Integration of physical and virtual lmr networks

Abstract

Integration of a land mobile radio (LMR) communications system and other wireless IP based systems such as LTE by way of a virtual router and virtual base stations. The LMR system may be either trunked or conventional. The virtual router maintains LMR IDs and also IP addresses for both physical and virtual base stations, multi bearer terminals and other components of the integrated system. Physical LMR base stations form a physical network. Virtual LMR base stations form a virtual network. These physical and virtual LMR networks communicate using ISSI, AIS or DFSI for example.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wireless communication system for multi bearer devices, including:
 a first network having sites with physical LMR base stations, and   a second network having sites with virtual LMR base stations;   wherein the multi bearer devices communicate with the physical LMR base stations using RF signals and LMR messages, and   the multi bearer devices communicate with the virtual LMR base stations through a router using IP messages, and   multi bearer devices receiving service from the first network communicate with multi-bearer devices receiving service from the second network through an interface between the first and second networks.   
     
     
         2 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein the second network further includes one or more virtual site controllers which each control one or more virtual LMR base stations, a virtual network controller which controls the virtual site controllers, and the router which is a virtual router. 
     
     
         3 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein the interface between the first and second networks is based on Inter RF Subsystem Interface (ISSI), Application Interface Specification (AIS) or Digital Fixed Station Interface (DFSI). 
     
     
         4 . A system according to  claim 1  including a third network having sites with physical cellular base stations which send IP messages from the multi bearer devices to the router. 
     
     
         5 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein:
 each of the multi bearer devices has an LMR ID and an individual IP address stored as device data in the router, 
 each of the physical LMR base stations has an LMR ID and an individual IP address stored as physical site data in the router, and 
 each of the virtual LMR base stations has an LMR ID and an individual IP address stored as virtual site data in the router. 
 
     
     
         6 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein the virtual LMR base stations are virtual LMR channels. 
     
     
         7 . A system according to  claim 2  wherein the virtual site controllers are managing virtual LMR channels, and the virtual network controller is managing the virtual site controllers. 
     
     
         8 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein the second network is a virtual network implemented as one or more software modules. 
     
     
         9 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein each of the virtual LMR base stations is a software module. 
     
     
         10 . A system according to  claim 1  wherein the second network is a PTToC (Push To Talk over Cellular) server. 
     
     
         11 . A method of operating a wireless communication system combining LMR content and IP messaging, including:
 receiving IP messages containing LMR content from a multi-bearer device,   determining at a router that the LMR content is LMR control information,   forwarding the IP messages to a virtual control channel subsystem,   processing the LMR control information at the control channel subsystem, and   sending IP messages containing processed LMR control information to a virtual network controller subsystem.   
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11  further including:
 determining that the LMR control information is a registration request by the multi bearer device; and 
 registering the multi-bearer device in the virtual network controller subsystem, or 
 sending IP messages containing the request to a further network controller. 
 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 11  wherein the IP messages containing LMR content are received from the multi-bearer device via a network of cellular base stations. 
     
     
         14 . A wireless communication system for multi-bearer devices, including:
 a first network having sites with physical cellular base stations, and   a second network having sites with virtual LMR base stations;   wherein the multi-bearer devices communicate with the physical cellular base stations using IP wireless messages; and   the physical cellular base stations communicate with the virtual LMR base stations through a router using IP messages.   
     
     
         15 . A system according to  claim 14  wherein the second network further includes:
 one or more virtual site controllers which manage one or more virtual LMR base stations, and 
 a virtual network controller which manages the virtual site controllers. 
 
     
     
         16 . A system according to  claim 14  further including:
 a third network having sites with physical LMR base stations; 
 wherein the virtual LMR virtual base stations communicate with the physical LMR base stations using ISSI, AIS or DFSI. 
 
     
     
         17 . A system according to  claim 14  wherein the virtual LMR base stations are virtual LMR channels. 
     
     
         18 . A system according to  claim 14  wherein the virtual site controllers are managing virtual LMR channels, and the virtual network controller is managing the virtual site controllers. 
     
     
         19 . A system according to  claim 14  wherein the second network is a virtual network implemented as one or more software modules. 
     
     
         20 . A system according to  claim 13  wherein the second network is a PTToC server.