INTEROPERABILITY GATEWAY FOR LAND MOBILE RADIO SYSTEM

• US 20180054350A1
• Filed: 10/17/2017
• Published: 02/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E F Johnson Company (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Original Assignee: E F Johnson Company (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Roy, Arindam, Yarbrough, Brandon Hudson, Bartosch, Jon, Newman, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 10,212,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition

Abstract

Disclosed is an interoperability gateway system that provides backup connection between a dispatch center and a Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system in the event the dispatch center is disconnected from the LMR system. In general, this may be accomplished by providing an RF link between the disconnected site and the interoperability gateway via a controller, or interoperability site network interface (ISNI), that is activated when the dispatch center is disconnected from the LMR system. The interoperability gateway provides the backup connection by allocating a control station for each channel available at the disconnected LMR system. When compared to conventional dispatch console backup schemes, the disclosed interoperability gateway system greatly reduces the equipment needed to provide dispatch console backup, thereby decreasing equipment and operation costs, and simplifying operation by providing a solution that is virtually transparent to the dispatcher.

Claims

1. A gateway system for providing backup connection between a console of a dispatch center and a Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system comprising a plurality of LMR sites when a connection between the console of the dispatch center and at least one of the LMR sites is disconnected, the gateway system comprising:

a controller configured to detect the disconnection of the connection between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site; and

at least one control station comprising at least a first control station,

wherein the first control station comprises a first radio associated with at least a first radio frequency channel,

wherein the first radio is in communication with the controller via an internet protocol (IP) network,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive voice calls placed on at least one talk group by a plurality of service radios communicating with the at least one disconnected LMR site,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive the voice calls between the at least one disconnected LMR site and the console of the dispatch center,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive the voice calls placed on the at least one talk group by the plurality of service radios via the first wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site,

wherein the first wireless radio frequency communication link is configured to terminate in response to the reconnection of the wired connection between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site, and

wherein the controller is configured to provide an interface between the gateway system and the console of the dispatch center, wherein the console includes one or more consoles.

2. The gateway system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the control stations mirrors a channel supported by the at least one disconnected LMR site.

3. The gateway system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second control station comprising a second radio associated with at least a second radio frequency channel,

wherein the second radio is in communication with the controller via the internet protocol (IP) network,

wherein the second control station is configured to establish a second wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site via the second radio frequency channel,

wherein the second control station is configured to transmit and receive control signals placed on a control channel by the at least one disconnected LMR site and the console of the dispatch center,

wherein the second control station is configured to transmit and receive the control signals placed on the control channel via the second wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site,

4. The gateway system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one control stations is configured to monitor a control channel of the at least one disconnected LMR site.

5. The gateway system of claim 1, wherein the at least one disconnected LMR site is a trunking LMR site.

6. The gateway system of claim 3, wherein the second wireless radio frequency communication link is configured to terminate in response to the reconnection of the connection between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site.

7. The gateway system of claim 6, wherein the first radio frequency channel and the second radio frequency channel are different frequencies.

8. The gateway system of claim 1, wherein the gateway system is configured to process calls placed from the console of the dispatch center to the at least one disconnected LMR site via the control station allocated as the voice channel.

9. A system for providing backup connection between a console of a dispatch center and a Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system comprising a plurality of LMR sites when a connection between the console of the dispatch center and at least one of the LMR sites is disconnected, the system comprising:

a controller configured to receive an indication that the connection between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site is disconnected;

a set of one or more control stations, comprising at least a first control station,

wherein the first control station comprises at least a first radio associated with at least a first radio frequency channel and a second radio frequency channel,

wherein the first radio is in communication with the controller via an internet protocol (IP) network,

wherein the first control station is configured to establish a first wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site via the first radio frequency channel and a second wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site via the second radio frequency channel,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive voice calls placed on at least one talk group by a plurality of service radios communicating with the disconnected at least one of LMR site,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive the voice calls between the at least one disconnected LMR site and the console of the dispatch center,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive the voice calls placed on the at least one talk group by the plurality of service radios via the first wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive control signals placed on a control channel by the at least one disconnected LMR site and the console of the dispatch center, and

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive the control signals placed on the control channel via the second wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein one or more of the control stations mirrors a channel supported by the at least one disconnected LMR site.

11. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

wherein the set of one or more control stations further comprises a second control station,

wherein the second control station comprises at least a second radio associated with at least a third radio frequency channel and the second radio frequency channel,

wherein the second radio is in communication with the controller via the internet protocol (IP) network,

wherein the second control station is configured to establish a third wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the disconnected LMR system via the third radio frequency channel and the second wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site via the second radio frequency channel,

wherein the second control station is configured to transmit and receive further voice calls placed on a second at least one talk group by a second plurality of service radios communicating with the at least one disconnected LMR site,

wherein the second control station is configured to transmit and receive the further voice calls between the at least one disconnected LMR site and the console of the dispatch center,

wherein the second control station is configured to transmit and receive the further voice calls placed on the second at least one talk group by the second plurality of service radios via the third wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site, and

wherein the second control station is configured to transmit and receive control signals placed on the control channel by the at least one disconnected LMR site and the console of the dispatch center.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first radio frequency channel and the second radio frequency channel and the third radio frequency channel are different frequencies.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one disconnected LMR site is a trunking LMR site.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to provide an interface between the system and the console of the dispatch center, wherein the console includes one or more consoles.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first wireless radio frequency communication link and the second wireless radio frequency communication link and the third wireless radio frequency communication link are configured to terminate in response to the reconnection of the wired connection between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive the control signals placed on the control channel via the second wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site.

17. A method for providing backup connection between a console of a dispatch center and a Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system comprising a plurality of LMR sites when a wired connection between the console of the dispatch center to at least one of the LMR sites is disconnected, the method comprising:

detecting the disconnection of the wired connection between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site;

establishing, via at least a first control station, a communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site,

wherein the first control station comprises a first radio associated with at least a first radio frequency channel,

wherein the first radio is in communication with a controller via an internet protocol (IP) network,

wherein establishing the communication link comprises establishing, by the first control station, a first wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site via the first radio frequency channel; and

allocating, in response to detecting the disconnection, the first control station as a voice channel for communicating with the at least one disconnected LMR site over the voice channel,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive voice calls placed on at least one talk group by a plurality of service radios communicating with the at least one disconnected LMR site,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive the voice calls between the at least one disconnected LMR site and the console of the dispatch center,

wherein the first control station is configured to transmit and receive the voice calls placed on the at least one talk group by the plurality of service radios via the first wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site, and

wherein the first wireless radio frequency communication link is configured to terminate in response to reconnection of the wired connection between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

establishing, via at least one of the plurality of control stations further comprising at least a second control station, the communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site,

wherein the second control station comprises a second radio associated at least a second radio frequency channel,

wherein the second radio is in communication with the controller via the internet protocol (IP) network,

wherein establishing the communication link further comprises establishing, by the second control station, a second wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site via the second radio frequency channel; and

allocating, in response to detecting the disconnection, the second control station as a control channel for the at least one disconnected LMR site,

wherein the second control station is configured to transmit and receive control signals placed on the control channel by the at least one disconnected LMR site and the console of the dispatch center, and

wherein the second control station is configured to transmit and receive the control signals placed on the control channel via the second wireless radio frequency communication link between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

wherein the first radio frequency channel and the second radio frequency channel are different frequencies, and

wherein the second wireless radio frequency communication link is configured to terminate in response to reconnection of the wired connection between the console of the dispatch center and the at least one disconnected LMR site.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

processing calls received from the at least one disconnected LMR site via the first control station allocated as the voice channel; and

processing calls placed from the console of the dispatch center to the at least one disconnected LMR site via the first control station allocated as the voice channel.