EP0725500A2 - Means for managing digitally coded traffic messages in broadcast receivers - Google Patents

Abstract

In a device for managing digitally coded traffic reports in receiving devices, traffic reports received and checked for validity and novelty are stored in a memory. For each new traffic announcement received, an administrative data record is generated and contains at least the following information: address of the associated traffic announcement in the memory, time of the first reception of the traffic announcement and serial number of the traffic announcement according to the sequence of the first reception. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of the main claim.

The radio data system (RDS) enables an additional and inaudible transmission of digital data in parallel to radio programs in a data channel. Specifications of the radio data system for VHF radio can be found in Tech. 3244 - E, March 1984 of the European Runfunk Union (EBU). Radio receivers with suitable RDS decoders can record and decode transmitted data in addition to radio reception with the same receiver. The data transmission takes place in 32 groups of 108 bits each, each group being assigned a specific service. Group 8a is intended for the transmission of digitally coded traffic reports.

The structure and coding of these traffic reports are specified in the standard proposal ALERT C, November 1990, published by the RDS ATT ALERT Consortium. The The essential elements of a traffic announcement are the location and the event. This information is cataloged, which means that a unique code is assigned to every traffic-relevant location and every traffic-relevant event. The chaining of the locations in the location table along existing streets shows the course. In addition to the usual facilities of a receiving device with an RDS decoder, facilities for decoding, storing, further processing and outputting the traffic reports are required to use the traffic message channel TMC (Traffic Message Channel).

The object of the present invention is to provide a device for managing digitally coded traffic reports which does justice to the diversity of the traffic reports received and advantageously provides the received traffic reports for output. The output can be made by language, by displaying characters or by cartographic representations.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that received traffic reports which have been checked for validity and novelty are stored in a memory and that an administrative data record is generated and stored for each new traffic report received, the administrative data record containing at least the following information: address of the associated traffic report in the memory, time the first time the traffic report is received and the serial number of the traffic report in the order in which it was received for the first time.

The device according to the invention advantageously enables all properly received traffic reports to be stored and that later access to the Traffic reports are possible in a simple manner. In order not to have to additionally store repeatedly received traffic reports, it is provided according to a further development of the device according to the invention that received traffic reports are checked for novelty by comparison with the traffic reports already stored in the memory and that for the received traffic reports which are no longer new, within the associated administrative data record, the time of the last reception of the traffic report is stored.

A further improvement in the management of the traffic reports is possible in that the administrative data record contains the following additional information: priority of the traffic report, address of the administrative record of the previous traffic report, address of the administrative record of the following traffic report, validity period and various information about the status of the traffic report. The status of the traffic report includes the following attributes: verified, valid, new, decodable, selected, automatic traffic report output or whether it is a collective report. In addition, the management data record can be used to specify the category by which the traffic report can be regarded as a collective report. Categories from A to Z are specified in the ALERT C standard proposal.

In order to provide the user with up-to-date information, it can further be provided in the device according to the invention that traffic reports received and recognized as valid and newly recognized are checked for decodability and, after comparison with a selection criterion, are decoded and output.

The selection criterion can be entered by the user via a suitable control unit of the receiving device, for example in the form "only traffic reports which concern the A7 motorway in the north between Kassel and Hanover" or "only traffic reports which are locations within a radius of 50 km from the location of the vehicle ". This means that only the selected traffic reports are automatically output, while other received traffic reports are only stored in the memory. This substantially relieves the user's attention.

Another development of the device according to the invention is that when the selection criterion is changed, the traffic reports stored in the memory are compared with the changed selection criterion and, in the case of a traffic report which has not been selected so far but meets the changed selection criterion, there is an automatic output. It is preferably provided that the currently valid selection status is stored in the administrative data record.

After a change in the selection criterion, this development enables output of the previously only stored traffic reports. In order not to overwhelm the user, it is possible, in particular by saving the selection status, not to output the traffic reports applicable to the changed selection if they have already been output under the previous selection criterion.

Another development of the device according to the invention is that a traffic announcement is deleted if it is not received again for a certain period or if a traffic announcement relating to this traffic announcement is deleted Deletion message is received. The administrative data record preferably contains the period of validity.

As is usual in computer technology, deletion can be done by writing a special identifier in the administrative data record. This development has the advantage that the memory is not filled by outdated traffic reports and that deletion is also carried out if the radio broadcaster fails to report the deletion.

Fig. 1

ein Blockschaltbild eines zum Empfang von digital codierten Verkehrsmeldungen ausgelegten Empfangsgerätes und

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung eines Speichers für die Verkehrsmeldungen und die Verwaltungsdatensätze.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing using several figures and explained in more detail in the following description. It shows:

Fig. 1

a block diagram of a receiving device designed for receiving digitally coded traffic reports and

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of a memory for the traffic reports and the administrative data records.

