Hopping master in wireless conference
AssigneeDominant Technologies, LLC
InventorRonald Fraser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims20
A first radio for performing as a master and a slave in a multivoice system using time division multiplexing, the first radio comprising:
- a receiver configured to:
- receive wireless communication from a second radio using time-division multiplexing;
- and
- receive wireless communication from a third radio using time-division multiplexing;
- a transmitter configured to:
- transmit wireless communication to the second radio using time-division multiplexing;
- and
- transmit wireless communication to the third radio using time-division multiplexing;
- and
- electronics configured to:
- receive a transmission from the second radio, wherein the first radio is configured to act a slave to the second radio;
- determine, after receiving the transmission from the second radio, that the first radio did not receive a qualifying transmission from the second radio;
- and
- based on determining that the first radio did not receive the qualifying transmission from the second radio, and before powering off, function as a master radio by providing data to the third radio for synchronizing radios in the multivoice system.
A method for configuring a first radio to perform one or more master functions in a multivoice system using time-division multiplexing without a base station, the method comprising:
- receiving a slot assignment from a second radio for communicating using time-division multiplexing;
- determining, after receiving the slot assignment from the second radio, that the first radio did not receive a qualifying transmission from the second radio;
- and
- determining, before the first radio powers off, for the first radio to act as a master radio for a third radio based on determining that the first radio did not receive the qualifying transmission from the second radio, wherein the first radio and the third radio are configured to communicate with each other using time-division multiplexing.
A first radio having instructions stored in memory, that when executed, have the first radio perform the following steps:
- receive a slot assignment from a second radio, wherein the first radio is configured to act as a slave to the second radio, wherein:
- the second radio provides commands for radios communicating using a multiple access protocol;
- and
- the first radio is configured to receive and implement commands received from the second radio;
- determine, after receiving the slot assignment from the second radio, that the first radio did not receive a qualifying transmission from the second radio;
- and
- determine, before the first radio powers off, for the first radio to act as a master radio for and a third radio and a fourth radio, based on determining that the first radio did not receive the qualifying transmission from the second radio, wherein the first radio, the third radio, and the third fourth radio are configured to communicate directly with each other using the multiple access protocol, without a base station.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.