SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING WITH A PLURALITY OF REMOTE COMMUNICATION UNITS

• US 20110077001A1
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Brown, Christopher A., Figg, Andrew, Schneider, John F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A communication system and method provides data and voice communication from a base unit to a plurality of mobile command units and a plurality of remote units located at different locations across a geographical area.

Claims

1. A mobile command unit for providing voice and data communications with at least one remote communication unit, the mobile command unit comprising:

a plurality of voice receivers, each voice receiver being configured to receive a voice signal from a different voice signal transmitter;

a plurality of data receivers, each data receiver being configured to receive a data signal from a different data signal transmitter;

an audio module coupled to the plurality of voice receivers, the audio module being configured to extract voice information data from a plurality of different voice signals received by the plurality of voice receivers and to generate a plurality of digital voice packets having a uniform format from the extracted voice information data;

a data module coupled to the plurality of data receivers, the data module being configured to convert a plurality of different data signals received by the plurality of data receivers into digital data packets having a uniform format;

a data stream manager coupled to the audio module and the data module, the data stream manager merging the digital voice packets from audio module with the digital data packets from data module to form a digital data stream; and

a digital data transmitter coupled to the data stream manager, the digital data transmitter being configured to transmit the digital data stream to a compatible digital data receiver of at least one remote communication unit to provide both voice and data communication with the at least one remote communication unit.

2. The mobile command unit of claim 1, further comprising a bandwidth manager coupled between the data module and the data stream manager.

3. The mobile command unit of claim 1, wherein the remote communication unit is a dismounted remote command unit including a digital data receiver/transmitter and a computing device.

4. The mobile command unit of claim 3, wherein the dismounted remote command unit also includes a headset and a channel selector coupled to the computing device.

5. The mobile command unit of claim 3, wherein the computing device of the dismounted remote command unit receives the digital data stream from the mobile command unit and separates the digital data packets from the digital voice packets to provide both voice communication and data communication to the dismounted command unit.

6. The mobile command unit of claim 3, wherein the dismounted command unit further includes a second digital data receiver/transmitter coupled to the computing device for communicating with a plurality of compatible data receiver/transmitters on other dismounted remote communication units.

7. The mobile command unit of claim 3, wherein the dismounted remote command unit is located in a backpack worn by a user.

8. The mobile command unit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of voice receivers are wideband, multi-band, multi-transmission radios.

9. The mobile command unit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data receivers are wideband, multi-band, multi-transmission radios.

10. A method for providing voice and data communications from a plurality of different sources to a remote communication unit, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of different analog voice signals from a plurality of different analog voice signal sources, each of the analog voice signals including voice information data;

extracting the voice information data from the plurality of received analog voice signals;

formatting the extracted voice information data into a plurality of digital voice packets having a uniform format;

receiving a plurality of different digital data signals from a plurality of different digital data sources;

formatting the plurality of different digital data signals into a plurality of digital data packets having a uniform format;

combining the digital voice packets and the digital data packets into a digital data stream; and

transmitting the digital data stream to the remote communication unit to provide both voice and data communication with the remote communication unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of different voice signal sources transmit a plurality of voice signals at a plurality of different frequencies.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of different data sources transmit the plurality of different data signals at a plurality of different frequencies.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising encrypting the transmitted digital data stream.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the voice information data is formatted using one of voice over IP and radio over IP.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the remote communication unit is a dismounted remote command unit, the method further comprising:

receiving the digital data stream at the dismounted remote command unit;

separating the digital voice packets from the digital data packets to provide both voice and data communications to the remote command unit.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising forwarding the digital data stream from the dismounted remote command unit to a plurality of other remote communication units in communication with the remote command unit to provide both voice and data communications to the plurality of other remote communication units.

17. A mobile command unit for providing voice and data communications between a base communication unit and a remote communication unit, the mobile command unit comprising:

an analog voice receiver/transmitter configured to receive analog voice signals from the base unit and transmit analog voice signals to the base unit;

a data receiver/transmitter configured to receive digital data signals from the base unit and transmit digital data signals to the base unit;

an adapter coupled to the analog voice receiver/transmitter, the adapter being configured convert analog voice signals received by the voice receiver/transmitter into digital voice packets;

a switch coupled to the adapter and to the data receiver/transmitter, the switch being configured to combine the digital voice packets with digital data packets from the data receiver/transmitter into a digital data stream; and

a digital receiver/transmitter coupled to the switch, the digital receiver/transmitter being configured to transmit the digital data stream from the mobile command unit to the remote communication unit.

