JPH05347540A - Automatic radio channel selection preset device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automize a channel selection preset of an on-vehicle radio. CONSTITUTION:When the present position of the vehicle concerned is detected by a position detecting means, a discriminating means discriminates which of plural areas the present position concerned is (steps 102-1-102-N). As a result, a reading-out means reads out receiving frequencies of plural radio stations corresponding to this discriminated area from a storage means (steps 103-1-103-N), and the receiving frequencies of plural radio stations read out by this reading-out means are stored in a channel selection memory of a radio by a preset means (step 108).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radio station automatic presetting device for automatically changing a reception frequency of a radio station preset in a radio mounted on an automobile according to the current position of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a radio mounted on an automobile has been put into practical use which has a preset function capable of setting a reception frequency of any radio station by one-touch operation without tuning. (19
June 1989, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. “Service Weekly Report” No. 626, E-48 to E-50). For radios with this preset function, memory tuning buttons A to F
Up to 6 AM6 stations and 12 FM stations can be preset by operating the tuning button to set the reception frequency of the desired radio station, and then press any of the memory selection buttons A to F you want to store to 1.5. If you press and hold for a second, the tuning memory corresponding to the memory tuning button that is pressed and held,
The radio station set by operating the tuning button and its reception frequency are stored.

When receiving a broadcast from a radio station, one-touch operation of the memory tuning button causes the radio station stored in the tuning memory corresponding to the one-touch operated memory tuning button to be stored. The reception frequency and the reception frequency are read out, and the reception frequency is set in the radio tuner. Therefore, it is not necessary to tune at the time of tuning, and it is possible to receive the radio broadcast of the desired station by only one-touch operation of the memory tuning button.

[0004]

However, the reception frequency of a radio station that can be received in radio broadcasting differs depending on the region. Therefore, even if the reception frequency of a desired radio station is stored in the tuning memory in a specific area, the memory is used in other areas where the broadcast from the radio station stored in the tuning memory cannot be received. Even if the tuning button is operated, it becomes difficult to receive the broadcast of the desired radio station. For example, even if a radio station with a reception frequency that can be received in the Kanto region is stored for each of the memory tuning buttons, if the vehicle is running in the Tokai region, the memory tuning Even if the button is operated, the broadcast from the corresponding radio station cannot be received.

Therefore, in such a case, the tuning button is operated each time the tuning is performed to set the reception frequency of a desired radio station, or a radio station having a reception frequency receivable in the area is set again. The same operation as described above must be performed to store it in the tuning memory corresponding to the memory tuning button, which complicates the operation.

[0006] On the other hand, various navigation devices for detecting the current position of the vehicle are now mounted on automobiles (March 30, 1990, "Ministry of Construction Secretariat Technical Research Office" Road-to-Vehicle Information). System development report "), the present navigation device can detect the current position with high accuracy, although there are differences in the position detection method. However, at present, the navigation device is exclusively used for driving guidance such as indicating the present location or searching for a route to a destination, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-223828. Although some proposals have been made to make effective use of the navigation device, the functions of the navigation device have not yet been effectively used for multiple purposes.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and makes effective use of the function of a navigation device to automatically select a preset radio for an on-vehicle radio. It is intended to provide.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, a position detecting means for detecting the current position of a vehicle and a plurality of radio stations capable of receiving in each area are provided. Storage means for storing the reception frequency of the vehicle, determination means for determining the area to which the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detection means belongs, and the plurality of radio stations corresponding to the area determined by the determination means. Reading means for reading the reception frequency of from the storage means,
There is provided presetting means for storing the reception frequencies of the plurality of radio stations read by the reading means in a tuning memory of a radio mounted on the vehicle.

