KR100452170B1 - A method for receiving and outputting a broadcast program together with additional digital information, and a radio receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

A radio receiver and method that can be used for detection and output of audio data and digital information is disclosed. With the method according to the present invention, it is possible to output one audio program and digital information of another broadcasting station. According to the present invention, an identifier for the transmitting station of the digital information is outputted together with the output of the digital information.

Description

A method for receiving and outputting a broadcast program together with additional digital information, and a radio receiver

Conventional technology

The present invention relates to a method for receiving and outputting a broadcast program together with additional digital information. In a radio broadcasting method by radio-data-system (RDS), it is known to add digital information of the RDS-data format to a broadcast program. The broadcast program and the digital information are received and output by a radio receiver. For example, Franz Stollenberg, " New Service in RDS-Microwave Broadcasting ", NTZ, band 40, 1987, No. 5, page 346 below.

The radio-data-system transmits additional and non-audible digital data along with the broadcast program. The radio receiver with the appropriate RDS-decoder receives the RDS-data transmitted by the receiver of the receiver in addition to the radio broadcast reception, and decodes and reproduces the RDS-data. Information such as a traffic message, for example, is transmitted by the codeword on the RDS-data channel. That is, the place of the traffic event and the event itself are transmitted. Instead of traffic messages, for example, different types of RDS-user data, such as event guides, may also be transmitted. In addition to the RDS-user data, the received RDS-data includes in particular a program identifier indicating the sender of the RDS-data and a program service name indicating the name of the transmitting station of the RDS-data.

It is also known to transmit digital programs such as a traffic message and a digital program to a digital radio broadcasting (DAB) and to output the program and digital information.

Advantages of the Invention

The method according to the invention having the features of claim 1 and the radio receiver having the features of claim 12 have the advantage that the digital information of any transmitting station is output irrespective of the tuned radio station which can hear the program . Therefore, even when the transmitting station is selected for the reception of the broadcast program, the digital information of the other transmitting station can be outputted regardless of the selected broadcasting program. Therefore, the output of the broadcast program and the digital information is configured to be flexible. The listener is not limited to the information of the broadcast program. This is particularly desirable in a multi-tuner-concept in which a first tuner receives the broadcast program and a second tuner receives the digital information.

In this case, for example, a system such as a broadcast program having a digital broadcast (DAB) or radio-data-signal (RDS) can be used.

The configuration described in the dependent claims makes possible the preferred implementation and improvement of the method presented in claim 1 and the radio receiver presented in claim 12. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the RDS-data of the radio-data-signal is used as digital information and the name of the transmitting station of the RDS data is output in addition to the RDS-user data. Accordingly, the listener can obtain information on which transmission station the outputted RDS-user data is transmitted. Therefore, the output RDS-user data can be clearly assigned to one broadcast station.

A further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is achieved by storing the program identifier of the transmitting station of the RDS-data together with the RDS-data. This makes it possible to simply and reliably allocate the received RDS-data to the transmitting station of the RDS-data.

Another preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention is to use a table containing the direct correspondence between the program service name and the program identifier as the name of the transmitting station of the RDS-data. As a result, the name of the transmitting station is simply read by the program identifier. Therefore, it is not necessary to detect the name of the transmitting station from the RDS-data itself every time after receiving the RDS-data.

It is preferable that the program service name is output in parallel with the RDS-data, particularly the traffic message, in time.

The simple distinction between the program service name of the broadcast program and the program service name of the RDS-data may be made by the acoustic output of the program service name of the transmitting station of the RDS-data, For example, as characters, and / or displayed on the display in blinking and / or reverse representation and / or in a prominent color.

Embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings and described below.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Figure 1 shows a radio receiver with two tuners. The antenna 6 is connected to the input of the first tuner 1 forming the first receiving unit via the first antenna line 11. The first tuner 1 is connected to an input of a second tuner 2 forming a second receiver through a second antenna line 12. The second tuner 2 is connected to the microprocessor 3 through a second output line 13. Likewise, the first tuner 1 is connected to the microprocessor 3 via a first output line 14. The microprocessor 3 is connected to the input unit 10 through a first data line 15. The microprocessor 3 is connected to the optical display unit 9 via the second data line 16 and is connected to the first memory 4 through the third data line 17, And is connected to the second memory 5 through the first data line 18 and to the speech synthesizer 7 via the fifth data line 19. The language synthesizer 7 is connected to the speaker 8 through a sixth data line 20. The microprocessor 3 is connected to the speaker 8 via an audio line 21.

