Mobile radio with GPS capability

• US 6,765,528 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: VOXX International Corporation
• Original Assignee: VOXX International Corporation
• Inventors: Schaefer, Kenneth Joseph, Tranchina, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US10/054,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20030080897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.13, 701/300, 701/215, 701/209, 701/301, 701/302
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning

Abstract

There is provided a mobile radio with Global Positioning System (GPS) capability. The mobile radio with GPS capability includes a GPS receiver and a mobile radio transceiver. The GPS receiver receives position information from GPS satellites for presentation to a user of the mobile radio. The mobile radio transceiver transmits and receives radio frequency (RF) signals. The RF signals include at least one of speech and the position information.

Claims

1. A mobile radio with Global Positioning System (GPS) capability, comprising:

a GPS receiver for receiving position information from GPS satellites for presentation to a user of the mobile radio;

a central processing unit;

a mobile radio transceiver for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals, the RF signals including at least one of speech and the position information, wherein the mobile radio transceiver receives the position information of at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability and the central processing unit determines an estimated time of arrival of a user of the mobile radio to a destination of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, based upon the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability; and

a channel scanner for scanning a plurality of channels for the RF signals including at least one of the speech and the position information.

2. The mobile radio of claim 1, further comprising a user input device for selecting between a mobile radio mode, a GPS mode, and a mobile radio with GPS mode.

3. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver transmits an utterance of a user of the mobile radio to at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

4. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver transmits an utterance of a user of the mobile radio to at least one other mobile radio without GPS capability.

5. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver receives an utterance of a user of at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

6. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver receives an utterance of a user of at least one other mobile radio without GPS capability.

7. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver transmits the position information of the mobile radio to at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

8. The mobile radio of claim 1, further comprising a storage device for storing at least the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

9. The mobile radio of claim 1, further comprising a storage device for storing at least the position information of the mobile radio.

10. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit determines an intended route of a user of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, based upon the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

11. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit determines a route to a user of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, based upon the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

12. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit determines a heading of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, based upon the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

13. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit determines a bearing of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, based upon the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

14. The mobile radio of claim 1, further comprising a user input device for selecting a user ID that identifies a user of the mobile radio.

15. The mobile radio of claim 1, further comprising a user input device for selecting a user ID that identifies a user of the mobile radio, and wherein the mobile radio transceiver transmits, to at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, the user ID of the user of the mobile radio along with the position information of the mobile radio.

16. The mobile radio of claim 1, further comprising a user input device for selecting a user ID that identifies a user of the mobile radio, and wherein the mobile radio transceiver receives, from at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, a user ID of a user of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability along with the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

17. The mobile radio of claim 7, further comprising a user input device for controlling the mobile radio transceiver to transmit the position information of the mobile radio to the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, based upon a single user action.

18. The mobile radio of claim 1, further comprising a Coded Tone Controlled Squelch System (CTCSS).

19. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver communicates using Voice-Operated Transmission (VOX).

20. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver is capable of transmitting and receiving the RF signals including at least one of the position information and the speech information at a same time the channel scanner performs scanning.

21. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of channels includes at least a primary channel and at least one other channel; and

the at least one other channel is selected by a user of the mobile radio.

22. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the scanning is interrupted for a predetermined time when the mobile radio transceiver receives at least one of the RF signals.

23. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver transmits and receives using at least some General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) channels.

24. The mobile radio of claim 1, wherein the mobile radio transceiver transmits and receives using at least some Family Radio Service (FRS) channels.

25. A mobile communication and navigation device, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for receiving position information from GPS satellites;

a central processing unit;

a mobile radio transmitter for transmitting radio frequency (RF) communications;

a mobile radio receiver for receiving the RF communications, wherein the RF communications include speech and the position information of at least one of the mobile communication and navigation device and other mobile communication and navigation devices, and wherein the central processing unit determines an estimated time of arrival of a user of the mobile communication and navigation device to a destination of the other mobile communication and navigation devices, based upon the position information of the other mobile communication and navigation device; and

a channel scanner for scanning a plurality of channels for the RF communications including at least one of the speech and the position information.

26. A method for communicating position information between mobile radios having GPS capability, comprising the steps of:

receiving the position information from at least three GPS satellites, by a first mobile radio having GPS capability;

transmitting the position information to a second mobile radio having the GPS capability, by the first mobile radio having GPS capability;

determining an estimated time of arrival of a user of the second mobile radio having GPS capability to a destination of the first mobile radio having GPS capability, based upon the position information transmitted to the second mobile radio having GPS capability; and

scanning, by the second mobile radio having GPS capability, a plurality of channels for signals including the position information and speech information while simultaneously receiving the position information from the first mobile radio having GPS capability.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said transmitting step further comprises the step transmitting, along with the position information, a user ID that identifies the user of the first mobile radio having GPS capability.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of determining an intended route of a user of the first mobile radio having GPS capability by the second mobile radio having GPS capability, based upon the position information transmitted to the second mobile radio having GPS capability.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of determining a route to a user of the first mobile radio having GPS capability by the second mobile radio having GPS capability, based upon the position information transmitted to the second mobile radio having GPS capability.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of determining a heading of the first mobile radio having GPS capability, based upon the position information transmitted to the second mobile radio having GPS capability.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of determining a bearing of the first mobile radio having GPS capability, based upon the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability.

32. A mobile radio with Global Positioning System (GPS) capability, comprising:

a GPS receiver for receiving position information from GPS satellites for presentation to a user of the mobile radio;

a central processing unit;

a mobile radio transceiver for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals, the RF signals including at least one of speech and the position information, wherein the mobile radio transceiver receives the position information of at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability and the central processing unit determines a route to a user of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability, based upon the position information of the at least one other mobile radio with GPS capability; and

a channel scanner for scanning a plurality of channels for the RF signals including at least one of the speech and the position information.

33. A mobile communication and navigation device, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for receiving position information from GPS satellites;

a central processing unit;

a mobile radio transmitter for transmitting radio frequency (RF) communications;

a mobile radio receiver for receiving the RF communications, wherein the RF communications include speech and the position information of at least one of the mobile communication and navigation device and other mobile communication and navigation devices, and wherein the central processing unit determines a route to a user of at least one of the other mobile communication and navigation devices, based upon the position information of the at least one of the other mobile communication and navigation device; and

a channel scanner for scanning a plurality of channels for the RF communications including at least one of the speech and the position information.

34. A method for communicating position information between mobile radios having GPS capability, comprising the steps of:

receiving the position information from at least three GPS satellites, by a first mobile radio having GPS capability;

transmitting the position information to a second mobile radio having the GPS capability, by the first mobile radio having GPS capability;

determining a route to a user of the first mobile radio having GPS capability by the second mobile radio having GPS capability, based upon the position information transmitted to the second mobile radio having GPS capability; and

scanning, by the second mobile radio having GPS capability, a plurality of channels for signals including the position information and speech information while simultaneously receiving the position information from the first mobile radio having GPS capability.