JP2865555B2 - Road traffic information receiver - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a road traffic information receiving apparatus, and more particularly to a road traffic information receiving apparatus capable of recording and reproducing road traffic information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, on expressways and general roads,
In a section where road information and guidance are specified, the section is broadcast by radio waves of a specific frequency (usually AM1620 KHz).
In order to receive these broadcasts, the radio receiver must be tuned to a specific frequency of road information or guidance to keep the reception state at all times. However, if you keep the radio receiver in this state, you will not be able to listen to general radio broadcasts,
Generally, the frequency of the radio receiver is switched to the frequency of the road traffic information broadcast at the point where the road traffic information is broadcast.

[0003]

However, road traffic information is useful for a driver driving a car,
Even if you want to listen to it, it is difficult to switch on the radio or tune to the frequency of the road traffic information broadcast in accordance with the location and time of the road traffic information broadcast, and listen to other broadcasts. When you are on the road, you often forget to listen to the road traffic information broadcast. In addition, there is a case where it is desired to listen repeatedly, but there is also a problem that it is not possible to hear after passing through the broadcast section of the road traffic information. For this reason, a receiver having a recording function has been proposed, but when the recorded road traffic information is reproduced, which point of the road traffic information is the road traffic information, It was inconvenient to know whether it was information.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a receiving means for receiving road traffic information, a detecting means for detecting broadcast of road traffic information, and a method for detecting broadcast of road traffic information by the detecting means. In a road traffic information receiving apparatus having a recording means for recording the received road traffic information, a position detecting means for detecting a position of the vehicle, and a voice synthesis for converting the position detected by the position detecting means into a voice. Means,
When the detection means detects the broadcast of the road traffic information, a speech synthesis output means for outputting a speech output of the speech synthesis means to the recording means is provided.

[0005] Further, a clock means for changing the time to voice and outputting the time to the voice synthesis output means is provided.

[0006]

According to the present invention, when the detecting means detects the broadcast of the road traffic information, the position detecting means detects the position at which the road traffic information is received, and the voice synthesizing means detects the position. The location is vocalized, and the recording means records the road traffic information together with the vocalized location information.

The clock means outputs the time at which the voice is converted to the voice synthesizing output means, and if the broadcast of the road traffic information is detected by the detecting means, the voice synthesizing output means transmits the signal to the recording means. The voiced time is output, and the time when the road traffic information broadcast is received is recorded together with the road traffic information.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the present invention. 1 receives a radio wave with a radio receiving antenna. Reference numeral 2 denotes a radio receiving unit that performs tuning and demodulation operations and converts received broadcast waves into audio.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a traffic information receiving unit which has a frequency of traffic information broadcasting (generally 1620 KHz or 1629 KHz).
Hz) is set as a tuning frequency (fixed), and further tunes a traffic information broadcast that is tuned and converts it into audio. or,
It detects the carrier of the traffic information, detects the unmodulated (silent) state of the received traffic information broadcast, and outputs it to the microcomputer 4.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a power amplifier, which amplifies audio signals output from the radio receiving unit 2, the traffic information receiving unit 3, and the recording / reproducing unit 15 and outputs audio from the speaker 10. Reference numeral 11 denotes an operation switch for setting a reception frequency of the radio reception unit 2, setting whether or not to record a traffic information broadcast,
Setting whether to automatically play traffic information broadcasts, LED23
For turning off the light, playing back the recorded traffic information broadcast, and the like.

