1. A digital broadcast reception apparatus comprising:
primary and secondary systems being tuned to a physical channel, receiving a digital broadcast signal of a broadcast service broadcasted from a broadcast station through the tuned physical channel, and demodulating and decoding the received digital broadcast signal;
a tuning controller for instructing said primary and secondary systems about a physical channel to be tuned to;
a switching controller for instructing said tuning controller to switch between a diversity operation mode in which the said primary system and said secondary system are tuned to the same physical channel and cooperate with each other to demodulate and decode the digital broadcast signal through a diversity process and an independent reception operation mode in which said primary system and said secondary system individually and independently demodulate and decode the digital broadcast signal;
a current position detector for detecting a current position; and
broadcast area information storage device in which is stored broadcast area information including a physical channel and a broadcast area of a broadcast station of a broadcast service that may be received, and at least either one of information concerning a relay station of said broadcast station and information concerning an affiliate station of said broadcast station,
wherein, based on the current position detected by said current position detector and the broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device, said switching controller instructs said tuning controller to switch between said diversity operation mode and said independent reception operation mode, and
wherein based on the current position detected by said current position detector and the broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device, said switching controller instructs said tuning controller to select said diversity operation mode if the detected current position is close to a boundary of a broadcast area that is acquired from said broadcast area information as a broadcast area of a broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service, and to select said independent reception operation mode if the detected current position is not close to the boundary of said broadcast area, wherein
said tuning controller instructs said primary and secondary systems to, if a reception state of a currently received broadcast service is deteriorated in a case where said primary and secondary systems are operating in the diversity operation mode, cooperate with each other to search a relay station and an affiliate station of the broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service, and in a case where said primary and secondary systems are operating in the independent reception operation mode, one system of said primary and secondary systems demodulates and decodes the digital broadcast signal of the currently received broadcast service while the other system searches a relay station and an affiliate station of the broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service.
2. The digital broadcast reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said switching controller instructs said tuning controller to, if the detected current position is located in a near-boundary area of the broadcast area of the broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service which is acquired from said broadcast area information and also in an area overlapping a broadcast area of a relay station or an affiliate station of said broadcast station, perform said independent reception operation mode in which one system of said primary and secondary systems demodulates and decodes the digital broadcast signal of the currently received broadcast service while the other system searches the relay station and the affiliate station of the broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service, and if said relay station or affiliate station cannot be detected in said search, switch to said diversity operation mode and search said relay station and affiliate station.
3. The digital broadcast reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device is estimated based on a zip code of the location of and a transmission power of a transmitting station listed in a frequency list that is included in a digital broadcast signal of a broadcast service broadcasted from said broadcast station.
4. The digital broadcast reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device is updated upon updating of a cell list descriptor and a cell link frequency descriptor included in a network information table section included in a digital broadcast signal of a broadcast service broadcasted from said broadcast station.
5. The digital broadcast reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said broadcast area information storage device stores at least either one of information that identifies a transport stream transmitted from said relay station and information that identifies a transport stream transmitted from said affiliate station, as at least either one of the information concerning the relay station of said broadcast station and the information concerning the affiliate station of said broadcast station.
6. A digital broadcast reception apparatus comprising:
primary and secondary systems being tuned to a physical channel, receiving a digital broadcast signal of a broadcast service broadcasted from a broadcast station through the tuned physical channel, and demodulating and decoding the received digital broadcast signal;
a tuning controller for instructing said primary and secondary systems about a physical channel to be tuned to;
a switching controller for instructing said tuning controller to switch between a diversity operation mode in which the said primary system and said secondary system are tuned to the same physical channel and cooperate with each other to demodulate and decode the digital broadcast signal through a diversity process and an independent reception operation mode in which said primary system and said secondary system individually and independently demodulate and decode the digital broadcast signal;
a current position detector for detecting a current position; and
broadcast area information storage device in which is stored broadcast area information including a physical channel and a broadcast area of a broadcast station of a broadcast service that may be received, and at least either one of information concerning a relay station of said broadcast station and information concerning an affiliate station of said broadcast station,
wherein, based on the current position detected by said current position detector and the broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device, said switching controller instructs said tuning controller to switch between said diversity operation mode and said independent reception operation mode, and
wherein based on the current position detected by said current position detector and the broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device, said switching controller instructs said tuning controller to select said diversity operation mode if the detected current position is close to a boundary of a broadcast area that is acquired from said broadcast area information as a broadcast area of a broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service, and to select said independent reception operation mode if the detected current position is not close to the boundary of said broadcast area, wherein
said tuning controller instructs said primary and secondary systems to, when searching the relay station and the affiliate station of the broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service, perform tuning preferentially from a channel having a higher possibility of reception at the current position indicated by said current position information based on said broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device, and if it is determined that said relay station or affiliate station cannot be detected in said tuning, perform tuning preferentially from a channel of a relay station or an affiliate station in which a distance is shorter, said distance being a distance between said current position and the position of the center of gravity of said broadcast area thereof which is acquired from said broadcast area information, or a distance between said current position and a boundary of said broadcast area which is acquired from said broadcast area information.
