Patent ID: 7489948

Claim:
A receiver for receiving radio signals having a plurality of frequencies and being transmitted by radio communication in a predetermined frequency range, comprising: an antenna having an electrically switchable directivity; a directivity pattern setting unit holding a table having a plurality of directivity patterns corresponding to said plurality of frequencies and each formed of a plurality of directivities, and setting said directivity patterns corresponding to said plurality frequencies, respectively; and a directivity switching unit extracting an appropriate directivity from said plurality of directivities included in said set directivity pattern such that said radio signal received by said antenna has a received signal quality equal to or greater than a threshold, and switches the directivity of said antenna to said appropriate directivity, wherein said antenna includes: a feeder element, and at least one passive element arranged around said feeder element; said directivity pattern setting unit sets said directivity patterns corresponding to said plurality of frequencies by changing the set of values of reactances loaded in said at least one passive element; and said directivity switching unit switches the directivity of said antenna to said appropriate directivity by changing the set of said reactance values, wherein said set of values of reactances changes the directivity of said antenna to a maximum extent.