Method for dual channel monitoring on a radio device

• US 8,856,003 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Chong, Wei Tuck, Khor, Swee Aun, Wong, Ing Boh
• Primary Examiner(s): Desir, Pierre-Louis
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOVACEK, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US12/112,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,351 Days
• Field of Search: 704200-201, 704211-215, 704231-257, 704270-271, 704/276, 704E17001-E17016, 704E15001-E1505, 379/52, 379/56.1, 379 671- 8828, 379 9001-10802, 379/110.01, 37914201-14218, 379156-166, 379177-187, 37920101-21802, 379219-241, 379/338, 455403-466, 455 73- 903
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services

Abstract

A method for dual channel monitoring on a radio device as provided enables efficient use of communication network resources. The method includes receiving at the radio device a first speech signal over a first channel, while simultaneously receiving at the radio device a second speech signal over a second channel. The first speech signal is then processed at the radio device to generate a text transcription of the first speech signal, and the text transcription of the first speech signal is displayed on a display screen of the radio device. An audible voice signal is then produced from a speaker that is operatively connected to the radio device simultaneously with displaying the text transcription of the first speech signal.

Claims

1. A method for dual channel monitoring on a radio device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the radio device, a first speech signal over a first channel associated with a first active talkgroup to which the radio device is subscribed;

receiving, by the radio device, simultaneously with the first speech signal, a second speech signal over a second channel associated with a second active talkgroup to which the radio device is also subscribed;

processing the first speech signal, by the radio device, to generate a text transcription of the first speech signal;

displaying, by the radio device, the text transcription of the first speech signal on a display screen of the radio device; and

producing, by the radio device, from the second speech signal a first audible voice signal from a speaker that is operatively connected to the radio device without producing a second audible voice signal from the first speech signal, wherein the producing the first audible voice signal is performed simultaneously with the displaying the text transcription of the first speech signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the radio device transmitting a third speech signal from the radio device over the second channel using a push to talk feature of the radio device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first channel and the second channel are distinct logical channels multiplexed over a single physical channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first channel and the second channel are each time division multiple access (TDMA) channels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first talk group has multiple users and the second talk group has multiple users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein both the first speech signal and the second speech signal are transmitted to the radio device from a single repeater station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated and displayed text transcription includes identifiers of one or more particular radios that are providing the first speech signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated and displayed text transcription includes a symbol indicative of a failure to detect discernable speech in the first speech signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying, by the radio device, the text transcription of the first speech signal on a display screen of the radio device includes not displaying a second text transcription of the second speech signal.

10. A radio device, comprising:

a display;

a speaker;

a processor;

a transceiver; and

a memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving, via the transceiver, a first speech signal over a first channel associated with a first active talkgroup to which the radio device is subscribed;

receiving, via the transceiver, and simultaneously with the first speech signal, a second speech signal over a second channel associated with a second active talkgroup to which the radio device is also subscribed;

processing the first speech signal to generate a text transcription of the first speech signal;

displaying the text transcription of the first speech signal on the display; and

producing from the second speech signal a first audible voice signal from the speaker without producing a second audible voice signal from the first speech signal, wherein the producing the first audible voice signal is performed simultaneously with the displaying the text transcription of the first speech signal.

11. The radio device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, via the transceiver, a third speech signal from the radio device over the second channel using a push to talk feature of the radio device.

12. The radio device of claim 10, wherein the first channel and the second channel are distinct logical channels multiplexed over a single physical channel.

13. The radio device of claim 10, wherein the first channel and the second channel are each time division multiple access (TDMA) channels.

14. The radio device of claim 10, wherein the first talk group has multiple users and the second talk group has multiple users.

15. The radio device of claim 10, wherein both the first speech signal and the second speech signal are transmitted from a single repeater station.

16. The radio device of claim 10, wherein the operation of displaying the text transcription of the first speech signal on a display screen of the radio device includes not displaying a second text transcription of the second speech signal.

17. A method for supporting dual channel monitoring on a radio device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a radio repeater station, a first speech signal associated with a first active talkgroup;

receiving, by the radio repeater station, simultaneously with the first speech signal, a second speech signal associated with a second active talkgroup;

processing the first speech signal, by the radio repeater station, to generate a text transcription of the first speech signal;

responsive to receiving the second speech signal, the radio repeater station repeating the second speech signal by substantially immediately broadcasting the second speech signal to a group of radio devices subscribed to both the first talkgroup and the second talkgroup, on a primary speech channel associated with the second talkgroup; and

the radio repeater station broadcasting the text transcription of the first speech channel, to the group of radio devices subscribed to both the first talkgroup and the second talkgroup, on secondary speech channel associated with the first talkgroup, simultaneously with the broadcasting the second speech signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein broadcasting the text transcription of the first speech channel comprises broadcasting the text transcription of the first speech channel to the group of radio devices on a stealing channel of the primary speech channel.