Vehicle voice data link

Claim 2

A voice and data communication system for use between at least one base station and a plurality of mobile stations comprising: mobile station located means for transmitting and receiving data and voice signals on a single assigned frequency between said base station and the mobile station; means associated with said base station for transmitting and receiving voice and data signals between said mobile station and said base station; means associated with said base station for providing a sequence of separate time periods in a repeating interval for data transmission to corresponding ones of said plurality of mobile stations; means for providing reception of data signals from said plurality of mobile stations intermediate the periods of data transmission in a noninterfering pattern; means associated with each of said plurality of mobile stations for synchronizing to the pattern of data transmission and reception for said base station to identify times for data reception and transmission by that mobile station; operator actuable means associated with at least one of said base and plurality of mobile stations for providing an indicia of operator desire for voice communication for transmission therefrom in the assigned frequency; and means for responding to said indicia as received for initiation of voice communication during data transmission and reception on the assigned frequency.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 further including: means for providing high priority communication of data signals between said base station and a mobile station at times more frequent than the identified times for that mobile station.

Claim 4

The system of claim 1 further including: means associated with each of said plurality of mobile stations for responding to a predetermined data signal to indicate a condition.

Claim 5

The system of claim 3 wherein said condition indicating means includes an indicator of a change in the assigned frequency.

Claim 6

The system of claim 3 wherein said condition indicating means includes an indicator of a change in at least one of mobile station routing, load status, and freight routing for on board freight.

Claim 7

The system of claim 1 further including: means operative at each of said plurality of mobile stations for storing data signals representative of mobile station information to be transmitted in addressable locations; and means associated with said mobile stations for responding to predetermined received data including storage location address indicia for transmitting the data signals stored in the corresponding storage locations.

Claim 8

The system of claim 6 further including means operable in the absence of said location address indicia for transmitting data in a predetermined storage location.

Claim 9

The system of claim 6 including: means for transmitting from said base station transmission means data signals representative of location address indicia.

Claim 10

The system of claim 1 wherein: said operator actuable means includes means for providing transmission of a predetermined data signal from said base station representative of a request for voice communication with a mobile station at a time period corresponding to said mobile station; and said responding means includes means associated with said mobile stations and responsive to reception of said predetermined data signal at the corresponding time for providing an indication of a request for voice communication between that mobile station and said base station.

Claim 11

The system of claim 1 wherein: said operator actuable means includes means for generating a tone for transmission on the assigned frequency; and said responding means includes audio sound means and means for activating the audio sound means in response to said tone as received.

Claim 12

The system of claim 1 further including: means associated with said base station and each of said plurality of mobile stations for synchronizing each mobile station to a separate transmission and reception period in the time sequence of repeating intervals by transmission and reception of vehicle identification codes.

Claim 13

The system of claim 1 wherein said voice and data signal transmission and reception means associated with said at least one base station includes separate communication locations for the voice and data signals respectively.

Claim 14

The system of claim 12 further including a dispatcher associated with each voice communication location and having a voice communication path to mobile stations through the associated voice communication location and a data communication path to mobile stations through said base station.

Claim 15

The system of claim 1 further including: a plurality of mobile station subgroups; means associated with said base station for defining the repeating time sequence of intervals at a plurality of frequencies; and means for providing communication between said base station and said plurality of mobile stations over different frequencies for each of the subgroups of said plurality of mobile stations.

Claim 16

The communication system of claim 1 further including means associated with each of said plurality of mobile stations for responding to a predetermined data signal to indicate an alarm condition.

Claim 17

The communication system of claim 1 further including means associated with said responding means for providing an indication of the desire for voice communication.

