Hopping master in wireless conference

• US 9,143,309 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dominant Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Dominant Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Fraser, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, KEVIN M
• Application Number:
  US14/225,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20140198778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0641 Change of the master or reference, e.g. take-over or failure of the master
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/565 relating to time schedule aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A first radio has duplex communication with a second radio and a third radio, without using a base station by using a multiple-access protocol system. The first radio is configured to switch back and forth between being a master radio and a slave radio in the multiple-access protocol system. In some embodiments, time-division multiplexing is used as the multiple-access protocol system for the first radio, the second radio, and the third radio to communicate. In some embodiments, the master radio provides timing synchronization and/or assigns transmission slots for radios in the multiple-access protocol system.

Claims

1. A first radio for performing as a master and a slave in a multivoice system using time division multiplexing, the first radio comprising:

a receiver configured to;

receive wireless communication from a second radio using time-division multiplexing; and

receive wireless communication from a third radio using time-division multiplexing;

a transmitter configured to;

transmit wireless communication to the second radio using time-division multiplexing; and

transmit wireless communication to the third radio using time-division multiplexing; and

electronics configured to;

receive a transmission from the second radio, wherein the first radio is configured to act a slave to the second radio;

determine, after receiving the transmission from the second radio, that the first radio did not receive a qualifying transmission from the second radio; and

based on determining that the first radio did not receive the qualifying transmission from the second radio, and before powering off, function as a master radio by providing data to the third radio for synchronizing radios in the multivoice system.

2. The first radio as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronics are further configured to:

receive a request from a fourth radio for an assignment to a transmission slot; and

assign the fourth radio to the transmission slot.

3. The first radio as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronics are further configured to determine whether or not the first radio is in a mode for the first radio to not transmit audio communication.

4. The first radio as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the electronics are further configured to determine the first radio has a parameter indicating the first radio has a preference to be the master radio; and

providing data to the third radio for synchronizing radios in the multivoice system is based, at least partially, on;

determining that the first radio did not receive the qualifying transmission from the second radio; and

the first radio has the parameter indicating the first radio has a preference to be the master radio.

5. The first radio as recited in claim 1, wherein the qualifying transmission is, at least partially, determined by receiving a transmission from the second radio having a signal strength exceed a predetermined threshold value.

6. The first radio as recited in claim 1, wherein the first radio is configured to act as a slave to the second radio by receiving data from the second radio for synchronizing radios in a multivoice system.

7. The first radio as recited in claim 1, wherein the qualifying transmission is, at least partially, determined by receiving one or more transmissions from the second radio for a predetermined duration of time.

8. The first radio as recited in claim 1, wherein determining the first radio did not receive the qualifying transmission from the second radio comprises:

the first radio receiving a plurality of wireless transmissions from the second radio;

the plurality of wireless transmissions having corresponding signal strengths;

determining at least one of the corresponding signal strengths exceeds a predetermined threshold, and

determining the corresponding signal strengths, as a function of time, are decreasing.

9. A method for configuring a first radio to perform one or more master functions in a multivoice system using time-division multiplexing without a base station, the method comprising:

receiving a slot assignment from a second radio for communicating using time-division multiplexing;

determining, after receiving the slot assignment from the second radio, that the first radio did not receive a qualifying transmission from the second radio; and

determining, before the first radio powers off, for the first radio to act as a master radio for a third radio based on determining that the first radio did not receive the qualifying transmission from the second radio, wherein the first radio and the third radio are configured to communicate with each other using time-division multiplexing.

10. The method for configuring the first radio to perform one or more master functions in the multivoice system using time-division multiplexing as recited in claim 9, the method further comprising providing data to the third radio for synchronizing radios in the multivoice system.

11. The method for configuring the first radio to perform one or more master functions in the multivoice system using time-division multiplexing as recited in claim 9, the method further comprising:

receiving a request from a fourth radio for an assignment to a transmission slot;

assigning the fourth radio to a first transmission slot.

12. The method for configuring the first radio to perform one or more master functions in the multivoice system using time-division multiplexing as recited in claim 9, wherein the method further comprises determining whether or not the first radio is in a mode for the first radio to not transmit audio communication.

13. The method for configuring the first radio to perform one or more master functions in the multivoice system using time-division multiplexing as recited in claim 9, the method further comprising:

identifying that the first radio has a parameter indicating the first radio has a preference to be a master; and

determining to act as the master radio for the third radio is based, at least partially, on;

determining that the second radio is not found; and

the first radio has the parameter indicating the first radio has the preference to be the master.

14. The method for configuring the first radio to perform one or more master functions in the multivoice system using time-division multiplexing as recited in claim 9, wherein determining that the second radio is not found is, at least partially, determined by receiving a transmission from the second radio having a signal strength not exceeding a predetermined threshold value.

15. A first radio having instructions stored in memory, that when executed, have the first radio perform the following steps:

receive a slot assignment from a second radio, wherein the first radio is configured to act as a slave to the second radio, wherein;

the second radio provides commands for radios communicating using a multiple access protocol; and

the first radio is configured to receive and implement commands received from the second radio;

determine, after receiving the slot assignment from the second radio, that the first radio did not receive a qualifying transmission from the second radio; and

determine, before the first radio powers off, for the first radio to act as a master radio for and a third radio and a fourth radio, based on determining that the first radio did not receive the qualifying transmission from the second radio, wherein the first radio, the third radio, and the third fourth radio are configured to communicate directly with each other using the multiple access protocol, without a base station.

16. The first radio having instructions stored in memory as recited in claim 15, the instructions, when executed, further cause the first radio to:

provide data to the third radio for synchronizing radios using the multiple access protocol; and

provide data to the fourth radio for synchronizing radios using the multiple access protocol, wherein the multiple access protocol is a time division multiple access protocol.

17. The first radio having instructions stored in memory as recited in claim 15, the instructions, when executed, further cause the first radio to:

receive a request from the fourth radio for an assignment to a transmission slot; and

assign the fourth radio to a first transmission slot.

18. The first radio having instructions stored in memory as recited in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the first radio to determine whether or not the first radio is in a mode for the first radio to not transmit audio communication.

19. The first radio having instructions stored in memory as recited in claim 15, the instructions, when executed, further cause the first radio to:

identify that the first radio has a parameter indicating the first radio has a preference to be a master; and

provide data for synchronization to the third radio based, at least partially, on;

determining that the second radio is not found; and

the first radio has the parameter indicating the first radio has a preference to be the master.

20. The first radio having instructions stored in memory as recited in claim 15, wherein determining that the second radio is not found is, at least partially, determined by receiving a transmission from the second radio having a signal strength not exceeding a predetermined threshold value.