Patent ID: 8126408

Claim:
A communication system comprising first and second transmitters, which are coupled to transmit respective first and second Radio Frequency (RF) signals carrying first and second data over a wireless communication channel, to select an operational mode from a group of operational modes and to operate in the selected operational mode, wherein the group of the operational modes comprises at least two of: a protection mode, wherein the second transmitter serves as backup to the first transmitter; a spatial multiplexing mode, in which the first data is different from the second data, and the first and second transmitters transmit simultaneously; and a beam-forming mode, in which the first data is identical to the second data, the second RF signal comprises a phase-shifted replica of the first RF signal, and the first and second transmitters transmit simultaneously, and wherein the system comprises: at least one controller, which is configured to evaluate a condition of the system and, responsively to the evaluated condition, to select the operational mode from the group of the operational modes and to cause the first and second transmitters to operate in the selected operational mode; first and second receivers, which are coupled to receive the first and second RF signals and to produce first and second received signals; and an output module, which is controlled by the at least one controller and is coupled to process the first and second received signals so as to decode at least part of the first and second data in accordance with the selected operational mode.