Patent ID: 7633442
Filing Date: 2009-12-15
Classification: H01Q,H04B,H04H

Abstract:
1. A satellite communication subscriber device comprising: a switched beam antenna comprising an active antenna element and a plurality of passive antenna elements for generating a plurality of antenna beams for receiving signals from at least one satellite, and at least a portion of the plurality of antenna beams having different polarizations; a receiver comprising a quality metric module for calculating a quality metric on the signals received by each antenna beam; a beam selector coupled to said switched beam antenna for selecting the plurality of antenna beams based on selectively changing termination impedances of said plurality of passive antenna elements; an antenna steering algorithm module for running an antenna steering algorithm for said antenna steering algorithm module also determines if a rescan is to be performed, and if the rescan is to be performed, then repeats the operating, receiving, comparing and selecting associated with running the antenna steering algorithm.