U.S. patent application number 13/744067 was filed with the patent office on 2013-05-23 for electronic device testing using radio signals.
This patent application is currently assigned to APPLE INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is APPLE INC.. Invention is credited to Timothy Patrick Hannon, Michael Ingrassia, Matthew Rogers, Daniel A. Warren.
Application Number | 20130130629 13/744067 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43624848 |
Filed Date | 2013-05-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130130629 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Warren; Daniel A. ; et
al. |
May 23, 2013 |
Electronic Device Testing Using Radio Signals
Abstract
Methods and devices are disclosed for controlling an electronic
device using data transmitted over radio signals. In some
embodiments, a radio source may embed instructions to control an
electronic device into a radio signal. Alternatively, data relating
to test parameters of other test equipment may be embedded into the
radio signal. For example, the radio source may use the RDS
communications protocol to transmit the instructions in an FM radio
signal. In a testing environment, the electronic device may locally
save the test parameters, and associate the test parameters with
the results of a test.
Inventors: |
Warren; Daniel A.; (Palo
Alto, CA) ; Rogers; Matthew; (Los Gatos, CA) ;
Hannon; Timothy Patrick; (Mountain View, CA) ;
Ingrassia; Michael; (San Jose, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
APPLE INC.; |
Cupertino |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
APPLE INC.
Cupertino
CA
|
Family ID: |
43624848 |
Appl. No.: |
13/744067 |
Filed: |
January 17, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12549911 |
Aug 28, 2009 |
|
|
|
13744067 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/67.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04B 17/29 20150115;
H04H 60/13 20130101; H04B 7/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/67.11 |
International
Class: |
H04B 17/00 20060101
H04B017/00 |
Claims
1. A method of testing an electronic device using a test control
station and test equipment, comprising: configuring the test
equipment to affect an operating condition of the electronic
device; providing test equipment parameters from the test control
station to the electronic device, wherein the test equipment
parameters are indicative of the configuring; saving the test
equipment parameters at the electronic device; running a test of
the electronic device; and associating results of the test with the
saved test equipment parameters at the electronic device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring comprises
receiving manual manipulations of the test equipment from a
user.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying the test
equipment parameters from the test control station to the test
equipment, wherein the configuring is performed responsive to the
supplying.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuring comprises
changing the positioning of the electronic device relative to the
test control station.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the test is run in a testing
environment, and wherein the configuring comprises changing at
least one condition of the testing environment.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing comprises
transmitting a radio signal to the electronic device, and wherein
the test equipment parameters are embedded in the radio signal.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing electronic
device parameters from the test control station to the electronic
device, wherein the test of the electronic device is run based on
the electronic device parameters.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic device parameters
comprise at least one of: enabling at least one component of the
electronic device during the test, a length of time to run the
test, or a radio frequency to tune a tuner of the electronic device
during the test.
9. An electronic device, comprising: communications circuitry
configured to receive test equipment parameters from a test control
station, wherein test equipment is configured according to the test
equipment parameters to affect an operating condition of the
electronic device during a test on the electronic device; a memory
configured to store the test equipment parameters and results of
the test performed on the electronic device; and control circuitry
configured to: perform the test on the electronic device; and
associate the results of the test with the test equipment
parameters.
10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the test equipment
parameters comprise information specifying manual manipulations of
the test equipment by a user.
11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the test equipment
parameters comprise information specifying automatic configuration
of the test equipment performed in response to the test equipment
parameters being provided to the test equipment.
12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the test equipment
parameters comprise information specifying the position of the
electronic device relative to the test control station.
13. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the test is performed
in a testing environment, and wherein the test equipment parameters
comprise information specifying conditions of the testing
environment.
14. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the communications
circuitry further comprises radio tuning circuitry configured to
receive a radio signal from the test control station, wherein the
test equipment parameters are embedded in the radio signal.
15. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein: the communications
circuitry is further configured to receive electronic device
parameters from the test control station; and the control circuitry
is further configured to perform the test on the electronic device
based on the electronic device parameters.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the electronic device
parameters comprise at least one of: enabling at least one
component of the electronic device during the test, a length of
time to run the test, or a radio frequency to tune a tuner of the
electronic device during the test.
Description
CONTINUATION DATA
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/549,911, U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2011/0051787, titled
"Electronic Device Instructions Provided Using Radio Signals," and
filed Aug. 28, 2009, the inventors being Daniel A. Warren, Matthew
Rogers, Timothy Patrick Hannon, and Michael Ingrassia, which is
incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully disclosed
herein.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] This application is a divisional of U.S. Patent Pub. No.
2011/0051787 filed Aug. 28, 2009, which is incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety. This application is also related
to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ filed ______, 2012,
which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This is directed to using radio signals, such as frequency
modulated ("FM") broadcast signals, to instruct an electronic
device to perform various operations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Many of today's electronic devices, and in particular
portable electronic devices, have multiple functionalities. For
example, current cellular telephones may provide a web browser for
surfing the Internet and checking e-mail, a music player for
playing MP3 files stored on the device, a camera for capturing
pictures and videos, and a radio receiver for tuning to various
radio stations in the geographic area. This way, consumers can use
a single device for business and/or entertainment purposes and do
not need to carry around multiple portable devices.
[0005] An engineer may encounter many obstacles when designing a
multi-functional device. In particular, because the space on a
portable device is limited, one concern when designing,
manufacturing, or preparing a device for shipment is that the
various components of the device will interfere with one another
and lower the overall quality of performance. For example, the
audio quality or tuning ability of the radio receiver implemented
on a device may be affected by whether the camera is in use.
[0006] Accordingly, thorough tests of the electronic device may be
run to ensure that the device is capable of sufficiently high
performance in various operating scenarios and under various
operating conditions. The test equipment used in running the tests,
however, may interfere with how the device would perform outside of
the testing environment (e.g., when operated by a consumer).
