JP2000332579A - Automatic memory reception system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily select a broadcasting station in an area by automatically scanning all frequencies of a local oscillator in advance while the power switch of a receiver is turned on storing all broadcasting stations which can be received in an internal memory, and selecting the address of the internal memory which corresponds to a broadcasting station. SOLUTION: When a power source of the receiver is turned on, a scanning circuit 18 scans the oscillation frequencies of the local oscillator 13 from the lower limit to the upper limit and each time an antenna 10 receives the RF signal from a broadcasting station, a detector 15 outputs a signal. Each time this signal is detected, a detecting circuit 19 enables the writing operation of a memory 20 and stores the output of the scanning circuit 18 in addresses of the memory 20 in predetermined order. The number of received broadcasting stations stored in the memory 20 is displayed on an added display unit to make a listener make a choice. Consequently, all broadcasting stations which can be received in the place can be received through easy channel selecting operation irrelevantly to where the receiver is used.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic memory receiving system, and more particularly, to a radio receiver such as a radio receiver in which a broadcast station receivable at a place (region) where the receiver is used is stored in advance to enable reception. Related to the receiving method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, various broadcasting stations such as AM and FM exist in various parts of the country, and a listener having a receiver can select and listen to programs of these many broadcasting stations according to his / her preference. It is possible.

[0003] For example, many radio receivers are commercially available, both stationary and (portable), especially small ones which can be easily stored in pockets. In particular, it is no exaggeration to say that portable receivers have become widespread as valuable information sources or for entertainment such as music, and have become a necessity in daily life.

A general radio receiver is configured as shown in FIG. That is, a high frequency or radio frequency (RF) signal received from the antenna 100 is amplified by the RF amplifier 101 and input to the mixer (mixer) 102. Here, the signal is mixed with the local oscillation signal from the local oscillator (LO) 103 to generate a daytime (IF) signal equal to the frequency difference between the two signals, and is amplified by the IF amplifier 104 with a sufficient amplification factor. Next, the modulated daytime frequency difference signal from the IF amplifier 104 is detected by a detector 105 and then amplified by a low-frequency (or output) amplifier 106 to drive a speaker (or earphone) 107.

The configuration shown in FIG. 3 is common to all AM or FM radio receivers, but uses a different frequency and modulation scheme. That is, since the AM signal is generally of a relatively low frequency amplitude modulation method (AM), the detector 105 performs AM detection, and the FM signal is of relatively high frequency and frequency modulation. Is different.

Next, tuning or tuning is performed as follows:
By changing the oscillation frequency of the local oscillator 103, the received R
This is performed by making the frequency difference from the RF signal from the F amplifier 101 equal to a predetermined tuning frequency of the IF amplifier 104. Although not shown, in an actual superheterodyne radio receiver, the RF amplifier 101 is also of a tunable type, and high-sensitivity reception is realized by changing the tuning frequency according to the frequency of the local oscillator 103. . Further, the local oscillator 103 changes / selects a local oscillation frequency by changing a resonance element of an oscillation circuit, for example, a capacitor by a variable capacitor (Paricon), or by an oscillator using a PLL (Phase Lock Loop).

[0007] The number of radio broadcasting stations, the frequency used, the output power, and the like are variously different. For example, in the metropolitan area,
As shown by the frequency spectrum in FIG.
M and FM stations are present and receivable. However, when leaving the metropolitan area, there are only a small number of broadcasting stations as shown in FIG. 4B, and the output power is relatively low.

[0008] As mentioned above, the radio receiver does not determine where it will be used. In particular, portable radio receivers are often used in different places. For example, in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka, it can be said that receivable broadcast stations are predetermined. Therefore, the radio receiver maker selects these metropolitan areas in consideration of the user's convenience, and allows predetermined AM and FM broadcast stations in a plurality of internal memories to be selected with a single button. Things have been proposed and put into practical use.

That is, as shown in FIG.
RF amplifier 201, mixer 202, local oscillator 203,
A memory 208 is provided in addition to the IF amplifier 204, the detector 205, the output amplifier 206, and the speaker 207. The memory 208 stores in advance the frequencies of known broadcast stations that can be received in a set area such as Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka, and allows the user to set the frequency in accordance with the area where the radio receiver is used. By switching and selecting, a plurality of broadcast stations stored in advance are selected with a button or the like.

[0010] Further, there is also provided a radio receiver of a scanning system which performs a tuning operation by operating a button or the like from, for example, a lower limit to an upper limit of a frequency. That is, as shown in FIG.
Amplifier 301, mixer 300, local oscillator 303, IF
A scanning circuit 308 is provided in addition to the amplifier 304, the detector 305, the output amplifier 306, and the speaker 307. The scanning circuit 308 changes the local oscillation frequency by applying a sequentially changing control voltage to a local oscillator 303 such as a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator). For example, when a constant output is obtained from the detector 305, the scanning circuit 308 scans. , The broadcast station is selected.

