Methods, apparatus, and systems for facilitating control communications between disparate devices

• US 8,711,837 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Sapp, Jeffrey K., Sapp, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aung, Sai
• Application Number:
  US13/216,656
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 370351-355, 370/230, 370/310, 455/436, 455/454.1, 455/432.1, 455/445
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

An access node for facilitating communications between disparate devices is disclosed. The access node includes an access communication device (ACD) interface configured to connect to an ACD and a network interface configured to communicate with a network. The access node provides configuration information associated with the ACD to an edge device coupled to the network in a common format irrespective of a native format in which the configuration information is maintained by the ACD, and facilitates modification of configuration parameters of the ACD by the edge device. The access node also facilitates audio communications between the ACD and one or more edge devices irrespective of the location of such edge devices, or of differences between the manners of audio signaling of the ACD and the edge devices.

Claims

1. An access node, comprising:

a first access communication device (ACD) interface configured to communicate via a first control channel with a first ACD;

a network interface configured to communicate with a network; and

a processor configured to;

provide a first configuration parameter value associated with a first configuration parameter of the first ACD to a first edge device via the network interface;

receive, from the first edge device, via the network interface, a common control command in a common format identifying a different configuration parameter value;

based on the common control command, generate a first native control command in a first native format that is different from the common format to alter the first configuration parameter value of the first configuration parameter; and

communicate the first native control command in place of the common control command to the first ACD via the first control channel to set the first configuration parameter to the different configuration parameter value.

2. The access node of claim 1, wherein the first ACD interface comprises a first control channel interface, and the first control channel is established via the first control channel interface over a control communication link.

3. The access node of claim 2, wherein the first control channel interface comprises a serial control channel interface.

4. The access node of claim 3, wherein the control communication link comprises an RS-232 communication link.

5. The access node of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive the first configuration parameter value from the first ACD via the first control channel interface using a serial communication protocol and to communicate the first native control command to the first ACD via the first control channel interface using the serial communication protocol.

6. The access node of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

translate the first configuration parameter value from the first native format to the common format in accordance with a common control protocol; and

wherein the translated first configuration parameter value is provided to the first edge device via the network interface in the common format.

7. The access node of claim 6, wherein the common format is implemented via Extensible Markup Language (XML).

8. The access node of claim 6, further comprising a memory, wherein the processor is configured to obtain first ACD instructions from the memory that identify the first native format, and wherein the processor is configured to utilize the first ACD instructions to generate the first native control command in the first native format.

9. The access node of claim 8, wherein the memory comprises a plurality of different ACD instructions including the first ACD instructions, the processor further configured to:

obtain the first ACD instructions from the plurality of different ACD instructions based on a device type of the first ACD.

10. The access node of claim 1, wherein the first configuration parameter comprises one of a receive frequency, a transmit frequency, and a transmit power.

11. The access node of claim 1, wherein the access node further comprises a second ACD interface configured to communicate via a second control channel with a second ACD.

12. The access node of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

based on the common control command, generate a second native control command in a second native format that is different from the common format to alter a configuration parameter associated with a second configuration parameter of the second ACD, the second configuration parameter being of a same parameter type as a parameter type of the first configuration parameter; and

communicate the second native control command to the second ACD via the second ACD interface to set the second configuration parameter to the different configuration parameter value.

13. The access node of claim 12, further comprising a memory, wherein the processor is configured to obtain first ACD instructions from the memory that identify the first native format, and to utilize the first ACD instructions to generate the first native control command in the first native format;

and

wherein the processor is configured to obtain second ACD instructions from the memory that identify the second native format, and to utilize the second ACD instructions to generate the second native control command in the second native format, wherein the second native format differs from the first native format.

14. The access node of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the first ACD has been connected to the access node;

initiate a control command in the first native format to the first ACD that requests the first ACD to provide a first plurality of configuration parameters to the access node;

receive the first plurality of configuration parameters from the first ACD; and

store the first plurality of configuration parameters in a memory.

15. The access node of claim 14, wherein the access node further comprises a second ACD interface configured to interface with a second ACD, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the second ACD has been connected to the access node;

initiate a control command in a second native format to the second ACD that requests the second ACD to provide a second plurality of configuration parameters to the access node;

receive the second plurality of configuration parameters from the second ACD; and

store the second plurality of configuration parameters in the memory.

16. The access node of claim 1, wherein the first ACD interface is further configured to communicate via a first audio channel with the first ACD, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive first audio signals from the first ACD;

translate the first audio signals into a first packetized voice stream; and

multicast the first packetized voice stream onto the network.

17. The access node of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

establish a first control communication session with the first edge device;

and store a first edge device identifier identifying the first edge device.

18. The access node of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

establish a plurality of control communication sessions with a corresponding plurality of edge devices, including the first control communication session with the first edge device; and

store, for each of the corresponding plurality of edge devices, an edge device identifier that identifies the corresponding edge device.

19. The access node of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to:

communicate, to the corresponding plurality of edge devices, the different configuration parameter value.

20. The access node of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a first message from the first edge device requesting an identification of all ACDs connected to the access node;

provide, in response to the first message, a second message to the first edge device identifying all ACDs connected to the access node; and

wherein the common control command in the common format identifying the different configuration parameter value identifies the first ACD.

21. The access node of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a third message from the first edge device requesting configuration parameters and configuration parameter values associated with the first ACD; and

provide, in response to the third message, a fourth message to the first edge device that contains the configuration parameters and the configuration parameter values associated with the first ACD.

22. An access node, comprising:

a first access communication device (ACD) interface configured to communicate via a first control channel with a first ACD;

a second ACD interface configured to communicate via a second control channel with a second ACD;

a network interface configured to communicate with a network; and

a processor configured to;

provide a first configuration parameter value associated with a first configuration parameter of the first ACD to a first edge device via the network interface;

receive, from the first edge device, via the network interface, a common control command in a common format identifying a different configuration parameter value;

based on the common control command, generate a first native control command in a first native format that is different from the common format to alter the first configuration parameter value of the first configuration parameter;

communicate the first native control command to the first ACD via the first control channel to set the first configuration parameter to the different configuration parameter value;

based on the common control command, generate a second native control command in a second native format that is different from the common format to alter a configuration parameter associated with a second configuration parameter of the second ACD, the second configuration parameter being of a same parameter type as a parameter type of the first configuration parameter; and

communicate the second native control command to the second ACD via the second ACD interface to set the second configuration parameter to the different configuration parameter value.

23. An access node, comprising:

a first access communication device (ACD) interface configured to communicate via a first control channel with a first ACD;

a network interface configured to communicate with a network; and

a processor configured to;

provide a first configuration parameter value associated with a first configuration parameter of the first ACD to a first edge device via the network interface;

receive, from the first edge device, via the network interface, a common control command in a common format identifying a different configuration parameter value;

based on the common control command, generate a first native control command in a first native format that is different from the common format to alter the first configuration parameter value of the first configuration parameter;

communicate the first native control command to the first ACD via the first control channel to set the first configuration parameter to the different configuration parameter value;

receive a first message from the first edge device requesting an identification of all ACDs connected to the access node;

provide, in response to the first message, a second message to the first edge device identifying all ACDs connected to the access node; and

wherein the common control command in the common format identifying the different configuration parameter value identifies the first ACD.