SMART VEHICLE SYSTEMS AND CONTROL LOGIC FOR DYNAMIC DIGITAL RADIO SELECTION BASED ON VEHICLE LOCATION

Abstract

This paper presents control systems for managing analog and digital radio services in motor vehicles, methods for manufacturing / using such systems, and vehicles equipped with such systems. A method for controlling a vehicle includes an in-vehicle radio tuner that receives selections of broadcast radio stations output by analog signals and / or streaming radio stations output by digital signals. A vehicle control system retrieves a Broadcast Station Service Map (BSS map) stored in memory, containing a service contour that includes available broadcast radio stations with sufficient signal strength within a specified area. The control system receives geographic data indicating the location of the host vehicle and accesses a remote database to retrieve an updated BSS map corresponding to the vehicle's location.The control unit then determines whether the stored BSS map matches the updated BSS map; if not, the radio tuner responds by displaying an updated list of available stations, which has been revised to reflect the available stations contained in the updated BSS map.

Description

IntroductionThe present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems for motor vehicles. More particularly, aspects of this disclosure relate to systems and methods for switching between digital radio services and analog radio services in moving vehicles.Present day commercial vehicles, such as the modern automobile, are equipped with a network of controllers and wireless communication devices that provide a variety of vehicle services, such as navigation assistance, cellular connections, and multimedia entertainment. For example, to provide telecommunications and information functions to occupants, many vehicle interiors today are equipped with a center stack telematics unit that serves as both a human-machine interface (HMI) and an in-vehicle computing device for the vehicle occupants. The telematics unit may be wirelessly connected to a cellular network and a satellite service to enable, for example, real-time navigation, customer care, vehicle diagnostics, traffic data, and digital streaming radio. Generally, the telematics unit functions as a bidirectional radio transmitter and receiver that can simultaneously transmit and receive data in the form of network data packets. The data packets can be transmitted via ultra-high frequency (UHF), super-high frequency (SHF) and / or extreme high frequency (EHF) radio signals from a mobile radio tower to a mobile-capable vehicle by downlink (or download) transmission and vice versa by uplink (or upload) transmission from the vehicle to a mobile radio tower. In addition to cellular communication, many telematics units are also capable of exchanging data over radio frequency (RF) channels that provide analog "broadcast" radio stations.DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONSmart vehicle systems are provided with control logic for switching between analog radio services and digital radio services in moving vehicles, methods for operating and manufacturing such systems, and wireless enabled vehicles with built-in telematics units that provide dynamic digital radio selection based on vehicle location. By way of non-limiting example, systems and methods are presented for dynamically updating a list of available broadcast radio station channels stored in memory based on "host" vehicle real-time geolocation coordinates and a publicly-distributed broadcast service map (e.g., FCC AM / FM radio station contour map) that matches these coordinates. By retrieving the broadcast service map corresponding to the current location of the host vehicle, e.g., from a publicly accessible Internet database, the telematics unit may override the map currently located in the resident cache, update the available broadcast radio stations of the telematics unit, and display to a vehicle driver, owner, or occupant (collectively referred to as a "user") the stations now available at the current location of the vehicle. At the same time, telematics unit GPS / cellular-based digital radio connectivity can be adjusted to mimic a conventional AM / FM tuner to output broadcast radio to the user. In this way, the vehicle infotainment system may utilize digital radio services to supplement or replace broadcast radio services when AM / FM radio signals are fading or failing.Analog "broadcasting" includes conventional radio formats that use radio wave frequency modulation (FM) and amplitude modulation (AM) to encode an audio signal into a carrier wave. Digital streaming radio, on the other hand, is a relatively new technology that includes wireless formats that use digital audio coding to process, digitize, and compress an audio signal into a digital signal that is transmitted using a digital modulation method. Generally, a conventional analog radio cannot transmit or receive a digital signal; however, the cellular telematics units described herein are compatible with both streaming and broadcast radio. To provide both digital and analog radio services, the vehicle's Internet radio station solution may use the telematics unit's assigned Internet Protocol (IP) address and the vehicle's GPS-based geolocation data to optimize accurate and temporal station identification for enhanced radio services. To provide accurate and current station solutions to moving vehicles, the telematics unit dynamically compares a list of available broadcast radio channels stored in the telematics with an FCC AM / FM radio station contour map; if the vehicle's geolocation coordinates are within the scope of the map, the stations associated with that map contour may be provided to the user. Comparing the current position of the vehicle to a corresponding segment of the contour map may also enable dynamic station selection while the user is driving the host vehicle.Advantages that include at least some of the concepts presented include smart vehicle systems and control logic that enables automatic control matching between digital and analog radio services in moving vehicles. These functions can eliminate the need for separate analog radio hardware and software, such as AM / FM tuners, antennas, cabling, antenna amplifiers / filters, plugs, coaxial connectors, mounts, etc. This allows for significant cost savings per vehicle and a reduced large vehicle weight (GVW). Dynamic digital radio selections may also provide the vehicle with a higher level of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) by eliminating a special AM / FM antenna from vehicle construction. Moreover, the disclosed systems and methods may provide a backup medium for live AM / FM radio broadcast streams using digital radio services when the analog radio signal is insufficient or unavailable.Aspects of this disclosure relate to vehicle control protocols, system control logic, and instructions stored in memory for controlling analog and digital radio services in motor vehicles. In one example, a method for controlling the operation of a host vehicle is presented that includes a resident or remote storage device, a wireless-enabled radio tuner (e.g., a telematics unit with a separate or built-in analog AM / FM receiving unit), and a resident or remote controller or module or network of controllers / modules (collectively "controller"). This representative method includes, in any order and in any combination with all of the options and features disclosed above and below: receiving, e.g., via a tuner dial, a keypad, a humppack connection, or a touch screen display of the radio tuner, one or more selections of broadcast radio stations output by analog signals, and / or streaming radio stations output by digital signals; retrieving, e.g., via the controller, from the storage device before or after receiving a station selection, a stored broadcast