The apparatus according to figure 1 acts as follows:

A received signal is received by the first tuner 1 via the antenna 6. [ The first tuner 1 is tuned to one sender and delivers its broadcast program to the microprocessor 3. The microprocessor 3 outputs the received broadcast program as an audio signal through the audio line 21 and the speaker 8. At the same time, the received signal is provided to the second tuner 2 through the first tuner 1. The second tuner 2 is tuned to a second transmitting station to receive RDS-data and send it to the microprocessor 3. The microprocessor 3 detects RDS-user data, such as traffic information, program identifiers and program service names, from the provided RDS-data. The microprocessor 3 stores the RDS-user data and the program identifier of the RDS data in the second memory.

If the program identifier and the program service name are not stored in the first memory, the microprocessor 3 stores the program service name and the program identifier of the RDS-data in the form of a table in the first memory 4 . The table directly associates the program identifier and the program service name.

Instead of the RDS-data, the second tuner 2 also receives the digital supplemental information of the digital broadcast program and detects, from the additional information, for example, the traffic message and the name of the transmitting station of the supplemental information according to the above- . The user data and the name are output regardless of the broadcast program output according to the method described above.

And stores the program identifier and the program service name when changing the transmitting station of the RDS-data. This is because a new transmitting station can use a changed correspondence between the program identifier and the name of the broadcasting station when the transmitting station is changed.

Since the output of the broadcast program (audio signal) is performed by the second tuner 2 irrespective of the reception of the RDS-data, the second tuner 2 tracks the RDS-data when the reception frequency is different The microprocessor 3 stores the RDS-data of the various program-service-providers in the second memory 5. In this case,

The RDS data actually received by the microprocessor 3 is visually transmitted to the speech synthesizer 7 through the display unit 9 or acoustically according to the operation mode input by the input unit 10. [ And the speaker (8).

The microprocessor 3 advantageously outputs the program service name acoustically or visually in parallel with the RDS-data. The indication of the program service name of the RDS-data provider may be in the form of characters and / or blinking to emphasize the program service name of the provider of the RDS-data relative to the program service name of the provider of the audio data And / or a distinctive color distinguishable from the other representations of the display unit 9 visually and / or in reverse representation.

A table enabling the direct correspondence of the program identifiers to the program service name is stored in the first memory (4). This allows the microprocessor 3 to detect, via the program identifier, the program service name of the provider of the RDS-data for the received RDS-data. This provides the advantage that the program service name only needs to be detected from the RDS-data only once. The detection of the program service name is relatively cumbersome.

The output of the RDS-user data is, according to an embodiment of the method according to the invention

Is performed after input made by the input unit (10).

To this end, the key of the input unit 10 is pressed to output the RDS-user data. The method according to the invention is therefore particularly suitable for outputting a traffic message (" traffic message channel ") that is collected and output as needed.

Figure 2 is a schematic program flow diagram for the implementation of the method according to the present invention.

At the program point 30, the first tuner 1 receives a broadcast program (audio signal) at a predetermined reception frequency. The broadcast program is output by the microprocessor (3) and the speaker (8). At the same time, the second tuner 2 receives the RDS-data of the transmitting station. The transmitting station or the program provider of the RDS-data may be the same as the transmitting station received by the first tuner 1, but need not coincide.

At the program point 31, the RDS-data is transmitted to the microprocessor 3. The microprocessor 3 stores the program identifiers of the RDS-user data and RDS data in a second memory. The microprocessor 3 checks at the program point 32 whether the received RDS-user data already matches the RDS-user data stored in the second memory 5. [ If the received RDS-user data is new, at the program point 33, the microprocessor 3 searches the table stored in the first memory 4 for the program identifier of the newly received RDS-data.

If the program identifier of the newly received RDS-data is not stored in the first memory 4, the program identifier and the program service name are first stored in the first memory 4 by the microprocessor 3, / RTI > For this, the microprocessor 3 must detect the program service name from the RDS-data. The program service name is subsequently read from the table and output at program point 33 along with the RDS-user data. Then, it returns to the program point 30 again.

