# US 10,873,364 B2 · Frequency hopping communication method and device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,873,364 B2 - Document ID: US10873364B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/733,745 - Filed: 2020-01-03 - Published: 2020-05-07 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-29 - Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Zheng Li; Yanfei Zhang; Guangwei Yu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10873364B2 ## CPC - H04B 1/713: using frequency hopping - H04W 72/04: Wireless resource allocation - H04W 72/0453: Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA - H04W 88/02: Terminal devices - H04W 88/08: Access point devices - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract In certain embodiments, a method includes receiving, by a terminal device, a plurality of virtual channel indexes from a base station and selecting, by the terminal device, a virtual channel index from the plurality of virtual channel indexes. The method further includes determining, by the terminal device based on the virtual channel index, physical channels corresponding to the virtual channel index on a plurality of subframes. At least two of the physical channels corresponding to the virtual channel index on the plurality of subframes are different. The method further includes communicating, by the terminal device on at least one of the plurality of subframes, with the base station using the physical channel corresponding to the virtual channel index. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving, from a base station, a plurality of virtual channel indexes; selecting a virtual channel index from the plurality of virtual channel indexes; determining, based on the virtual channel index, physical channels corresponding to the virtual channel index on a plurality of subframes, wherein at least two of the physical channels corresponding to the virtual channel index on the plurality of subframes are different; and communicating with the base station using a physical channel corresponding to the virtual channel index on at least one of the plurality of subframes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein determining the physical channels corresponding to the virtual channel index on the plurality of subframes is further based on one or any combination of the following: a physical cell identifier; a configuration parameter of a quantity of system channels; a frame number; a subframe number; or a super frame number. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein in the physical channels corresponding to the plurality of virtual channel indexes on the plurality of subframes, physical channels corresponding to a same virtual channel index on two adjacent subframes are different. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the plurality of virtual channel indexes from the base station using a broadcast message or a dedicated message. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, wherein communicating with the base station using the physical channel corresponding to the virtual channel index on the at least one of the plurality of subframes comprises communicating with the base station using the physical channel corresponding to the virtual channel index on all of the plurality of subframes. ### Claim 6 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: sending a plurality of generated virtual channel indexes; determining, based on each of the plurality of virtual channel indexes, a physical channel corresponding to each virtual channel index on a subframe, wherein the physical channels corresponding to any two of the plurality of virtual channel indexes on the subframe are different; determining a virtual channel index selected by a terminal device, wherein the virtual channel index is one of the plurality of virtual channel indexes; and communicating on a plurality of subframes with the terminal device using the physical channel corresponding to the virtual channel index. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise: determining, for each virtual channel index of the plurality of virtual channel indexes, a subframe group corresponding to the virtual channel index; and for any virtual channel index D in the plurality of virtual channel indexes, determining, based on the D, a physical channel corresponding to the D on each subframe in a subframe group Z corresponding to the D, wherein physical channels corresponding to any two of the plurality of virtual channel indexes on a same subframe are different. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein for any virtual channel index D in the plurality of virtual channel indexes, at least two of the physical channels corresponding to the D on different subframes are different. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein in the physical channels corresponding to the plurality of virtual channel indexes on the plurality of subframes, physical channels corresponding to a same virtual channel index on two adjacent subframes are different. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein, for any virtual channel index D in the plurality of virtual channel indexes, determining the physical channel corresponding to the D on any subframe in a subframe group Z corresponding to the D is further based on one or any combination of the following: a physical cell identifier; a configuration parameter of a quantity of system channels; a subframe number; or a super frame number. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise sending, to the terminal device, one or any combination of the following: the physical cell identifier; the configuration parameter of the quantity of system channels; the subframe number; or the super frame number. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the operations comprise sending the plurality of generated virtual channel indexes using a broadcast message or a dedicated message. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein: sending the plurality of generated virtual channel indexes comprises sending the plurality of virtual channel indexes to a plurality of terminal devices, the terminal device being one of the plurality of terminal devices; and the operations further comprise communicating on at least one subframe of the subframes with the terminal device and at least one other terminal device of the plurality of terminal devices. ### Claim 14 An apparatus, comprising: a transceiver configured to send a plurality of generated virtual channel indexes; and at least one processor configured to: determine, based on each of the plurality of virtual channel indexes, a physical channel corresponding to each virtual channel index on a subframe, wherein the physical channels corresponding to any two of the plurality of virtual channel indexes on the subframe are different; and determine a virtual channel index selected by a terminal device, wherein the virtual channel index is one of the plurality of virtual channel indexes; wherein the transceiver is further configured to communicate, on a plurality of subframes, with the terminal device using the physical channel corresponding to the virtual channel index. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine, for each virtual channel index of the plurality of virtual channel indexes, a subframe group corresponding to the virtual channel index; and for any virtual channel index D in the plurality of virtual channel indexes, determine, based on the D, a physical channel corresponding to the D on each subframe in a subframe group Z corresponding to the D, wherein physical channels corresponding to any two of the plurality of virtual channel indexes on a same subframe are different. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein for any virtual channel index D in the plurality of virtual channel indexes, at least two of the physical channels corresponding to the D on different subframes are different. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in the physical channels corresponding to the plurality of virtual channel indexes on the plurality of subframes, physical channels corresponding to a same virtual channel index on two adjacent subframes are different. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein, for any virtual channel index D in the plurality of virtual channel indexes, determining the physical channel corresponding to the D on any subframe in a subframe group Z corresponding to the D is further based on one or any combination of the following: a physical cell identifier; a configuration parameter of a quantity of system channels; a subframe number; or a super frame number. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the transceiver is further configured to send the plurality of generated virtual channel indexes using a broadcast message or a dedicated message. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein: sending the plurality of generated virtual channel indexes comprises sending the plurality of virtual channel indexes to a plurality of terminal devices, the terminal device being one of the plurality of terminal devices; and the transceiver is further configured to communicate on at least one subframe of the subframes with the terminal device and at least one other terminal device of the plurality of terminal devices.