REMOTE CONTROL OF MOBILE RADIO SYSTEM THROUGH PORTABLE RADIO SYSTEM

• US 20110111791A1
• Filed: 11/09/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Global Communications, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hinterberger, David, Martz, Donald, Van Ness, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,428,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A radio communications system (100) includes a portable radio (200) and a mobile radio (300), the portable radio (200) being configured to remotely control the mobile radio (300). The portable radio (200) can operate in a standalone mode, in which the mobile radio (300) communicates with other radio devices using the portable radio'"'"'s RF interface (285). The portable radio (200) can also operate in a remote mode, in which the portable radio (200) is operative to establish a wireless link between the portable radio (200) and the mobile radio (300) to thereby remotely control the mobile radio (300) and to use the mobile radio'"'"'s RF interface (385) to communicate with other radio devices.

Claims

1. A radio communication system comprising:

a portable radio comprising a portable controller communicatively coupled to;

a portable RF interface for transmission and reception of radio signals, a portable local wireless interface, a portable user input device comprising a push-to-talk button, and a portable user output device; and

a mobile radio comprising a mobile controller communicatively coupled to;

a mobile RF interface for transmission and reception of radio signals, and a mobile local wireless interface,

wherein the portable local wireless interface and the mobile local wireless interface are operative to establish a wireless link between the portable radio and the mobile radio, and

wherein the portable controller is operative to collect user input data from the portable user input device and to provide user output data to the portable user output device for output, and

wherein the portable controller is capable of operating in a local mode, and when operating in the local mode the portable controller is operative to;

detect a pattern of button presses of the push-to-talk button and begin to operate in the remote mode if the pattern of button presses matches a predetermined pattern;

control at least one parameter associated with the portable RF interface;

provide the collected user input data to the portable RF interface for modulation and transmission; and

receive the user output data from the portable RF interface, the user output data having been extracted by the portable RF interface from an RF signal received by the portable RF interface, and

wherein the portable controller is capable of operating in a remote mode, and when operating in the remote mode the portable controller is operative to;

detect a second pattern of button presses of the push-to-talk button and begin to operate in the local mode if the second pattern of button presses matches a second predetermined pattern;

at least partially disable the portable RF interface; and

provide at least one remote control parameter to the portable local wireless interface for transmission to the mobile local wireless interface via the wireless link, and

wherein when the portable controller is operating in the remote mode, the mobile local wireless interface is operative to receive the at least one control parameter transmitted by the mobile wireless interface and to provide the received at least one control parameter to the mobile controller, and the mobile controller is operative to control at least one parameter associated with the mobile RF interface based on the received at least one control parameter.

2. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein when the portable controller is operating in the remote mode, the portable controller is further operative to:

provide the collected user input data to the portable local wireless interface for transmission to the mobile local wireless interface via the wireless link; and

receive the user output data from the portable local wireless interface, the user output data having been received by the portable local wireless interface from the mobile local wireless interface via the wireless link, and

wherein when the portable controller is operating in the remote mode, the mobile local wireless interface is further operative to receive the collected user input data transmitted by the portable local wireless interface and to provide the received collected user input data to the mobile controller, and the mobile controller is operative to;

provide the received collected user input data to the mobile RF interface for modulation and transmission;

receive the user output data from the mobile RF interface, the user output data having been extracted by the mobile RF interface from an RF signal received by the mobile RF interface; and

provide the user output data to the mobile local wireless interface for transmission to the portable local wireless interface via the wireless link.

3. The radio communication system of claim 2, wherein the mobile radio further comprises:

a mobile user input device communicatively coupled to the mobile controller; and

a mobile user output device communicatively coupled to the mobile controller, and

wherein when the portable controller is operating in the local mode, the mobile controller is operative to;

collect mobile user input data from the mobile user input device;

provide the collected mobile user input data to the mobile RF interface for transmission;

receive mobile user output data from the mobile RF interface, the mobile user output data having been extracted by the mobile RF interface from the RF signal received by the mobile RF interface; and

provide the received mobile user output data to the mobile user output device for output.

4. The radio communication system of claim 2, wherein the mobile radio further comprises a mobile user output device communicatively coupled to the mobile controller, and

wherein when the portable controller is operating in the remote mode, the mobile controller is further operative to provide the user output data to the mobile user output device for output.