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] Accordingly, systems, methods, and machine-readable media
are disclosed for controlling electronic devices using radio
signals. As described in detail below, the disclosed embodiments
may be used within a testing environment to control the operating
scenarios or conditions of a device test (e.g., which device
components to turn on, how long to run a test), or the disclosed
embodiments may be used outside of a testing environment.
[0008] In some embodiments, instructions may be provided from a
radio source to an electronic device using an FM radio signal, such
as in a data packet transmitted using the radio data system ("RDS")
protocol. For example, the radio source may select one or more
instructions for the electronic device to perform, create a data
packet (e.g., an RDS data packet) including the one or more
instructions, and embed the data packet into a radio signal. The
radio source can broadcast the radio signal, which can include an
audio portion and the embedded data packet, to one or more
electronic devices. In some embodiments, the radio source may add a
checksum to the data packet using a particular encoding scheme.
This way, an electronic device receiving the radio signal can
differentiate the instruction-carrying data packet from other
non-instruction-carrying data packets.
[0009] The electronic device may be configured to receive and
interpret the instructions included in the radio signal. For
example, the electronic device may include radio tuning circuitry
for receiving the radio signal and decomposing the radio signal
into an audio portion and embedded data portion. Audio processing
circuitry may be used to process the audio portion of the radio
signal for playing by the electronic device. The electronic device
may perform any instructions included in the embedded data portion
of the electronic device, such as instructions for the audio
processing circuitry to alter how the audio portion is played. For
example, based on the instructions, the audio processing circuitry
may be directed to change volume or equalization settings, or to
block the audio portion for parental control purposes.
[0010] In some embodiments, the instructions can include commands
to launch a non-radio-related application (e.g., a web browser
application, a map application, a music playback application, an
online music store application, etc.). In some embodiments, the
instructions may be associated with a song or other media element
currently being played by a radio source. For example, the
instructions can command the electronic device to retrieve metadata
(e.g., information or graphics, such as album cover art) associated
with the current song, such as from a website or from a local
storage component of the electronic device.
[0011] In a testing environment, a radio source may issue commands
that enable the electronic device to set up and run a test of its
components. One such test may be a test of the device's radio
capabilities, such as of the performance of the device's radio
tuning circuitry and/or audio processing circuitry. Such a test may
sometimes be referred to as a "radio test."
[0012] In some embodiments for running radio tests, the
instructions that may be embedded in a radio signal may include
test parameters that instruct the electronic device how to
configure itself for the radio test and how to run the radio test.
For example, the test parameters can instruct the electronic device
on which device components to turn on or off during the test, which
radio station to tune to during the test, and how long to record
audio from the specified radio station. Because the instructions
are transmitted using a radio signal, the electronic device does
not need to use infrared ("IR") signals or physical cables, let
alone physical inputs, to receive these instructions, which could
interfere with the device's radio tuning circuitry and render the
results of the test ineffectual.
[0013] In some embodiments, using test equipment, the electronic
device may be oriented in some position with respect to the radio
source or the operating conditions of the testing environment may
be changed. The test equipment may include, for example, a movable
table that supports the electronic device. The test equipment may
be altered manually by a test engineer, or the radio source may
send "test equipment parameters" to the test equipment so that the
test equipment can alter itself. The test equipment parameters may
include, for example, instructions on how the test equipment should
position the electronic device.
[0014] Alternatively or additionally, the radio source may provide
the test equipment parameters to the electronic device using
instructions embedded in a radio signal. The electronic device may
not change its own operations based on the test equipment
parameters, but may instead associate the test equipment parameters
with other test parameters and the results of the test. This way,
the results of the test may be analyzed based on the testing
conditions imposed by the test equipment and the other test
parameters of the device itself.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The above and other aspects and advantages of the invention
will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed
description, taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings, in
which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and
in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a radio system configured in
accordance with various embodiments of the invention;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a test system for testing a
user electronic device configured in accordance with various
embodiments of the invention;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a radio source for
transmitting radio signals with embedded instructions in accordance
with various embodiments of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a user electronic device for
receiving radio signals and performing instructions embedded in the
radio signals in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an illustrative process for
embedding electronic device instructions into radio signals in
accordance with various embodiments of the invention;
[0021] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an illustrative process for
performing electronic device instructions embedded in radio signals
in accordance with various embodiments of the invention; and
[0022] FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts of illustrative processes for
performing radio tests in accordance with various embodiments of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Systems, methods, and machine-readable media (e.g.,
computer-readable media) are disclosed for controlling and testing
an electronic device using instructions provided in a radio
signal.
[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of illustrative radio system 100
configured in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.
Radio system 100 can include radio source 102 and user electronic
device 104. In some embodiments, radio system 100 can include
multiple radio sources 102, multiple user electronic devices 104,
or both multiple radio sources 102 and multiple user electronic
devices 104. To prevent overcomplicating the drawing, only one
radio source 102 and user electronic device 104 are
illustrated.
[0025] Radio source 102 can include any suitable electronic system
capable of broadcasting radio signals to one or more electronic
devices, such as user electronic device 104. For example, radio
source 102 may include a commercial radio station that broadcasts
music, commercials, talk shows, interviews, and other audio
programs over a radio channel. In some embodiments, radio source
102 may include a device used in a testing facility. For example,
radio source 102 may include a test control station for issuing
test instructions or test parameters to other devices. An example
of such an embodiment will be described below in connection with
FIG. 2.