A clock 12 outputs time information to the microcomputer 4. Reference numeral 13 denotes a voice synthesizer that voices and outputs a time signal and a position signal. Reference numeral 15 denotes a recording / reproducing unit which records and reproduces a traffic information broadcast, an audio signal of time, position, and the like. As the recording / reproducing unit, a recording device using a magnetic tape, a magneto-optical disk, or the like can be used. However, in the present embodiment, the sound is recorded by a storage element (RAM). If the operation button is pressed without the necessity of rewinding the tape as in a reproducing machine, address information indicating the reproducing position is instructed from the microcomputer 4 and the recording can be immediately started from the beginning.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a GPS position detecting device (Global)
Positioning System) and G
The traveling position (latitude / latitude) of the vehicle calculated by the GPS receiver 20 based on the radio wave from the artificial satellite received by the PS antenna 19
Based on (longitude), a place name at that position is searched from the map database 22, and the searched place name is output to the microcomputer 4. Note that an optical disk storage device such as a CD-ROM is used as the map database 22.

Reference numerals 7.8, 14, 16, and 17 denote changeover switches, whose connection / disconnection state is controlled by a control signal from the microcomputer 4, and the signal transmission state between the components, that is, the power amplifier 6, the recording / reproducing unit 15, and the like. It switches whether or not to transmit a signal, and is configured by an analog switch, a switch circuit using a switching transistor, and the like. And
As shown in the table of FIG. 4, the disconnection state is a state of the apparatus, that is, a state where a general radio broadcast is reproduced, a state where a received traffic information broadcast is reproduced, and a state where a traffic information broadcast is recorded. The state is switched according to the state of being recorded, the state of playing the recorded traffic information broadcast, the state of recording the time, and the state of recording the position.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a microcomputer which receives signals from the components to perform processing and controls the components. The main operation is to control the reception frequency of the radio reception unit 2 by a signal from the operation switch 11, and to receive a signal from the traffic information reception unit 3 indicating that the traffic information broadcast has been detected. Switches the changeover switches 7, 8, 14, 16, 17 so as to be output from the unit, controls the operation of the recording / reproducing unit 15, the LED 23, and outputs the time and position signals from the clock 12 and the GPS position detecting device 18 as sound. There are operations such as outputting to the synthesizer 13.

Reference numeral 23 denotes an LED which, when turned on, notifies that road traffic information has been received. The LED 23 is turned off when a predetermined time has elapsed after recording, when the recorded information is reproduced, or when the LED 23 is turned off by the operation switch 11. Next, the processing operation of the microcomputer 4 and a changeover switch (switches 7, 8, 14)
16) and 17) will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 3 and the table of FIG.

This process is started when the receiver 5 and the GPS position detecting device 18 are turned on. In step S1, whether a road traffic information broadcast is being performed, that is, a carrier wave (carrier) of 1620 KHz is detected. If a carrier is detected, the process proceeds to step S2. If no carrier is detected, the process proceeds to step S19. After waiting for a predetermined time, the process returns to step S1. That is, the presence or absence of the road traffic information broadcast is intermittently repeatedly determined. The detection of the carrier can be performed by detecting the output of the intermediate frequency signal of the traffic information receiving unit 3 or the so-called voice output.

In step S2, the LED 23 is turned on to notify that road traffic information has been received. In step S3, when the road traffic information is received, the state is switched to automatically output the road traffic information by switching even while receiving another broadcast, or to perform only recording without outputting the road traffic information. Is determined (selection by the operation switch 11 by the operator). If the state in which only recording is performed is selected, the process proceeds to step S4. If the state in which output is also performed is selected, the process proceeds to step S19. Move on.

In step S19, the changeover switches 7.8,... So that the road traffic information broadcast is reproduced from the speaker 10.
14.16.17 are controlled. That is, the changeover switch 7
16 and 17 are set to the connected state, and the changeover switches 8 and 14 are set to the disconnected state, and the process proceeds to step S4 (state B in FIG. 4). In step S4, an instruction to start recording is issued to the recording / reproducing unit 15, and the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the time data from the clock 12 is sent to the voice synthesizer 13, and the voice synthesizer 13 converts the time to voice and outputs it to the recording unit 15. At this time, the changeover switches 7 and 8 are turned off, and the switch 1
4 is a connection state (state E in FIG. 4). The switch 16
And the switch 17 maintains the state at the time of the determination in step S3. By this processing, the time at which the traffic information was received is recorded.