7. The digital broadcast reception apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
said switching controller instructs said tuning controller to, if the detected current position is located in a near-boundary area of the broadcast area of the broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service which is acquired from said broadcast area information and also in an area overlapping a broadcast area of a relay station or an affiliate station of said broadcast station, perform said independent reception operation mode in which one system of said primary and secondary systems demodulates and decodes the digital broadcast signal of the currently received broadcast service while the other system searches the relay station and the affiliate station of the broadcast station broadcasting the currently received broadcast service, and if said relay station or affiliate station cannot be detected in said search, switch to said diversity operation mode and search said relay station and affiliate station.
8. The digital broadcast reception apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
said broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device is estimated based on a zip code of the location of and a transmission power of a transmitting station listed in a frequency list that is included in a digital broadcast signal of a broadcast service broadcasted from said broadcast station.
9. The digital broadcast reception apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
said broadcast area information stored in said broadcast area information storage device is updated upon updating of a cell list descriptor and a cell link frequency descriptor included in a network information table section included in a digital broadcast signal of a broadcast service broadcasted from said broadcast station.
10. The digital broadcast reception apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
said broadcast area information storage device stores at least either one of information that identifies a transport stream transmitted from said relay station and information that identifies a transport stream transmitted from said affiliate station, as at least either one of the information concerning the relay station of said broadcast station and the information concerning the affiliate station of said broadcast station.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A hearing assistance device, comprising:
an enclosure that includes a faceplate and a shell attached to the faceplate;
a power source;
a flex antenna having a shape of at least a substantially complete loop around the power source, wherein the flex antenna maintains separation from the power source and wherein the flex antenna has at least a portion including a shape memory that tends to straighten the flex antenna from a flexed position, and bias a portion of the flex antenna into contact with an interior surface of the enclosure;
a transmission line connected to the flex antenna; and
radio circuit connected to the transmission line and electrically connected to the power source.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the flex antenna has a shape of at least a substantially complete first loop and a substantially complete second loop around the power source, and the transmission line is connected to both the first loop and the second loop.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first loop and the second loop provide different polarities.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmission line is configured to float the radio circuit over the power source.
5. The device of claim 4, wherein the transmission line is configured to float the radio circuit besides the power source.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the flex antenna includes at least one loop of a flex circuit, the flex circuit has a flat profile, and a flat side of the flex antenna is substantially parallel to an axis of the at least one loop.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the flex antenna includes a flex circuit, the flex circuit including a conductive layer sandwiched between dielectric layers.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the faceplate includes a grove, and the flex antenna is at least partially received within the groove of the faceplate.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the hearing assistance device includes a hearing aid.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the flex antenna includes a first loop at least substantially complete around the power source and a second loop at least substantially complete around the power source, and the first and second loops are electrically connected in parallel.
11. The device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the flex antenna includes a first loop at least substantially complete around the power source and a second loop at least substantially complete around the power source, and the first and second loops are electrically connected in series.
12. A method of forming a hearing assistance device with a power source, comprising:
placing a flexible antenna loop into a shell of the device; and
enclosing the flexible antenna loop within housing, including:
enclosing the flexible antenna loop between the shell and a faceplate;
substantially encircling the power source with the flexible antenna loop; and
maintaining separation between the flexible antenna loop and the power source
wherein the flexible antenna loop has at least a portion including a shape memory that tends to straighten the flexible antenna loop from a flexed position, and bias a portion of the flexible antenna loop into contact with an interior surface of the shell.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein placing the flexible antenna loop into the shell of the device includes placing a loop of multi-filar wire into the shell of the device.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein placing the flexible antenna loop into the shell of the device includes placing a flex antenna loop into the shell of the device, and wherein the flex antenna loop includes a flex circuit.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising integrally forming the flex antenna loop with a flex circuit transmission line, and connecting the flex circuit transmission line to a radio circuit.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming a flex circuit, including sandwiching a layer of dielectric material between two layers of conductive material, wherein the flex circuit transmission line is formed using the flex circuit.
17. The method of claim 14, further comprising stamping out a template from the flex circuit, the template including a first portion used to form the transmission line, a second portion used to form the antenna loop, and a third portion used to form a second antenna loop.
18. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming the flex antennal loop into a desired shape to substantially loop around and maintain distance from the power source before placing the loop into the shell of the device.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
compressing the flex antenna loop;
placing the compressed flex antenna loop into the shell of the device; and
relaxing the flex antenna loop to bias a substantial portion of the loop into contact with an interior surface of the shell.
20. The method of claim 14, wherein the faceplate includes a grove, and wherein placing the flexible antenna loop into the shell of the device includes placing the flexible antenna loop into the groove of the faceplate to be at least partially received in the groove the faceplate, and enclosing the flexible antenna loop between the shell and a faceplate.
21. The method of claim 12, wherein the hearing assistance device includes a hearing aid.