[0026] Radio source 102 can transmit radio signals to one or more
electronic devices over communications link 106. Communications
link 106 can include an over-the-air radio link, and may allow
radio source 102 to use any suitable radio transmission protocol or
modulation scheme, such as amplitude modulation ("AM") or frequency
modulation ("FM"), to broadcast data. For example, communications
link 106 may enable radio source 102 to provide media, information,
instructions, or any other data to electronic device 104 using a
frequency and/or amplitude assigned to radio source 102 or using an
out-of-band frequency. An "out-of-band" frequency may hereinafter
refer to a radio frequency that is not within an established range
of frequencies typically used by commercial radio stations, and
therefore an out-of-band frequency may not be assigned to any
particular radio station in the geographic area of system 100. In
some embodiments, radio source 102 may communicate with user
electronic device 104 using another type of link in addition to a
radio link, such as a fiber-optic link, a cable link, an Internet
link, or any combination thereof.
[0027] User electronic device 104 may include any suitable device
capable of receiving and interpreting radio signals received from a
radio source, such as radio source 102. For example, electronic
device 104 can include a portable media player (e.g., an iPod.TM.
made available by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a cellular
telephone (e.g., an iPhone.TM. made available by Apple Inc.), a
pocket-sized personal computer, a personal digital assistant
("PDA"), a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or any combination
thereof. Device 104 can include any communications circuitry
capable of receiving and processing radio signals received from a
radio source, as described below with respect to FIG. 4.
[0028] Turning to FIG. 2, a schematic view of an illustrative test
system 200 is shown. Test system 200 may include test control
station 202 and test equipment 208 for testing user electronic
device 204 during a design or manufacturing process of device 204.
Device 204 may include any of the devices discussed above in
connection with device 104 of FIG. 1.
[0029] Test control station 202 may have any of the features and
functionalities discussed above in connection with radio source 102
of FIG. 1, and vice versa. In some embodiments, test control
station 202 may provide test parameters to electronic device 204
over radio communications link 206, such as using a protocol
referred to commonly as "radio data system," ("RDS") or a similar
protocol referred to commonly as "radio broadcasting data system,"
("RBDS"). While various embodiments disclosed herein may be
described as using the RDS protocol, any reference to the RDS
protocol should be read to include the RBDS protocol as another
option. The RDS protocol may enable test control station 202 to
embed the test parameters into a small data packet and modulate the
test parameters into a sub-carrier of an FM radio signal.
[0030] The test parameters issued over an RDS data packet or
another communications standard may be used by device 204 to set up
and initiate a test of the quality of the device's radio receiver
or any other component of the device. For simplicity, a test of a
device's radio receiver may sometimes be referred to as a "radio
test." For example, test control station 202 may instruct device
204 to run a radio test by tuning to and recording audio from a
particular radio station. The recorded audio may subsequently be
analyzed by a test engineer to determine the tuning quality and the
audio quality of the radio receiver of device 204. By using radio
communications link 206 to instruct device 204, user electronic
device 204 may not need to turn on an infrared ("IR") receiver or
have physical cables connected to device 204 to receive these
instructions. IR communication or communication over a physical
cable might interfere with a radio test, and therefore using a
radio signal (e.g., via an RDS data packet) to provide test
instructions or parameters may advantageously allow the radio test
to run in conditions that more closely simulate real-world
operating conditions.
[0031] Test control station 202 may also provide instructions to
test equipment 208. These instructions may sometimes be referred to
as "test equipment parameters." Test equipment 208 may be used for
positioning electronic device 204 relative to test control station
202. For example, test equipment 208 can include a movable
structure (e.g., a table) that may support device 204. This way,
based on the test equipment parameters, test equipment 208 can
orient electronic device 204 in a direction that faces towards,
away from, or at any suitable angle from test control station 202.
In some embodiments, test equipment 208 can move towards, away, or
in any other direction based on the test equipment parameters so
that test equipment 208 can change how far away electronic device
204 is positioned from test control station 202.
[0032] Test equipment 208 may further include any other equipment,
devices, or components that may affect the testing environment in
which electronic device 204 is tested. The testing environment can
be within a closed chamber that isolates electronic device 204 from
outside interference (e.g., from radio signals from commercial
radio stations), or the testing environment can be within an
un-isolated location. Either way, test equipment 208 can affect,
for example, the temperature, humidity, or lighting of the testing
environment. By providing test equipment parameters to test
equipment 208, test control station 202 or a test engineer can
change the testing environment that device 204 is exposed to. The
testing environment may affect the results of the tests on
electronic device 204. Therefore, test control station 202 may
provide the test equipment parameters to electronic device 204 so
that device 204 may store or otherwise associated these test
parameters with the results of the test. This way, a test engineer
can analyze any recorded audio or other test results with
relatively complete knowledge of the testing environment and other
parameters of the test.
[0033] Test control station 202 may provide test equipment
parameters to test equipment 208 over communications link 210.
Communications link 210 may have any of the features and
functionalities of links 106 and 206 of FIGS. 1 and 2,
respectively. In other embodiments, communications link 210 may
include a wired or wireless link using any of a variety of
protocols, such as a general purpose interface bus ("GPIB") link,
an infrared ("IR") link, a Bluetooth.TM. link, or a Wi-Fi link. For
wireless links that may interfere with a radio test, the links may
be disabled before the start of the device test.
[0034] In some embodiments, test equipment parameters may not be
received from test control station 202. For example, a test
engineer may physically move or adjust any structures of test
equipment 208, or may enter or type parameters into any equipment
of test equipment 208 (e.g., a thermostat, etc.). In these
embodiments, the test engineer may provide test control station 202
with test equipment parameters indicating the changes or
adjustments made by the test engineer. In this way, test control
station 202 may provide the test equipment parameters to electronic
device 204, as discussed above.
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic view of radio source
300 is shown in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention. Radio source 300 may have any of the features and
functionalities of radio source 102 of FIG. 1 and/or test control
station 202 of FIG. 2 (and vice versa). Radio source 300 may
include control circuitry 302, memory/storage 306, radio
transmitter 308, and radio antenna 310. Radio source 300 can
include other components not shown in FIG. 3. Also, while only one
of each component is illustrated, radio source 300 can include more
than one of some or all of the components.
