Method and apparatus for frequency reuse in cellular communication systems

A method of channel reuse in a cellular communication system having a plurality of frequency channels for communication between base stations and subscriber units, the method comprising:

• a) synchronizing base stations in the cellular communication system to a common time base;
• b) allocating N time slots for communication on M frequency channels, each of the N time slots having a period sufficient to support a typical block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the N time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• c) geographically arranging N×M cells within a cell grouping of a plurality of cell groupings within the cellular communication system such that the potential co-channel interferers are substantially equally spaced apart as far as possible among all cells to minimize co-channel interference and the potential adjacent channel interferers are placed in nonadjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference;
• and,
• wherein N is 2 and M is 7 such that there are 14 cells associated with seven frequency channels and two time slots within a cell grouping with each cell grouping geographically arranged within the cellular communication system as shown in FIG. 7.

A The method of channel reuse in a cellular communication system having a plurality of frequency channels for communication between base stations and subscriber units, the method comprising:

• a) synchronizing base stations in the cellular communication system to a common time base;
• b) allocating N time slots for communication on M frequency channels, each of the N time slots having a period sufficient to support a typical block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the N time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• c) geographically arranging N×M cells within a cell grouping of a plurality of cell groupings within the cellular communication system such that the potential co-channel interferers are substantially equally spaced apart as far as possible among all cells to minimize co-channel interference and the potential adjacent channel interferers are placed in nonadjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference;
• and,
• wherein N is 3 and M is 7 such that there are 21 cells associated with seven frequency channels and three time slots within a cell grouping with each cell grouping geographically arranged within the cellular communication system as shown in FIG. 8.

A method of channel reuse in a cellular communication system having a plurality of frequency channels for communication between base stations and subscriber units, the method comprising:

• a) synchronizing base stations in the cellular communication system to a common time base;
• b) allocating N time slots for communication on M frequency channels, each of the N time slots having a period sufficient to support a typical block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the N time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• c) geographically arranging N×M cells within a cell grouping of a plurality of cell groupings within the cellular communication system such that the potential co-channel interferers are substantially equall equally spaced apart as far as possible among all cells to minimize co-channel interference and the potential adjacent channel interferers are placed in nonadjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference:
• and,
• wherein N is 4 and M is 4 such that there are 16 cells associated with four frequency channels and four time slots within a cell grouping with each cell grouping geographically arranged within the cellular communication system as shown in FIG. 9.

A method of channel reuse in a cellular communication system having a plurality of frequency channels for communication between base stations and subscriber units, the method comprising:

• a) synchronizing base stations in the cellular communication system to a common time base;
• b) allocating N time slots for communication on M frequency channels, each of the N time slots having a period sufficient to support a typical block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the N time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• c) geographically arranging N×M cells within a cell grouping of a plurality of cell groupings within the cellular communication system such that the potential co-channel interferers are substantially equally spaced apart as far as possible among all cells to minimize co-channel interference and the potential adjacent channel interferers are placed in nonadjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference;
• and,
• wherein N is 4 and M is 3 such that there are 12 cells associated with three frequency channels and four time slots within a cell grouping with each cell grouping geographically arranged within the cellular communication system as shown in FIG. 10.

A method of forward channel reuse and reverse channel reuse in a cellular communication system having a plurality of forward frequency channels for communication from base stations to subscriber units and a plurality of reverse frequency channels for communication from subscriber units to base stations, the method comprising:

• a) synchronizing base stations in the cellular communications system to a common time base;
• b) allocating N cellular time slots for communication on M forward frequency channels and allocating X cellular time slots for communication on Y reverse frequency channels, each of the N and X cellular time slots respectively having a period sufficient to support a typical forward block transfer time and reverse block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the N and X cellular time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• and
• c) assigning the N cellular time slots and the M forward frequency channels to N times M cells and geographically arranging the N times M cells within a cell grouping of a first plurality of cell groupings within the cellular communication system such that the potential forward co-channel interferers are substantially spaced apart as far as possible within each cell group and are substantially equally spaced apart between adjacent cell groups to minimize forward co-channel interference and the potential adjacent forward channel interferers are placed in non-adjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference;
• d) assigning the X cellular time slots and the Y reverse frequency channels to X times Y cells and geographically arranging the X times Y cells within a cell grouping of a second plurality of cell groupings within the cellular communication system such that the potential reverse co-channel interferers are substantially spaced apart as far as possible within each cell group and are substantially equally spaced apart between adjacent cell groups to minimize reverse co-channel interference and the potential adjacent reverse channel interferers are placed in nonadjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference.

A method for forward channel reuse and reverse channel reuse in a cellular communication system having a plurality of forward frequency channels for communication from base stations to subscriber units and a plurality of reverse frequency channels for communication from subscriber units to base stations, the method comprising:

• a) synchronizing base stations in the cellular communications system to a common time base;
• b) allocating N time slots for communication on M forward frequency channels and allocating X time slots for communication on Y reverse frequency channels, each of the N and X time slots respectively having a period sufficient to support a typical forward block transfer time and reverse block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the N and X time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• c) geographically arranging N times M cells within a cell grouping of a first plurality of cell groupings within the cellular communication system such that the potential forward co-channel interferers are substantially equally call spaced apart as far as possible among all cells to minimize forward co-channel interference and the potential adjacent forward channel interferers are placed in non-adjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference;
• d) geographically arranging X times Y cells within a cell arousing of a second plurality of cell grouping within the cellular communication system such that the potential reverse co-channel interferers are substantially equally spaced apart as far as possible among all cells to minimize reverse co-channel interference and the potential adjacent reverse channel interferers are placed in nonadjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference;
• and,
• wherein N and X are 4 and M and Y are 3 such there are 12 cells associated with three forward and reverse frequency channels and four forward and reverse time slots within a cell grouping with each cell grouping geographically arranged within the cellular communication system as shown in FIG. 10.

A method of reverse channel reuse in a cellular communication system having a plurality of reverse channels and a plurality of forward channels for data communication between base stations and subscriber units, the method comprising:

• a) synchronizing base stations in the cellular communication system to a common time base;
• b) allocating a plurality of forward frequency time slots for communication on forward frequency channels, each time slot in each frequency having a period sufficient to support a typical block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the forward frequency time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• c) allocating a plurality of reverse frequency time slots for communication on forward frequency channels, each time slot in each frequency having a period sufficient to support a typical block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the reverse frequency time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• d) geographically assigning the plurality of frequency time slots to cells in the cellular communication system by substantially equal spacing co-channel interferers as far apart as possible among all cells to minimize co-channel interference and placing adjacent channel interferers in non-adjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference;
• and
• e) allowing base stations to transmit data to subscriber units for forward link data transmission over the reverse frequency time slots normally used for the reverse link.

A method of forward channel reuse in a cellular communication system having a plurality of reverse channels and a plurality of forward channels for communication between base stations and subscriber units, the method comprising:

• a) synchronizing base stations in the cellular communication system to a common time base;
• b) allocating a plurality of forward frequency time slots for communication on forward frequency channels, each time slot in each frequency having a period sufficient to support a typical block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the forward frequency time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• c) allocating a plurality of reverse frequency time slots for communication on forward frequency channels, each time slot in each frequency having a period sufficient to support a typical block transfer time in the cellular communication system, the reverse frequency time slots responsive to the synchronizing of base stations;
• d) geographically assigning the plurality of frequency time slots to cells in the cellular communication system by substantially equal spacing co-channel interferers as far apart as possible among all cells to minimize co-channel interference and placing adjacent channel interferers in non-adjacent cells to minimize adjacent channel interference;
• and
• e) allowing subscriber units to transmit date to base stations for reverse link data transmission over the forward frequency time slots normally used for the forward link.