[0011]

However, in a conventional receiver, particularly a portable radio receiver, it is not always possible to immediately listen to a broadcast even if a power switch is turned on in an arbitrary area. In particular, outside the metropolitan area, the channel selection operation is complicated because it is unknown where (which frequency) the broadcast is located. By activating the conventional automatic scanning circuit described above, for example, gradually changing the local oscillation frequency from the lower limit frequency to the upper limit frequency (or the opposite direction), and stopping the scan at the point where the broadcast is received, It is possible to listen to the broadcast. If the user is not interested in the broadcast or wants to listen to another broadcast, it is necessary to continue scanning. This scanning is time-consuming and cumbersome.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic memory reception system in which a broadcasting station that can be received in the area can easily select a station.

[0013]

According to the automatic memory receiving method of the present invention, the local oscillator is automatically scanned in advance over the entire frequency range, and all receivable broadcasting stations (1 to n) are stored in the built-in memory. . Therefore, the listener can select and read an arbitrary broadcast station by selecting (reading) an address of a memory corresponding to these 1 to n broadcast stations. Note that this memory operation is preferably performed simultaneously with turning on the power switch of the receiver (or when a separately provided broadcast station memory switch is operated). By doing so, no matter where the receiver is used, only the broadcasting stations that can be received at that location are always stored in the internal memory, so that the tuning operation is extremely easy.

Preferably, by displaying the number of broadcast stations currently stored in the memory of the receiver, the number of selectable broadcast stations becomes clear at a glance, which is practically effective.

Also, a built-in level meter for measuring the radio wave intensity of each broadcasting station is stored in the memory address, for example, in the order of the broadcasting stations having a high radio wave intensity and in a good reception state. It is also possible to listen to a broadcast in a proper reception state.

Further, one broadcast station stored in the internal memory is, for example, a threshold T in the spectrum of FIG.
The reception level may be determined so that only one or more broadcasting stations are stored.

During the operation of the memory of the broadcasting station, the speaker may be provided with an IC memory or the like for outputting a message notifying the fact or an audio signal of a specific melody, thereby eliminating a sense of discomfort during the operation of the memory.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of an automatic memory receiving system according to the present invention;

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of an automatic memory receiving system according to the present invention. Antenna 10
Is, for example, a rod antenna for receiving an RF signal transmitted from a broadcasting station by radio waves. The RF amplifier 11 is a high-frequency amplifier that amplifies an RF signal received by the antenna 10 with a predetermined gain (gain). Generally, the RF amplifier 11 is a band amplifier having a relatively narrow bandwidth, and generates a local oscillation signal of a local oscillator described later. Optimized accordingly. The mixer 12 is an RF amplifier 1
This is a general mixer that mixes the RF signal from the local oscillator 1 and the local oscillation signal from the local oscillator 13. IF amplifier 14
Is the RF signal output from the mixer 12 and the local oscillation (L
O) Amplify the intermediate wave (IF) signal equal to the frequency difference of the signal with high gain. In the case of an AM signal, the modulated IF signal from the IF amplifier 14 is subjected to amplitude detection,
In the case of FM, frequency detection is performed and an audio signal is output. This audio signal output is amplified to a predetermined power by an output amplifier 16 and drives a speaker (or earphone) 17.
The above circuit elements are the same as those of the conventional heterodyne receiver.

The automatic memory reception system of the present invention includes a scanning circuit 18 for sequentially scanning the oscillation frequency of the local oscillator 13, a detection circuit 19 for amplifying / leveling the output of the detector 15, and a memory 20. The scanning circuit 18 scans (scans) the oscillation frequency of the local oscillator 13 from, for example, the lower limit to the upper limit when the power supply of the receiver is turned on.
When the local oscillation frequency of the local oscillator 13 is scanned by the scanning circuit 18, an output signal is obtained from the detector 15 every time the antenna 10 receives an RF signal from a broadcasting station.
Each time the detection circuit 19 detects this output signal, it enables the writing operation of the memory 20 and sequentially stores the output of the scanning circuit 18 in the address of the memory 20 in a predetermined order.

The local oscillator 13 is a known voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) or a phase locked loop (PLL)
L). Local oscillator 1
When using a VCO as 3, the scanning circuit 18
This circuit generates a ramp (gradient) wave whose output voltage changes sequentially. The memory 20 includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and converts the analog output voltage of the scanning circuit 18 at the time when the detection circuit 19 outputs the write enable signal of the memory 20 into a digital signal and stores it. on the other hand,
In the case of a PLL, a digital control signal for determining the frequency division ratio of the output of the VCO is stored in the memory 20.

The detection circuit 19 may be an amplifier that simply amplifies the output of the detector 15 with a predetermined amplitude. However, it has a level determination function of determining whether or not the output of the detector 15 is equal to or higher than a preset level, and outputs a write enable signal to the eye 20 only when the reception signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. Is preferred.