[0036] Control circuitry 302 can control the operation and various
functions of radio source 300. For example, control circuitry 302
can include one or more processors acting under the control of an
application and operating system. The application and operating
system may be stored in memory/storage 306 or memory/storage 306
may act as a main memory for the one or more processors.
Memory/storage 306 can include any suitable type of
computer-readable media, including but not limited to the
non-volatile and volatile memories listed below in connection with
memory/storage 406 of FIG. 4.
[0037] In some embodiments, control circuitry 302 can include RDS
encoder 304 for encoding instructions selected by control circuitry
302 into an RDS data packet for transmission over a radio channel.
RDS encoder 304 may include a software module executed by a
processor, or may be a hardware component (e.g., an
application-specific integrated circuit ("ASIC")).
[0038] RDS encoder 304 can encode instructions for controlling
electronic devices into any suitable field or channel of RDS data.
For example, RDS encoder 304 may provide the instructions in an
eight-character Program Service Name ("PSN") channel, which may
typically be used to provide the call number or other radio
identification information associated with radio source 300.
Control circuitry 302 may be configured to direct RDS encoder 304
to provide typical PSN channel information at certain periods of
time, and to provide instructions for controlling electronic
devices at other periods of time. It should be understood that RDS
encoder 304 may encode the instructions into one or more other
fields of RDS data (e.g., Radio Text ("RT")), or radio source 300
and encoder 304 may use a communications protocol other than an RDS
or RBDS protocol to transmit instructions for controlling a device.
For example, radio source 300 and encoder 304 may employ a Data
Radio Channel ("DARC") communications protocol, any legacy
protocols used before RDS and RBDS were widely adopted, any
future-developed communications protocols, or any other protocol
that employs a suitable sub-carrier and modulation scheme for
embedding data into radio signals.
[0039] Radio transmitter 308 can modulate an RDS data packet into a
radio signal for broadcast by antenna 310. For commercial radio
stations, radio transmitter 308 can modulate the RDS data packet
along with other audio data (e.g., music, talk shows, interviews,
commercials, etc.) into an FM radio signal at a particular
frequency. To do this, radio transmitter 308 can include any
suitable combination of modulators, encoders, interleavers, or
other components necessary to prepare the RDS data and/or audio for
broadcast from radio source 300.
[0040] Referring now to FIG. 4, a schematic view of user electronic
device 400 is shown in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention. Electronic device 400 may include any of the features
and functionalities of device 104 of FIG. 1 and/or device 204 of
FIG. 2 (and vice versa). Electronic device 400 can include control
circuitry 402, memory/storage 406, radio tuning circuitry 408,
antenna 410, audio processing circuitry 412, speaker 414, display
416, and camera 420. Electronic device 400 can include other
components not shown in FIG. 4, such as a power supply for
providing power to the components of electronic device 400 and one
or more user input components (e.g., a button, keypad, dial, click
wheel, touch screen, or accelerometer). Also, while only one of
each component is illustrated, electronic device 400 can include
more than one of some or all of the components.
[0041] Radio tuning circuitry 408 can receive radio signals (e.g.,
AM or FM radio signals) from antenna 410. In some embodiments,
tuning circuitry 408 can demodulate the radio signal and decompose
the radio signal into a portion containing audio (e.g., music, talk
shows, commercials, or interviews) and a portion containing
embedded data (e.g., an RDS data packet). Radio tuning circuitry
408 may provide the audio portion of the radio signal to audio
processing circuitry 412 for processing the received audio. For
example, audio processing circuitry 412 can include any filters and
amplifiers useful in reducing adverse affects from radio
transmission and preparing the audio for listening purposes. The
processed audio may be recorded into memory/storage 406 (described
below) and/or played from speaker 414. Speaker 414 may include any
suitable components for providing an audio output, such as
headphones, built-in speaker, and the like.
[0042] The quality of the audio produced from a radio signal may
depend on the performance and capabilities of radio tuning
circuitry 408 and audio processing circuitry 412. Accordingly, one
or both of these components may be referred to as the "radio
receiver" of electronic device 400, and therefore radio tests of
electronic device 400 may refer to tests that assess the
performance of radio tuning circuitry 408 and/or audio processing
circuitry 412.
[0043] Radio tuning circuitry 408 can provide any portions of the
radio signal containing embedded data to control circuitry 402.
Control circuitry 402 can include any suitable hardware components
(e.g., application-specific integrated circuits ("ASICs")), one or
more processors acting under the control of an application and
operating system, or any combination thereof. Control circuitry 402
can control the operation and various functions of device 400. For
example, control circuitry 402 can execute any of a variety of
applications, such as a radio-related application for controlling
radio tuning circuitry 408 and audio processing circuitry 412.
[0044] Control circuitry 402 may also execute one or more
non-radio-related applications concurrently with or instead of the
radio-related application. The non-radio-related applications may
include applications that conventionally do not make use data
received from radio tuning circuitry 408. For example,
non-radio-related applications may include an MP3 player
application for playing music stored in electronic device 400, a
camera application to control the capture of images or video from
camera 420, a web browser application for controlling the websites
displayed on display 416, and a map application for displaying a
geographic map on display 416. Display 416 can include, for
example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a touch screen display, or
any suitable type of display, and may or may not include backlight
418 for illuminating display 416. Camera 420 can include any of a
variety of types of cameras, such as a web cam, a still or video
camera, or an external or built-in camera.
[0045] Using a radio-related application, control circuitry 402 can
process any instructions contained within a radio data packet
obtained from radio tuning circuitry 408. For example, control
circuitry 402 can include RDS decoder 404, which may include a
software and/or hardware module, for decoding the RDS data received
from radio tuning circuitry 408. Control circuitry 402 may then
execute any instructions contained within the decoded RDS data,
such as any of the instructions discussed below.