[0009]

In the above structure, when the current position of the vehicle is detected by the position detecting means, the judging means judges which of the plurality of areas the current position is. Then, the reading means reads the reception frequencies of the plurality of radio stations corresponding to the determined area from the storage means, and the reception frequencies of the plurality of radio stations read by the reading means are selected by the preset means for selecting the radio. Stored in station memory. Therefore, even if the area in which the vehicle is traveling changes, it is not necessary to preset the reception frequency of the radio station that can be received in the area by manual operation in the radio selection memory.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the central processing unit (CP
U) 2 has GPS (Global Position)
ing System) receiver 3, beacon receiver 4,
The signals output from the wheel speed sensor 5, the geomagnetic sensor 6 and the vehicle mission signal transmission unit 7 are input through the interface 8. The GPS receiver 3 receives a signal from a satellite (Navster) transmitting predetermined data while orbiting in a circular orbit, and the time data, the orbit data, and the approximate orbits of all satellites are received from the satellite. Data is being transmitted. In other words, on the receiving side, based on the time delay until the signal from the satellite arrives,
By calculating the distance to the satellite, it can be seen that it is on a certain sphere centered on that satellite. Therefore,
If the distances to three satellites are known at the same time, the three spheres intersect at one point, which makes it possible to detect the current position on the earth.
Data from each satellite is input to the central processing unit 2 via the GPS receiver 3 and the interface 2.

The beacon receiver 4 is a receiver of a digital communication system based on the intermittent minimum zone system. In the intermittent minimum zone system, the beacons 9 ... Which are arranged on the road side as shown in FIG. 3 are used. In the center, a narrow spot-like communication zone Z (about 10 meters before and after the beacon 9) is intermittently formed. Then, the beacon receiver 4 performs high-speed data communication with the beacon within a short time when the vehicle passes through the communication zone Z,
The position data is input to the central processing unit 2 via the interface 8. Further, the speed of the wheel detected by the wheel speed sensor 5 and the geomagnetism detected by the geomagnetic sensor 6 together with the mission signal output from the vehicle mission signal generation unit 6,
It is input to the central processing unit 2 via the interface 8.

The central processing unit 2 includes a CD-ROM 9 and
A system control memory 10 and a radio preset memory table 11 as a storage unit are connected. The CD-ROM 9 stores map data of the whole of Japan, and the map data is a wide area map (reduction ratio: 1 / 400,000, 1 / 200,000, 1 / 100,000) data and detailed map. (Reduction ratio: 1 / 25,000 equivalent) It is composed of data. Further, the system control memory 10 stores all the programs necessary for the central processing unit 2 to execute the present embodiment, and by executing the programs by the central processing unit 2, The central processing unit 2 achieves the position detecting means, the discriminating means, the reading means, and the presetting means in the embodiment.
The radio preset memory table 11 includes, for example, 1 to n such as Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, ... Tokai ... Kyushu.
For each area up to, the names of a plurality of radio stations that can be received in the area and their reception frequencies are stored.

A radio 1 having speakers 16 in the central processing unit 2 via an interface 12 is also provided.
3 is connected, and a display device 15 composed of a CRT or the like is connected via an interface 14. The radio 13 is provided with, for example, six memory tuning buttons A to F and a plurality of tuning memories corresponding to the tuning buttons A to F, like the well-known on-vehicle radio. It should be noted that the navigation device body 1 is provided with a power switch (not shown), and when the power switch is turned on, the entire system is activated.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. That is, this flowchart is started by turning on or off the key switch provided in the automobile, and it is first determined whether or not the power switch is turned on and the navigation device body 1 is in the on state. (Step 101). This determination is YES
However, the determination process from step 102-1 is executed on condition that the power switch is turned on, and in step 102-1 it is determined whether or not the current position belongs to one area.

The current position used in this determination is a known processing procedure in the central processing unit 2 based on the data received by the GPS receiver 3 and the data received by the beacon receiver 4. The central processing unit 2 also detects the current position by a known map matching method based on the data detected by the wheel speed sensor 6 and the geomagnetic sensor 7. That is, the central processing unit 2 detects the current position by a plurality of methods instead of a single method, and thus the current position is detected more accurately. At this time, based on the mission signal from the vehicle mission signal generator 7, for example, when the mission is shifted to the reverse and the vehicle moves backward, the corresponding correction is made.

If the determination in step 102-1 is YES and the current location belongs to one area, a plurality of areas corresponding to one area stored in the radio preset memory table 11 are stored. The radio station name and the reception frequency of each radio station are loaded into the memory of the working RAM provided in the central processing unit 2 (step 103-1). Further, the determination in step 102-1 is N
If it is O and the current position does not belong to one area, it is judged whether or not the current position belongs to two areas (step 102-2). If the judgment is YES, the current position is If the radio station belongs to two regions, a plurality of radio station names corresponding to the two regions stored in the radio preset memory table 11 and the reception frequency of each radio station are loaded (step 103-2). Further, if the determination in step 102-2 is NO and the current position does not belong to two regions, it is sequentially determined whether or not the current position belongs to n region (step 102-2). If YES and the current location belongs to the n area, the radio preset memory table 1
A plurality of radio station names corresponding to the n regions stored in No. 1 and the reception frequency of each radio station are loaded (step 103-N).

