KR20090082688A - Tactical radio with integrated satcom capability - Google Patents

Abstract

A tactical radio having an integrated satellite communication capability is provided to initially route all data packets to an LOS(Line Of Sight) transceiver, and to preferentially put routing data in an LOS network, thereby saving a cost associated with a commercial satellite link. A user interface(22) controls manipulation of a radio. An encoding module(25) receives data, and encodes the data. An LOS RF transceiver(27) receives the encoded data, and transmits the encoded data in a frequency of an RF spectrum. A BLOS(Beyond LOS) wireless transceiver receives the encoded data, and transmits the encoded data in a frequency of ultra RF spectrum. A router receives the encoded data, and routes the encoded data to at least one of the LOS transceiver and the BLOS transceiver.

Description

TACTICAL RADIO WITH INTEGRATED SATCOM CAPABILITY

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to tactical radio communication, and more particularly, to tactical radio communication that provides seamless satellite communication capability.

The increasing demand for military mobility is being addressed by the trend of multiband and multimode wireless systems. Although the production of small, light weight wireless equipment is technically possible, the overall communication capabilities do not meet the requirements and there are still significant problems with the compatibility, security and reliability of terrestrial wireless communications.

There are two or more limitations of radio propagation, such as overcrowded frequency spectrum and physical limitations, and studies have been made to overcome these limitations with the development and use of satellite communications.

There is a need for seamless integration of satellite communication capabilities into conventional tactical radios. However, this technical content is only to provide a background technology related to the present invention, and may not constitute a prior art.

According to the present invention, a multi-band radio with seamless satellite communication capability is provided.

The radio includes a user interface for controlling operation of the radio; An encryption module for receiving data and encrypting the data; A LOS radio transceiver for receiving encrypted data and transmitting the encrypted data at a frequency of a radio frequency spectrum; A BLOS wireless transceiver that receives the encrypted data and transmits the encrypted data at a frequency of a microwave frequency spectrum; And a router that receives encrypted data from the cryptographic module and routes the encrypted data to at least one of an LOS transceiver and a BLOS transceiver.

According to another aspect of the invention, the radio further comprises a tactical application for generating tactical recognition data belonging to the radio, and when the tactical recognition data does not reach the intended destination using the LOS transceiver, the router receives the tactical recognition data. Route to the BLOS transceiver.

According to the present invention, a multi-band radio with seamless satellite communication capability is provided. In addition, all data packets in the routing scheme are initially routed to the LOS transceiver for transmission over the network, and the routing data is first placed in the LOS network, thereby reducing the costs associated with commercial satellite links (if available).

1 shows a tactical environment 10 to which a tactical radio is applied. In such an environment, a secure line-of-sight (LOS) communication network 12 is established between two or more radios 14. The tactical radio of an embodiment may include a Falcon II compact radio and a portable radio in a radio product commercially available from Harris Corporation. Other forms of radio may also be used in the present invention. In any case, at least one of the radios 15 is equipped with seamless satellite communication capability in the manner described below. In this way, network traffic is routed to satellite 16 via a beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) communication link, and network traffic routed to satellite 16 is routed to tactical operations center 17 or other remote locations. do. The tactical environment can be a communications-on-the-quick-halt node (18) or a satcom-on-the-move node. vehicle node 19). When either of these nodes enters the LOS communication network 12, network traffic from the network is routed through these nodes to the tactical operation center.

2 shows a configuration example of a radio 20 having a seamlessly integrated satellite communication capability. The radio 20 includes a user interface 22, an encryption module 24, a packet router 26, and at least two transceivers 27, 28. One of the transceivers is configured to transmit data over a wireless communication link in a frequency of the radio frequency spectrum, eg, the tactical VHF / UHF spectrum (herein referred to as the LOS transceiver); The other transceiver is configured to transmit data over a wireless communication link in a frequency of the radio frequency spectrum, for example satcom spectrum (herein referred to as a BLOS transceiver). Each of these radio components is described below in conjunction with other preferred components. It is obvious that other known components (eg power sources) are needed to control and maintain the overall operation of the radio, and only the relevant components are described below. Within the broader sense of the invention, these components may be arranged in a variety of other configurations.

