Hopping master in wireless conference

• US 9,485,631 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dominant Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Dominant Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Fraser, Ronald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUNNINGHAM, KEVIN M
• Application Number:
  US14/833,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 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 radio for switching between master radios using time division multiplexing, the radio comprising:

a receiver configured to;

receive wireless communication from a first master radio using time-division multiplexing, wherein;

the first master radio provides a first timing synchronization data; and

the first master radio is a mobile, handheld radio; and

receive wireless communication from a second master radio using time-division multiplexing, wherein;

the second master radio provides a second timing synchronization data; and

the second master radio is a mobile, handheld radio;

a transmitter configured to;

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

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

electronics configured to;

receive a transmission from the first master radio using the first timing synchronization data; and

receive a transmission from the second master radio using the second timing synchronization data, wherein the radio does not power off between receiving the transmission from the first master radio and receiving the transmission from the second master radio.

2. The radio for switching between master radios as recited in claim 1, wherein the radio receives wireless communication from the first master radio and wireless communication from the second master radio during a same transmission slot.

3. The radio for switching between master radios as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiver is further configured to directly receive wireless communication from a slave radio of the second master radio.

4. The radio for switching between master radios as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmission from the first master radio comprises audio communication derived from a user of the first master radio.

5. The radio for switching between master radios as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronics are further configured to receive and implement a second assignment from the second master radio to transmit during a second transmission slot using the second timing synchronization data after receiving a first assignment from the first master radio to transmit during a first transmission slot using the first timing synchronization data.

6. A method for a slave radio to switch between master radios using time division multiplexing comprising:

receiving a transmission from a first master radio using a first time division multiple access (TDMA) timing synchronization data, wherein the first master radio is a mobile, handheld radio;

receiving a transmission from a second master radio, wherein;

the second master radio uses a second TDMA timing synchronization data; and

the second master radio is a mobile, handheld radio;

switching from implementing the first TDMA timing synchronization data to implementing the second TDMA timing synchronization data without powering off between receiving the transmission from the first master radio and receiving the transmission from the second master radio.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein switching from implementing the first TDMA timing synchronization data to implementing the second TDMA timing synchronization data comprises receiving a second assignment from the second master radio to transmit during a second transmission slot using the second TDMA timing synchronization data after receiving a first assignment from the first master radio to transmit during a first transmission slot using the first TDMA timing synchronization data.

8. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

comparing a first signal strength to a second signal strength, wherein;

the first signal strength is of a signal from the transmission from the first master radio; and

the second signal strength is of a signal from the transmission from the second master radio; and

determining to switch from implementing the first TDMA timing synchronization data to implementing the second TDMA timing synchronization data based on the second signal strength being greater than the first signal strength.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising waiting to verify the second master radio has a stronger received signal strength than the first master radio.

10. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

comparing a first signal strength to a second signal strength, wherein;

the first signal strength is of a signal from the transmission from the first master radio; and

the second signal strength is of a signal from the transmission from the second master radio; and

performing a search for master routine based on the second signal strength being greater than the first signal strength.

11. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving data of a first number of slave radios in a group with the first master radio;

receiving data of a second number of slave radios in a group with the second master;

comparing the first number of slave radios to the second number of slave radios; and

switching from implementing the first TDMA timing synchronization data to implementing the second TDMA timing synchronization data based on the first number of slave radios being less than the second number of slave radios.

12. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving data that the first master radio became a slave to the second master radio; and

switching from implementing the first TDMA timing synchronization data to implementing the second TDMA timing synchronization data based on receiving data that the first master radio became a slave to the second master radio.

13. A radio system having multiple master radios and a slave radio switch between master radios, the radio system comprising:

a first master radio, wherein;

the first master radio is configured to transmit first time division multiple access (TDMA) timing synchronization data; and

the first master radio is a mobile, handheld radio;

a second master radio, wherein;

the second master radio is configured to transmit second TDMA timing synchronization data; and

the second master radio is a mobile, handheld radio; and

a slave radio configured to;

receive the first TDMA timing synchronization data from the first master radio;

implement the first TDMA timing synchronization data, such that a user of the slave radio can communicate with a user of the first master radio;

receive the second TDMA timing synchronization data from the second master radio; and

implement the second TDMA timing synchronization data, such that the user of the slave radio can communicate with a user of the second master radio, without turning off between implementing the first TDMA timing synchronization data and implementing the second TDMA timing synchronization data.

14. The radio system as recited in claim 13, wherein

the slave radio is further configured to:

compare a first number of slave radios to a second number of slave radios; and

implement the second TDMA timing synchronization data based on the second number of slave radios being greater than the first number of slave radios;

the first number of slave radios is a number of slave radios of the first master radio; and

the second number of slave radios is a number of slave radios of the second master radio.

15. The radio system as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the slave radio is a mobile, handheld radio.

16. The radio system as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the first TDMA timing synchronization data is for a first group of radios communicating directly with each other; and

the second TDMA timing synchronization data is for a second group of radios communicating directly with each other.

17. The radio system as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the slave radio is a first slave radio;

the radio system further comprises a second slave radio; and

the first slave radio and the second slave radio transmit and receive directly with each other, without using a base station.

18. The radio system as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the slave radio is further configured to;

compare a first signal strength to a second signal strength;

compare a first number of slave radios to a second number of slave radios; and

implement the second TDMA timing synchronization data based on;

the second signal strength being greater than the first signal strength; and

the second number of slave radios being greater than the first number of slave radios;

the first signal strength is of a signal from the first master radio;

the second signal strength is of a signal from the second master radio;

the first number of slave radios is a number of slave radios of the first master radio; and

the second number of slave radios is a number of slave radios of the second master radio.

19. The radio system as recited in claim 13, wherein the slave radio is further configured to receive and implement a second assignment from the second master radio to transmit during a second transmission slot using the second TDMA timing synchronization data after receiving a first assignment from the first master radio to transmit during a first transmission slot using the first TDMA timing synchronization data.

20. The radio system as recited in claim 13, wherein the first master radio and the second master radio transmit during a same transmission slot.