18. The mobile command unit of claim 17, wherein the digital voice packets are voice over Internet Protocol data packets.

19. The mobile command unit of claim 17, wherein the digital voice packets are radio over Internet Protocol data packets.

20. The mobile command unit of claim 17, wherein the switch is an Ethernet switch.

21. The mobile command unit of claim 17, wherein the mobile command unit further includes an intercom coupled to the adapter to permit an operator of the mobile command unit to provide voice communication to the remote communication unit.

22. The mobile command unit of claim 21, wherein the remote communication unit comprises:

a remote digital data receiver/transmitter configured to receive the digital data stream from the mobile command unit;

a computing device coupled to the remote digital data receiver/transmitter, the computing device being configured to separate and process the voice packets and the data packets from the digital data stream.

23. The mobile command unit of claim 22, wherein the remote communication unit further comprises a headset coupled to the computing device and configured to receive a voice signal based on the separated and processed voice packets.

24. The mobile command unit of claim 22, wherein the remote communication unit further comprises a display coupled to the computing device, the display being configured to receive and display information based on the separated and processed data packets.

25. The mobile command unit of claim 22, further comprising a GPS coupled to the computing device of the remote communication unit, the computing device being configured to transmit GPS location information from the remote communication unit to the mobile command unit via the remote digital data receiver/transmitter.

26. The mobile command unit of claim 22, further comprising an input device coupled to the computing device, the computing device being programmed to provide digital data from the remote communication unit to the mobile control unit via the remote digital data receiver/transmitter in response to user inputs from the input device.

27. The mobile command unit of claim 17, wherein the adapter is one of an analog radio adapter and an analog telephone adapter.

28. A plurality of command and control systems comprising:

a first command and control system including a higher command unit having a data compiler/server configured to compile data from a plurality of sources and serve the compiled data, and a data receiver/transmitter coupled to the data compiler/server;

a second command and control system including a base unit having a voice receiver/transmitter, a first data receiver/transmitter configured to receive data signals from the higher command unit and transmit data signals to the higher command unit, a data filter configured to filter data received by the first data receiver/transmitter, and a second data receiver/transmitter configured to transmit filtered digital data signals from the base unit;

a third command and control system including a mobile command unit having a voice receiver/transmitter configured to receive voice signals from the base unit and transmit voice signals to the base unit, a data receiver/transmitter configured to receive data signals from the base unit and transmit data signals to the base unit, an audio module coupled to the voice receiver/transmitter, the audio module being configured to extract voice information data from the voice signals received by the voice receiver/transmitter and to generate a plurality of digital voice packets from the extracted voice information data, a data module coupled to the data receivers receiver/transmitter, the data module being configured to convert a plurality data signals received by the data receiver/transmitter into a plurality of digital data packets, and a digital data transmitter coupled to the audio module and the data module, the digital data transmitter being configured to transmit a digital data stream including the digital voice packets and the digital data packets; and

a fourth command and control system including a remote unit having a remote digital data receiver/transmitter configured to receive the digital data stream from the mobile command unit;

a computing device coupled to the remote digital data receiver/transmitter, the computing device being configured to separate and process the voice packets and the data packets from the digital data stream, and a user interface, wherein said user interface comprises a data filter input selection function which permits a user to input, store and transmit a plurality of filter data parameters to mobile command unit and the base unit, wherein said data filter within said base unit receives, stores and executes filtering of data information with the data filter based on said filter parameters.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said mobile command unit communicates with the base unit via at least one of a wideband multi-band multi-transmission radio, a Wi-Fi connection, and a Bluetooth connection.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein said mobile command unit communicates with the remote unit via at least one of an encrypted wireless local area network connection and an encrypted Wi-Fi connection.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein said data filter further comprises user profile data which is adapted to store first and second user category data, wherein filter data received by said data filter comprises a user category data which is used by said data filter to determine if a filter data update request is authorized or unauthorized.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein voice communication between the base unit, the mobile command unit and the remote unit is open, unfiltered communication, while data communication is filtered by the data filter of the base unit.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein communication between the higher command unit, the base unit, the mobile command unit and the remote unit utilizes Narrowband Waveforms, Wideband Waveforms, UHF Satcom Waveforms.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein communication between the higher command unit, the base unit, the mobile command unit and the remote unit occurs at frequencies from 30 MHz-2 GHz.

35. The system of claim 28, wherein the plurality of data sources providing data to the a data compiler/server of the higher command unit include at least one of radar information data, data from aircraft, satellite generated data, manually input data from the base unit, and manually input data from an operator of the higher command unit.