The memory 20 is preferably not only a simple IC memory but also a microprocessor (CPU) including a memory. The CPU preferably stores not only reception frequencies from one or more broadcast stations detected by the detector 19 but also reception levels. In the memory part of this CPU,
It is possible not only to store the receivable broadcast station information in the order of reception frequency but also to store the information in the order of reception level. In addition, when the number of broadcast stations received and stored in the memory 20 is displayed on a display (not shown) to which the number is added, options can be shown to the listener. In a metropolitan area, for example, about 20 stations or more can be received, but in local municipalities, for example, only a few stations can be received. Note that the number of receivable stations depends not only on the area but also on the sensitivity of the receiver. With the use of a highly sensitive receiver, it is possible to receive broadcasts from remote broadcasting stations. In other words, the service area of a particular broadcast station also depends on the performance of the receiver.

The above-described memory operation of the broadcasting station is completed in a relatively short time. However, during this memory operation, the listener cannot select and listen to the specific broadcast. Therefore,
In the meantime, the detector 25 and the speaker 17 can be separated from each other, and a message indicating that the memory operation is being performed or a pre-installed specific melody or the like can be output from a separately provided voice IC memory (not shown). As a result, it is possible to inform the listener that the receiver is operating normally and give a sense of security.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a flow chart showing an example of the operation of a radio receiver adopting the automatic memory reception method of the present invention will be described. In step 30, batteries are inserted into the receiver. Next, in step 31, the scanning circuit 18 starts scanning and scans the oscillation frequency of the local oscillator 13.
In step 32, the receivable broadcasting stations are stored in the memory 20 based on the detection output of the detector 19. Next, step 3
At 3, it is determined whether the power switch is off. If it is off, it waits for the next power on (step 34). When the power is turned on, the receiver operates in automatic memory or manual channel selection. Next, in step 35, it is determined whether or not to perform the memory operation of the broadcasting station again. When the memory operation is performed, the process proceeds to steps 31 and 32 described above, and the memory of the receivable broadcast station is performed again. If it is not necessary, the process waits until the power is turned off in step 36. If the receiver is AM
In the case of a multi-band receiver such as FM and FM, the memory operation is performed for all bands.

The configuration and operation of the preferred embodiment of the automatic memory receiving system according to the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention should not be limited to only such specific examples, and it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made as necessary.

[0027]

As is apparent from the above description, in the automatic memory reception system of the present invention, one or more broadcast stations that can be received at a place (area) representing a receiver are stored in advance in a built-in memory. The broadcast station stored in the memory is read from the memory, selected, and received. Therefore, regardless of where the receiver is used, all broadcast stations that can be received at that location are stored in the memory in advance, so that the tuning operation is simple.

Further, by adding a level determination function to the detection circuit, it becomes possible to select only broadcast stations that can be received in a predetermined good reception state. Furthermore, it is possible to store in the memory in the order of the reception level, and by displaying the number of broadcasting stations stored in the memory on the additional display, there is a practically remarkable effect that the tuning operation becomes easy. can get.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of an automatic memory receiving system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the automatic memory reception method of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a typical heterodyne radio receiver.

FIG. 4 shows the spectrum of a broadcast wave from a broadcasting station in different areas, where (A) is an example of a metropolitan area and (B) is an example of a local area.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional automatic memory type receiver.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional scanning (tuning) system radio receiver.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Antenna 11 RF amplifier 12 Mixer 13 Local oscillator 14 IF amplifier 15 Detector 16 Output amplifier 17 Speaker 18 Scanning Circuit 19 Detector 20 Memory

Claims (8)

[Claims] In an automatic memory receiving system for storing radio waves from a large number of broadcasting stations in a memory and receiving them in common, a scanning circuit scans a local oscillation frequency of a local oscillator and obtains the local oscillation frequency by scanning the local oscillation frequency. The detection circuit outputs an output of the receiver, and stores a receivable broadcast station in a built-in memory based on the detected output, and reads a receivable broadcast station in a specific area by reading the memory. An automatic memory reception system characterized by tuning. 2. The operation of placing the receivable broadcasting stations individually,
2. The automatic memory receiving method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic receiving is performed when a battery or a power supply is connected to the receiver. 3. The automatic memory reception system according to claim 1, wherein said detection circuit detects only broadcast stations that can receive signals at a predetermined reception level or higher. 4. The automatic memory reception system according to claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying the number of broadcasting stations stored in said memory. 5. The automatic memory reception system according to claim 1, wherein said detection circuit has a reception level determination function, and said memory stores broadcast stations that can be received in order of reception level. 6. The automatic memory receiving system according to claim 1, further comprising an audio memory for outputting a message or a melody from a speaker during a memory operation of the broadcasting station. 7. A transmission control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said local wave s oscillator is a transmission control oscillator, and said scanning circuit is said voltage controlled oscillator VC.
2. The automatic memory receiving method according to claim 1, wherein a ramp wave is input to O. 8. The automatic memory receiving system according to claim 1, wherein a phase locked loop circuit is used as said local oscillator.