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

• US 8,804,608 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• 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): TRAN, PHUC H
• Application Number:
  US13/216,603
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 370/326, 370/536, 370/493
• US Class Current: 370/326
• 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 audio channel with a first ACD and via a first control channel with the first ACD;

a network interface configured to communicate with a network; and

a processor configured to;

receive first incoming audio signals from the first ACD via the first audio channel;

generate a first outgoing packetized voice stream based on the first incoming audio signals;

multicast the first outgoing packetized voice stream over the network;

in response to multicasting the first outgoing packetized voice stream, receive a first incoming packetized voice stream from a first edge device via the network interface;

generate first outgoing audio signals based on the first incoming packetized voice stream; and

provide the first outgoing audio signals to the first ACD via the first audio channel.

2. The access node of claim 1, wherein the first ACD interface comprises a first audio channel interface and a first control channel interface.

3. The access node of claim 2, wherein the first audio channel is established via the first audio channel interface over an audio communication link, and the first control channel is established via the first control channel interface over a control communication link, and wherein the audio communication link is a different communication link from the control communication link.

4. The access node of claim 3, wherein the first audio channel interface comprises an analog audio channel interface, and the first control channel interface comprises a serial control channel interface.

5. The access node of claim 4, wherein the first audio channel interface couples to the first ACD via an analog audio communication link and the first control channel interface couples to the first ACD via an RS-232 communication link.

6. The access node of claim 5, wherein the analog audio communication link is configured to couple to the first ACD via an analog audio port of the first ACD.

7. The access node of claim 1, where the processor is further configured to:

establish a control communication session with the first edge device;

receive a control command from the first edge device; and

communicate the control command to the first ACD via the first control channel.

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

receive second incoming audio signals from the second ACD via the second audio channel;

generate a second outgoing packetized voice stream based on the second incoming audio signals;

multicast the second outgoing packetized voice stream over the network;

in response to multicasting the second outgoing packetized voice stream, receive a second incoming packetized voice stream from a second edge device via the network interface;

generate second outgoing audio signals based on the second incoming packetized voice stream; and

provide the second outgoing audio signals to the second ACD via the second audio channel.

9. The access node of claim 8, wherein the first outgoing packetized voice stream is multicast to a first multicast address associated with the first ACD, and the second outgoing packetized voice stream is multicast to a second multicast address associated with the second ACD, the first multicast address being different from the second multicast address.

10. The access node of claim 8, wherein the first ACD comprises a first radio frequency (RF) radio and the second ACD comprises a second RF radio, the first RF radio being a different radio type than the second RF radio.

11. An edge device, comprising:

a network interface adapted to communicate with a network;

an audio output port;

an audio input port; and

a processor configured to;

establish a control communication session with an access node via a unicast address associated with the access node;

receive, from the access node, a first incoming packetized voice stream via a first multicast address associated with a first access communication device (ACD), the first ACD being connected to the access node;

render the first incoming packetized voice stream to the audio output port;

receive audio signals of a user via the audio input port;

generate a first outgoing packetized voice stream comprising a plurality of packets, wherein the plurality of packets is addressed to the first multicast address; and

transmit the first outgoing packetized voice stream onto the network for receipt by the access node and communication to the first ACD.

12. The edge device of claim 11, wherein prior to receiving, from the access node, the first incoming packetized voice stream, the processor is further configured to:

present a user interface (UI) to the user, the UI comprising a plurality of device identifiers, each of the device identifiers identifying one of a plurality of ACDs including the first ACD, each of the plurality of ACDs having a corresponding multicast address associated therewith;

receive, via the UI, input identifying a first selected device identifier of the plurality of device identifiers, wherein the first selected device identifier corresponds to the first ACD;

determine the first multicast address associated with the first ACD; and

monitor the first multicast address.

13. The edge device of claim 12, wherein the edge device is further configured to:

receive, via the UI, second input identifying a second selected device identifier of the plurality of device identifiers, wherein the second selected device identifier corresponds to a second ACD connected to the access node;

determine a second multicast address associated with the second ACD;

monitor the second multicast address; and

receive, from the access node, a second incoming packetized voice stream via the second multicast address.

14. The edge device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive second audio signals of the user via the audio input port;

generate a second outgoing packetized voice stream comprising a plurality of packets, wherein the plurality of packets is addressed to the second multicast address; and

transmit the second outgoing packetized voice stream onto the network for receipt by the access node and communication to the second ACD.

15. The edge device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate a control command to alter a configuration parameter value of a configuration parameter of the first ACD; and

send the control command to the access node via the control communication session for communication to the first ACD.

16. The edge device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive from the access node a plurality of configuration parameter values associated with the first ACD;

present, in a user interface (UI), the plurality of configuration parameter values in association with corresponding configuration parameters associated with the first ACD;

receive, via user input, a different configuration parameter value for one of the corresponding configuration parameters;

generate a control command to set the one of the corresponding configuration parameters to the different configuration parameter value; and

communicate the control command via the control communication session to the access node for transmission to the first ACD.

17. The edge device of claim 16, wherein the UI comprises digital imagery depicting a front of the first ACD.

18. The edge device of claim 11, wherein the edge device comprises a touch-sensitive surface, the processor further configured to:

present, in a user interface (UI), digital imagery depicting a front of the first ACD, the digital imagery including a plurality of buttons;

detect a touch of the user on the touch-sensitive surface at a location corresponding to one of the plurality of buttons in the digital imagery;

generate a control command indicating a depression of the one of the plurality of buttons; and

send the control command to the access node via the control communication session for presentation to the first ACD.

19. The edge device of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an acknowledgment from the access node that the first ACD processed the control command; and

in response to the acknowledgment, update the UI to indicate to the user that the first ACD processed the control command.

20. The edge device of claim 19, wherein the edge device comprises one of a session initiation phone (SIP) phone, a computer tablet, and a smartphone.

21. An access node, comprising:

an access communication device (ACD) interface configured to establish an analog audio channel with an ACD and a control channel with the ACD;

a network interface configured to communicate with a network; and

a processor configured to;

receive incoming analog audio signals from the ACD via the analog audio channel, translate the incoming audio signals into an outgoing packetized voice stream, and multicast the outgoing packetized voice stream onto the network via the network interface;

receive an incoming packetized voice stream from an edge device addressed to a multicast address associated with the ACD, translate the incoming packetized voice stream into outgoing analog audio signals, and communicate the outgoing analog audio signals to the ACD via the analog audio channel;

establish a control communication session with the edge device;

receive a control command from the edge device via the control communication session, the control command including a configuration parameter value that corresponds to a configuration parameter of the ACD; and

communicate the control command to the ACD via the control channel.

22. An access node, comprising:

an access communication device (ACD) interface configured to establish an analog audio channel with an ACD and a control channel with the ACD; and

a processor configured to;

translate incoming analog audio signals received from the ACD via the analog audio channel into outgoing packetized voice streams for multicast transmission onto a network;

translate incoming packetized voice streams received from an edge device via a multicast address into outgoing analog audio signals for transmission to the ACD via the analog audio channel; and

establish a control communication session with the edge device via which, in conjunction with the control channel, configuration parameters and configuration parameters values may be exchanged between the ACD and the edge device.