Method and means for frequency hopping in a radio communication system

• US 6,240,125 B1
• Filed: 01/13/1997
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Andersson, Claes H.ang.kan, Almgren, Knut Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Shuwang
• Application Number:
  US08/765,947
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 455/62, 455/522, 455/452, 455/434, 455/673, 455/63, 455/512, 370/353, 370/337, 370/330, 375/347, 375/132, 375/136, 375/137, 375/133
• US Class Current: 375/132
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7143 Arrangements for generation of hop patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/715 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/7154 with means for preventing interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality

Abstract

A radio communications systems which utilize channel hopping such that those channels which have high channel quality for a given connection are used more often than channels having lower channel quality for the same connection. Channel quality, for instance interference, is measured with respect to uplink connections and with respect to downlink connections. The measured interference values are then stored in an interference list for each of the connections in the radio communications system. The interference lists are converted to corresponding weight lists for each of the connections in both uplink and downlink in the base station. A channel which has a high weight value for a given connection will appear more often in corresponding hopsequence lists than a channel which has a lower weight value.

Claims

1. A method of channel hopping in a radio communications system (PLMN), wherein the system (PLMN) includes at least one first radio station (BS1) and one second radio station (MS1) between which radio connections can be established through the medium of radio channels (K1-K4), comprising:

measuring a channel quality parameter (I, BER, C/I) for separate radio channels;

allocating weight values (W) to individual channels in accordance with the measured channel quality parameters (I, BER, C/I), wherein the weight values are derived by converting the measured channel quality parameters using a conversion function;

generating a hopsequence in accordance with the allocated weight values (W) such that each of said radio channels will be repeated in said hopsequence a number of times which is determined by the weight value of each radio channel relative to the weight values of others of said radio channels; and

channel hopping between the channels using the generated hopsequence for communication between the first radio station (BS1) and the said at least one second radio station (MS1).

2. A method according to claim 1 further including the step of arranging the allocated weighted values (W) in a weight list (WL) in a falling order of magnitude.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the weight values (W) determine the number of times that a channel will occur in the hopsequence (HL).

4. A method according to claim 2 further including the step of normalizing the weight values (W) so that the sum of the weight values (W) in a weight list (WL) will be one (1).

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel quality parameters (I, BER, C/I) is measured by a receiver.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel quality parameter (I, BER, C/I) is a ratio between useful and disturbing signals strength (C/I).

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel quality parameter (I, BER, C/I) consists in the interference (I).

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel quality parameter (I, BER, C/I) consists in the bit error rate (BER).

9. An arrangement for channel hopping in a radio communications system (PLMN), wherein the system (PLMN) includes at least one first radio station (BS1) and one second radio station (MS1) between which radio connections can be establish through the medium of radio channels (K1-K4), comprising:

a measuring receiver (MI_B) for measuring a channel quality parameter (I, BER, C/I) for individual radio channels (K1-K4);

a conversion circuit (I/W) for allocating weight values (W) to individual channels in accordance with the measured channel quality parameters (I, BER, C/I), wherein the weight values are derived by converting the measured channel quality parameters using a conversion function; and

an allocation circuit (W/H) for generating a hopsequence in accordance with the allotted weight values (W) in a manner such that each of said radio channels (K1-K4) will be repeated in said hopsequence a number of times which is determined by the weight value of each radio channel relative to the weight values of others of said radio channels; and

wherein the system is adapted to channel hop between the channels using the generated hopsequence, for communication between the first radio station (BS1) and the at least one second radio station (MS1).

10. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the conversion circuit (I/W) and the allocation circuit (W/H) are adapted to allocate weight values (W) to individual channels in accordance with the measured channel quality parameters (I, BER, C/I), and to generate said hopsequences (HL) in accordance with the allotted weight values (w).

11. An arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the allotted weight values (W) are arranged in a weight list (WL) in a falling order of magnitude.

12. An arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the weight values (W) determine how many times a channel will occur in the hopsequence (HL).

13. An arrangement according to claim 10 further including a normalizing circuit (63) which functions to normalize the weight values (W) so that the sum of the weight values in a weight list (WL) will equal one (1).

14. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the channel quality parameter (I, BER, C/I) consists in the ratio between useful and disturbing signal strength (C/I).

15. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the channel quality parameter (I, BER, C/I) consists in the interference (I).

16. An arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the channel quality parameter (I, BER, C/I) consists in the bit error rate (BER).