[0046] In some embodiments, any applications executed by control
circuitry 402 can be stored in memory/storage 406. Memory/storage
406 can include any suitable type of computer-readable medium, such
as any suitable combination of non-volatile and volatile memories,
including but not limited to cache memory, Flash memory, random
access memory ("RAM") (e.g., DDR RAM and/or SRAM), read only memory
("ROM"), a hard drive, an erasable ROM ("EPROM"), an electrically
eraseable ROM ("EEPROM"), or any combination thereof. In some
embodiments, memory/storage 406 can include a memory module
configured for storing firmware for control circuitry 402, such as
for device applications (e.g., operating system, user interface
functions, and other processor functions).
[0047] In some embodiments, memory/storage 406 may include memory
modules operative to provide mass storage for electronic device
400. For example, control circuitry 402 may store in memory/storage
406 an audio portion of a radio signal received from a radio
source. The audio portion may be recorded from radio tests and
stored in memory/storage 406 along with any test parameters and
test equipment parameters received from a test control station.
[0048] Memory/storage 406 can be used by control circuitry 402 to
store music, music videos, movies, books, and other audio, visual,
or any other audio/visual or media elements. Memory/storage 406 can
store metadata associated with the elements, such as user-generated
or automatically-created playlists, or genre, artist, album, album
cover art, release date, beats per minute ("BPM") information,
lyrics, vocals information, bass line information, or any other
suitable information for each media element. Memory/storage 406 can
also store any other suitable information, such as preference
information (e.g., music playback preferences), lifestyle
information, exercise information (e.g., obtained from an exercise
monitoring system), transaction information (e.g., credit card
information), subscription information (e.g., for podcasts or
television shows), and telephone information (e.g., an address
book).
[0049] The instructions provided by radio source 300 (FIG. 3)
and/or received by user electronic device 400 (FIG. 4) can include
any suitable type of instructions. For simplicity, the following
examples of instructions will be described with reference to
electronic device 400 and FIG. 4, although it should be understood
that the same or similar instructions may be issued by radio source
102 (FIG. 1), test control station 202 (FIG. 2), and/or radio
source 300, and the same or similar instructions may be received
and performed by user electronic device 104 (FIG. 1), user
electronic device 204 (FIG. 2), and/or test equipment 208 (FIG.
2).
[0050] In some embodiments, electronic device 400 may receive
instructions embedded in data packets of a radio signal transmitted
by a radio station, where the instructions are associated with an
audio portion of the radio signal. The audio portion may be
broadcast by the radio station for playback by the device. The
instructions may include commands to launch one or more
non-radio-related applications. For example, the radio station may
transmit a radio signal including audio data of a particular song
to be played by the device, and the instructions embedded in the
data packets (e.g., RDS data) of the radio signal may include
commands for the device to load and point a web browser application
to a website associated with the song or the song's artist or
album. As another example, the instructions may include a command
for the device to open an online music store application (e.g.,
iTunes.TM. made available by Apple Inc.) and direct the user to a
page for purchasing the song.
[0051] As still another example, the instructions may include a
command for device 400 to search through memory/storage 406 for
metadata associated with the current song (e.g., graphics, such as
album cover art, or information, such as playlist information, or
genre, artist, album, release date, beats per minute ("BPM")
information, or a combination thereof). This way, if the song being
transmitted by the audio portion of the radio signal is already in
the user's local library (e.g., stored as a media file in
memory/storage 406), electronic device 400 can display
locally-stored graphics or other metadata related to that song
while receiving the radio signal. This locally-stored metadata or
information available via a web-browser application may be
considerably more detailed than information that could be provided
directly by the radio station via data embedded in a radio signal.
As yet another example, the embedded instruction may include a
command for device 400 to open a map application to point the user
to a geographic location associated with the radio station
transmitting the radio signal or to a location related to the song
(e.g., location of the radio broadcasting station, location of a
venue at which the artist of the song is scheduled to perform,
etc.).
[0052] In a testing environment, the instructions embedded in a
radio signal received by electronic device 400 may include
instructions for the device to start a radio test using test
parameters specified in the instructions. In some embodiments,
electronic device 400 may receive the test parameters from a PSN
field of the embedded RDS data. Table 1 illustrates how the eight
characters in a PSN field may be used to provide test
parameters:
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 # chars Instructions 2 Frequency of radio
station to tune to 2 Length of time to run a radio test 2 Test
equipment parameters 1 Components of the device to enable/disable 1
Checksum of the data packet
[0053] As illustrated in Table 1, the test parameters may include
commands to tune to particular radio station's frequency during a
radio test, the length of time for running a radio test, the test
equipment parameters affecting the positioning or ambient
conditions of electronic device 400 during a radio test, and the
various components of electronic device 400 to be enabled or
disabled during a radio test (e.g., camera 420, backlight 418,
display 416, and/or any other components of device 400). In some
embodiments, the instruction data embedded in a radio signal can
further include a checksum that may be computed based on the other
characters in the field of the data packet (or any other portions
of the embedded data). The checksum may be computed using any
suitable coding algorithm or encoding scheme, which may be bypassed
when the radio source transmits standard radio information (e.g.,
call numbers of the radio source). Alternatively, instead of
bypassing the encoding scheme when transmitting standard radio
information, a checksum may be added to the standard radio
information using a different encoding scheme.
[0054] In other embodiments, rather than generating a checksum, the
instruction data may be encrypted using a suitable encrypting
algorithm. In these embodiments, for example, the instruction data
embedded in a radio signal can further include a public key and
optionally a private key. Thus, responsive to receiving a radio
signal with embedded data, electronic device 400 can decrypt,
decode, or other process the embedded data to determine whether the
radio signal includes instruction data.
