Blaupunkt-werke Gmbh

Robert Boschgmbh

Peter Bragas

Ralf Duckeck

Norbert Eilers

Bernd Eschke

Uwe Matzold

Claus Mardus

Gunter Bolle

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 evaluating traffic announcements received in digitally encoded form in a data packet, the data packet is decoded, and after the evaluation the traffic announcements are stored in memory. Under poor broadcasting conditions, it may be uncertain whether all the traffic announcements transmitted have actually been correctly received and evaluated. For confirmation of completeness, data words that, in encoded form, include the nominal number of reports transmitted in one cycle are broadcast within each complete cycle of traffic announcements. The decoded and evaluated reports counted within one cycle are compared with this nominal number.

Digital traffic news evaluation method

In a vehicular radio receiver having a decoder for decoding digitally encoded received traffic announcements, a memory device for route-specific characteristics and a visual and/or acoustical output device for the traffic announcements are provided. The output is effected by the readout of information from the memory device. To output not only factual information but detour recommendations as well, place names and detour route names are stored in the memory device in jointly addressable memory fields. In transmitting the encoded traffic announcements it is then possible to allow or suppress the output of the already stored detour recommendations only on the basis of a control signal.

Vehicular radio receiver with stored detour data

An autombile radio capable of receiving VHF entertainment programs from a station in which traffic information signals are modulated in a 57 kHz subcarrier is equipped with two decoders for the 57 kHz subcarrier signals, one decoder for traffic information signals modulated in an analog fashion on the subcarrier and another decoder for digital signals modulated on that subcarrier by double-sideband suppressed-carrier modulation. The first decoder is for a system already in use in which traffic information, at least if urgent, is intended to override the entertainment program, and the receivier has the usual circuits for that override. The second decoder is for a system that is planned but not yet in use in which the received digital signals can call out one or more standard messages or message portions from a read-only memory and either the memory addresses or the memory outputs are storable. They are made audible by speech synthesizer and, because they are stored at least until the next message comes in, can be recalled if the user wishes. The receiver switch for turning on the traffic information feature is a selector switch with positions selecting either type of decoder and, in a modification designed for where both systems are available, the corresponding switching system gives priority to the presently existing system, since the output of the other system will not be lost and can be reproduced when the signals of the existing system have ceased.

Radio receiver with two different traffic information decoders

FM transmission system in which, besides program content, an auxiliary carrier of, for example 57 kHz, is radiated, which auxiliary carrier is modulated by an announcement recognition (AR) signal and by a region or radio-station recognition (RR) signal, the AR and RR signals being low-frequency, AM modulations on the auxiliary carrier. To enhance recognition of an AR signal, e.g. between 142 and 170 Hz, is enhanced, in spite of reception difficulties, for example due to multi-path reception and the like, by decreasing the modulation of the 57 kHz subcarrier by the RR signal to 30% or less, while the AR signal is modulating the subcarrier, so that the AR modulation may extend to 60 and even 90% modulation. Multiple AR frequencies can be used, for example to characterize different announcements, e.g. in different languages, or of different characteristics, such as traffic, news, sports, or others, recognition of the AR signal in the receiver permitting switch-over from other reproduced programs, e.g. tape, to the demodulator from the receiver tuned to the station emitting the AR signal, to reproduce the announcement, or the like.

Communication system, and transmitter therefor, including special

An automobile equipped with the vehicular portion of a traffic information and guidance system utilizing exchange of data between vehicles and the rest of the system through inductive coupling with loops set at various places in roadways, is provided with two-way telephone communication possibilities at places where roadway loops are provided where a car can stop for making a telephone call, as for example in a parking space. Only small amounts of equipment need to be added to the vehicle and to the fixed installations to permit telephone communication between the vehicle and telephones in a public network. Separate receivers and transmitters for speech communication operated with amplitude or frequency modulation can be switched in, or else the speech signals can be converted into pulse code modulation and simply supplied through input/output units to the data transmitter/receiver of the traffic information system. The telephone calling features are enabled only when the travel path measuring device of the traffic information system is at rest, but the vehicle can be reached while in motion by a paging system to ask the driver to stop at the next telephone communication location.

Combination electronic road guidance and communication system for

To prevent loss of information during an announcement in a traffic or announcement recognition system in which, during radiation of an announcement, a subcarrier is modulated to a lesser degree by a radio station or region recognition frequency (RR) but to a higher degree by an announcement recognition (AR frequency) during an announcement only, and a logic circuit is included in the announcement decoder which recognizes

FM Receiver with subcarrier decoding circuit

To improve reliability of recognition of an announcement recognition (AR) signal radiated by a transmitter upon broadcasting an announcement (e.g. traffic information, news, etc.) in the form of AM modulation of a 57 kHz auxiliary subcarrier, in which the subcarrier is essentially continuously modulated by region or radio-station recognition signals, the level of which changes when the announcement recognition signal is radiated, the subcarrier is filtered in the receiver, demodulated, and the degree of modulation by the frequency characteristics of the region or radio-station recognition frequency (RR) is sensed. If the modulation of the subcarrier at this frequency or frequency band (RR) drops from, for example, 60% modulation to 30% modulation, or less--a 50% level change--a switch (4) is activated which inhibits transmission of audio programs from an external source, such as a tape recorder (5), a tuner tuned to another station, or the like, and reproduces the program or announcement being broadcast by the station to which a region or radio-station recognition frequency is assigned. Termination of the AR signal (FIG. 3: t.sub.2), forming the AR modulation on the 57 kHz subcarrier, causes the switch (4) to revert for reproduction of previously controlled audio information upon increase in the level of the RR modulation on the subcarrier, which is sensed in a modulation sensing circuit or network (FIG. 2: 34-37).