station service map (BSS) that defines one or more service contours, each of which includes one or more available broadcast radio stations having sufficient signal strength within a respective geographic area; receiving, e.g., via the vehicle controller from a cellular or satellite network, geopositional data indicative of the location of the host vehicle; retrieving, e.g., via the vehicle controller, from a remote database (e.g., Internet website, cloud computing service, vehicle back office (BO) service, etc.) an updated BSS map corresponding to the location of the vehicle; determining, e.g., via the vehicle controller, whether the BSS map stored in the storage device of the host vehicle corresponds to the updated BSS map retrieved from the remote database (e.g., the same service contours with the same available stations); and, if not, in response to sending, e.g., via the controller to the radio tuner, a first "update" command to display an updated list of available stations revised to reflect the available broadcast radio stations included in the updated BSS card (i.e., adding newly available stations and removing now unavailable stations).Aspects of this disclosure also relate to computer readable media (CRM) for providing dynamic radio service selection based on vehicle location. In one example, non-transitory CRMs store instructions executable by a host vehicle controller and / or radio tuner. When executed, these instructions cause the vehicle controller / radio tuner to perform operations including: receiving a station selection of a broadcast radio station output by an analog signal and / or a streaming radio station output by a digital signal; retrieving from a storage device a stored broadcast station service map having a service contour that includes an available broadcast radio station with sufficient signal strength within a particular area; receiving geoposition data indicative of a vehicle location of the host vehicle; retrieving from a remote database an updated BSS map corresponding to the vehicle location; determining whether the stored BSS map corresponds to the updated BSS map; displaying an updated list of available stations via the radio tuner responsive to the stored BSS card not corresponding to the updated BSS card revised to play back the available broadcast stations included in the updated BSS card.Further aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless capable vehicles having dynamic radio service selections. As used herein, the terms "vehicle" and "motor vehicle", including combinations thereof, may be used interchangeably and interchangeably to refer to any relevant vehicle platform, such as passenger cars (ICE, HEV, FEV, fuel cell, fully and semi-autonomous vehicles, etc.), commercial vehicles, industrial vehicles, tracked vehicles, off-road and all-wheel vehicles, motor wheels, agricultural equipment, watercraft, aircraft, etc. In one example, a motor vehicle includes a vehicle body having a passenger compartment, multiple wheels attached to the vehicle body (e.g., via corner modules operatively coupled to a unibody or body-on-frame chassis), and other standard first equipment. A vehicle powertrain with a prime mover (e.g., internal combustion engine and / or electric traction motor) is mounted to the vehicle body and drives one or more of the wheels to propel the vehicle. A wireless radio tuner is located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and is capable of receiving selected analog broadcast radio stations and / or digital streaming radio stations and audibly outputting them after the selection.Continuing with the foregoing discussion, the motor vehicle is also equipped with a vehicle controller (e.g., a telematics unit control module or a vehicle master controller) programmed to access a resident or remote storage device to retrieve a stored BSS map having one or more service contours, each including one or more available broadcast radio stations with sufficient signal strength within a respective geographic area. The controller also receives geographic data indicative of the location of the subject vehicle and accesses a remote database to retrieve an updated BSS map corresponding to the location of the vehicle. Upon receipt, the controller determines whether the stored BSS card matches (e.g., substantially similar or identical to) the updated BSS card; if not, the controller instructs the radio tuner to display an updated list of available stations revised to reflect the available stations included in the updated BSS card.In all disclosed vehicles, methods, and CRM, the vehicle controller may respond to the stored BSS map not corresponding to the updated BSS map by sending a second "rewrite" command to the storage device to replace the stored BSS map with the updated BSS map. As another option, after determining that the stored BSS card does not match the updated BSS card, the vehicle controller may receive an acknowledgement input from a user of the host vehicle that permits overwriting of the BSS card stored in the memory; in this case, the overwrite command is further transmitted to the storage device in response to receiving the acknowledgement input of the user. As another option, the controller may receive a search request input by the user to search or select a new broadcast radio station; in this case, the override command is forwarded to the storage device in response to receiving the search request of the user.In all disclosed vehicles, methods, and CRM, the vehicle controller may receive new geographic data indicative of a new location of the host vehicle. In this case, the vehicle controller may determine whether the new vehicle location is outside a geographic area bounded by an updated service contour on the updated BSS map; if so, the vehicle controller may, in response, transmit a third "transmit" command to the radio tuner to continue output of the selected broadcast radio station while the host vehicle is outside the updated service contour (e.g., with user approval). For at least some applications, each BSS card includes a corresponding Federal Communications Commission (FCC) AM / FM radio station contour card; in this case, the radio station contour cards may be retrieved from a publicly accessible page on the FCC website. As another option, the BSS map stored in the memory may correspond to a real-time location of the host vehicle, and the updated BSS map may be an updated version of the stored BSS map. Alternatively, the stored BSS map may correspond to a previous vehicle position of the host vehicle and the updated BSS map may correspond to a real-time position of the host vehicle.In all disclosed vehicles, methods, and CRM, the wireless radio tuner includes two distinct hardware components: a telematics unit and an AM / FM receiver unit, both of which are mounted within the vehicle interior. In this case, the telematics unit receives digital signals for streaming radio, and the AM / FM receiving unit receives analog signals for broadcast radio. The vehicle controller may determine whether the AM / FM receiver unit is available, i.e., whether it is present in the vehicle, is functioning properly, and / or is in a powered-on state. If an AM / FM receiver unit is not available, the vehicle controller may instruct the telematics unit to output the selected broadcast radio station over digital channels. If an AM / FM receiver unit is available, the vehicle controller may determine whether the analog radio signal for the selected broadcast radio station is at or above a predefined link quality threshold. If this is the case, the vehicle controller can give the AM / FM receiving unit the command to output the selected broadcast radio station.In all of the disclosed vehicles, methods, and CRMs, the wireless-enabled radio tuner may be a single, integrated device, such as a telematics unit