Single-Tuner FM Station List Using Pre-Acquired RDS Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

In single FM tuner systems, users face a degradation in listening comfort due to the long time required to acquire and display station information, such as program service names, which can take up to 4 seconds under typical reception conditions, and the system must be muted, making it difficult to obtain information for stations other than the currently tuned one.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that extract and display additional information like program type (PTY) and program identification (PI) codes from RDS/RBDS data, converting these codes into clear text for display, allowing users to view a list of receivable frequencies with associated program information, enabling quicker and more informative station selection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the system waits to acquire and display program service names from RDS data, then complete station information is provided to users, but the time required increases up to 4 seconds and listening comfort degrades due to muting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestation information completenessVSAvoidinformation acquisition time
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring and storing RDS data from multiple stations in the background before user request. Frequency information, program type identification, and program identification codes are pre-acquired and stored in memory, so when a user requests station information, the data is already available for immediate display without requiring 4 seconds of acquisition time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The station information is segmented into different components that can be displayed at different times: frequency information and program type identification are displayed immediately from pre-acquired data, while the complete program service name can be displayed subsequently when fully available. This segmentation allows partial information to be shown without the full 4-second delay

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If the system monitors multiple station frequencies to provide information about stations other than the currently tuned one, then user overview capability is improved, but the system must be muted which degrades listening comfort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestation information accessibilityVSAvoidlistening comfort
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary monitoring of RDS data from multiple stations and stores the information in memory before the user needs it. This allows the display to show information about alternative stations without requiring the tuner to switch frequencies or mute the current station, thus maintaining listening comfort while providing comprehensive station overview capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates copies of RDS data from multiple stations and stores them in memory. Instead of requiring the user to tune to each station to obtain information, the system maintains copies of frequency information, program type identification, and program identification codes from multiple stations simultaneously, allowing instant display of station information without muting or frequency switching

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3029864B1Fast representation of station information in a FM receiver using a single tuner
Publication Date: 2020.11.18 HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYST GMBH
  • EP3029864B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3029864B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3029864B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The method according to the invention provides station information in a single FM tuner system, and comprises the steps of: receiving radio data system, RDS, data / radio broadcast data system, RBDS, data by the single FM tuner system; extracting frequency information regarding receivable stations from the received RDS/RBDS data and displaying a list of the receivable frequencies, wherein the list in particular includes one or more receivable frequencies; extracting additional information regarding the receivable stations from the received RDS/RBDS data, and displaying the extracted additional information regarding the receivable stations in correspondence with the respective receivable frequencies in the list. Further a single FM tuner system is provided for carrying out the method.