Then, step 103-1 to step 1
When a plurality of radio station names corresponding to any area to which the current location belongs and their reception frequencies are loaded into the memory by any of the processes up to 03-N, step 10
Then, the process proceeds to step 4 and it is determined whether or not the radio 13 is turned on. If this determination is NO and the radio 13 is off, a message to the effect that the radio preset is changed is displayed on the display device 15 (step 10).
7). After that, the radio station name and the reception frequency of the area loaded in the memory of the working RAM are
It is preset in the tuning memory of radio 13,
The radio station name and the reception frequency are displayed on the display device 15 (step 108).

Therefore, for example, when a vehicle departing from the Kanto region reaches the current location belonging to the Tokai region,
The radio station name that can be received in the Kanto region and its reception frequency preset in the radio 13 are automatically changed to the radio station name that can be received in the Tokai region and its reception frequency. Therefore, after turning on the radio 13, it is not necessary to operate the tuning button to set the reception frequency every time when tuning is performed, and the reception frequency of the radio station that can be re-received in the area is selected again in the memory. The operation of storing in the tuning memory corresponding to the button is also unnecessary.

On the other hand, if the determination in step 104 is YES and the radio 13 is currently on, a radio preset change permission message is displayed on the display device 15 as to whether or not preset is permitted (step 10
5) Further, it is judged whether or not the preset change is permitted (step 106). This preset change permission is possible by operating a permission button (not shown), and if the permission button is operated and the determination in step 106 is YES, as described above, the load in the memory is performed. The local radio station name and reception frequency are preset in the tuning memory of the radio 13 and displayed on the display device 15 (step 108).

If the permit button is left as it is without being operated, the determination in step 106 becomes NO, the process proceeds to step 109, the tuning memory of the radio 13 is not preset, and the present Maintained in a state. Therefore, if the occupant is receiving the broadcast of a specific radio station and wants to continue receiving the broadcast as it is, if the user leaves it without turning on the permission button, the broadcast being received is continued. Then, it becomes possible to listen.

Even if the determination in steps 102-1 to 102-n is NO and it is not possible to specify which of the 1st region to the nth region the current position belongs to due to the reception condition or the like, the selection of the radio 13 is selected. The station memory is not preset and is maintained in its current state (step 109).

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the current position of the vehicle is detected by the position detecting means, and the reception frequencies of a plurality of radio stations corresponding to the area to which the detected current position belongs are automatically radio-detected. It was made to preset in the tuning memory of. Therefore, even if you drive in a region different from the starting region after starting, you can press the tuning button every time you tune in to set the reception frequency, or you can re-receive radio frequencies in the region. It becomes unnecessary to store in the radio tuning memory of the radio, and it is possible to eliminate the complicated tuning operation and preset operation required when traveling in an area different from the starting area.

Moreover, since the navigation device already in practical use can be used as the position detecting means,
It is also possible to improve the versatility of the navigation device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing control contents executed by a central processing unit in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement configuration of beacons received by a beacon receiver in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 navigation device main body 2 central processing unit (position detecting means, reading means, discriminating means presetting means) 3 GPS receiver 4 beacon receiver 5 wheel speed sensor 6 geomagnetic sensor 7 vehicle mission signal 9 CD-ROM 10 system control memory, 11 Radio preset memory table (storage means) 13 Radio

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A position detecting means for detecting a current position of a vehicle, a storage means for storing a plurality of reception frequencies of a plurality of radio stations receivable in the area for each of a plurality of areas, and the position detecting means for detecting. A discriminating means for discriminating an area to which the current position of the vehicle belongs, a reading means for reading out the reception frequencies of the plurality of radio stations corresponding to the area discriminated by the discriminating means from the storage means, and a reading means for reading the read frequencies. An automatic preset station for radio tuning, comprising preset means for storing the received frequencies of the emitted radio stations in a tuning memory of a radio mounted on the vehicle.