located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, including vehicle control, and receiving station selections, analog signals, and digital signals. In this case, the vehicle controller may determine whether the analog radio signal of a selected station reaches or exceeds a predefined link quality threshold. If not, the telematics unit may receive digital signal data for the broadcast radio station in response and output the selected broadcast radio station using the received digital signals. As another option, the vehicle controller may receive one or more user input to select one or more broadcast radio stations; prior to, simultaneously with, or in response to receiving a user input to select a broadcast radio station, the vehicle controller may establish a cellular or satellite connection for the host vehicle.The above summary does not represent every embodiment or aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the summary above provides a summary of only some of the novel concepts and features set forth herein. The above features and advantages, as well as other features and attendant advantages of this disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of illustrated examples and representative modes for carrying out the disclosure when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Moreover, this disclosure expressly includes all combinations and sub-combinations of the elements and features presented above and below.Brief Description of the DrawingsFIG. 1 is a partial schematic side view of a representative motor vehicle having a network of in-vehicle controllers, sensor devices, and communication devices connected to a vehicle control system to decide between digital-based and analog-based radio services, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.FIGS. 2A and 2B show a flowchart illustrating a representative vehicle control method for location-based, dynamic radio service selection for a host vehicle, which may correspond to stored instructions executable by a fixed or remote control unit, control logic circuit, programmable control unit or other integrated circuit (IC), or network of devices, in accordance with aspects of the disclosed concepts.FIGS. 3A and 3B show examples of radio service contour maps for analog radio stations in which a host vehicle exits a first service contour corresponding to a first geographic area (FIG. 3A ) and enters a second service contour corresponding to a second geographic area (FIG. 3B ).The present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments of the disclosure are shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described herein in detail. It should be understood, however, that the novel aspects of this disclosure are not limited to the particular forms illustrated in the above-listed drawings. Rather, this disclosure includes all modifications, equivalents, combinations, permutations, groupings, and alternatives falling within the scope of this disclosure, such as those encompassed by the appended claims.Detailed DescriptionThis disclosure may be embodied in many different forms. Representative embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail herein, with the understanding that these embodiments are provided as examples of the disclosed principles and not as limitations on the broad aspects of the disclosure. As such, elements and limitations described, for example, in the sections "Summary", "Introduction", "Summary", "Description of the Drawings", and "Detailed Description", but not expressly recited in the claims, should not be included in the claims, either individually or collectively, by either introduction or inference, or otherwise. Moreover, the phrase "first," "second," "third," etc., in the specification or claims is not intended to identify a serial or numerical limitation; unless expressly stated otherwise, these terms may be used to facilitate reference to similar features in the specification and drawings and to distinguish between similar elements in the claims.For purposes of this detailed description, unless expressly excluded: the singular includes the plural and vice versa; the words "and" and "or" are both conjunctival and disjunctive; the words "each" and "all" mean "each and all"; and the words "including", "including", "comprising", "with", and the like mean "including without limitation", respectively. Moreover, words of approximation such as "about", "fast", "substantially", "generally", "about" and the like may be used herein to refer to, for example, "at, near or near", or "within 0-5% of", or "within acceptable manufacturing tolerances", or any logical combination thereof. Finally, directional adjective and adverbes such as "front", "rear", "inside", "outside", "starboard", "port", "vertical", "horizontal", "upward", "downward", "front", "rear", "left", "right", etc. may refer to a motor vehicle, e.g., to the forward direction of travel of a motor vehicle when the vehicle is operated on a horizontal driving surface.Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like features throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a representative motor vehicle, generally designated 10, which is shown herein as an electric-powered sedan for discussion purposes. The illustrated automobile 10-also referred to herein briefly as a "motor vehicle" or "vehicle"-is merely an example application with which aspects of this disclosure may be practiced. Likewise, incorporation of the present concepts into the illustrated wireless communication network for providing broadcast and streaming radio services to connected vehicles should be understood as a non-limiting implementation of the disclosed features. It should be appreciated that aspects and features of this disclosure may also be applied to other wireless network architectures, implemented for various multimedia applications, and incorporated into any logically relevant vehicle type. Moreover, only selected components of the motor vehicles and vehicle control systems are shown and described in more detail herein. Nevertheless, the vehicles and systems described below may include numerous additional and alternative features and other available peripheral components to perform the various methods and functions of this disclosure.The representative vehicle 10 of FIG. 1 is originally equipped with a vehicle telematics communication and information unit ("telematics") 14 that wirelessly communicates, e.g., via cell towers, a wireless modem, a mesh network, a satellite service, etc., with a remote back office (BO), a cloud computing host service 24 (e.g., ONSTAR® or MYGMC®). Some of the other in-vehicle hardware components 16 generally illustrated in FIG. 1 include, by way of non-limiting examples, an electronic video display 18, a microphone 28, audio speakers 30, and various user input controls 32 (e.g., buttons, buttons, switches, touchpads, joysticks, touch screens, etc.). These hardware components 16 function, in part, as a human-machine interface (HMI) that allows the user to communicate with telematics unit 14 and other components located and remote in vehicle 10. For example, the microphone 28 provides the occupant with the ability to input verbal or other acoustic commands; the vehicle 10 has an embedded speech processing unit that uses audio filter, processing, and analysis modules to convert the inputs to signals. Conversely, the speakers 30 emit acoustic signals to vehicle occupants and may be either a stand-alone speaker intended for use with the telematics unit 14, or they may be part of an audio system 22. Audio system 22 is operatively connected to a network connection interface 34 and audio bus 20 to receive digital and / or analog information and play it back as sound via one or more speaker components.Communicatively coupled to telematics unit 14 is a network connection interface 34, suitable examples of which include twisted pair / fiber