Hybrid land mobile radio system incorporating mobility management and out-of-coverage indication

• US 9,420,558 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E F Johnson Company (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Original Assignee: E F Johnson Company (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Roy, Arindam, Trine, Linda, Jobe, Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPATA, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US14/230,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20140211650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/235, 370/237
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and a method for providing mobility management and out-of-coverage indication in a hybrid system comprised of conventional LMR sites and trunking LMR sites. If a radio is located at a conventional site, the radio provides its location and user group data to the disclosed system through its traffic channel when the channel is idle. If the radio is located at a trunking site, the radio provides its location and user group data to the disclosed system through the trunking site'"'"'s control channel. Knowledge of the radio'"'"'s current location and user group data is used to provide dynamic call routing and data management within the disclosed system. The disclosed system and method provides seamless communication between a trunking site and a conventional site while concurrently enhancing the hybrid system to provide mobility management and out-of-coverage indication features typically associated with a stand-alone trunking system.

Claims

1. A method for providing mobility management and out-of-coverage indication in a hybrid land mobile radio system that includes a conventional land mobile radio site and a trunking land mobile radio site, the method comprising:

monitoring a traffic channel of the conventional land mobile radio site of the hybrid land mobile radio system;

communicating, over the traffic channel, data packets between the conventional land mobile radio site and a radio, wherein receipt of the data packets indicates that the radio is within coverage of the hybrid land mobile radio system;

communicating, over the traffic channel, radio data between the radio and the conventional land mobile radio site when the traffic channel is idle; and

indicating that the radio is out-of-coverage if communication between the radio and the conventional land mobile radio site is not detected on the traffic channel for an allotted amount of time.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, over a control channel, data packets between the trunking land mobile radio site and a second radio;

communicating, over the control channel, radio data from the second radio to the trunking land mobile radio site; and

indicating that the second radio is out-of-coverage when the second radio is outside of coverage of the hybrid land mobile radio system.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the radio data comprises at least one of radio location data and radio user group data.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising updating the hybrid land mobile radio system with the radio data.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein the radio data is updated if the radio data is different than previously-known radio data.

6. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein updating the hybrid land mobile radio system with the radio data comprises:

storing the radio data at a location associated with the conventional or trunking land mobile radio site; and

routing the radio data to other land mobile radio sites in the system.

7. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein updating the hybrid land mobile radio system with the radio data comprises:

storing the radio data at a location associated with the conventional or trunking land mobile radio site;

routing the radio data to a home location site; and

transmitting the radio data from the home location site to at least one other land mobile radio site in the system.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein updating the hybrid land mobile radio system with the radio data further comprises storing the radio data in a location associated with the at least one other land mobile radio site.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein indicating that the radio is out-of-coverage includes at least one of an audible indication, a physical indication, or a visual indication at the radio.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein detecting communication on the traffic channel comprises detecting at least one of audio communication or data communication on the traffic channel.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

initiating a call from the radio, wherein the radio is affiliated with a user group and is in communication with the conventional or trunking land mobile radio site; and

allocating one or more traffic channel resources at a second land mobile radio site enabling the user group.

12. A system for providing mobility management and out-of-coverage indication in a hybrid land mobile radio system, the system comprising:

one or more conventional land mobile radio sites comprising the hybrid land mobile radio system;

one or more trunking land mobile radio sites comprising the hybrid land mobile radio system; and

a radio operable to communicate with at least one of the one or more conventional land mobile radio sites or trunking land mobile radio sites over a traffic channel, and to indicate the radio is out-of-coverage of the hybrid land mobile radio system if the radio does not detect activity on the traffic channel for an allotted amount of time.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the radio is further operable to monitor the traffic channel for activity and transmit radio data to the at least one of the one or more conventional land mobile radio sites when the traffic channel is idle.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the radio detects activity on the traffic channel by receiving at least one of audio communication or data communication on the traffic channel.

15. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the radio is further operable to transmit radio data to a trunking land mobile radio site through a control channel.

16. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the radio data comprises at least one of radio location data or radio user group data.

17. The system as set forth in claim 12, wherein indicating that the radio is out-of-coverage includes at least one of an audible indication, a physical indication, or a visual indication at the radio.

18. A method for providing communication between a radio and at least one of a conventional land mobile radio site and a trunking land mobile radio site comprising a hybrid land mobile radio system, the method comprising:

monitoring a traffic channel of the conventional land mobile radio site of the hybrid land mobile radio system;

communicating data packets between the radio and the conventional land mobile radio site of the hybrid land mobile radio system, wherein receipt of the data packets indicates that the radio is within coverage of the hybrid land mobile radio system; and

indicating that the radio is out-of-coverage of the hybrid land mobile radio system if activity is not detected on the traffic channel for an allotted amount of time.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, further comprising communicating radio data across the traffic channel when the traffic channel is idle.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the radio data comprises at least one of radio location data and radio user group data.

21. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein detecting activity on the traffic channel includes detecting at least one of audio communication or data communication on the traffic channel.

22. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein indicating that the radio is out-of-coverage includes providing at least one of an audible indication, a physical indication, or a visual indication at the radio.