An apparatus for allocating timeslots in a time division duplex (tdd) cellular communication system in response to associated power levels

摘要

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for allocating timeslots subscriber units in a time division duplex communication system 300. The communication system 300 has a number of frame synchronised base stations 301. The apparatus 301 comprises a switching point processor 323 which determines a switching point 223 between uplink and downlink timeslots in a time frame. It further comprises a power level processor 321 which determines power levels associated with communication from a plurality of subscriber units 307,309,311 to be allocated time slots. In addition the apparatus 301 comprises a time slots scheduler which allocates time slots in the time frame to the subscriber units 307,309,311 in response to the associated power levels. The invention is applicable to 3SPrd/SP generation cellular communication systems such as the Time Division Duplex mode of UMTS.