Patent Application
20070049240
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a satellite receiver system.
2. Description of Related Art
Satellite radio receivers have been widely integrated into portable and vehicle based systems. Reception of the satellite signal can be interrupted when the satellite receiver system is obstructed from the broadcast satellite signal. This often occurs when a vehicle is traveling through a tunnel or a person has entered a structure that substantially occludes the satellite signal. Satellite radio broadcasts have integrated a four second transmission delay, such that a real time signal and a four second delayed signal are both transmitted simultaneously. Accordingly, the satellite receiver plays the four second delayed signal and buffers four seconds of the real time signal. If satellite signal reception is interrupted, the tuner may play the four seconds of buffered information before the user notices there has been an interruption to the satellite signal. However, after the four second interruption, the user will no longer hear the satellite programming. As the popularity of portable satellite receivers grow, the use of such devices will expand to applications where satellite signal occlusion is more frequent. Further, increased traffic congestion can increase the amount of time a vehicle may be obstructed from receiving the satellite signal. Accordingly, the built-in four second transmission delay may be insufficient for the application and satellite programming may be interrupted.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for an improved satellite receiver system.
In satisfying the above need, as well as overcoming the enumerated drawbacks and other limitations of the related art, the present invention provides a satellite receiver system including an antenna, an amplifier, a tuner, a base band processor, and a buffer. The antenna is configured to receive a satellite signal. In communication with the antenna, the amplifier is configured to generate an amplified signal based on the satellite signal. The tuner is in communication with the amplifier and generates a program signal based on the amplified signal. The base band processor receives the program signal from the tuner and generates a plurality of short data segments in the program signal at predefined time intervals. Inserting the plurality of short data segments, lengthens the program signal in a manner that is imperceptible to the user. The base band processor stores the program signal in the buffer, thereby causing a time delay in the program signal. Over time a significant buffer can be stored. If the satellite signal is interrupted, the tuner will continue to play out of the buffer without interruption.
Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become readily apparent to persons skilled in the art after a review of the following description, with reference to the drawings and claims that are appended to and form a part of this specification.
Referring now to
The base band processor 26 is configured to generate a data segment and insert the data segment into the program signal at predefined time intervals causing a delay in the program signal. For example, an audio signal 62 is shown in
Referring again to
The base band processor 26 may dynamically adjust the generation of the data segments and processing of the audio signal based on signal information from the environmental logic block 18. The environmental logic block 18 may receive environmental information, such as receiver (i.e., antenna) location information from a GPS 30 and orientation information from a gyro 32. The environmental logic block 18 may use the location and orientation information along with the signal information received from the tuner 16 to determine base band processor parameters, such as AGC time constants 36, maximal ratio combiner 38, RF gain 40, buffer size 42, forward error correction 44, and data segment insertion frequency 46. Further, buffer size select and data segment insertion frequency may be varied based on the environmental information. The base band processor 26 may also be manipulated based on the signal information received provided by the tuner 16. The signal information may be used to determine whether the portable receiver is in mobile or pedestrian use. Similarly, the signal information can be processed to determine whether the portable receiver use is urban or rural.
The signal information may also be used to shut down sections of the processor, for example, to power down the forward error correction or to reduce RF gain thereby helping reduce battery consumption in an urban versus rural environment. A database 34 is provided in electrical communication with the environmental logic block 18 and includes a lookup table between tuner information, environmental information, and corresponding base band processing variables. Further, the base band processor 26 is in communication with a controller logic block 48, such that the base band processor 26 may redirect audio from an auxiliary source, such as an MP3 player 50, if the buffer 28 is depleted and the satellite signal reception has not returned.
As a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the above description is meant as an illustration of implementation of the principles this invention. This description is not intended to limit the scope or application of this invention in that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change, without departing from the spirit of this invention, as defined in the following claims.
