Scanning tone remote adapter for land-mobile radio dispatch for use with dispersed dispatch stations

• US 6,950,653 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2003
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hubbell, Inc.
• Inventors: Reid, Jeffrey Turner
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US10/335,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20030134633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/424, 455/425, 455/426.2, 455/9, 455/23, 455/507, 455/509, 455/510, 455/516, 455/518, 455/520, 455/512, 455/526, 455/67.11, 455/68, 455/554.2, 379/1.01, 379/9, 379/10.01, 379/15.01
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

A land mobile radio dispatch system is provided, which comprises a radio, one or more remote dispatch devices, and a scanning tone remote adapter connected to the radio and the remote dispatch devices, and is adapted to receive tonal signals from the remote dispatch devices. The dispatch system provides scanning of RF channels, control from remote locations, and parallel updating of multiple dispatch devices, including changing the channel or the base station and notifying other dispatch devices of the current channel-in-use. The tonal signals indicate either an action taken, or an action desired to be taken by the remote dispatch devices. The scanning tone remote adapter is further adapted to transmit received tonal signals to remote dispatch devices, which can indicate the status of the radio, or requested commands by other remote dispatch devices.

Claims

1. A land mobile radio dispatch system comprising:

a radio communication system comprising a configuration for scanning radio frequency (RF) channels for an RF activity;

a scanning tone remote adapter; and

at least one remote dispatch device;

wherein the scanning tone remote adapter is configured to;

receive a first communication system status signal from the radio communication system, the first communication system status signal comprising a first signal indicative of a presence of the RF activity on at least one of the channels;

transmit a second communication system status signal to the at least one remote dispatch device, the second communication system status signal comprising a second signal indicative of the RF activity on the at least one of the channels;

receive a first communication system command signal from at least one remote dispatch device, the first communication system command signal comprising a third signal indicative of an external control parameter to control the scanning; and

transmit a second communication system command signal to the radio communication system, the second communication system command signal comprising a fourth signal indicative of the external control parameter.

2. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising a local control device configured to receive the second communication system status signal, and to transmit the first communication system command signal.

3. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 2, wherein the scanning tone remote adapter is configured to receive the first set of radio communication system command signals from the at least one remote dispatch device or from the local control device.

4. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 3, wherein the first communication command signal comprises digitally encoded analog signals.

5. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 3, wherein the second communication status signal comprises digitally encoded analog signals.

6. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein the radio communication system comprises:

a radio tower; and

a radio transceiver.

7. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, further comprising a network connecting the at least one remote dispatch device to at least one of:

one or more other remote dispatch devices, one or more multiplexors, and the scanning tone remote adapter.

8. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 7, wherein the network comprises a single pair of wires.

9. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 7, wherein the network comprises a leased telephone line.

10. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 7, wherein the network comprises a LAN.

11. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 7, wherein the network comprises a WAN.

12. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second communication system status signals comprises a channel-selected radio communication system status signal.

13. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second communication system status signals comprises a broadcast-status radio communication system status signal.

14. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second communication system status signals comprises a signal-received radio communication system status signal.

15. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second communication system status signals comprises a self-test radio communication system status signal.

16. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second communication system status signals comprises a scan-mode radio communication system status signal.

17. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 16, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system status signal comprises a scan-up scan-mode radio communication system status signal.

18. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 16, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system status signal comprises a scan-down scan-mode radio communication system status signal.

19. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 16, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system status signal comprises an end-scan scan-mode radio communication system status signal.

20. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second communication system command signals comprises a select-channel radio communication system command signal.

21. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second communication system command signals comprises a broadcast radio communication system command signal.

22. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second communication system command signals comprises a status-check radio communication system command signal.

23. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second communication system command signals comprises a scan-mode radio communication system command signal.

24. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 23, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system command signal comprises a scan-up scan-mode radio communication system command signal.

25. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 23, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system command signal comprises a scan-down scan-mode radio communication system command signal.

26. The land mobile radio dispatch system according to claim 23, wherein the scan-mode radio communication system command signal comprises an end-scan scan-mode radio communication system command signal.

27. A method of operation for a land mobile radio dispatch system comprising a radio communication system configured for scanning radio frequency (RF) channels for an RF activity, and to receive information from, and to transmit information to, at least one remote dispatch device, the method comprising:

scanning the radio frequency (RF) channels for the RF activity;

first determining a presence of an RF activity on at least one of the RF channels;

if the first determining indicates that an RF carrier-present signal is present on at least one of the RF channels, generating an RF carrier-present status signal and ceasing the scanning for at least a first predetermined amount of time; and

if the first determining indicates that an RF carrier-present signal is not present on the RF channel, second determining a presence of communication system command signal from the at least one remote dispatch device, the communication system command signal comprising a signal indicative of an external control parameter to control the scanning.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising:

transmitting the RF carrier-present status signal at least one of;

the at least one remote dispatch device and a local control device; and

resuming the scanning when the RF carrier-present signal is no longer present.

29. The method according to claim 27, further comprising:

if the communication system command signal from the at least one remote dispatch device is not present after a second predetermined period of time repeating the first determining; and

if a communication system command signal from the at least one remote dispatch device is present, controlling the scanning based on the external control parameter.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising:

setting an elapsed time to the second predetermined time period; and

the communication system command signal from the at least one remote dispatch device is not present after the second predetermined time period, resetting the elapsed time to the predetermined time period.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the scanning comprises sequentially scanning the radio frequency (RF) channels for the RF activity, the method further comprising:

performing the first determining until the second predetermined time period;

after the second predetermined time period, performing the resetting of the elapsed time to the predetermined time period, selecting a sequentially next channel of the RF channels, and determining whether the sequentially next channel is a sequentially last channel.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising:

if the sequentially next channel is the last channel,

performing the resetting of the elapsed time to the second predetermined time period and selecting a sequentially first channel of the RF channels for the scanning.

33. The method according to claim 31, further comprising arranging the RF channels in a channel scan list.

34. The method according to claim 29, where the controlling of the scanning comprises at least one of:

resetting a time to perform the scanning to a value less than the second predetermined time period and resuming the scanning if the signal indicative of the external control parameter comprises a scan-resume tone sequence;

resetting a time to perform the scanning to a value less than the second predetermined time period and selecting a desired channel for the scanning if the signal indicative of the external control parameter comprises a channel-select tone sequence;

resetting a time to perform the scanning to a value less than the second predetermined time period and activating a radio push-to-talk sequence on a channel indicated in the communication system command signal after a loss-of-carrier signal has been detected from the at least one remote dispatch device, if the signal indicative of the external control parameter comprises a push-to-talk tone sequence; and

ceasing scanning if the signal indicative of the external control parameter comprises a scan-stop signal.

35. The method according to claim 29, wherein determining whether the second predetermined time period has elapsed comprises performing a determination by referencing an activity wait timer.