[0055] In some embodiments, the characters used by the field
containing the embedded instruction data (e.g., the 8-character PSN
field of Table 1) can include ASCII characters. The ASCII
characters may be selected from a set of ASCII characters not
typically used in the field. For example, a PSN field is typically
used by a radio station to transmit call numbers associated with
the radio station, and call numbers often use a combination of
alphanumeric characters (i.e., `A` through `Z` and `0` through
`9`). Therefore, the instruction data embedded in the field (e.g.,
PSN field) may use non-alphanumeric ASCII characters, such as `!`,
`@,` or `$.` This way, electronic device 400 may be able to
differentiate between instruction-carrying data packets from
non-instruction-carrying data packets.
[0056] It should be understood that Table 1 is merely illustrative,
and that the test parameters and any other device instructions may
be provided using a communications protocol other than RDS and/or
using one or more channels other than the PSN channel of the RDS
protocol. Moreover, the instruction data packet can include more
than eight characters to enable a radio source to provide
additional instructions at once, or the data packet can include
fewer characters. Also, while Table 1 provides an example of using
a PSN channel to provide test parameters, instructions of any other
type may be provided in a PSN channel.
[0057] The instructions embedded in a radio signal may include any
other suitable types of instructions, which may be provided to
electronic device 400 for use within or outside of a testing
environment. For example, the instructions can include commands for
device 400 to alter how the audio portion of the radio signal
received from the radio source is played, such as commands to
change the volume or equalization settings of device 400 (e.g.,
based on the genre of a song currently being broadcast) or parental
control instructions (e.g., commands for device 400 to block the
current song if device 400 belongs to a young child). Responsive to
receiving instructions to alter how the audio portion is played,
control circuitry 402 can direct audio processing circuitry 412 to
process the audio portion based on the received instructions.
[0058] In some embodiments, the instructions received by electronic
device 400 from a radio signal can include playlist management
instructions (e.g., commands for device 400 to add the current song
to a playlist), instructions for device 400 to download a software
update from a website, instructions for device 400 to update a
pedometer component (e.g., for an exercise program), and any
combination thereof.
[0059] Referring now to FIGS. 5-8, flowcharts of illustrative
processes are shown in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention. The steps of these processes may be executed by devices
or systems capable of radio transmission and/or reception (e.g.,
radio source 300 of FIG. 3 and/or user electronic device 400 of
FIG. 4), or the steps may correspond to machine-readable
instructions recorded on machine-readable media (e.g.,
computer-readable media, memory/storage 306 of FIG. 3,
memory/storage 406 of FIG. 4, etc.).
[0060] It should be understood that these processes are merely
illustrative. Any of the steps may be combined, removed, or
modified, and any number of additional steps may be added, without
departing from the scope of the invention.
[0061] Referring first to FIG. 5, a flowchart of illustrative
process 500 is shown for embedding instructions for an electronic
device into radio signals. Process 500 may be executed by a radio
source, such as radio source 300 of FIG. 3, a commercial radio
station, a test control station (e.g., test control station 202 of
FIG. 2), or any other source capable of broadcasting radio signals
to one or more user electronic devices.
[0062] Process 500 may begin at step 502. Then, at step 504, an
audio element may be modulated into a radio signal. The audio
element may include, for example, a song, talk show, audio book,
interview, or commercial that may be received by an electronic
device for playback by the device. In a testing environment, the
audio element, if one is present at all, may be modulated into a
radio signal having an out-of-band frequency, an in-band but unused
frequency (i.e., an in-band frequency not assigned to a radio
station in the geographic area of the testing environment), or an
in-band and used frequency (i.e., an in-band frequency assigned to
a radio station in the geographic area of the testing environment).
For example, in testing environments isolated from signals
transmitted from a commercial radio station, the frequency of the
radio signal can be any suitable in-band or out-of-band frequency.
For a commercial radio station, the audio element may be modulated
into a radio signal having an amplitude and/or frequency assigned
to that radio station.
[0063] Continuing to step 506, one or more instructions may be
selected for controlling an electronic device. For example, the one
or more instructions can include commands that may be interpreted
by a device to launch one or more non-radio-related device
applications or processes, such as a web browser application, a map
application, a music playback application, or an online music store
application. In a testing environment, the one or more instructions
can include test parameters, such as commands that may be
interpreted by the device to selectively enable or disable one or
more components of the electronic device (e.g., camera, backlight,
or display), a length of time to run a test, a radio station to
tune to for the test, or any other suitable test parameters. In
general, any of the above-described instructions, or any other
suitable type of instructions, may be selected at step 506.
[0064] Then, at step 508, a data packet may be created that
includes the one or more instructions identified at step 504. For
example, the data packet may conform to the specifications of an
RDS data packet for transmission in an FM radio signal. In some
embodiments, the data packet may be created using ASCII characters
that are not alphanumeric so that a device receiving the data
packet does not confuse the characters as call numbers or other
text. At step 510, a checksum may be added to the data packet. The
checksum may be computed using a particular coding algorithm. The
coding algorithm may be selected such that a device receiving the
data packet may verify the checksum to confirm that the data packet
includes instructions for the electronic device. Alternatively,
another type of data may be added to the data packet to indicate to
the receiving device that instructions other than standard RDS
data, for example, are included in the data packet. For example,
encryption keys (e.g., a public and/or private key) may be added to
the data packet.
[0065] Continuing to step 512, the data packet, which may include
the instructions identified at step 506 and the checksum added at
step 510 (or other type of data), may be modulated into a
sub-carrier of a radio signal. In this way, the radio signal can
carry both the audio element (e.g., in the main channel of the
radio signal) and the one or more instructions (e.g., in the
sub-carrier of the radio signal) at the same time. Then, at step
514, the radio signal may be broadcasted so that the signal may be
received by one or more electronic devices.