The user interface 22 allows the radio operator to control the operation of the radio. For example, the user interface 22 includes an audio interface 23 for receiving voice data from a radio operator and outputting voice data to the radio operator. Such audio interfaces are known in the art. The user interface 22 also provides an interface for configuring operating parameters of the transceiver. For example, the operator can select the frequency at which the transceiver will be operated. As another example, the interface allows an operator to select a transceiver to transmit data. The radio can also be used as a telephone, for example, to dial any number of telephone numbers that exist globally. Telephone numbers are entered via the front panel, and these telephone numbers are sent over the BLOS link to the network. This provides secure telephony gateways to secure VoIP using a radio-embedded password or to a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Thus, it enables a direct telephony connection between simple conventional telephone system (POTS) phones and radio users.

Voice data from the audio interface is routed through a cipher to ensure secure communication. Encryption device 25 is operated to encrypt and decrypt a message. Although various algorithms have been devised, the cryptographic module 25 preferably employs a Sierra Type I or Citadel cryptographic algorithm. Before encryption, the voice data passes through a vocoder that digitizes the voice data and then is divided into data packets for later transmission. Data packets are defined in accordance with Internet protocols or other forms of network routing protocols. In this way, data packets are routed between the transceiver as well as other nodes in the network. However, the case where data does not need to be transmitted in the form of a packet is also contemplated.

The packet router 26 is interposed between the cryptographic module and the transceivers 27 and 28. The packet router 26 functions similarly to a conventional multi-interface IP router to route outgoing data packets to either of the transceivers 27 and 28. The radio can be part of an ad-hoc LOS network, whereby the packet router can dynamically maintain the nodes available in the routing table according to known techniques. Similarly, the received data packet may be redirected by router 26 to one of the transceivers. For example, data packets received via LOS transceiver 27 may be re-routed to BLOS transceiver 28 for transmission. The radio of the present invention provides a LOS-BLOS gateway and enables a singular connection with a radio having only an LOS transceiver and a remote LAN accessible by a BLOS transceiver.

The connection between the LOS radio and the remote LAN can be enabled using a secure assignment setup to ensure authenticated access.

The LOS transceiver 27 is configured to receive a data packet from a router and to transmit the data packet at a frequency of a radio frequency spectrum through a wireless communication link. In a preferred embodiment, the LOS transceiver operates in the frequency range of 30 MHz to 108 MHz and is a VHF network module commonly employed in military grade radios. Alternatively, the LOS transceiver may be a UHF network operating in the frequency range of 300 MMHz to 3 kHz. In addition, other types of transceivers operating in the radio frequency spectrum are within the scope of the present invention.

Similarly, the BLOS transceiver 28 is configured to receive data packets from a router and to transmit data packets at frequencies in the microwave frequency spectrum over a wireless communication link. In a preferred embodiment, the BLOS transceiver 28 is a wideband global network (BGAN) transceiver module operating in the L-band and commercialized by Immarsat. Commercialized satellite communication services are currently contemplated, and communication links may be established using proprietary communication services. Similarly, the adoption of other BLOS transceivers in various frequency bands may also be considered, including transceivers operating in other parts of the ultrahigh frequency spectrum, such as the C, X, Ku or Ka bands.

The radio 20 is equipped with an antenna 32 coupled with the LOS transceiver 27. The antenna can be removable or permanently coupled to the radio. The directional antenna 34 is necessary for the use of the BLOS transceiver 28. Thus, the radio is equipped with an interface port for detachably coupling the directional antenna to the radio.

In an embodiment, the radio operator carries a directional antenna or omnidirectional antenna 34 with a portable radio. During radio operation, an operator may encounter a case where a BLOS transmission is required. The operator can couple a manually operated directional antenna or omnidirectional antenna to the interface port to direct the antenna to the desired satellite. Accurate azimuth and elevation information is communicated to the operator to align the directional antenna based on the location information received by the GPS module.

