JP2853366B2 - Traffic information receiver - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic information receiving device mounted on a vehicle, which is improved so that appropriate traffic information and the like can be obtained.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a navigation system mounted on a vehicle, a navigation system which can receive data such as traffic information in various places by a traffic information receiving device and display the data on a screen has been considered. Here, data such as traffic information is FM
It is considered practical to modulate and transmit to the broadcast subcarriers, but because of FM waves, a large number of FM broadcast stations need to be installed in various places.

[0003] Each FM broadcast station collects traffic information and the like,
Each of the FM broadcast stations has an area that has its own control (such an area is hereinafter referred to as a traffic information collection area), and data such as traffic information in such a traffic information collection area is transmitted by each FM broadcast station. It has become. Here, in the traffic information receiving apparatus, when automatically selecting a plurality of FM broadcasting stations, a method has been proposed in which the strength of a received radio wave is determined and the FM broadcasting station having the highest received power is selected. ing.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional system, the position of the vehicle is assumed to belong to the traffic information collection area under the jurisdiction of the FM broadcast station having the highest radio field intensity. Data such as traffic information may not be obtained. For example, when a vehicle at a certain point can receive radio waves from a plurality of FM broadcast stations, the position of the vehicle often belongs to the traffic information collection area of the FM broadcast station having the highest received power. However, the position of the vehicle is not always present in the traffic information collection range of the FM broadcast station having the highest received power, and may be in the traffic information collection range of another FM broadcast station having weak received power.

[0005] This is because the traffic information collection range under the jurisdiction of the FM broadcasting station is determined uniformly based mainly on the distance from the FM broadcasting station and the like. This is because it is a fluid thing affected by the weather and the like, and the distribution range of the radio wave intensity does not match the traffic information collection range. In this case, if the FM broadcasting station with the highest received power is selected, data such as traffic information in a range far from the current position of the vehicle is obtained, and the desired data is obtained. Did not. The present invention
It is made in view of the above prior art, and does not select the FM broadcasting station with the highest received power, but selects the nearest FM broadcasting station.
An object of the present invention is to provide a traffic information receiving device capable of receiving traffic information and the like reliably by selecting an M broadcast station.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a receiver for receiving data such as traffic information modulated and transmitted from FM broadcast stations to FM broadcast subcarriers, and a self-contained type. Or, a position detector that detects the position coordinates of the vehicle using radio waves from a satellite or the like, a digital map device storing a plurality of positions of the FM broadcast station, and data such as traffic information by the receiver. When receiving the FM broadcast, the FM radio station having the shortest distance to the current position coordinates detected by the position detector is automatically selected from the digital map device. And Here, the tuning control unit may perform control having a certain hysteresis characteristic in the determination of the shortest distance, and the reception condition from the FM broadcast station at the shortest distance is poor, and the data is favorably received. If that is not possible, a function may be provided for selecting the FM broadcast station closest to the second.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an antenna 1, a receiver 2, a tuning control unit 3, a digital map device 4, and a vehicle position detector 5. The traffic information receiving device is mounted on a vehicle together with the information display unit 6 which is a navigation device, so that the information display unit 6 can display traffic information. Here, the receiver 2 is for receiving data such as traffic information modulated and transmitted from FM broadcast stations to FM broadcast subcarriers, and the vehicle position detector 5 is a self-contained type or a satellite or the like. Is used to detect the position coordinates of the own vehicle using the electric wave of the vehicle. The digital map device 4 stores a plurality of positions of a plurality of FM broadcasting stations. The tuning control unit 3 calculates the distance between the position of the own vehicle detected by the own vehicle position detector 5 and the coordinates where the FM broadcast station stored in the digital map device 4 is located, Is selected and the receiver 2 receives it.

The traffic information receiving apparatus of the present embodiment having the above configuration automatically selects the shortest-distance FM broadcasting station and transmits the traffic information of the area where the vehicle exists or the nearest area to the driver of the vehicle. Of passengers. For example, FIG. 2 shows a plurality of FM broadcast stations 11 and 12 and traffic information collection areas 16 and 17 under their control. As shown in the figure, these FM broadcasting stations 11 and 12 transmit traffic information of fixed traffic information collection areas 16 and 17, respectively.
Therefore, in order to obtain traffic information in the traffic information collection area 16, it is necessary to receive data transmitted from the FM broadcast station 11, and to obtain traffic information in the traffic information collection area 17. Then, data transmitted from the FM broadcasting station 12 must be received. Even if data transmitted from the FM broadcast station 12 is received, the traffic information collection area 16
Cannot be obtained, and even if data transmitted from the FM broadcast station 11 is received, traffic information in the traffic information collection area 17 cannot be obtained. In the figure, two FM broadcasting stations 1
1 and 12, a number of FM broadcast stations are actually planned to be installed, and vehicles 13 and 18 moving on a road 15 can receive transmissions from a plurality of FM broadcast stations 11 and 12.

