TRUNKED AND BROADBAND RADIO COMMUNICATION METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20150057040A1
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: KUEHNER, NATHANAEL P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,042,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A data communication system and a method of data communication. The method comprises receiving data associated with a plurality of users, wherein a first set of the plurality of users is located at a first location and a second set of the plurality of users is located at a second location. The method further comprises determining that the first set of users has access to both a broadband data communication system and a trunked radio system and that at least one user of the second set of users does not have access to the broadband data communication system. The data is then provided to the first set of users by the broadband data communication system and not the trunked radio system, and to the second set of users by the trunked radio system and not the broadband data communication system.

Claims

1. A method of data communication, comprising:

receiving data associated with a group of radios, wherein a first subset of the group of radios is located within a first region and a second subset of the group of radios is located within a second region;

determining, at a call controller, that the first subset of radios has access to both a broadband data communication system and a trunked radio system;

determining that at least one radio included in the second subset of radios does not have access to the broadband data communication system; and

allocating resources in the first region on the broadband data communication system and in the second region on the trunked radio system, and subsequently providing the data to the first subset of radios by the broadband data communication system and not the trunked radio system and to the second subset of radios by the trunked radio system and not the broadband data communication system.

2. The method of data communication of claim 1, wherein the trunked radio system comprises a Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system.

3. The method of data communication of claim 2, wherein the data communication system comprises a cellular broadband system.

4. The method of data communication of claim 2, wherein the first region comprises a first LMR site and the second region comprises a second LMR site.

5. The method of data communication of claim 2, wherein the group of radios is defined by an LMR talkgroup.

6. The method of data communication of claim 1, wherein allocating resources in the first region on the broadband data communication system is responsive to determining that the trunked radio system within the first region has insufficient available RF resources over which to provide the data to the first subset of radios.

7. The method of data communication of claim 1, wherein allocating resources in the first region on the broadband data communication system is responsive to determining a potential future need for the trunked radio system by a second group of radios in the first region.

8. The method of data communication of claim 7, wherein determining the potential future need for the trunked radio system comprises determining that at least one radio in the second group of radios does not have access to the broadband data communication system.

9. The method of data communication of claim 1, further comprising

determining that a second group of radios in the first region has access to both the data communication system and a trunked radio system;

and

providing further data to the second group of radios by the trunked radio system.

10. The method of data communication of claim 9, wherein providing the data to the first subset of radios by the data communication system and providing the further data to the second group of radios by the trunked radio system is subsequent to determining that one or both of:

the data communication system is more efficiently utilized by the first subset of radios; and

the trunked radio system is more efficiently utilized by the second group of radios.

11. The method of data communication of claim 10, wherein the second group of radios comprises more radios than the first subset of radios.

12. The data communication method of claim 1, wherein determining that at least one radio does not have access to the broadband data communication system comprises determining that the at least one radio is not in a coverage area of the broadband data communication system.

13. The method of data communication of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a group call request associated with the group of radios;

wherein the data associated with the group of radios comprises call data associated with the group call request.

14. The method of data communication of claim 13, wherein the group call request is associated with the group of radios by an LMR talkgroup.

15. The method of data communication of claim 1, wherein the call request is received from a radio in the second subset via the trunked radio system within the second region.

16. A data communication system comprising:

a trunked radio system;

a broadband data communication system;

a data interface coupled to the trunked radio system and the broadband data communication system;

a processor coupled to the data interface;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instruction code executable by the processor for;

receiving data associated with a plurality of users or devices, wherein a first set of the plurality of users or devices is located within a first region and a second set of the plurality of users or devices is located within a second region;

determining that the first set of users or devices has access to both the broadband data communication system and the trunked radio system;

determining that at least one user or device of the second set of users or devices does not have access to the broadband data communication system;

providing the data to the first set of users or devices by the broadband data communication system and not the trunked radio system; and

providing the data to the second set of users or devices by the trunked radio system and not the broadband data communication system.

17. The data communication system of claim 16, wherein the trunked radio system comprises a Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system.

18. The data communication method of claim 16, wherein the broadband data communication system comprises a cellular broadband system.

19. A call controller comprising:

a data interface;

a processor, coupled to the data interface;

a memory, coupled to the processor, the memory including instruction code executable by the processor for;

receiving, on the data interface, data associated with a group of radios, wherein a first subset of the group of radios is located within a first region and a second subset of the group of radios is located within a second region;

determining that the first subset of radios has access to both a broadband data communication system and a trunked radio system;

determining that at least one radio included in the second subset of radios does not have access to the broadband data communication system; and

allocating resources in the first region on the broadband data communication system and in the second region on the trunked radio system, and subsequently providing the data to the first subset of radios by the broadband data communication system and not the trunked radio system and to the second subset of radios by the trunked radio system and not the broadband data communication system.