Patent ID: 6577353
Filing Date: 2003-06-10
Classification: H04B,H04N

Abstract:
An apparatus for optimizing television reception in a television receiver comprising:a plurality of antennas for providing signal inputs to the television receiver; first and second signal combiners comprising first and second selecting devices, respectively, for selecting between respective ones of the signal inputs and combinations of the signal inputs wherein said first and second signal combiners are both connected to each of the plurality of antennas to receive the signal inputs; first and second tuners respectively connected to the first and second signal combiners for receiving, respectively, a viewing signal and a scanned signal; first and second multiplexers respectively coupled between said first and second combiners and the first and second tuners, the first multiplexer for selecting said viewing signal for said first tuner from output signals of said first selecting device and said second multiplexer for selecting said scanned signal for second tuner from output signals of said second selecting device, wherein said second selecting device is adapted to scan through output signals of said second combiner while said viewing signal has been selected by said first multiplexer; a signal evaluation module coupled to receive said output signals of the first and second tuners for evaluating strength of the viewing signal and the scanned signal, wherein said signal evaluation module is adapted to evaluate said outputs signals provided by the second combiner while said first multiplexer has selected said viewing signal from said first tuner; and a control processor coupled to an output of the signal evaluation module for controlling the combination of signal inputs selected by the combiners and the combiner output signals selected by the multiplexers to route a superior signal to the first tuner.