Ethernet switches, parallel / serial communication buses, local area network (LAN) interfaces, controller area network (CAN) interfaces, and the like. The network connection interface 34 allows the vehicle hardware 16 to send and receive signals among each other and with various systems both onboard and offboard the vehicle body 12. This allows the vehicle 10 to automate various vehicle functions, such as modulation of powertrain power, activation of friction or regenerative brakes, control of vehicle steering, control of operation of a traction battery, control of vehicle windows, doors, and locks, as well as other automated functions. For example, telematics unit 14 may communicate signals with a powertrain control module (PCM) 52, an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) module 54, an electronic battery control module (EBCM) 56, a steering control module (SCM) 58, a brake system control module (BSCM) 60, and various other vehicle ECUs, such as a transmission control module (TCM), an engine control module (ECM), a sensor system interface module (BCM), SSIM), etc.As shown in FIG. 1, telematics unit 14 is an on-board computing device that provides a range of services both singly and through its communication with other networked devices. In the example shown, telematics unit 14 generally consists of one or more processors 40, each of which may be embodied as a discrete microprocessor, a multi-core processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a dedicated control module, or other suitable IC device or network of devices. The vehicle 10 may provide centralized vehicle control via a central processing unit (CPU) 36, which may be embodied as a telematics unit integrated control module (as shown) or as a stand-alone master control unit (MCU). The CPU 36 may be operatively coupled to a real-time clock (RTC) 42 and one or more electronic storage devices 38, each of which may take the form of a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, an IC storage device, a solid-state drive memory (SSD), a hard-disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, a semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM), etc.Long-range communication (LRC) with remote off-vehicle devices may be provided via one or more or all of a cellular chipset, an ultra-high frequency radio transmitter / receiver, a satellite communication component (e.g., GPS transmitter / receiver), and / or a wireless modem, all of which are collectively shown at 44 in FIG. 1. Short-range communication (SRC) may be provided via a short-range communication device 46 (e.g., a BLUETOOTH® unit or near field communications (NFC)), a UWB or LPWAN communication device, a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) component 48, and / or a dual antenna 50. The communication devices described above may provide communication as part of periodic broadcast in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-general (V2X) communication network, e.g., vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), vehicle-to-device (V2D), etc. It is provided that, The vehicle 10 may be implemented without one or more of the above-listed components, or optionally include additional components and functions, as desired for a particular end use.The CPU 36 receives sensor data from one or more sensing devices using, for example, image recognition, radar, laser, ultrasound, optics, infrared, or other suitable technologies, including short-range communication technologies (e.g., DSRC, ad hoc mesh LAN, BLUETOOTH® or BLE® ) or ultra wide band (UWB) radio technologies, e.g., for executing automated vehicle operation or vehicle navigation service. According to the example shown, the vehicle 10 may be equipped with one or more digital cameras 62, one or more range sensors 64, one or more vehicle speed sensors 66, one or more vehicle dynamics sensors 68, as well as the required filtering, classifying, fusion, and analysis hardware and software for processing the raw sensor data. The type, placement, number, and interoperability of the distributed array of vehicle sensors may be adjusted individually or jointly to a particular vehicle platform in order to achieve a desired degree of automation and thus autonomous vehicle operation.To propel the motor vehicle 10, an electrified powertrain may generate and deliver a traction torque to one or more of the vehicle's drive wheels 26. The electrified powertrain of the vehicle is generally illustrated in FIG. 1 by a traction electric motor 78 connected to a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) that may be in the form of a chassis-mounted traction battery pack 70. The traction battery pack 70 may generally consist of one or more battery modules 72 each including a group of electrochemical battery cells 74, such as lithium-ion, lithium-polymer, or nickel-metal hydride battery cells. The traction motor / generator unit (M) 78 draws electrical energy from and optionally supplies electrical energy to the battery pack 70. A power inverter module (PIM) 80 electrically connects the battery pack 70 to the motor / generator unit(s) 78 and modulates the transfer of electrical current between these units. The battery pack 70 may be configured such that the module management, cell sensing, and module-to-module or module-to-host communication functions are integrated directly into each module 72 and occur wirelessly via a wireless cell monitoring unit (CMU) 76.Also shown in FIG. 1 is a mobile vehicle communication (MVC) system 82 that enables wireless communication between remote computing nodes and one or more motor vehicles 10. The MVC system 82 is represented here by a constellation of GPS satellites 84, a wireless services satellite 86, an uplink transmitting station 88, a cellular transmitting tower 90, and a mobile switching center (MSC) 92. The host vehicle GPS transmitter / receiver 44 may exchange radio signals with the GPS satellites 84 to derive real-time or near real-time geographic and temporal data for the vehicle 10, which may be used to provide navigation and other related services to the vehicle occupant. The wireless services satellite 86 provides unidirectional and bidirectional communication with the vehicle 10 through cooperative operation with the uplink transmitting station 88, such as streaming radio and Internet services (e.g., music, news, videos, etc.) and satellite telephony services (e.g., for contacting a remote provider of BO services). While in the figures a single vehicle 10 is communicating with multiple GPS satellites 84, a single wireless services satellite 86, a single uplink station 88, a single cell tower 90, and a single MSC 92, the MVC system 82 may include any number and combination of the foregoing elements, as well as other available and hereafter developed communication hardware.The MVC system 82 may operate within a cellular communication system 96, illustrated in FIG. 1 by one or more cellular towers 90, one or more mobile switching centers 92, as well as other network components needed to connect the cellular communication system 96 to various end nodes (e.g., BO Host Service 24). Each cell tower 90 may be equipped with a corresponding set of transmit and receive antennas for exchanging radio signals with the vehicles 10. The base stations of the various cell towers may be connected to the MSC 92 either directly or via intermediary devices such as a base station controller (not shown). The cellular communication system 96 may implement any suitable communication technology, including previous cellular protocols, such as cellular digital packet data (CDPD) 2G technologies, or modern cellular protocols, such as 4G LTE or 5G advanced technologies. The vehicle telematics unit 14 may function as a cellular-enabled mobile component registered with a cellular provider to transmit network data packets to and from the cellular communication