Another embodiment is where a portable radio 20 with a steerable directional and omni-directional antenna is in a moving vehicle. In this case, the radio 20 is coupled to the antenna via the interface port. During operation, the radio seamlessly routes data to either the LOS transceiver 27 or the BLOS transceiver 28. The BLOS transceiver 28 in turn routes data to the omni-directional antenna through the interface port in response to a steering command. Note that the BLOS transceiver 28 as well as the radio interface 22 are included in a single portable component. The radio 20 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) module 36 and one or more tactical applications 37. The GPS module 36 is provided to receive timestamp as well as location information in a known manner. The tactical application 37 generates tactical awareness data belonging to the radio. For example, the technical application 37 interfaces with the GPS module 36 to determine current location information for the radio. This location information is embedded in the data packet for transmission to the tactical command center. As another example, the radio 20 may be configured to detect when a radio operator encounters a crisis situation such as an explosion or shooting. In this example, the tactical application 37 can organize a message to send to the tactical command center about a crisis situation. Other forms of tactical recognition data are also contemplated in the present invention. In this case, the tactical recognition data is routed to the cryptographic module and then to the router for transmission from the radio.

During operation, voice data and tactical recognition data are routed between the transceivers employed by the radio as shown in FIG. Some data packets only propagate through the network, but some data packets are intended to be routed to specific destinations. In some cases, the intended destination for the data packet is in the LOS network. Thus, in this embodiment, all data packets of the routing scheme are initially routed 41 to the LOS transceiver for transmission over the network. By placing routing data first in the LOS network, the cost associated with commercial satellite links (if available) is reduced.

In another embodiment, the intended destination for the data packet is outside of the LOS network. For example, the tactical recognition data is preferably intended as a tactical command center far from the LOS network. In the tactical command center, the tactical recognition data is received by a situation awareness software application configured to display data in real time, and preferably to display the data in a geographic environment such as a map. Since the radio is not equipped with a BLOS transceiver or currently unavailable (e.g. no directional antenna), the data packet is first routed to the LOS transceiver as indicated above. A data packet intended as a tactical command center may encounter other radios in the LOS network that enable the transmission of data packets to the command center. In this way, data packets are routed through the intermediary within the LOS network to their intended destination outside the LOS network.

To ensure transmission, the router is configured 42 to confirm receipt of the data sent by the LOS transceiver to the intended destination (eg, cognitive data) (42). When the data packet does not reach the intended destination (NO: 43), the router begins routing the data packet to the BLOS transceiver as indicated at 44 (FIG. 3). When an antenna 34 compatible with the BLOS transceiver is available on the radio, the router automatically routes data packets to the transmitting BLOS transceiver. When an antenna 34 compatible with the BLOS transceiver is not available on the radio, the radio operator is informed via the user interface 22 to attach a compatible antenna 34. The user interface also displays an indication of the received signal strength that allows the operator to direct the antenna to the satellite in an optimal state. In a preferred embodiment, other types of data packets, such as voice data and the like, are exclusively routed to the LOS network, while data packets containing tactical recognition data are routed to the BLOS transceiver. In a more robust routing scheme, only data packets that contain the same destination as data packets that do not arrive at their intended destination are routed to the BLOS transceiver.

In the preferred embodiment, router 26 queues the data packets sent through LOS transceiver 27 until an acknowledgment is received from the intended destination. If reception is confirmed, the applicable data packet is deleted from the queue. When the data packet does not reach its intended destination, the router uses the BLOS transceiver 28 to re-transmit the queued data packet. Alternatively, router 26 may direct the newly received data packet to BLOS transceiver 28 without re-transmitting the data packet.

In addition, data packets are periodically transmitted 45 using the LOS transceiver. The router acknowledges the receipt of this data packet by its intended destination. In this way, the radio can determine when a communication link to the intended destination is available. Once the communication link is available, the router stops routing the data packet to the BLOS transceiver (46) and resumes routing the data packet to the LOS transceiver.

While such a routing scheme is suitable for all types of data packets, the routing scheme only applies to a selection group of data packets such as tactical recognition data. Other types of data packets are distinguished by the identifier of the packer header. Similarly, routing schemes only apply to data packets with specific destinations (eg, IP addresses).

