Self-monitoring radio network

• US 20060030269A1
• Filed: 10/10/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Hall, Ronald W., Sabongi, Gebran J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,715,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/63.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A headset monitoring system includes a plurality of headsets and a base station. Each headset includes a microphone, a speaker, a transceiver, and a memory device for storing an identification code, and the base station includes a transceiver, a microprocessor, a memory device, and a user interface. The base station is configured to send and receive data to and from the headsets and is further configured to identify headsets that are not functioning properly.

Claims

1. A headset monitoring system, the system including:

a plurality of headsets, wherein each of the headsets includes a microphone, a speaker, a transceiver, and a memory device for storing an identification code;

a base station configured to send and receive data to and from the headsets, the base station including a transceiver, a microprocessor, a memory device, and a user interface,

wherein the base station is configured to identify headsets that are not functioning properly.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification code stored in the headset memory device corresponds with an identifier located on an exterior of the headset.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station is configured to automatically notify a repair service when a headset is not functioning properly.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the headsets and the base station are components of a communication network that includes a magnetic proximity loop.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a touch screen display.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein operational parameters for the headsets are programmed to the headsets by physically entering operational parameters into the base station and wirelessly transmitting the operational parameters to the headsets.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprises a non-headset peripheral device that is configured to send to and receive data from the base station.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-headset peripheral device alerts the base station when certain predetermined conditions are met.

9. A two-way radio improved so as to render its operability observable, the two-way radio comprising:

an antenna for receiving and broadcasting transmissions;

a transceiver unit coupled to the antenna for modulating a carrier signal with a signal to be transmitted and for recovering a baseband signal from a received transmission;

a microprocessor coupled to the transceiver unit, the microprocessor programmed to command a broadcast of a transmission containing a code identifying the radio, at a designated point in time; and

wherein, prior to the broadcast of the transmission containing the identification code, the frequency for the broadcast is loaded to a memory location in the two-way radio.

10. The two-way radio of claim 9, wherein the two-way radio is a headset including a microphone and a speaker.

11. The two-way radio of claim 9, wherein the identification code corresponds with an identifier on an exterior of the two-way radio.

12. The two-way radio of claim 9, wherein the designated point in time for transmission of the identification code occurs in a power-up sequence of the radio.

13. The two-way radio of claim 9, wherein the designated point in time for transmission of the identification code occurs after a period of delay following a broadcast of a query signal.

14. The two-way radio of claim 9, wherein the designated point in time for transmission of the identification code occurs following a broadcast of a query signal containing the code identifying the radio.

15. The two-way radio of claim 9, wherein the transceiver unit transmits upon a first carrier frequency and receives signals modulated upon a second carrier frequency.

16. A method of identifying nonfunctional two-way radios from among a known group of two-way radios expected to be operating within a region, the method comprising:

for each of the two-way radios expected to be operating within the region, establishing a corresponding window of time;

for each of the established windows of time, awaiting a transmission from the corresponding radio;

if, for a particular radio, no transmission is detected within its corresponding window of time, recording the absence of the transmission;

if, for a particular radio, the number of times absence of transmission has been recorded exceeds a threshold, identifying the particular radio as nonfunctional;

wherein the step of establishing a time window corresponding to each radio comprises;

for each of the two-way radios expected to be operating in the region, assigning a corresponding unique delay period;

broadcasting a query signal;

following the broadcast of the query signal, for each of the two-way radios, commencing the window of time corresponding to a particular radio, after waiting for the unique delay period assigned to the particular radio to elapse; and

for each of the two-way radios, closing its corresponding window of time, after waiting for a pre-defined period to elapse.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of establishing a time window corresponding to each radio comprises:

transmitting a query signal containing a code identifying a particular radio;

commencing the window of time corresponding to the particular radio, upon transmission of the query signal; and

closing the window of time corresponding to the particular radio, after waiting for a pre-defined period of time to elapse.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of establishing a time window corresponding to each radio comprises:

opening a window of time corresponding to all of the radios;

waiting for a predefined period to elapse; and

closing the window of time.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of awaiting a transmission from a radio corresponding to a window of time comprises:

receiving transmissions on a carrier frequency assigned to the radio corresponding to the window of time; and

inspecting the received transmissions for presence of an identification code corresponding to the radio corresponding to the window of time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the identification code is a sinusoid of a pre-defined frequency.