system 96. It should be appreciated that system 96 may assume numerous towers / stations / MSC arrangements, including co-locating a base station and a cell tower at the same location, remotely locating base stations and cell towers, a single base station serving a single cell tower, and coupling multiple base stations to a single MSC, to name a few possible arrangements.During operation of a "host" vehicle, such as vehicle 10 in FIG. 1, a vehicle driver, owner, or occupant (collectively referred to as a "user") may wish to hear an analog "broadcast" radio station broadcast from a private radio tower or a digital "streaming" radio station broadcast from the Internet over a cellular or satellite link. Before, simultaneously with, or after the user selects a radio station, a vehicle controller may check whether the host vehicle has an existing cellular or WiFi connection; if not, the vehicle may continually attempt to establish a connection and, if not available, wait until the connection is activated. In parallel, the vehicle controller may access the vehicle memory to check whether a service contour map is present in the memory. If an operating contour map is not yet stored in memory, the vehicle controller may invoke a publicly available state database (e.g., the FCC website) to download the latest operating contour map relevant to that vehicle (e.g., the FCC AMlFM Radio Station Contour map for the United States, AM / FM maps by region, AM / FM maps by frequency, etc.). Conversely, if one is present, the vehicle controller may compare the currently stored contour map (text file (.txt_)) with the latest available service contour map (e.g., updated daily by the FCC); if the two maps are different, the vehicle may prompt the user to permit the latest radio station map to be downloaded to the vehicle memory. Upon receiving the user's consent (e.g., the driver selects "DOWNLOAD NEWEST RADIO STATION CARD"), the vehicle may copy and store the newest service contour card into the vehicle memory. If the user does not actively agree to download, the dynamic radio selection protocol may continue with the current map.Upon confirming that a service contour map is stored in the vehicle memory, the host vehicle may retrieve live geoposition coordinate data from a GPS satellite provider or similar suitable navigation service to determine the location of the host vehicle in real-time or near real-time. If no GPS signal is available, the vehicle may use cellular trilateration, V2X mesh location services, Humppack GPS / cellular connections, etc.; if no service is available, the vehicle may wait or continually search until a GPS signal becomes available. Upon retrieval, the vehicle controller may compare the current GPS signal coordinates to the stored contour map of the broadcast service and update the radio station channel list in the infotainment system of the vehicle to include available broadcast radio stations within the contour curve corresponding to the current location of the vehicle.Based on the updated radio station channel list, the vehicle may determine whether the host vehicle has an available AM / FM radio tuner that is accessible to the user. Upon confirming that an AM / FM radio tuner is available, the vehicle controller may evaluate a broadcast signal level of a selected broadcast radio station to determine whether the signal is above a predefined minimum link quality (e.g., at least about 30-40 decibels microvolts per meter (dB(uV / m)) for monophonic reception, at least about 50-60 dB(μV / m) for stereophonic reception). If an AM / FM radio tuner is not available or signal strength is not sufficient, the vehicle infotainment system may automatically play back the selected broadcast radio station via a digital Internet radio service. Prior to playback of the broadcast radio station via the infotainment system of the vehicle, the vehicle may buffer and delay the audio output of the AM / FM tuner to synchronize the audio stream with the Internet radio stream. After synchronization, the center stack telematics unit may use a digital Internet radio stream to play back the selected live radio channel via the vehicle infotainment system.In addition to dynamic radio selections, the infotainment system of the vehicle may allow the user to select one or more system settings that affect the functionality of the vehicle's audio control system. As some non-limiting examples, the user may choose whether to: (1) maintain a selected station as active regardless of the signal quality and / or location of the vehicle; (2) update the service contour map and / or station list when the user presses a station search / station selection button; and (3) notify the user when a currently selected station is out of range and / or is expected to be out of range. If a user has activated the "CURRENT STATION MAINTAIN" option and the host vehicle moves out of the service contour associated with that radio station, the vehicle may maintain that radio station in the available radio station channel list. If a user has activated the "UPDATE ONLY WHEN SEARCH / SELECTION KEY" option, the list of available radio stations may be updated only with vehicle ignition on and in response to the user pressing a search / selection key or selection of a particular radio station. If a user has activated the option "NOTIFY IF CURRENT STATION OUT OF RANGE", a notification may be displayed to the user if he exceeds the contour radius of a selected station to inform him that the vehicle is out of range of the selected station and he wishes to change to another station.Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 2, an improved method or control strategy for providing location-based dynamic radio service selection to a host vehicle, such as the automobile 10 of FIG. 1, is generally described at 200 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Some or all of the operations illustrated in FIG. 2 and described in more detail below may be representative of an algorithm corresponding to non-transitory, processor-executable instructions stored, for example, in main or auxiliary or remote memory (e.g., vehicle storage device 38 and / or host server database 98 of FIG. 1 ) and executed, for example, by an electronic controller, a processing unit, a special control module, logic circuitry, or other module or device, or a network of controllers / modules / devices (e.g., vehicle CPU 36 and / or BO host service 24 server of FIG. 1 ) to perform any or all of the above and below-described functions associated with the disclosed concepts. It should be appreciated that the order of execution of the illustrated operation blocks may be changed, additional operation blocks may be added, and some of the operations described herein may be modified, combined, or eliminated.The method 200 begins at the terminal START block 201 of FIG. 2 with processor-executable instructions stored in memory for a programmable controller or control module or network of controllers / modules to invoke an automated control method for switching between digital-based and analog-based radio services. This routine may be executed in real-time, near real-time, continuously, systematically, sporadic, and / or at periodic intervals, for example, every 10 or 100 milliseconds during normal operation of the motor vehicle 10. As a non-limiting example, the method 200 may be automatically initialized when a driver of the vehicle 10 turns on the onboard telematics unit 14. Upon completion of some or all of the control operations depicted in FIG. 2, method 200 may proceed to end terminal 245 and may be temporarily ended, or optionally return to terminal 201 and run in a continuous loop.Upon transitioning from the terminal block 201 to the VEHICLE CONNECTION process block 203, the method 200 executes instructions stored in memory to establish a wireless connection with a distributed computer