SPECIFICATIONRadio-receiver traffic information apparatusThe present invention relates to a radio-receiver traffic information apparatus.
Traffic information is usually transmitted by radio transmitters wherein normal radio transmissions are interrupted and in cases of need are faded into the thus existing pauses in the normal radio transmissions and are reproduced by a receiving apparatus.
In so doing, it has proved to be a disadvantage that the traffic information only reaches its intended group, for example the traffic participants, when it is to be found on their receiving apparatus during the transmission of the traffic information.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided traffic information apparatus, comprising a radio receiver stage provided with a detector for separating received traffic information from other received radio signals, a store for the separated traffic information, and a display device for presenting the traffic information contained in the store.
In an advantageous form of the apparatus, which makes possible the use of television apparatus, for example of colour television monitors, the display device for the presentation of the traffic information comprises a viewing screen provided with a scanning device for reading the traffic information from the store and onto the screen line-by-line.
In further advantageous forms of the apparatus, a plurality of stores are provided, associated with individual traffic regions and arranged for items of traffic information associated with the different traffic regions to be stored in respective said stores and arranged for the stores to be read out individually to the display device. For example, the stores could be read out in accordance with prescribed traffic routes.
In accordance with further advantageous forms of the apparatus, the display device may comprise a loudspeaker and the possible traffic information may be stored in a number of languages, the traffic information being releasable in the desired language to the loudspeaker by a programmable switching stage.
Also in accordance with the invention, there is provided a radio receiver for receiving amplitude modulated radio signals which are phase modulated with traffic information, the radio receiver comprising a phase detector for separating received traffic information from the other received radio signals and a display device for presenting the separated traffic information. A reliable reception and a simple evaluation of the traffic information may thus be achieved. The phase detector may be connected beyond an intermediate frequency stage of the radio receiver.
The proper radio transmission does not suffer interference from the transmission of the traffic information. Amplitude modulated long and medium wave transmitters already provided canadditionally be phase modulated with the trafficinformation, so that, by using few transmitters, areliable coverage of large traffic regions with thenecessary traffic information can be achieved.
Advantageously, the display device may beassembled from only slightly altered normal receiving apparatus wherein normal display devices, such as for example television viewing screens, can be used for evaluating and presenting the traffic information and the display device can be controlled by electronic switching stages as are known, for example, in telecommunication apparatus, such as Teletext and View-Data. It is also of advantage to transmit the traffic information from the radio transmitter already in a code which can be processed by the said electronic switching stages for controlling the display device.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigures 1 to 3 are schematic diagrams of three different radio-receive traffic information apparatus.
Radio-receivers are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 which have a display device comprising a viewing screen for presenting the traffic information. The apparatus illustrated in Figure 3 has a display device comprising a loudspeaker for speech-reproduction of the traffic information.
Each apparatus according to Figures 1 to 3 has a radio receiving stage 1 , for example a normal radio receiving set, which can be designed as an auto-radio. In its turn, the radio receiving stage 1 is provided with a phase detector 2 for separating the traffic information from the radio signals. In so doing, the phase detector 2 can be incorporated in a radio receiving stage 1 or be connected to it as an external auxiliary apparatus.
The traffic information separated by the phase detector 2 is passed to a programmable switching stage 3 for evaluating the traffic information, for example by a control stage 7 according to Figures 1 and 3 provided with a keyboard. A respective output unit 4, not illustrated specifically in Figure 2, which has a viewing screen 5 in Figures 1 and 2 for visual reproduction of the traffic information or a loudspeaker 6 in Figure 3 for speechreproduction of the traffic information. is connected beyond the programmable switching stage 3.
In Figure 1 , the ouput unit 4 for the reproduction of the traffic information has, for example, stores associated with individual traffic regions, in which the traffic information associated with the different traffic region is stored and can be read out for presenting the traffic information associated with the individual traFFic regions so that the visual reproduction of an individual traffic region with the associated traffic information can be produced on the viewing screen 5, as illustrated in Figure 1, wherein the selection of the particular traffic region can be made with the aid of the control stage 7.
An apparatus as illustrated in Figure 1 is suitable for incorporation in, for example, motor vehicles.
In the visual reproduction of the traffic information according to Figure 1 there is a reference to blocked motorway sections, for example by cross symbols thereon, where these symbols can be made coloured.
An apparatus according to Figure 2 is suitable, for example, for informing vehicle drivers at parking places, stopping places and in service areas as are to be found on motorways. Moreover, the apparatus has a display 5 arranged as an indicator board for the reproduction of the traffic information of an entire motorway network. In so doing, the motorways can be formed on the indicator board 5, for example, as rows of light emitting diodes which can be illuminated in two or more different colours for the presentation of the traffic information.
In Figure 3, loudspeaker 6 for speechreproduction of the received traffic information is connected to the output unit 4. In order to achieve a large field of application for such apparatus, the output unit 4 can, for example, have a store in which is stored, for example permanently, standard traffic information in many languages so that the reproduction of the received traffic information can be released in the language desired by the user of the receiver through the programmable switching stage 3.For this purpose, a language computer can be incorporated in the output unlit'A Moreover, the fact may be utilised, that items of traffic information only differ from one another by a few particulars and standard wording can be used for the traffic information so that a language computer with associated stores for the standardised traffic information can be used for this purpose. Thus, an apparatus as illustrated inFigure 3 may have world-wide application.
The three above described apparatus are characterised by a simple construction and a high reliability. Moreover, digitally coded traffic information can be transmitted from any type of existing radio transmitters wherein up to about 200 bits per second can be transmitted without leading to an adverse effect on the radio transmission proper. On the receiving side, normal radio receivers can be used which can be supplemented, to form an apparatus in accordance with the invention, by a phase detector, a programmable switching stage, formed for example as a micro-processor, and an output unit provided with a videotext or viewing screentext decoder or a language computer. In so doing it is of advantage to incorporate stores in the output unit in which the entire motorway or road network is permanently stored so that only hold-ups or blockages need be transmitted as traffic information.
A narrow band width for the transmission of the traffic information is achieved when a batch of complete items of traffic information is repeatedly transmitted at predetermined time intervals and alterations in the batch of complete items of traffic information are continually transmitted.