5. The radio communication system of claim 3, wherein when the portable controller is operating in the remote mode, the mobile controller is operative to:

collect mobile user input data from the mobile user input device;

provide the collected mobile user input data to the mobile RF interface for transmission; and

provide the user output data to the mobile user output device for output.

6. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter associated with the mobile RF interface is a channel number.

7. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the portable local wireless interface and the mobile local wireless interface are operative to establish a wireless link between the portable radio and the mobile radio using Bluetooth®

protocol.

8. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the predefined pattern of button presses is a double-click.

9. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the portable user output device indicates whether the portable controller is operating in the remote mode.

10. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the portable controller automatically selectively operates in the remote mode if the wireless link is established between the portable radio and the remote radio.

11. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the portable controller automatically selectively operates in the local mode if the wireless link established between the portable radio and the remote radio is disrupted.

12. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the portable controller automatically dynamically determines whether to operate in the local mode or the remote mode based upon a signal quality associated with the wireless link established between the portable radio and the mobile remote radio.

13. The radio communication system of claim 1, wherein the mobile local wireless interface is further operative to authenticate the portable radio before establishing the wireless link between the portable radio and the mobile radio.

14. The radio communication system of claim 2, wherein the portable local wireless interface is further operative to encrypt the collected user input data before transmission and the mobile local wireless interface is further operative to decrypt the received collected user input data.

15. The radio communication system of claim 2, wherein the mobile local wireless interface is further operative to encrypt the user output data before transmission and the portable local wireless interface is further operative to decrypt the received user output data.

16. A portable radio comprising a portable controller communicatively coupled to:

a portable RF interface, a portable local wireless interface, a portable user input device comprising a push-to-talk button, and a portable user output device,

wherein the portable controller is operative to collect user input data from the portable user input device and to provide user output data to the portable user output device for output, and

wherein the portable local wireless interface is operative to establish a wireless link between the portable radio and a mobile radio, and

wherein the portable controller is capable of operating in a local mode, and when operating in the local mode the portable controller is operative to;

detect a pattern of button presses of the push-to-talk button and begin to operate in the remote mode if the pattern of button presses matches a predetermined pattern;

control at least one parameter associated with the portable RF interface;

provide the collected user input data to the portable RF interface for transmission; and

receive the user output data from the portable RF interface, the user output data having been extracted by the portable RF interface from an RF signal received by the portable RF interface, and

wherein the portable controller is capable of operating in a remote mode, and when operating in the remote mode the portable controller is operative to;

detect a second pattern of button presses of the push-to-talk button and begin to operate in the local mode if the second pattern of button presses matches a second predetermined pattern;

at least partially disable the portable RF interface; and

provide at least one remote control parameter associated with the mobile radio to the portable local wireless interface for transmission.

17. The radio communication system of claim 16, wherein the portable controller automatically selectively determines whether to operate in the local mode or the remote mode based upon a signal strength associated with the wireless link established between the portable radio and the mobile remote radio.

18. The radio communication system of claim 16, wherein the portable local wireless interface is further operative to encrypt the collected user input data before transmission.

19. The radio communication system of claim 16, wherein the portable user input device is a microphone and the portable user output device is a speaker.

20. A mobile radio comprising a mobile controller communicatively coupled to:

a mobile RF interface, a mobile local wireless interface, a mobile user input device, and a mobile user output device,

wherein the mobile local wireless interface is operative to authenticate a connection request from a portable radio and establish a wireless link between the mobile radio and the portable radio if the authentication was successful, and

wherein the mobile local wireless interface is further operative to receive portable user input data and at least one control parameter from the portable radio via the wireless link, and

wherein the mobile controller is operative to;

control at least one parameter associated with the mobile RF interface based on the received at least one control parameter;

provide the received portable user input data to the mobile RF interface for modulation and transmission;

collect mobile user input data from the mobile user input device;

provide the collected mobile user input data to the mobile RF interface for transmission;

receive user output data from the mobile RF interface, the user output data having been extracted by the mobile RF interface from an RF signal received by the mobile RF interface;

provide the user output data to the mobile user output device for output; and

provide the user output data to the mobile local wireless interface for transmission to the portable local wireless interface via the wireless link.