If the RDS-user data is not new, that is, if the RDS-user data, the program identifier and the program service name are already stored as a result of the inquiry at the program point 32, It is inquired as to whether or not the manual operation through the main body 10 is performed. When the manual operation is performed, the RDS-user data stored at the program point 35 is output together with each program service name. Then, it returns to the program point 30 again. As a result of the inquiry at the program point 34, if the manual operation has not been performed, the program point 30 is returned again.

If the output of the traffic message is made by the speaker, it is advantageous that the output of the program service name is made by the speaker 8 before the output of the traffic message or after the output of the traffic message.

Optionally, however, the program service name may be visually output by the optical display unit 9 in parallel with the acoustic output of the traffic message. When the traffic message is output by the optical display unit 9, the program service name is output by the optical display unit 9 before or after the output of the traffic message. The optical display unit 9 and the speaker 8 are used as an output device.

The program service name is distinguished from other displays of the optical display unit 9 because it is displayed conspicuously at the time of outputting. For example, in the form of letters and / or flashing and / or inverted display and / or a distinctive color distinguished from the colors of the other indicia of the optical display unit 9.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the method, if the same traffic message is received from a different transmitting station, the program identifier of the transmitting station that originally received the traffic message is stored.

In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the program identifier of the transmitting station which last received the traffic message is stored.

The method according to the invention and the radio receiver according to the invention have been described for a program with radio-data-signals, for example. However, the method according to the present invention and the radio receiver according to the present invention are not limited to broadcast programs with radio-data-signals, but can also be applied to other broadcast transmission systems such as digital broadcasts.

In the digital broadcasting, the broadcast program and the additional information indicating the digital information are also digitally transmitted. By means of the method according to the invention and the radio receiver according to the invention it is possible, for example, to receive the digital information and the digital broadcast program, which are output by different transmitting stations, representing the traffic message, And additionally, the name of the transmitting station of the digital information is outputted.

1 is a schematic diagram of a radio receiver; Fig.

Figure 2 is a program flow diagram for the implementation of the method according to the invention;

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

1, 2: Tuner

3: Microprocessor

4, 5: Memory

7: speech synthesizer

9: Display unit

10: Input unit

Claims (14)

A method for receiving and outputting a broadcast program from a radio station, Receiving digital information of another transmitting station, and outputting the digital information, regardless of the outputted broadcasting program. The method according to claim 1, Detecting a name of the transmitting station of the digital information, and outputting the name of the transmitting station together with the digital information. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Receives RDS (Radio Data System) data as the digital information, detects as a RDS-user data, in particular a traffic guide, and particularly a program service name as a name for the transmitting station of the RDS-data And outputting the RDS-user data and the name of the transmitting station. The method of claim 3, Storing the program identifier of the RDS-data and the program service name as the RDS-user data, in particular the traffic message, and storing the program identifier in relation to the program service name in the first memory (4) And the program service name is found in the first memory (4) through an identifier. The method of claim 3, And outputting the program service name simultaneously with the output of the RDS-user data. The method of claim 3, Wherein the identifier of the transmitting station of the RDS-data is visually reproduced. The method of claim 3, And outputs the name of the transmitting station of the RDS-data acoustically, for example, as a synthesized voice. The method of claim 3, In the case of receiving two identical RDS-user data in terms of contents, the program service name and the program identifier of the initially received RDS-data are stored, and the program service name of the initially received RDS-user data and the RDS- And outputting user data together with the user data. The method of claim 3, Stores the program identifier of the last received RDS-user data, and outputs the program service name of the last received RDS-user data together with the RDS-user data when the same RDS-user data is received consecutively And outputting the received broadcast program. 5. The method of claim 4, And stores the program identifier and / or the program service name only when the program identifier and / or the program service name are not yet stored. 5. The method of claim 4, And after the transmission station of the RDS-data is changed, stores the program identifier of the received RDS data and / or the program service name. A radio receiver having a first receiver for receiving a broadcast of a radio station and an output device for outputting digital information, Characterized in that it comprises at least one additional receiving section (2), which can receive the digital information of another radio station by said further receiving section, and said digital information is output by said output device (8, 9) receiving set. 13. The method of claim 12, And the name of the transmitting station of the digital information can be detected from the digital information, and the name is outputted by the output device (8, 9). 13. The method of claim 12, The RDS-data is received as digital information by the additional receiver 2, and in particular, a program service name is detected as an identifier for the RDS-user data and the name of the RDS-transmission station from the RDS-data, Data and said identifier are output by said output device (8, 9).