Here, the vehicle 13 is traveling near the FM broadcasting station 11 and at a position far from the FM broadcasting station 12, but the strength of the radio wave that can be received by the vehicle 13 is not necessarily the FM broadcasting station 11. The FM broadcast station 12 is not always strong. Because it is affected by surrounding buildings, terrain, weather, etc., in some cases,
There is a case where the radio wave is stronger than the radio wave from the broadcasting station 11. The vehicle 18 is located near the FM broadcasting station 12 and far from the FM broadcasting station 11, but the strength of the radio wave that can be received by the vehicle 18 is not necessarily stronger in the FM broadcasting station 12,
The broadcast station 11 is not always weaker. Therefore, as in the conventional method, if the FM broadcast station with the stronger radio field strength is automatically selected, the vehicle 13 selects the FM broadcast station 12 at a long distance, and the vehicle 18 selects the FM broadcast station at a long distance. There is a case where a certain FM broadcasting station 11 is selected.

However, the traveling position of the vehicle 13 is FM
Since it belongs to the traffic information collection area 16 under the jurisdiction of the broadcasting station 11, the traffic information at that position can be obtained only from the FM broadcasting station 11, not from the FM broadcasting station 12. Therefore,
Even if the data transmitted from the FM broadcast station 12 is received by the vehicle 13, appropriate information cannot be obtained. Similarly,
Since the position where the vehicle 18 travels belongs to the traffic information collection area 17 under the jurisdiction of the FM broadcast station 12, the traffic information at that position can be obtained only from the FM broadcast station 12 and not from the FM broadcast station 11. . Therefore, even if the data transmitted from the FM broadcast station 11 is received by the vehicle 18, appropriate information cannot be obtained. In contrast to such a conventional technique, the traffic information collecting devices 14 and 19 having the above-described configuration are connected to the vehicles 13 and
18, the traffic information collection device 1
4, 19 can select the FM broadcast station 11 or 12 which is the shortest distance from the position of the vehicle 13 or 18 and obtain appropriate data such as traffic information.

That is, when the position of the vehicle 13 is the FM broadcast station 1
1 belongs to the traffic information collection area 16, the data transmitted from the FM broadcast station 11 can be received, and the position of the vehicle 18 belongs to the traffic information collection area 17 of the FM broadcast station 12. , The data transmitted from the FM broadcast station 12 can be received. As described above, in the present invention, the traffic information collection ranges 16 and 17 controlled by the FM broadcast stations 11 and 12 do not differ from the FM broadcast stations 11 and 12 actually received by the vehicles 13 and 18.
However, even if the FM broadcasting station located at the shortest distance from the own vehicle position is selected, it is conceivable that the FM broadcasting station is not within the information collection range of the FM broadcasting station. Traffic information in a closer area can be obtained as compared with the localization method.

In a vehicle running at a position where the linear distances from the plurality of FM broadcasting stations 11 and 12 are substantially equal, if the FM broadcasting station having the shortest distance is always selected, the selection is expected to be repeated. You. Therefore, in order to cope with such a case, the tuning control unit 3 selects the FM broadcast station of the shortest distance calculated from the position coordinates of the own vehicle once, and if the vehicle is not separated by a certain distance or more, the other tuning control unit 3 It is preferable that the FM broadcast station is not tuned, that is, the control with the hysteresis characteristic is performed. Furthermore, F which exists at the shortest distance
Because the signal strength from the M broadcast station is low and the reception condition is poor,
It is expected that data cannot be received satisfactorily. In order to cope with such a case, when the reception condition from the shortest distance FM broadcasting station is poor and the data cannot be satisfactorily received, the channel selection control unit 3 sets a second position within a certain distance. A function of selecting another nearby FM broadcasting station may be provided.

[0013]

As described above in detail with reference to the embodiments, the present invention automatically selects and receives the shortest distance FM broadcasting station. It is possible to reliably obtain data such as traffic information in an area where the vehicle is located or an area close thereto.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a traffic information receiving apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing FM broadcast stations and their traffic information collection areas.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna 2 Receiver 3 Selection control part 4 Digital map device 5 Own vehicle position detector 6 Information display part 11,12 FM broadcast station 13,18 Vehicle 14,19 Traffic information receiving device 15 Road 16,17 Traffic information collection area

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-63-62407 (JP, A) JP-A-1-223828 (JP, A) JP-A-1-276829 (JP, A) JP-A-3- 19000 (JP, A) JP-A-4-83428 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Application Sho 58-195821 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H04B 1/16

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A receiver for receiving data such as traffic information modulated and transmitted from a FM broadcasting station to FM broadcast subcarriers, and a position coordinate of the vehicle using a free-standing type or a radio wave from a satellite or the like. And a digital map device storing a plurality of positions of the FM broadcast station, and when receiving data such as traffic information by the receiver, the current position detected by the position detector A traffic information receiving apparatus, comprising: a channel selection control unit that automatically selects, from the digital map device, the FM broadcast station located at the shortest distance from the position coordinates. 2. The traffic information receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tuning control unit performs control having a predetermined hysteresis characteristic in determining the shortest distance. 3. The tuning control unit according to claim 1, wherein the tuning control unit includes
3. The traffic information receiving device according to claim 1, further comprising a function of selecting the FM broadcast station closest to the second when data reception from the broadcast station is poor and data cannot be satisfactorily received. .