METHOD FOR TERMINAL CONFIGURATION OVER A RADIO CONTROL CHANNEL

• US 20080095103A1
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eagle Technology, LLC (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: M/A Com, Inc. (MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goodjohn, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

An embodiment is a method for configuring a terminal (e.g., a radio) over a radio control channel. Instead of requiring on-site technicians to physically connect to the radios or error-prone and time consuming data calls to individual radios, an embodiment broadcasts software and configuration data as part of one or more radio control channel messages. As the radio control message or multiple messages are broadcast, any radio listening to the radio control message(s) may be configured. Additionally, radios of a particular type will be configured to use the same version of software and configuration data.

Claims

1. A communications system comprising:

a communications medium; and

one or more radios coupled to the communications medium, the radios to;

receive from a transmitter over a broadcast channel a control channel message including chunk data, the chunk data including at least a portion of software and configuration data for the radios; and

determine by each radio whether the chunk data corresponds to its radio type.

2. The communications system of claim 1, each radio to further:

determine whether the chunk data corresponds to a different version of software and configuration data from the software and configuration data implemented by the radio.

3. The communications system of claim 2, each radio to further:

store the chunk data at a location specified by a chunk offset, the chunk offset to specify the location of the chunk data within the software and configuration data.

4. The communications system of claim 3, each radio to further:

receive another control channel message including another chunk data, the other chunk data including another portion of the software and configuration data for the radio; and

store the other chunk data location specified by another chunk offset, the other chunk offset to specify the location of the chunk data within the software or configuration data.

5. The communications system of claim 4, each radio to further:

calculate the checksum of the combination of data chunks; and

compare the checksum of the combination of data chunks to an overall transmission checksum to determine if the software or configuration data has been completely received.

6. The communications system of claim 4, each radio to further:

implement the software or configuration data so that substantially all of the radios of that type are configured uniformly.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a radio having a radio type, a control channel message including chunk data, the chunk data including at least a portion of software or configuration data for the radio; and

determining, by the radio, whether the chunk data corresponds to the radio type.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining, by the radio, whether the chunk data corresponds to a different version of software and configuration data from the software and configuration data implemented by the radio.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

storing the chunk data at a location specified by a chunk offset, the chunk offset to specify the location of the chunk data within the software and configuration data.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving, by the radio, another control channel message including another chunk data, the other chunk data including another portion of the software and configuration data for the radio; and

storing the other chunk data location specified by another chunk offset, the other chunk offset to specify the location of the chunk data within the software and configuration data.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

calculating, by the radio, the checksum of the combination of data chunks; and

comparing, by the radio, the checksum of the combination of data chunks to an overall transmission checksum to determine if the software and configuration data has been completely received.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

Implementing, by the radio, the software or configuration data so that substantially all of the radios of that type are configured uniformly.

13. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a communications system to:

receive, by a radio coupled to the communications system, the radio having a radio type, a control channel message including chunk data, the chunk data including at least a portion of software and configuration data for the radio; and

determine, by the radio, whether the chunk data corresponds to the radio type.

14. The article of claim 13, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the communications system to:

determine, by the radio, whether the chunk data corresponds to a different version of software and configuration data from the software and configuration data implemented by the radio.

15. The article of claim 14 further comprising instructions that if executed enable the communications system to:

calculate, by the radio, the checksum of the chunk data; and

compare, by the radio, the calculated checksum to the checksum contained in the chunk data to determine if the radio received the chunk data without error.

16. The article of claim 15 further comprising instructions that if executed enable the communications system to:

store, by the radio, the chunk data at a location specified by a chunk offset, the chunk offset to specify the location of the chunk data within the software and configuration data.

17. The article of claim 16 further comprising instructions that if executed enable the communications system to:

receive, by the radio, another control channel message including another chunk data, the other chunk data including another portion of the software and configuration data for the radio; and

store, by the radio, the other chunk data location specified by another chunk offset, the other chunk offset to specify the location of the chunk data within the software and configuration data.

18. The article of claim 17 further comprising instructions that if executed enable the communications system to:

calculate, by the radio, the checksum of the combination of data chunks; and

compare, by the radio, the checksum of the combination of data chunks to an overall transmission checksum to determine if the software and configuration data has been completely received.

19. A communications system comprising:

an antenna; and

a transmitter coupled to the antenna, the transmitter to broadcast a control channel message including chunk data, the chunk data including at least a portion of software or configuration data.

20. The communications system of claim 19, the broadcast control channel message further comprising:

a type header to indicate a type of radio to receive the broadcast control channel message.

21. The communications system of claim 19, the broadcast channel message further comprising:

a chunk offset to determine the location of the chunk data in the software or configuration data.