[0066] At step 516, the radio source may determine whether the data
packet, which may include the instructions and the checksum, has
been transmitted a certain number of times (e.g., N times where
N.gtoreq.2). If not, process 500 may return to step 514, and the
radio signal including the instructions may be transmitted again.
This way, even if the electronic device does not successfully
receive the instructions the first one or more times that the
instructions were sent, the electronic device may still have the
opportunity to obtain the instructions on subsequent
transmissions.
[0067] If, at step 516, the radio source determines that the data
packet has been transmitted the desired number of times, process
500 may continue to step 518. At step 518, the radio source may
determine whether additional instructions should be sent to the one
or more electronic devices. For example, additional instructions
may be sent to start another test with different test parameters.
As another example, if a radio station starts playing a different
song, the radio station may determine that new instructions
associated with the new song should be sent. The new instructions
can include, for example, a command for the device to open a
webpage using a web-browser application associated with the new
song or a command for the device to search for locally-stored
metadata (e.g., information or graphics, such as cover art)
associated with the new song.
[0068] If, at step 518, the radio source determines that additional
instructions are needed, process 500 may return to step 504 to
begin the process of embedding different instructions in the radio
signal. Otherwise, process 500 may continue to step 520 and end. In
some embodiments, rather than ending, process 500 may or may not
return to step 504 to modulate a different audio element into the
radio signal.
[0069] Turning to FIG. 6, a flowchart of illustrative process 600
is shown for performing instructions embedded in radio signals.
Process 600 may be executed by a user electronic device, such as
user electronic device 400 of FIG. 4 or any device capable of
receiving and interpreting radio signals (e.g., FM radio
signals).
[0070] Process 600 may begin at step 602. Then, at step 604, a
radio signal may be received from a commercial radio station or a
test control station, for example. A data packet may be extracted
from a portion of the radio signal at step 606. For example, for an
FM radio signal, the data packet may include some or all of an RDS
data packet (e.g., the PSN field of the RDS data).
[0071] At step 608, the electronic device may determine whether the
same data packet has been received at least a predetermined number
of times (e.g., M times, such as M.gtoreq.2). If not, process 600
can return to step 604 so that the electronic device can attempt to
receive the same data packet another time. This way, the device
executing process 600 can ensure that the data packet does not
contain any errors before continuing with process 600. In some
embodiments, process 600 may not include step 608, and the
electronic device can instead determine whether the data packet was
successfully received by verifying a checksum of the data
packet.
[0072] In particular, at step 610, a checksum may be verified to
determine whether the data packet includes instructions for the
electronic device. The electronic device may use a particular
coding algorithm to decode the checksum. In most scenarios,
depending on the coding algorithm selected, a standard RDS data
packet containing standard RDS data, for example, would not satisfy
the checksum, and therefore the checksum would typically be
satisfied only if the data packet contains instructions for the
electronic device. In some embodiments, for extra insurance that a
standard RDS data packet would not satisfy the checksum, the data
packet may contain multiple checksums obtained using multiple
coding algorithms, and step 610 may involve decoding multiple
checksums instead of just one.
[0073] In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of using a
checksum, the electronic device may use another technique to
determine whether the data packet includes instructions. For
example, non-alphanumeric ASCII characters in the data packet may
indicate that instructions, rather than radio station call numbers,
are included in the data packet. As another example, the data
packet may include one or more encryption keys (e.g., public and/or
private keys).
[0074] Thus, if the checksum (or other indicator) indicates that
the data packet does not include instructions, process 600 may
continue to step 612. At step 612, the data packet may be treated
by the device as a standard radio data packet (e.g., RDS data
packet) and process 600 may end at step 614. Alternatively, process
600 may return to step 604 to continue receiving and processing
radio signals.
[0075] Otherwise, if at step 610 the checksum indicates that the
data packet includes instructions, process 600 may continue to step
616. At step 616, the instructions may be identified from the data
packet. Then, at step 618, the instructions may be performed. For
example, the electronic device may enable or disable components of
the electronic device, or the electronic device may start an
application or process based on the instructions. Process 600 may
then end at step 614. Alternatively, process 600 may return to step
604 to continue receiving and processing radio signals.
[0076] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of illustrative process 700 for
performing a test of an electronic device. For example, the steps
of process 700 may be used to test the quality of the electronic
device's radio tuning circuitry and audio processing circuitry.
Process 700 may be executed by any suitable electronic device, such
as user electronic device 400 of FIG. 4 or any other of a variety
of devices having radio reception capability.
[0077] Process 700 may begin at step 702. At step 704, the
electronic device may tune to an out-of-band radio frequency. That
is, the frequency may be used by a test control station for
transmitting instructions to the electronic device (e.g., test
control station 202 of FIG. 2), and may be a frequency that is not
assigned to a radio station in the geographic area of the control
station. In other embodiments, the electronic device may tune to an
in-band radio frequency or the electronic device may remain tuned
to a previously tuned in-band or out-of-band frequency. Then, at
step 706, a radio signal may be received over the in-band or
out-of-band radio frequency, at step 708, a data packet may be
extracted from a portion of the received radio signal, and, at step
710, a checksum of the signal may be verified to determine whether
the data packet includes test instructions. Steps 706, 708, and 710
may be performed in the same or similar manner as steps 604, 608,
and 610 of FIG. 6, respectively, and may additionally include a
step similar to step 608 (i.e., to attempt to receive the radio
signal a certain number of times).
[0078] If, at step 710, the checksum passes and therefore indicates
that the data packet includes instructions, process 700 may
continue to step 712. Otherwise, process 700 may return to step 706
to receive another radio signal. At step 712, instructions
specifying test parameters may be identified from the data packet.
The test parameters may include instructions specifying certain
device components to enable or disable during the radio test (e.g.,
camera, backlight, or display), which radio station to tune to for
the radio test, and the duration of the radio test.