network. By way of example and not limitation, the CPU 36 may cooperate with the LRC device(s) 44 to access a World Wide Web (WWW) digital radio service by providing a wireless connection to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) via a cellular connection, a satellite connection, a hookpack connection to a personal computing device (e.g., a smart phone hotspot), a home WiFi connection, etc. At least in some implementations, it may be desirable that process block 203 be executed in response to a wireless radio tuner (e.g., telematics unit 14 and / or audio system 22) receiving a station selection of a broadcast radio station and / or a streaming radio station.Before, simultaneously with, or after the host vehicle establishes a wireless connection, the method 200 executes the STORED MAP decision block 205 to determine whether or not a broadcast station service map (BSS) is currently stored in the vehicle memory. In contrast to conventional analog radio tuners, which usually only monitor the signal strengths of the available radio stations, the described radio tuners dynamically access and evaluate the contour maps stored in the vehicle memory in order to ensure current and uninterrupted radio services. At least in some implementations, a contour map of the FCC AM / FM radio stations is stored in non-volatile memory (NVM) of the vehicle, such as a flash EEPROM. If a BSS map is not currently stored in vehicle memory (block 205=NEIN), the method 200 may disregard process blocks 207 and 209 and proceed directly to process block 211, which is described in more detail below.Upon confirming that a BSS map is currently stored in vehicle memory (block 205=JA), the method 200 proceeds to the MAP MATCHING document process block 207 to compare the BSS map file currently stored in the vehicle memory with an updated BSS map file retrieved from a remote database. In accordance with a representative example, the CPU 36 may respond to receiving a user-input station selection from one of the input controllers 32 by accessing an electronic storage device 38 to retrieve a stored BSS card. A FVS card may be a general purpose cartographic card overlaid with one or more service contours. Each of these service contours includes one or more available broadcast radio stations that have sufficient signal strength within an area determined by that contour. For example, FIGS. 3A and 3B show the screen shot 300A and 300B of an in-vehicle display unit (e.g., telematics display device 18) displaying an example BSS map 302 shown as part of an FCC AM / FM radio station contour map with discrete radio service contours 304A- 304G for a corresponding number of analog radio stations 306A- 306G. FIG. 3A shows an example of a host vehicle 310 exiting a first service contour 304B that bounds a first geographic area and corresponds to at least one first broadcast radio station 306B. For comparison, FIG. 3B shows host vehicle 310 entering a second service contour 304D that bounds a second geographic area and corresponds to at least one second broadcast radio station 306D.After retrieving the stored BSS map, the document process block 307 also includes processor-executable instructions for the vehicle controller to access a remote database and retrieve therefrom an updated BSS map corresponding to the current location of the vehicle (e.g., USA, Europe, Canada, etc.). As mentioned above, this updated BSS map may be an FCC radio station contour map that is updated and retrievable daily on the FCC's publicly accessible Internet website. For a vehicle located in the United States of America (USA), the contour map may be formatted as a mapped text file containing all FCC protected contours for all broadcast radio stations in North America. At least in some implementations, the location of the host vehicle is not required and is also not used to retrieve the updated BSS map, as a vehicle built for sale in a particular country may be considered to necessarily retrieve the BSS map provided by that country.Due to file size constraints, it may be desirable for the vehicle to upload and store only a relevant portion of the updated radio station contour map of the FCC, e.g., that of the federal state or city in which the host vehicle is currently located. It is also within the scope of this disclosure that the vehicle downloads and evaluates multiple portions of the FCC contour map, e.g., as selected by a vehicle operator in expectation of travel across state boundaries (e.g., travel from Detroit to Chicago). Thus, the stored BSS map may correspond to the real-time location of the host vehicle (e.g., May 2023 Michigan BSS map) and the updated BSS map may be an updated version of the stored BSS map (e.g., June 2023 Michigan BSS map). Alternatively, the stored BSS map may correspond to a previous location of the host vehicle or a source location of the host vehicle (e.g., June 2023 Michigan BSS map) and the updated BSS map may correspond to a current or destination location of the host vehicle (e.g., June 2023 Illinois BSS map).After downloading the updated BSS map, the method 200 compares the two service contour maps to determine whether the BSS map stored in the vehicle memory corresponds to the updated BSS map retrieved from the remote database. If the stored BSS map and the updated BSS map are substantially the same (e.g., same service contours with the same available stations), the method 200 may disregard process blocks 209 and 211 and proceed directly to decision block 213, which is described in more detail below. If there are significant differences between the two maps, the vehicle controller may override the stored BSS map and thereby replace it with the updated BSS map. For example, the vehicle controller may determine that the stored and updated BSS maps do not substantially match if: (1) the updated BSS map includes a new broadcast station proximate to the host vehicle; (2) the updated BSS map omits a previously available radio station that is no longer operating; or (3) the service contour for a station changes (e.g., by at least 5%). In response to the stored BSS card not matching the updated BSS card, the vehicle controller may execute the MAPS OVERRIDER storage process block 211 and automatically override the currently stored BSS card with the updated BSS card, e.g., in a segment of the allocated cache memory within the resident memory of the telematics unit.With continued reference to FIG. 2, method 200 may optionally prompt a vehicle user to permit the process of overwriting the file before replacing the BSS map stored in the vehicle memory, as indicated in UPDATE PERMISSION decision block 209. For example, after determining that the stored BSS card does not match the updated BSS card, telematics unit display device 18 may display a message to the user informing the user of the intention of the vehicle to replace the existing BSS card and asking him to authorize or reject the method. Using the vehicle input controllers 32, the user may enter his approval (e.g., "OVERRIDE AUTHORIZED") to override the stored BSS card in the storage device of the host vehicle; the CPU 36 then instructs the storage device(s) 38 to override the BSS card. In another option, the vehicle CPU 36 may issue an override command to a storage device 38 in response to receiving a user-input search request to search and / or select a new broadcast radio station. It is also within the scope of this disclosure to omit the decision block 209 of the method 200. To this end, the update of the BSS card stored in the memory can be fully automated, so that a required input or approval by a user of the host vehicle is dispensed with.Proceeding from process block 211 to VEHICLE LOCATION decision block 213, method 200 determines whether or not geostationary data indicative of the host vehicle's location is available for retrieval by the host vehicle. As mentioned above, the