Claim 18

A vehicle communication system comprising: a plurality of mobile vehicles; a base station; means for providing data signal communication between said base station and each of said plurality of mobile vehicles in a time sequence having: a plurality of communication intervals occurring in a repeating pattern; each interval using a separate frequency for communication; each interval having an initial data signal identifying the interval and its timing and a plurality of subsequent periods of time for data signal transmission from said base station to a corresponding vehicle, interleaved with a plurality of time periods for data signal reception from a mobile vehicle associated with a prior transmission time period; means associated with each of said plurality of mobile vehicles and said base station for assigning unique time periods for communication between said mobile vehicle and base station; means for providing voice communication from said base station over each of said plurality of frequencies; means for providing voice communication from each of said plurality of mobile vehicles to said base station over the same frequency used for data signal communication with that vehicle; means associated with at least one of said base station and plurality of mobile vehicles for transmitting indicia of a desire for voice signal communication; means for detecting the indicia of a desire for voice signal communication between said base station and one or more of said plurality of mobile vehicles; means for providing data communication between said base station and mobile vehicles under predetermined conditions of priority data at times other than assigned time periods; means for storing data representative of vehicle information and a plurality of status conditions associated with each of said plurality of mobile stations; keyboard means for manually entering vehicle information data into said storage means; vehicle located means responsive to predetermined data in each assigned time period for transmission of corresponding data from said storage means during a subsequent assigned time period; means associated with each of said plurality of mobile vehicles for providing an indication of predetermined data signals received thereby.

Claim 19

A vehicle communication system comprising: a plurality of mobile vehicles; a base station; means for providing data signal communication between said base station and each of said plurality of mobile vehicles in a time sequence having: a plurality of communication intervals occurring in a repeating pattern; each interval using a separate frequency for communication; each interval having an initial data signal identifying the interval and its timing and a plurality of subsequent periods of time for data signal transmission from said base station to a corresponding vehicle, interleaved with a plurality of time periods for data signal reception from a mobile vehicle associated with a prior transmission time period; means associated with each of said plurality of mobile vehicles and said base station for assigning unique time periods for communication between said mobile vehicle and base station; means for providing voice communication from said base station over each of said plurality of frequencies; means for providing voice communication from each of said plurality of mobile vehicles to said base station over the same frequency used for data signal communication with that vehicle; means associated with at least one of said base station and plurality of mobile vehicles for transmitting indicia of a desire for voice signal communication; means for detecting the indicia of a desire for voice signal communication between said base station and one or more of said plurality of mobile vehicles; means for providing data communication between said base station and mobile vehicles under predetermined conditions of priority data at times other than assigned time periods; means for storing data representative of vehicle information and a plurality of status conditions associated with each of said plurality of mobile stations; keyboard means for manually entering vehicle information data into said storage means; vehicle located means responsive to predetermined data in each assigned time period for transmission of corresponding data from said storage means during a subsequent assigned time period; means associated with each of said plurality of mobile vehicles for providing an indication of predetermined data signals received thereby.

Claim 20

A communication system for use between at least one base station and a plurality of mobile stations comprising: mobile station located means for transmitting and receiving data signals on an assigned frequency between said base station and the mobile station; means associated with said base station for transmitting and receiving data signals between said mobile station and said base station on the assigned frequency; means associated with said base station for providing a sequence of separate time periods in a repeating interval for data transmission to corresponding ones of said plurality of mobile stations; means for providing reception of data signals from said plurality of mobile stations intermediate the periods of data transmission in a noninterfering pattern; means associated with each of said plurality of mobile stations for synchronizing to the pattern of data transmission and reception for said base station to identify times for data reception and transmission by that mobile station; and means for providing high priority communication of data signals between said base station and a mobile station at times more frequent than the identified times for that mobile station.

Claim 21

A communication system for use between at least one base station and a plurality of mobile stations comprising: mobile station located means for transmitting and receiving data signals on an assigned frequency between said base station and the mobile station; means associated with said base station for transmitting and receiving data signals between said mobile station and said base station on the assigned frequency; means associated with said base station for providing a sequence of separate time periods in a repeating interval for data transmission to corresponding ones of said plurality of mobile stations; means for providing reception of data signals from said plurality of mobile stations intermediate the periods of data transmission in a noninterfering pattern; means associated with each of said plurality of mobile stations for synchronizing to the pattern of data transmission and reception for said base station to identify times for data reception and transmission by that mobile station; and means for providing high priority communication of data signals between said base station and a mobile station at times more frequent than the identified times for that mobile station.