In step S6, the recording is temporarily stopped.
In step S7, the position detection microcomputer 21 is searched for the current location name of the own vehicle, and a location name signal of the current location is input. In step S8, the microcomputer 4 re-starts the recording / playback unit 1.
5 is instructed to start recording, and a step S9 is performed.
In step S9, the place name of the current position of the vehicle is output to the voice synthesizer 13, and the voice synthesizer 13 outputs the place name as a voice signal to the recording / reproducing unit 15.
The place name is recorded by voice. The changeover switches 7 and 8 are disconnected, the changeover switch 14 is connected, and the changeover switches 16 and 17
Is controlled to maintain the original state. (State F in FIG. 4) Then, in step S10, the recording / reproducing unit 1
The control signal is sent to 5 to stop recording.

Next, the process proceeds to step S11 in FIG. 3, in which the unmodulated state (silent state) of the received road traffic information radio wave is detected. This is a process for searching for a broadcast start point. When the non-modulation state is detected, the process proceeds to step S12, and when not detected, the detection process (step S11) is repeated. The detection of the unmodulated state can be detected by the audio output of the traffic information receiving unit 3.

In step S12, the recording / playback unit 1
The control signal is sent to 5 to start recording, and the contents of the road traffic information broadcast are recorded. At this time, the changeover switch 7 is in the connected state, and the other changeover switches 8, 14, 16, and
Reference numeral 17 indicates a disconnected state (state C in FIG. 4). Step S14
Then, the non-modulation state is detected again, that is, the end of the audio information is detected, and if detected, the process proceeds to step S15, where a control signal is sent to the recording / reproducing unit 15 to stop recording.

In step S16, changeover switches 7, 8
-Controls 14.16.17 and restores the changeover switches 7.8.14.16.17, which had been switched to recording of traffic information, to the original state, so that the receiver 5 is not detected before the road traffic information broadcast is detected. And the process proceeds to step S17 (state A in FIG. 4). In step S17, it is determined whether or not the carrier of the received road traffic information radio wave has run out. If a carrier has been detected, the process waits for a predetermined time in step S18, and then returns to step S17. That is, carrier detection is intermittently repeated.

When the carrier is no longer detected,
It returns to step S1 (FIG. 2) again. In other words, in this process, it is detected that the user has gone out of the service area of the road traffic information broadcast, and then the broadcast of the road traffic information is detected and recorded again, so that the same road traffic information broadcast is not re-recorded. Like that. Although not shown in the flowchart, when reproduction of the recorded road traffic information is selected by the operation switch 11, the microcomputer 4 connects the changeover switch 17 and switches the other switches 7, 8, 14, and 16 to each other. At the same time, the recording / reproducing unit 15 is brought into the reproducing state (state D in FIG. 4).

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a road traffic information broadcast is received, the receiving position and the road traffic information are automatically recorded, and the road traffic information broadcast is automatically recorded according to the driver's intention. You can listen at any time with the broadcast location.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a microcomputer 4;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a microcomputer 4;

FIG. 4 is a list showing a state of a changeover switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ··· Antenna 2 ··· Radio receiver 3 ··· Traffic information receiver 4 · · · microcomputer 5 · · · · · · audio Device 6 Power amplifier 7 Changeover switch 8 Changeover switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H04B 1/16 H04B 1/20

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A receiving means for receiving road traffic information, a detecting means for detecting a broadcast of the road traffic information, and a recording for recording the road traffic information received when the broadcast of the road traffic information is detected by the detecting means. Means for detecting the position of the vehicle, voice synthesis means for converting the position detected by the position detection means into voice, and road traffic information by the detection means. And a voice synthesis output means for outputting a voice output of the voice synthesis means to the recording means when the broadcast is detected. 2. A road traffic information receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising clock means for converting time into voice and outputting the voice to said voice synthesizing output means.