Channel hopping in a radio communications system

Apparatus in radio communications system comprising a first radio station (BS1) that communicates with at least one second radio station (MS1-MS3) via channels (f1-fn, chl-chy), wherein channel hopping is effected in accordance with channel hopping sequences where each channel hopping sequence is divided into a number of sequence intervals (Ti) for connections (F1-F3) between the first radio station and each of the second radio stations, and wherein the connections are subjected to signal attenuation and interference, wherein said apparatus includes

• means (212) for generating a signal attenuation parameter (δ) for each of the respective connections (F1-F3);
• means (216) for generating a channel quality parameter (I,C/I,BER) within each of the respective sequence intervals (Ti) for each of said frequencies (f1-fin) and for different generating intervals (ΔTk), where a generating interval includes the time for the whole of a sequence interval (Ti) or for parts of said sequence interval;
• and
• means (220) for generating at least one channel hopping sequence for each of the respective connections, wherein a channel hopping sequence includes a channel (fi-fn, chl-chy) for each sequence interval (Ti), wherein respective channels within respective sequence intervals are chosen in accordance with the generated values of the channel quality parameter (I,C/I,BER), wherein said means for generating at least one channel hopping sequence (220) allocates a channel hopping sequence to each connection (F1-F3) in accordance with the generated signal attenuation parameter (δ) for respective connections (F1-F3) and in accordance with the generated values of the channel quality parameter (I,C/I,BER) for each of the sequence intervals of the channels included in the channel hopping sequences.

A method of generating channel hopping sequences in a radio communications system with information being transmitted between a first radio station and at least one second radio station on a plurality of connections (F1-Fn), comprising:

• dividing a channel hopping sequence into sequence intervals (Ti) that together constitute the time taken to run through the channel hopping sequence;
• generating a signal attenuation parameter (δ) for each of the respective connections (F1-Fn);
• generating a channel quality parameter (I,C/I,BER) within each of the respective sequence intervals (Ti) for frequencies (f1-fn) that are used in the radio communications system, and for different generating intervals (ΔTk), wherein a generating interval (ΔTk) includes the duration of the whole of a sequence interval (Ti) or for parts of said sequence interval;
• generating at least one channel hopping sequence, wherein the at least one channel hopping sequence includes one channel for each sequence interval (Ti), wherein a connection hops between said channels, and wherein said at least one channel hopping sequence is generated in accordance with the generated values of the channel quality parameter (I,C/I,BER);
• and
• allocating the at least one generated channel hopping sequence to a respective connection, wherein said allocation is effected in accordance with the generated values of the channel quality parameter (I,C/1,BER) for each of the sequence intervals of the channels included in the generated channel hopping sequence and in accordance with the signal attenuation parameter (δ).