Dynamic channel assignment in a communication system

A method of dynamic communication assignment in a radiotelephone system, the radiotelephone system having a plurality of base-stations each capable of communicating to a subscriber unit, the method comprising the steps of:

• communicating, on a first base-station, to a subscriber unit on an uplink and downlink path of a channel;
• assessing, at at least the first base-station and a second base-station, the relative quality of said uplink path of said channel;
• and
• assigning said second base-station to only receive said uplink path of said channel when said relative quality assessed by the second base-station exceeds the relative quality assessed by the first base-station.

A method of dynamic channel assignment in a radiotelephone system, the radiotelephone system having a plurality of cells each having predetermined coverage areas, at least one of the cells acting as an umbrella cell having a plurality of micro-cells, at least two of the micro-cells having common coverage area with the corresponding predetermined coverage area of the umbrella cell, each cell and micro-cell having a base-station within its coverage area to provide radiotelephone coverage for its corresponding coverage area, the method comprising the steps of:

• communicating, on a first base-station corresponding to a first micro-cell, to a subscriber unit on an uplink and downlink path of a first channel;
• assessing, at said first base-station corresponding to said first micro-cell, at at least a second base-station corresponding to at least a second micro-cell and at a third base-station corresponding to the umbrella cell, the relative quality of said uplink path of said first channel;
• assigning said second base-station to only receive said uplink path of said first channel when said relative quality assessed by the second base-station exceeds the relative quality assessed by the first base-station and the third base-station;
• and
• assigning, via the first base-station, said subscriber unit to handoff communication from said first base-station on a first channel to said third base-station on a second channel when said relative quality assessed by the third base-station exceeds the relative quality assessed by the first base-station and the second base-station.

A radiotelephone system having dynamic channel assignment, the radiotelephone system having a plurality of cells each having predetermined coverage areas, at least one of the cells acting as an umbrella cell having a plurality of micro-cells, at least two micro-cells having common coverage area with the corresponding predetermined coverage area of the umbrella cell, each cell and micro-cell having a base-station within its coverage area to provide radiotelephone system coverage for its corresponding coverage area, each base-station coupled to one another via a switch, the radiotelephone system comprising:

• means for communicating, on a first base-station corresponding to a first micro-cell, to a subscriber unit on both an uplink and downlink path of a first channel;
• means for measuring, at said first base-station corresponding to said first micro-cell, at at least a second base-station corresponding to at least a second micro-cell and at a third base-station corresponding to the umbrella cell, the quality of said uplink path of said first channel;
• means for assigning said second base-station to only receive said uplink path of said first channel when said quality measured by the second base-station exceeds the quality measured by the first base-station and the third base-station;
• and
• means for initiating, at the switch, a transfer of communication from the first base-station to the third base-station on a second channel when said relative quality assessed by the third base-station exceeds the relative quality assessed by the first base-station and the second base-station.