Half duplex digital communications system and control means

Abstract

A half duplex digital communications system and control means providing a data interface to a plurality of radio transceivers such as between a personal computer or other information processing device to one or more radio transmitter/receiver systems having a serial data interface in a manner that provides control of the radio and means to send and receive data via the radio without regard to the characteristics of the radio or its serial interface. A common control protocol is employed to control the radio transmitter/receiver device in a generic manner through software implementation, allowing compatibility with future data systems.

1 . A half duplex digital communications system, comprising:
 a data terminal equipment (DTE);   a plurality of half duplex radio transmitter/receivers, each having a data interface and a control interface connected between each of said plurality of radio transmitter/receivers and said data terminal equipment (DTE); and   a means for controlling said data interface and said control interface wherein said means for controlling further comprises a computer, said computer being capable of executing software program instructions stored on computer readable media.   
   
   
       2 . Said software program instructions of  claim 1  which, when read by said computer of said means for controlling, causes said means for controlling to execute the steps of:
 waiting in idle state for a command;   WHEN a command is received to activate said radio transmitter/receiver to transmit, THEN
 checking if data is currently being received; 
 WHEN data is not currently being received, THEN
 sending a command acknowledgement to said dte; 
 activating a push-to-talk (ptt) signal; 
 waiting for a predetermined radio transmitter/receiver ramp-up period; and 
 returning to said step of waiting in idle state; 
 
 OTHERWISE,
 waiting a predetermined amount of time for said radio transmitter/receiver to be ready to transmit 
 
   OTHERWISE, continuing to wait in idle state for a command;   WHEN a command is received to send data via said radio transmitter/receiver, THEN
 copying said data from said DTE and buffering said data in said radio transmitter/receiver; and 
 returning to said step of waiting in idle state; 
   OTHERWISE, continuing to wait in idle state for a command;   WHEN a command is received to deactivate said radio transmitter/receiver, THEN
 flushing remaining data from said radio transmitter/receiver's buffer; 
 checking for said radio transmitter/receiver's buffer to empty; 
 WHEN said radio transmitter/receiver's buffer is not empty, THEN
 returning to said step of flushing 
 
 OTHERWISE,
 sending an acknowledgement to said DTE that said radio transmitter/receiver's buffer is empty; 
 waiting a predetermined period of time for said radio transmitter/receiver to become idle; 
 deactivating said push-to-talk (ptt) signal; and 
 returning to said step of waiting in idle state; 
 
   OTHERWISE, continuing to wait in idle state for a command; and   WHEN a command is received to query configuration parameters and statistics of said radio transmitter/receiver, THEN
 querying and storing said configuration parameters and statistics; 
 sending an acknowledgement and value of said parameters and said statistics to said DTE; and 
 returning to said step of waiting in idle state; 
   OTHERWISE, continuing to wait in idle state for a command.