FM Receiver for reception of special announcements and general programs

To improve reliability of recognition of an announcement recognition (AR) signal radiated by a transmitter upon broadcasting an announcement (e.g. traffic information, news, etc.), in the form of AM modulation of a 57 kHz auxiliary subcarrier, in which the subcarrier may also be modulated by other control signals, the subcarrier is filtered in the receiver, demodulated, and the degree of all modulations, regardless of frequency, on the subcarrier is sensed, and if the modulation changes significantly, for example rises from 60% modulation to 90% modulation (50% change), a switch (4) is activated which inhibits transmission of audio programs from an external source, such as a tape recorder (5), tuner tuned to another station, or the like, and reproduces the announcement being broadcast; termination of the AR signal, forming the AR modulation on the subcarrier, causes the switch to revert for reproduction of previously controlled audio information.

FM Receiver for general programs and special announcements

An NTSC color television signal picked up from a disc recording is mixed in such a way as to provide one sideband having the chrominance carrier at the standard frequency and another sideband at a higher frequency which can be stepped down in a second mixer to the color-carrier frequency to provide a side band shifted 180.degree. in phase with respect to the color signal provided by the lower sideband of the first mixer. The mixing frequencies are kept in step by utilizing a standard frequency generator at the color-carrier frequency which controls the phase of a VCO supplying a first mixing frequency in a third mixer from the output of which the second harmonic of the difference frequency is selected as the mixing frequency for the second mixer. From the standard frequency output there are also derived the phase-shifted color burst pulses for identifying the two chrominance signals produced as they are alternately utilized for the output signal. A delay of one line scanning period allows the use of the delayed and undelayed signals to give the effect of a comb filter for the luminance signals and for the chrominance signal, and the delay line is also used in connection with a video switch and disturbance detector to allow use of the last undisturbed line when an unusable line is detected. The playback speed is slightly reduced (cf. U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,077) for reproduction by a television receiver operating at the European line-scanning frequency.

Method and apparatus for playing back color video records through

A television camera is synchronized by horizontal and vertical synchronization signals furnished by a signal generator. When the equipment is switched to a recording mode, that is when new information is to be added to previously recorded information, the reproducing-recording equipment is switched to the reproducing phase very briefly so that the last-recorded information is read out. Vertical synchronization signals are separated from the so read out information and are applied to the synchronizing input of the above-mentioned signal generator.

Equipment for preventing gaps between previously recorded and newly

A circuit is provided to detect the direction of movement of the vehicle with respect to a fixed road mounted loop, which can then extend over opposing lanes of a highway network, the direction detecting equipment being mounted either on the vehicle, or connected to the road mounted unit so that correct destination guidance information can be transmitted to vehicles passing a loop embedded in the roadway upon transmitting from the vehicle to the roadway a target or destination code.

Vehicular direction guidance system, particularly for interchange of

A video disk recording made in accordance with U.S. television standards, namely a line scanning frequency of 15,734 HZ and a field scanning frequency of 30 HZ is played back through a pick-up feeding a television receiver operating at the European standard line scanning frequency of 15,625 HZ provided with a switch that has changed over the vertical scanning frequency to the 30 HZ U.S. standard field scanning frequency. In order for the playback system to work with the European line scanning frequency, the record drive is timed to operate at the proportionately low speed and the speed is held to the timing pulses produced by an oscillator by feeding back the picked up synchronizing signals and comparing them with the oscillator timing pulses in a phase detector that controls the speed adjustment of the playback motor.

Method of playing back video records through television receiver

A frequency recognition circuit includes a first phase locked loop to detect the carrier tone frequency, which locks to the detected frequency and provides the frequency-modulation frequency to a second PLL for modulation frequency recognition. When the predetermined carrier and modulation frequencies are recognized, an AND-gate provides a signal that removes a short-circuit from a capacitor that then begins to charge through a time constant circuit. The time constant circuit triggers a threshold switch after a period determined as the minimum duration for a signal and the threshold switch operates to advance a flipflop which performs a switching function and, at the same time, changes the time constant circuit so that the threshold switch will operate the next time on a signal of a different minimum duration. The decoder is designed to switch the output of a radio receiver on and off for selectively listening to traffic announcements.

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Hildesheim, Germany

Peter Bragas