Patent ID: 7957333

Claim:
A receiver system comprising: a plurality of antenna elements, wherein at least a portion of said plurality of antenna elements receives a transmitted signal, wherein said transmitted signal is time division multiplexed (TDM) and said transmitted signal comprises a plurality of sub-channels that are transmitted in predetermined time intervals, wherein said plurality of sub-channels comprises five said sub-channels, such that different data is transmitted in said five sub-channels; a switching device in communication with said plurality of antenna elements, wherein said switching device switches among single antenna elements of said plurality of antenna elements to receive said transmitted signal; a controller in communication with said switching device, wherein said controller commands said switching device to select each said plurality of antenna elements separately in predetermined periods of time based upon said predetermined time intervals of each of said plurality of sub-channels, such that a power level of said signal is determined during a predetermined period of time that corresponds to said predetermined time intervals, and wherein said controller commands said switching device to switch to an antenna element based upon said determined power level; and a receiver module in communication with said plurality of antenna elements, wherein said receiver module processes said transmitted signal to produce an output based upon said selected sub-channel, and determines said power level of said transmitted signal at at least a portion of said plurality of antenna elements during a predetermined period of time that corresponds to said time interval of a non-selected said sub-channel, and wherein said controller commands said switching device to switch to an antenna element with a greater said determined power level to receive said transmitted signal during said time interval of said selected sub-channel.