Console interface for a trunked radio system

• US 4,698,805 A
• Filed: 09/13/1985
• Issued: 10/06/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sobti, Arun, Mills, Donald C., Sasuta, Michael D., Marten, Russell A., Rosenthal, Lewis H., Kizior, David J., Blankenship, Johnny E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scutch, III, Frank M.
• Application Number:
  US06/775,908
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 370/85, 370/97, 370/95, 455/33, 455/56, 455/17, 179/170 R, 379/338, 379/339
• US Class Current: 370/327
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A console interface for a trunked communication system is disclosed wherein unique interface modules are coupled to the central controller and console network to establish communication therebetween. A console interface constructed and arranged to transceive trunking channel call information couples the dispatcher console to the console network thereby allowing the dispatcher to interact with the trunked system.

Claims

1. An improved trunked communication system, comprising in combination:

a plurality of trunked repeaters each capable of operating as a voice channel in a first mode, and at least one of which operates as a control channel in a second mode;

a plurality of subscriber units each capable of operating on a discrete number of frequencies;

a central controller for controlling said trunked repeater in response to inbound signalling words, and controlling said plurality of subscriber units via outbound signalling words;

at least one console interface, coupled to a dispatcher console, said interface constructed and arranged to operate within a console network for providing communications between said console and any of said plurality of subscriber units via an assigned trunked repeater, and for transceiving channel call information; and

means for interfacing said console network to said central controller to provide console interaction of the trunking system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said console network comprises:

a time division multiplexed data bus;

at least one system timer module, coupled to said data bus, for providing timing signals and data bus arbitration;

a plurality of assignable transmit/receive modules each coupled to said data bus and to a selected one of said trunked repeaters; and

at least one TOMI module coupled to said data bus and said console.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said interfacing means comprises:

a TCI coupled to said central controller for translating channel call information between said central controller and said console;

a TIMI, coupled to said console network for maintaining communication between said console network and said central controller;

a communication channel coupled to said TCl and said TIMI for communication channel call information.

4. The system of claim 3, which includes at least one redundant TIMI and communication channel.

5. In a trunked communication system having a central controller for transceiving channel call information from a plurality of subscriber units, and having a plurality of trunked repeaters, a console interface comprising:

a TCI, operatively coupled to the central controller so as to become a part thereof, for translating channel call information between the central controller and at least one console which comprises a console network;

a TIMI, operatively coupled to said console network so as to become a part thereof, for maintaining communication between said at least one console and the central controller in accordance with a predetermined signalling protocol; and

a communication channel coupled to said TCI and said TIMI for communicating said channel call information.

6. The system of claim 5, which further includes at least one redundant TIMI and communication channel.

7. An improved trunked communication system, having a central controller for controlling a plurality of subscriber units and trunked repeaters, and having a time division multiplex console network having at least one dispatcher console, the improvement comprising:

a TCI, operatively coupled to the central controller so as to become a part thereof, for translating channel call information between the central controller and at least one dispatcher console which comprises a console network;

a TIMI, operatively coupled to said console network so as to become a part thereof, for maintaining communication between said console network and the central controller;

a communication channel coupled to said TCI and said TIMI to enable communication between same; and

at least one TOMI coupled respectively to said at least one dispatcher console to provide communication between said TIMI and said at least one dispatcher console.

8. An improved trunked communication system comprising:

a plurality of subscriber units each capable of operating on a discrete number of frequencies;

a plurality of trunked repeaters, each capable of operating as a voice channel in a first mode and as a control channel in a second mode;

a receiver site controller for receiving channel call information from the trunked repeater selected as the control channel;

a central site controller, for allocating use of said trunked repeaters operating as voice channels;

a TCI, disposed between said receiver site controller and said central site controller for providing communication between same, and for translating channel call information between said central site controller and at least one dispatcher console;

a time division multiplex data bus;

a plurality of transmit/receive modules each coupled to said data bus and a selected one of said plurality of trunked repeaters to provide communication between said trunked repeaters and said dispatcher consoles;

at least one system timer module, coupled to said data bus, for providing timing signals and data bus arbitration;

at least one TIMI, coupled to said data bus for maintaining communication between said dispatcher consoles and said TCI;

a communication channel disposed between said TIMI and said TCI;

at least one TOMI, coupled to said data bus and said dispatcher consoles for providing communication between same;

whereby, the dispatcher console communicates channel call information to the central site controller via the TIMI-TCI link, and monitors or participates in subscriber calls via the trunked repeater transmit receive module link.

9. A method for communicating data over a communication channel, comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a valid opcode byte from an opcode table;

(b) appending a predetermined number of information bytes to said opcode byte selected in step (a);

(c) generating an error byte in response to previous data communications;

(d) appending said error byte to said information bytes;

(e) calculating a checksum byte;

(f) appending said checksum byte to said error byte; and

(g) transmitting said opcode byte, information bytes, error byte and checksum byte over the channel.

10. In a trunked communication system having a central controller for transceiving channel call information from a plurality of subscriber units, and having a plurality of trunked repeaters, a console interface comprising:

first interface means, operatively coupled to the central controller so as to become a part thereof, for communicating channel call information between the central controller and at least one console which comprises a console network;

second interface means, operatively coupled to said at least one console so as to become a part of said console network, for maintaining communication between said console network and the central controller in accordance with a predetermined signalling protocol; and

a communication channel coupled to said first and second interface means for communicating said channel call information.