The exemplary embodiment is shown as a block diagram. However, this does not mean that it is limited to implementation using individual circuits corresponding to the blocks. Rather, the receiving device can be implemented in a particularly advantageous manner with the aid of highly integrated circuits. In this case, digital signal processors can be used which, with suitable programming, carry out the processing steps shown in the block diagrams.

Fig. 1 shows some of the components of a radio receiver required to explain the invention and in the part framed by the dashed line, there are components available especially for the device according to the invention. The ones to be received Signals are fed via an antenna 1 to a receiving part 2, to the output of which an RDS decoder 3 is connected. A microcomputer 5 is used to control the radio receiver via an operating unit 4. This is connected via a frequency adjuster 6 to a control input of the receiving part 2 and to a control input of an audio amplifier 7 in order to control the desired transmitter and the playback parameters, such as volume, treble - and adjust the depth, etc. A loudspeaker 8 is connected to an output of the audio amplifier 7. The microcomputer 5 is also connected to a clock 9 from which data can be called up which represent the date and time.

At the center of the facilities used to process the traffic reports (TMC) is another microcomputer 11. This is fed to the output signals of the RDS decoder 3, from which the traffic reports are selected. The TMC microcomputer 11 is connected to the microcomputer 5 via a device 12 for handling the operation. This is used, for example, to process commands from the operating unit 4 in order to output messages or to process selection criteria which are stored in a non-volatile read / write memory 13 provided for this purpose.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a voice output is provided. For this purpose, the traffic messages decoded at 15 are converted into speech signals in a speech synthesis device 14 and fed to the audio amplifier 7. Traffic reports and administrative data records are stored in the memory 13. Only read memories 16 and 17 contain a location list and an event list.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the structure of the memory 16 (FIG. 1), the division of the individual memory or address areas being flexible depending on the length of the individual data records or traffic reports. Administrative data records 21 to 2n are stored in a first part 20 of the message memory, each of which contains the following data: running Surname Explanation no. 1. * ptr_mes Pointer to the memory that contains the traffic announcement 2nd meld_nr Serial number of the traffic report according to the order 3rd meld_prio Priority (normal, urgent, extremly urgent) 4th * ptr_pre Pointer to traffic announcement before 5. * ptr_post Pointer to the next traffic announcement 6. First time stamp Month, week, day, hour, minute, second 7. Update timestamp Month, week, day, hour, minute, second 8th. Period of validity Month, week, day, hour, minute, (calculated from the transmitted duration) 9. verified (0 = no, 1 = yes) 10th valid (0 = no, 1 = yes) 11. New (0 = no, 1 = yes) 12th decodable (0 = no, 1 = yes) 13. selected (0 = no, 1 = yes) 14. automatic traffic announcement (0 = no, 1 = yes) 15. collective report (0 = no, 1 = yes) 16. collecting cat Category according to which the traffic report can be regarded as a collective report A ... Z / 1 /

The pointer ptr_post is required in order to output the traffic reports in the previously defined order, while the pointer ptr_pre is used to repeat a traffic report at the request of the user or to repeat several previous ones by making appropriate operator inputs.

Traffic messages 31 to 3n in part 30 of the memory can then be accessed using the addresses stored in the administrative data records, which is shown schematically by arrows 41, 42, 43. Arrows 44, 45 illustrate the pointers of an administrative data record which point to the preceding and the following administrative data record.

Quick access to the respective administrative data record and thus, if necessary, to the respective traffic report is achieved in that a so-called header 46 is also stored in the memory, which contains the number n of traffic reports, a pointer PTR1 to the first administrative data record, a pointer PTRn contains the last administrative data record and a pointer PTRx to the administrative data record currently being processed.

Claims (8)

Device for managing digitally coded traffic reports in receiving devices, characterized in that traffic reports received and checked for validity and novelty are stored in a memory and that an administrative data record is generated and stored for each new traffic report received, the administrative data record containing at least the following information: - address of the associated traffic announcement in the memory, - time of the first reception of the traffic announcement and - consecutive number of the traffic announcement according to the order of the first reception. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that received traffic reports are checked for novelty by comparison with the traffic reports already stored in the memory and that for the received traffic reports which are no longer new, the time of the last receipt of the traffic report is stored in the associated administrative data record becomes. Device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the administrative data record contains the following additional information: - priority of traffic announcement, - address of the administrative data record of the previous traffic report, - address of the administrative data record of the following traffic announcement, - period of validity and - Various information about the status of the traffic report. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that traffic reports received and recognized as valid and newly recognized are checked for decodability and, after comparison with a selection criterion, are decoded and output. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that when the selection criterion is changed, the traffic reports stored in the memory are compared with the changed selection criterion and, in the case of a traffic report which has not been selected so far but meets the changed selection criterion, there is an automatic output. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the respectively valid selection status is stored in the administrative data record. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a traffic message is deleted if it is not received again for a certain period or if a deletion message relating to this traffic message is received. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the administrative data record contains the period of validity.

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