Multiple protocol land mobile radio system

• US 8,194,682 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2006
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eagle Technology, LLC (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pine Valley Investments, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Martinez, Dennis Michael, Vaughan, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Irace, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/500,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20080031207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/401, 4554321-4322
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• 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

Abstract

A multiple protocol land mobile radio (LMR) and a method for communicating LMR content are provided. The method includes communicating the LMR content using a plurality of LMR transport protocols within a single LMR network. The method further includes encapsulating the LMR content based on an LMR application layer protocol for a portion of the single LMR network through which the LMR content is to be communicated.

Claims

1. A method for communicating land mobile radio (LMR) content, said method comprising:

automatically detecting by a first LMR unit a location thereof;

automatically selecting, by said first LMR unit, a first LMR network protocol from a plurality of LMR network protocols based on said location of said first LMR unit, said first LMR network protocol including a first application-layer protocol for an application layer of a first LMR protocol stack and a first transport-layer protocol for a transport layer of said first LMR protocol stack;

generating, by said first LMR unit, said LMR content using a second application-layer protocol of a second LMR network protocol, said second LMR network protocol and said second application-layer protocol being respectively different than said first LMR network protocol and said first application-layer protocol;

encapsulating, by said first LMR unit, said LMR content using said first transport-layer protocol;

communicating the encapsulated LMR content over a first RF coverage area of an LMR network;

re-encapsulating said LMR content using a second transport-layer protocol of said second LMR network protocol, said second transport-layer protocol different than said first transport-layer protocol; and

forwarding said re-encapsulated LMR content over a second RF coverage area of said LMR network;

wherein said second application-layer protocol is unchanged during communication of said LMR content over said second RF coverage area of said LMR network.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first LMR protocol stack is a two layer protocol stack for communicating the LMR content.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the LMR content comprises content defining at least one of LMR services, operations and controls and including at least one of voice data, emergency signal data, control data relating to selecting a particular talk group, LMR data for transfer between a radio unit and a server and reprogramming data.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising performing end-to-end encryption between a plurality of LMR units.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising performing end-to-end digital voice encoding between a plurality of LMR units.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising configuring the LMR content for communication using one of a Project 25 (TIA 102) protocol, an ETSI TETRA airlink protocol, an OpenSky proprietary format, an EDACS proprietary format, and a NetworkFirst format.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising automatically selecting the second transport-layer protocol.

16. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the location of the first LMR unit is automatically detected using a Global Positioning System.

8. A wireless communication system comprising:

a land mobile radio (LMR) infrastructure configured to communicate with a plurality of LMR units within a plurality of coverage areas of an LMR system, at least two of the plurality of coverage areas utilizing different transport-layer protocols for a transport layer of their respective LMR protocol stacks; and

an interface facilitating an interconnection between said plurality of coverage areas, said interface configured to

receive LMR content from a first LMR unit of said plurality of LMR units, said LMR content generated by said first LMR unit using a first application-layer protocol of a first LMR network protocol and a first transport-layer protocol of a second LMR network protocol that is different than said first LMR network protocol, and

reencapsulate the LMR content using a second transport-layer protocol of said transport layer protocols that is different as compared to said first transport-layer protocol;

wherein said first application-layer protocol is unchanged by said interface and is different than a second application-layer protocol of said second LMR network protocol; and

wherein the second LMR network protocol is automatically selected by said first LMR unit from a plurality of LMR network protocols based on an automatically detected location of said first LMR unit.

9. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 8, wherein at least one of said LMR protocol stacks is a two layer protocol stack.

10. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 8 wherein the LMR infrastructure is configured to communicate using one of a Project 25 (TIA 102) protocol, an ETSI TETRA airlink protocol, an OpenSky proprietary format, an EDACS proprietary format, and a NetworkFirst format.

11. A wireless communication system in accordance with claim 8 wherein the LMR infrastructure is configured to communicate LMR content comprising content defining at least one of LMR services, operations and controls and including at least one of voice data, emergency signal data, control data relating to selecting a particular talk group, LMR data for transfer between a radio unit and a server and reprogramming data.

17. The wireless communication system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the location of the first LMR unit is automatically detected using a Global Positioning System.

18. The LMR unit in accordance with claim 8, wherein location of the LMR unit is automatically detected using a Global Positioning System.

12. A land mobile radio (LMR) unit comprising:

an application module configured to generate LMR content based on an application-layer protocol of a first LMR network protocol;

a selector configured to dynamically and automatically select a transport-layer protocol from a plurality of transport-layer protocols based on an automatically detected location of said LMR unit, said transport-layer protocol being part of a second LMR network protocol that is different from said first LMR network protocol;

an encapsulation module configured to encapsulate said LMR content based on said transport-layer protocol; and

at least one transceiver connected to the application module, the transceiver being configured to communicate said LMR content which was generated using said application-layer protocol of said first LMR network protocol and encapsulated using said transport-layer protocol of said second LMR network protocol;

wherein said application-layer protocol of said first LMR network protocol is different than an application-layer protocol of said second LMR network protocol.

13. An LMR unit in accordance with claim 12, further comprising an LMR transport layer module configured to provide the transport-layer protocol.

14. An LMR unit in accordance with claim 12, further comprising an LMR application layer module configured to provide the application-layer protocol of the first LMR network protocol.

15. A method for communicating land mobile radio (LMR) content, said method comprising:

selecting, by a first LMR unit, at least a first LMR network protocol from a plurality of different LMR network protocols, said first LMR network protocol including a first application-layer protocol for a first application layer of a first LMR protocol stack and a first transport-layer protocol for a transport layer of said first LMR protocol stack;

generating, by said first LMR unit, said LMR content using a second application-layer protocol of a second LMR network protocol, said second LMR network protocol and said second application-layer protocol being respectively different than said first LMR network protocol and said first application-layer protocol;

encapsulating, by said first LMR unit, said LMR content using said first transport-layer protocol;

communicating the encapsulated LMR content over a first RF coverage area of an LMR network;

processing, at a first network node of said LMR network, said encapsulated LMR content to generate a plurality of datagrams;

communicating said plurality of datagrams from said first network node to a second network node comprising a packet-switched infrastructure of said LMR network;

selecting, by said second network node, said second LMR network protocol from said plurality of different LMR network protocols based on an evaluation of a communication or transport protocol requirement, the second LMR network protocol including a second transport-layer protocol for said transport layer of a second LMR protocol stack, and said second transport-layer protocol being different than said first transport-layer protocol;

selecting, by said second network node, a routing procedure based on said second transport-layer protocol of said second LMR network protocol which was previously selected;

selectively routing said plurality of datagrams to a third network node which employs said second LMR network protocol;

re-encapsulating, by said third network node, said LMR content using said second transport-layer protocol; and

forwarding said re-encapsulated LMR content from said third network node to a second LMR unit existing within a second RF coverage area of said LMR network;

wherein said second application-layer protocol is unchanged during communication of said LMR content over said second RF coverage area of said LMR network.