[0079] Then, starting at step 714, a radio test of the electronic
device's radio may be set up and run. First, at step 714, one or
more of the components of the electronic device may be enabled or
disabled based on the test parameters. For example, the electronic
device may enable a camera, backlight, or display of the electronic
device to determine whether any of these components interfere with
the ability of the electronic device to receive and process audio
data from a radio signal. Then, at step 716, a radio station
specified by the test parameters may be tuned to by the device. For
example, the specified radio station may be a commercial radio
station that broadcasts music to the geographic region of the
device. In other embodiments, the instructions may specify that the
electronic device remain tuned to the out-of-band frequency (if an
out-of-band frequency is used), and that the radio test be run
using audio or other media provided from the test control
station.
[0080] After steps 714 and 716, and/or performing any other
instructions specified by the test parameters to set up the
electronic device for a test, the test may begin at step 718. In
particular, at step 718, audio from the specified radio station or
the test control station may be recorded for a period of time
specified by the test parameters. Alternatively, audio may be
recorded for a default amount of time unrelated to the test
parameters. While the audio from the radio station is recorded, the
radio signal may be monitored for other occurrences or activities
at step 720. For example, the electronic device may monitor the
radio signal for interruptions in the signal, periods where the
signal fades, high frequency buzzing, or for any other undesirable
circumstances.
[0081] Continuing to step 722, the recorded and monitored audio may
be stored (e.g., in a local memory of the device) and analyzed. For
example, the recorded and monitored audio may be post-processed
automatically, or a test engineer may manually retrieve and listen
to the recorded audio to determine whether the audio is of
acceptable quality. In addition to the audio itself, any test
parameters may be stored and associated with the recorded audio. In
this way, the test engineer can recall the conditions of the test
and analyze the recorded and monitored audio based on these
conditions.
[0082] In some embodiments, process 700 may return to step 704
after the current test is concluded. Thus, the electronic device
may once again tune to the out-of-band frequency to receive any
additional test parameters for the next test, if necessary. In
other embodiments, the electronic device may remain tuned to the
frequency previously tuned to at step 716, and process 700 may
return to step 706. At step 706, the electronic device can receive
a radio signal from the frequency that may include test parameters
for another test. Thus, using this approach, the electronic device
may not be limited to receiving instructions from any particular
in-band or out-of-band frequency. The electronic device may
continue receiving test parameters and running tests from the
out-of-band radio signal or from one or more in-band radio signals
until a test engineer manually interrupts testing, a test control
station sends instructions using a radio signal to stop the tests,
or using any other suitable approach to end the radio tests.
[0083] Moving to FIG. 8, a flowchart of process 800 is shown for
performing radio tests to test the quality of a user electronic
device's radio in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention. The steps may be performed by the components of a test
system, such as test system 200 of FIG. 2. For example, the various
steps may be performed by test control station 202, user electronic
device 204, and/or test equipment 208.
[0084] Process 800 may begin at step 802. At step 804, test
equipment parameters may be supplied to test equipment (e.g., AM or
FM radio, infrared transmissions, wired link, or direct input onto
equipment such as a thermostat, etc.). In some embodiments, the
test equipment parameters may be supplied from a test control
station similar to how instructions are sent to a device in FIG. 7,
for example. The test equipment parameters may include, for
example, orientation data specifying how the test equipment should
position the user electronic device relative to the test control
station. The test equipment parameters may indicate any other test
conditions, such as the temperature, humidity, or lighting of the
testing environment, which should be used to affect the electronic
device during a test.
[0085] At step 806, the test equipment may be configured. In some
embodiments, the test equipment may be configured based on the test
equipment parameters received at step 804. For example, the test
equipment can rotate or move the user electronic device in any
suitable direction and to any suitable degree based on orientation
data received as part of the test equipment parameters. In other
embodiments, step 804 may be skipped, and the test equipment may be
configured based on manual manipulation of the test equipment by a
test engineer. For example, the test equipment can rotate or move
based on torque applied to the test equipment by a test engineer.
In still other embodiments, the test equipment may be configured
based on a combination of manual manipulations and supplied test
equipment parameters.
[0086] Continuing to step 808, the test equipment parameters may be
provided from the test control station to the user electronic
device. The test equipment parameters may include the same
information as that provided to the test equipment at step 804,
and/or may be information indicative of how the test equipment was
manually manipulated to achieve a certain configuration. The test
equipment parameters may be transmitted to the user electronic
device using radio signals, such as using any of the techniques
described above in connection with FIG. 7, for example.
[0087] At step 810, the test equipment parameters may be saved at
the user electronic device, such as in memory/storage 406 of FIG.
4. The test equipment parameters may specify instructions for
configuring the test equipment, but may not affect how the user
electronic device is expected to operate. Thus, at step 810, the
user electronic device may save the test equipment parameters
without changing any of its own operations based on the test
equipment parameters. Instead, the user electronic device may
receive other test parameters from the test control station that
affect how the user electronic device is expected to operate (e.g.,
parameters indicating length of test, which components to enable or
disable, etc. as described with respect to FIG. 7), which may also
be saved by the user electronic device.
[0088] At step 812, a radio test of the user electronic device may
be run. The radio test may be used to test the audio quality of a
radio implemented on the user electronic device, and may include
any of the features and functionalities of the tests discussed
above. Then, at step 814, the results of the test (e.g., audio
recordings) may be associated with the test equipment parameters
saved at step 810.
[0089] In this way, when the test results are analyzed, factors
that may have an impact on the performance of the user electronic
device during the test can be obtained from the user electronic
device. The test equipment parameters do not have to be
reconstructed from information stored in the test control station
or the test equipment.
[0090] The described embodiments of the invention are presented for
the purpose of illustration and not of limitation.
* * * * *