Patent ID: 8532211
Filing Date: 2013-09-10
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A method for selecting an antenna, the method comprising: transmitting a signal using a first antenna with a first metric and a radio frequency (RF) chain for a first dwelling period; switching to transmitting the signal using a second antenna with a second metric for a first testing period of the signal following an end of the first dwelling period of the signal, wherein the second antenna uses the same RF chain as the first antenna; comparing the first metric from the first dwelling period of the signal with the second metric from the first testing period of the signal following the end of the first dwelling period of the signal; determining based on the comparing of the first metric with the second metric whether to continue transmitting the signal using the second antenna or to switch to transmitting the signal using the first antenna; wherein the first dwelling period is adapted according to channel variations, and wherein the first dwelling period is increased by a dwelling period extension scaling factor if the first antenna is consecutively selected as the optimal antenna and the first dwelling period is not a maximum dwelling period.