Robert Boschgmbh

Claus Mardus

Ralf Duckeck

Peter Bragas

A vehicular radio receiver with an RDS (Radio Data System) decoder for decoding digitally coded traffic announcements is improved by using short codes for common traffic problems in order to minimize the required transmission capacity. The receiver includes a database with, for example, 256 fields, each containing a short traffic problem description. Transmission of the actual numerical values for the length of a traffic problem or for visibility in fog is dispensed with. Instead, defined standardized numerical information is stored in the same memory field as the short description of the traffic problem so that they can be retrieved together. Furthermore, a pre-determined staggering of the numerical values is provided so that the memory capacity, and the transmission capacity, does not increase unnecessarily.

Vehicular radio receiver with standard traffic problem database

In a method for route-selective reproduction of digitally encoded traffic annoucements broadcast by a transmitter to a vehicle receiver, the announcements being decoded in a decoder of the receiver, a comparison of route-specific characteristics with characteristics of the trip route is performed. If the characteristics agree to a predetermined extent, the driver is provided with the traffic announcement applicable to him, via a visual and/or acoustical output device. In a feature of this method, the road types and their numerical designations are used as the route-specific characteristics. In a further feature of this provision, major route segments and shorter route segments may also serve as route-specific characteristics. By means of a trip segment transducer, the distance already covered can also be ascertained, so that only traffic announcements pertaining to obstructions in regions of the route that are still to be covered are transmitted. By additionally evaluating the driving speed, traffic announcements pertaining to very distant obstructions that can be expected to have been eliminated by the time that segment is reached can also be suppressed. The advantage of these provisions is that the driver is not distracted by a great number of traffic advisories that are not relevant for him.

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Bad Salzdetfurth, Germany

Claus Mardus