Data packets are routed between transceivers based on attributes associated with the link established by the transceiver (eg, signal-to-noise ratio). In a similar case, as the LOS network becomes overcrowded, it may worsen the SNR for transmission using the LOS transceiver. In this case, the router monitors the SNR over a given link and routes the data packet from one transceiver to another when the SNR is below a defined threshold. When selecting which transceiver to use, different link attributes may be used by the router.

4 shows an example configuration for a radio 20 'having a seamlessly integrated satellite communication capability. In this configuration, the user interface 22 ', cryptographic module 25', packet router 26 'and LOS transceiver 27' are included in the first radio housing 62. Each of these radio components and other necessary radio components are as described below. The second housing 64 is provided with a BLOS transceiver 28 '. The BLOS transceiver 28 'is configured to be coupled directly to the directional antenna 34' or detachably coupled to the directional antenna 34 'in the manner described above. Each of the first and second radio housings 62, 64 is provided with external ports 63, 65 for connection between the two housings. When the two housings are combined, the packet router 26 'of the first radio housing 62 can route router data packets directly to the BLOS transceiver 28' of the second radio housing 64. By doing so, the router 26 'operates to detect a connection state with the BLOS transceiver 28' and only route the data packet to the BLOS transceiver seamlessly in the connected state. Note that the operating parameters for the BLOS transceiver 28 'are controlled via the user radio interface 22' of the first radio housing 62. During operation, the BLOS transceiver 28 'depends on the power source present in the first radio housing 62, and alternatively, the second housing 64 is independent for powering the BLOS transceiver 28'. It may include a power source 66.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description above and the detailed description of the following examples, serve to explain the subject matter of the invention.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a tactical environment to which a tactical radio is applied;

2 is a block diagram of a radio with seamlessly integrated satellite communication capabilities;

3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a routing scheme employed by a radio; And,

4 is a block diagram of an alternative architecture for a radio with seamlessly integrated satellite communication capabilities.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

22 User Interface

25 encryption module

26 packet router

27 LOS Transceiver

28 BLOS Transceiver

Claims (10)

As a multi-band radio, A user interface for controlling operation of the radio; An encryption module for receiving data and encrypting the data; A LOS radio transceiver for receiving encrypted data and transmitting the encrypted data at frequencies in a radio frequency spectrum; A BLOS wireless transceiver for receiving encrypted data and transmitting the encrypted data at frequencies in an ultrahigh frequency spectrum; And And a router that receives the encrypted data from the cryptographic module and routes the encrypted data to at least one of the LOS transceiver and the BLOS transceiver. The method of claim 1, The user interface allows an operator to configure operating parameters of the LOS transceiver and the BLOS transceiver. The method of claim 1, The user interface allows a user to select which transceiver to route the encrypted data by the router. The method of claim 1, And an audio interface for receiving voice data from an operator, wherein the voice data is input to the cryptographic module. The method of claim 1, And a radio controller for generating tactical awareness data belonging to the radio, wherein the tactical awareness data is input to the cryptographic module. The method of claim 5, wherein The router routes the tactical recognition data to the LOS transceiver, and routes the tactical recognition data to the BLOS transceiver if the tactical recognition data does not reach the intended destination using the LOS transceiver. radio. The method of claim 1, And a directional antenna detachably coupled to the interface port of the radio, wherein the BLOS transceiver interfaces with the directional antenna to transmit data. The method of claim 7, wherein And a global positioning system (GPS) embedded in said radio, said multi-band radio providing information to the radio operator for tuning the antenna based on position data from said GPS. The method of claim 1, The user interface, the cryptographic module, the router, and the LOS transceiver are provided in a portable component, and the BLOS transceiver is provided in another component detachably coupled to the output port of the portable component by wired connection. And encrypted data is routed directly from the router to the BLOS transceiver via the wired connection. The method of claim 1, The user interface, the cryptographic module, the router and the LOS transceiver are provided in a portable component with a portable power source, and the BLOS transceiver is provided in another component with a different power source.

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