station of the viewing station on the display unit in descending order of the electric field strength from the electric field strength detection unit.   The radio receiver according to claim 3, wherein the control unit displays a master station and a relay station whose electric field intensity from the electric field intensity detection unit is a predetermined value or more on the display unit.   The radio receiver according to claim 2, wherein the control unit selects a station having the highest electric field strength among the parent station and the relay station of the viewing station based on the electric field strength from the electric field strength detection unit.   3. The control unit according to claim 2, wherein when the electric field strength of a station being viewed is below a predetermined value, a station having an electric field strength of a predetermined value or more is selected from a parent station and a relay station of the viewing station. Radio receiver.

Images