host vehicle may use a GPS navigation service, tower-to-tower cellular trilateration techniques, a V2X mesh location service, a Humppack GPS / cellular connection, etc., to determine the real-time or near-real-time location of the vehicle. If the vehicle's geoposition data cannot be retrieved, e.g., because no GPS signal is available (block 213=NEIN), the method 200 may run in an endless loop until the vehicle's geoposition data can be retrieved. Upon successful retrieval of the relevant host location data, the method 200 proceeds to the BSS MAP LOCATION predefined process block 215 to compare the current location of the vehicle (e.g., geographic coordinates) with the stored BSS map to locate the vehicle on the map and thereby determine which service contours, if any, match the location of the host vehicle. In the STATION UPDATE data storage block 217, the method 200 may simultaneously update a list of available stations stored in memory to render the available broadcast radio stations included in the updated BSS map and matching the current location of the host vehicle. At the same time, the radio tuner can also update and display the revised list of stations. For example, all radio stations located within the service contours of the updated (and now stored) BSS map that superimpose the host vehicle's geographical coordinates - unless already present - are stored and displayed to the user as selected stations. The user of the host vehicle may now have the option of selecting a broadcast or streaming radio station.The method 200 continues with the LIVE TUNER decision block 219 to determine whether the host vehicle has an AM / FM tuner available to the user (e.g., present in the vehicle, is functioning properly, and / or is currently powered on). As mentioned above, the host vehicle's wireless radio tuner may be a fully integrated audio component that generally consists of a telematics unit offering both broadcast and streaming radio services. Other form factors may include a multi-component audio system that uses a telematics unit for streaming radio services and an AM / FM receiver unit for broadcast services. In any event, if the host vehicle broadcast service is unavailable due to a defective, powered off, or missing AM / FM tuner (block 219=NEIN), the method 200 may automatically execute the DIGITAL RADIO data output block 221 (by moving from side to side across the ports (A)) and play back the user-selected broadcast radio station via the vehicle infotainment system using available digital radio services. This can be achieved by connecting to a compatible Internet audio service which transmits a digital radio signal for the desired broadcast radio station.After confirming that the host vehicle broadcast service is available, e.g., via a properly functioning and powered AMFM tuner (block 219=AA), the method 200 executes the stored instructions associated with the LINK QUALITY decision block 223 to determine whether the analog radio signal associated with the user-selected broadcast radio station reaches or exceeds a predefined link quality threshold (e.g., 60 dBμ). If the received signal strength (RSS) of the incoming RF signal from the transmitter tower reaches or exceeds this minimum threshold (block 223=JA), the vehicle controller may, in response, command the vehicle's AM / FM receiver unit to output the broadcast radio station using the corresponding analog signal and available broadcast services, as indicated in BROADCAST RADIO process block 225. Conversely, if the RSS is determined to be below the link quality threshold (block 223=NEIN), the method 200 of FIG. 2 may, in response, execute a BUFFER & DELAY process block 227 (moving across the side-to-side links (B)) and simultaneously buffer and delay the audio output of the live AM / FM tuner to synchronize with the audio stream of the infotainment system. Once synchronization is substantially complete, the method 200 may execute the process block 221 and render the selected broadcast radio station via the vehicle infotainment system using available digital radio services.Before or after receiving a radio station selection, the method 200 may execute the manual input block 229 RADIO SETTINGS; this enables a user of the host vehicle to selectively calibrate one or more control settings to control operation of the vehicle's audio system. As mentioned above, the user may be prompted to activate or deactivate the following functions: (1) maintaining the broadcast radio station regardless of the signal quality and / or location of the vehicle; (2) updating the stored service contour map and the list of available radio stations when the user presses the station search key or the station selection key; and (3) notifying the user when the selected station is out of range or is expected to be out of range. According to option (1), the method 200 may execute the PERMIT STATION ACTIVE decision block 231 to determine whether or not a user has activated a current station activation setting; if not (block 231=NEIN), the method 200 may proceed to connection block 245 and may be temporarily terminated. Conversely, if the current station setting has been actively activated (block 231=JA), the vehicle controller monitors the user-selected station, the service contour associated with the selected station, and the location of the vehicle; if the vehicle tracking indicates that the host vehicle is just leaving or is likely to be leaving the service contour, the host still plays the user-selected radio station, as indicated in the CURRENT STATION ACTIVE process block 233. For example, the vehicle CPU 36 may respond to a detected location of the vehicle 10 outside of a corresponding geographic area bounded by the service contour by instructing the telematics unit 14 to continue broadcasting radio station output while the host vehicle is outside of the updated service contour.Another available example of a user selectable setting for controlling the audio system includes the option of selecting whether and when the vehicle is allowed to update the stored BSS map and update the list of available broadcast radio stations. By way of example and not limitation, the method 200 may execute the BOUND MAP UPDATE decision block 235 to determine whether a user has activated the option to update the BSS map only if the user presses a search / scan key; if not (block 235=NEIN), the method 200 may proceed to the terminal block 245 and may be temporarily ended. If, on the other hand, the user decides to restrict the update of the BSS card (block 235=JA), the method 200 may, by default, maintain the BSS card stored in memory and the list of available channels until the user presses the search / scan key. When the search / scan key is pressed, the method 200 automatically executes the MAP AND CHANNEL UPDATE process block 237 and overwrites the stored BSS map with the updated BSS map based on the current geographic position of the host vehicle.The method 200 may also execute the LOSS OF SIGNAL NOTIFICATION decision block 239 to determine whether a user has enabled the option of obtaining a notification if a currently selected broadcast radio station is out of range (e.g., RSS below the link quality threshold); if not (block 239=NEIN), the method 200 may proceed to the connection block 245 and may be temporarily terminated. In response, if the user selects to obtain a notification when the current station is out of range (block 239=Y), the method 200 may execute the LOST SIGNAL data output block 241 to generate and output a notification to the user (e.g., via telematics display device 18) that the currently playing broadcast radio station is outside the service contour map corresponding to the current location of the host vehicle. The notification may involve a prompt to the user to select a new radio station. In the NEW STATION manual input block 243, the method 200 may receive user input