Mobile repeater system based ad hoc trunked sites

• US 9,100,988 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Vilmur, Roger M., Gustafson, Leslie G., Serfaty, Salomon, Eyal, Eilon, Nadjar, Doron
• Primary Examiner(s): Elliott, IV, Benjamin H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowlin, Eric
• Application Number:
  US13/657,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20140112242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A first Mobile Repeater System (MRS), configured to serve as an access point associated with a Basic Service Set (BSS), broadcasts a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID). Other Mobile Repeater Systems (MRSs) join the BSS to create a local ad hoc trunked site in which each of the MRSs are communicatively coupled via at least one WLAN communication link. These MRSs include the first MRS and a second MRS. The first MRS can be configured to provide a control channel for communication with a first subscriber unit, and the second MRSs can be configured to provide a first trunked traffic channel for communication with the first subscriber unit.

Claims

1. A method for creating a local ad-hoc trunked site, the method comprising:

broadcasting, by a first Mobile Repeater (MR) that is configured to serve as an access point associated with a Basic Service Set (BSS), a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) via a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication link;

creating, by the first MR, a local ad hoc trunked site comprising a plurality of Mobile Repeaters (MRs) including the first MR and a second MR, wherein each of the plurality of MRs are communicatively coupled via the WLAN communication link;

the first MR acting as a control MR and providing a land mobile radio (LMR) control channel for control communications with a plurality of LMR subscriber units; and

assigning, by the first MR via the WLAN communication link and responsive to the first MR receiving a traffic channel request from a first LMR subscriber unit out of the plurality of LMR subscriber units via the LMR control channel, the second MR to act as a traffic MR and provide a first trunked traffic channel for call communications between the first LMR subscriber unit and one or more other LMR subscriber units out of the plurality of LMR subscriber units.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after the WLAN communication link is established:

establishing a system network connection that communicatively couples the first MR to a control channel of the fixed network equipment (FNE).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the FNE operates in accordance with an Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Project 25 (P25) communication protocol.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the FNE operates in accordance with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the LMR control channel is implemented using a first pair of assigned frequencies over a first repeater-to-subscriber RF communication link.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first trunked traffic channel is implemented using a second pair of assigned frequencies over a second repeater-to-subscriber RF communication link, wherein the second pair of assigned frequencies is different than the first pair of assigned frequencies.

7. A local ad-hoc trunked site comprising:

a plurality of Mobile Repeaters (MRs) each being programmed with a Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), the plurality of MRs comprising;

a first MR configured to broadcast, via a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication link, the BSSID and to serve as an access point that establishes WLAN communication link with each of the other MRs to form a Basic Service Set (BSS), wherein the first MR is further configured to act as a control MR and provide a land mobile radio (LMR) control channel for control communications with a plurality of LMR subscriber units; and

a second MR configured to join the BSS as a traffic MR;

wherein the first MR is further configured to, responsive to receiving a traffic channel request from a first LMR subscriber unit out of the plurality of LMR subscriber units via the LMR control channel, assign the second MR, via the WLAN communication link, to act as the traffic MR for the requested traffic channel, and to provide a first trunked traffic channel for call communications between the first subscriber unit and one or more other LMR subscriber units out of the plurality of LMR subscriber units.

8. The local ad-hoc trunked site according to claim 7, further comprising:

a fixed network equipment (FNE) communicatively coupled to the first MR, wherein the first MR is programmed to establish a control channel connection to the fixed network equipment (FNE).

9. The local ad-hoc trunked site according to claim 7, wherein the LMR control channel is implemented using a first pair of assigned frequencies over a first repeater-to-subscriber RF communication link, and wherein the first trunked traffic channel is implemented using a second pair of assigned frequencies over a second repeater-to-subscriber RF communication link, wherein the second pair of assigned frequencies is different than the first pair of assigned frequencies.

10. The local ad-hoc trunked site according to claim 8, wherein the FNE operates in accordance with an Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Project 25 (P25) communication protocol.

11. The local ad-hoc trunked site according to claim 8,

wherein the FNE operates in accordance with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication protocol.

12. The local ad-hoc trunked site according to claim 7, wherein control information communicated over the LMR control channel via a first repeater-to-subscriber RF communication link is transported over a first bearer between the cellular base station and the fixed network equipment (FNE), and

wherein the traffic information communicated over first trunked traffic channel via a second repeater-to-subscriber RF communication link is transported over a guaranteed bit rate (GBR) bearer between the cellular base station and the fixed network equipment (FNE).

13. A method for establishing a network of mobile repeaters to provide local ad-hoc trunked coverage at an incident scene, the method comprising:

communicating among the mobile repeaters to automatically establish a WLAN communication link with one another;

then communicating among the mobile repeaters to establish a local trunked site for a plurality of subscriber units, wherein at least one of the mobile repeaters is configured to provide a land mobile radio (LMR) control channel and at least another of the mobile repeaters is configured to provide a LMR traffic channel assignable in response to receiving a request for a traffic channel from a subscriber unit out of the plurality of subscriber units via the LMR control channel; and

after the mobile repeaters have self-organized to establish the trunked site, automatically establishing a system network connection between at least one of the mobile repeaters and an infrastructure-based network.