Extending the range of a hand-portable radio
AssigneeTait Electronics Limited
InventorNicholas Richard Pennance
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A repeater system for hand portable radios that may be outside normal coverage in a mobile radio system. Short messages or emergency messages from the portable radio are transmitted to an on-board or other mobile station, and forwarded from there to a central station or other required station in the system. The on-board station generally has a higher powered transmitter than the portable station and is within network coverage when the messages are received. The on-board station might be carried by a vehicle for example, and the portable station might be carried by a public safety official who has left the vehicle to investigate a nearby event.
Claims10
A system for mobile radio communication, including:
- a network having one or more radio base stations and a central station;
- an on-board radio station having a relatively long range for communication with other stations;
- and
- a portable radio station having a relatively short range for communication with other stations;
- wherein the on-board station receives messages from the portable station over a half duplex channel when the on-board station is within range of the network but the portable station is out of range of the network, stores the messages and forwards the messages to the network over a different radio channel.
A method of communication in a mobile radio system, including:
- determining in a portable radio station that network coverage is not available at the portable station;
- transmitting a message from the portable station over a half-duplex channel to an on-board radio station at which network coverage is available;
- and
- forwarding the message from the on-board radio station to a central station in the system.
A method of communication in a mobile radio network, including:
- opening a half duplex radio channel between a portable station at which network coverage is not available and an on-board station at which network coverage is available;
- transmitting a message from the portable station to the on-board station over the half duplex channel;
- receiving and storing the message at the on-board station;
- determining that the message is addressed to a central radio station in the network;
- opening further radio channel between the on-board station and the central station;
- and
- forwarding the message from the on-board station to the central station through the network.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.