to select a new broadcast radio station; the method 200 then commands the on-board radio tuner to output the newly selected station.Aspects of this disclosure may, in some embodiments, be implemented by a computer-executable program of instructions, such as program modules, commonly referred to as software applications or application programs, executed by any controller or controller variants described herein. Software may include, by way of non-limiting examples, routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular types of data. The software may form an interface that allows the computer to respond according to an input source. The software may also cooperate with other code segments to trigger a plurality of tasks in response to received data associated with the source of the received data. The software may be stored on a variety of storage media such as CD-ROM, magnetic disk, and semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM).Moreover, aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced with a variety of computer system and computer network configurations, including multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Moreover, aspects of the present disclosure may be applied in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by stationary and remote processing devices connected via a communication network. In a distributed data processing environment, program modules may reside in both local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices. Aspects of the present disclosure may therefore be implemented in conjunction with various hardware, software, or a combination thereof in a computer system or other processing system.Any of the methods described herein may include machine readable instructions for execution by (a) a processor, (b) a controller, and / or (c) another suitable processing device. Any algorithm, software, control logic, protocol, or method disclosed herein may be embodied as software stored on a tangible medium, such as flash memory, solid state drive (SSD), hard disk drive (HDD), CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD), or other storage devices. The entire algorithm, control logic, protocol, or method, and / or portions thereof may alternatively be executed by a device other than a controller and / or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware in an available manner (e.g., implemented by an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable logic device (FPLD), discrete logic, etc.). Although specific algorithms may be described with reference to the flowcharts and / or workflow diagrams illustrated herein, many other methods of implementing the example machine readable instructions may alternatively be used.Aspects of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the depicted embodiments; however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the exact construction and compositions disclosed herein; all modifications, changes, and variations that are apparent from the foregoing descriptions are within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the present concepts expressly include all combinations and sub-combinations of the foregoing elements and features.

Claims

A method for controlling operation of a host vehicle having a vehicle controller, a storage device, and a wireless-enabled radio tuner, the method comprising: receiving, via the radio tuner, a station selection from a broadcast radio station output by an analog radio signal and / or a streaming radio station output by a digital radio signal; retrieving, via the vehicle controller from the storage device, a stored broadcast station service (BSS) map having a service contour that includes available broadcast radio stations with sufficient signal strength within a particular area; receiving, via the vehicle controller, geolocation data indicative of a vehicle location of the host vehicle; retrieving, via the vehicle controller from a remote database, an updated BSS map corresponding to the vehicle location; determining, via the vehicle controller, whether the stored BSS map in the storage device of the host vehicle corresponds to the updated BSS map retrieved from the remote database; and transmitting, via the vehicle controller, in response to the stored BSS map not corresponding to the updated BSS map, an update command to the radio tuner to display a list of available stations revised to reflect the available broadcast radio stations included in the updated BSS map.The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, via the vehicle controller, in response to the stored BSS map not corresponding to the updated BSS map, an override command to the storage device to replace the stored BSS map with the updated BSS map.The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, via the vehicle controller, upon determining that the stored BSS card does not correspond to the updated BSS card, an acknowledgement input from a user of the host vehicle to overwrite the stored BSS card in the storage device of the host vehicle, wherein transmitting the overwrite command to the storage device is further responsive to receiving the acknowledgement input from the user of the host vehicle.The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a user input search request from a user of the host vehicle to search and / or select a new broadcast radio station, wherein transmitting the override command to the storage device is further responsive to receiving the search request from the user.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, via the vehicle controller, new geolocation data indicative of a new vehicle location of the host vehicle; determining, via the vehicle controller, whether the new vehicle location is outside a geographic area bounded by an updated service contour of the updated BSS map; and transmitting, via the vehicle controller, in response to the new vehicle location being outside the geographic area, a transmit command to the radio tuner to continue output of the transmitted broadcast radio station while the host vehicle is outside the updated service contour.The method of claim 1, wherein the stored BSS card and the updated BSS card each include a corresponding Federal Communications Commission (FCC) AM / FM radiostation contour card, and wherein the remote database is located on the FCC website.The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle location is a real-time vehicle location and the stored BSS map either: (1) corresponds to the real-time vehicle location and the updated BSS map is an updated version of the stored BSS map; or (2) corresponds to a previous vehicle location of the host vehicle and the updated BSS map corresponds to the real-time vehicle location.The method of claim 1, wherein the station selection received via the radio tuner includes a user-input selection of the broadcast radio station, the method further comprising establishing, responsive to receiving the user-input selection of the broadcast radio station, a cellular or satellite connection for the host vehicle.The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless radio tuner comprises a telematics unit and an AM / FM receiver unit both mounted in a passenger compartment of the host vehicle, wherein the telematics unit is operable to receive digital radio signals, and wherein the AM / FM receiver unit is operable to receive analog radio signals.The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining, via the vehicle controller, whether the AM / FM receiver unit is available, wherein the AM / FM receiver unit is available, when present, operable, and / or powered on; and transmitting, via the vehicle controller, a first transmit command to the telematics unit in response to the AM / FM receiver unit being unavailable to output the broadcast radio station.

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