Patent ID: 7555277

Claim:
A reception system comprising: a diversity antenna system having a plurality of antennas and an antenna switch; a receiver coupled to the switch of said diversity antenna system for the reception of digital, MPSK-modulated satellite radio signals and/or terrestrially broadcast radio signals containing phrase reference signals, and/or terrestrial broadcast radio signals having a wavelength λto a vehicle, wherein said antenna diversity system serves as a switching diversity circuit for switching through at least one of two available antennas, a signal level testing device having its input coupled to said receiver and its output coupled to said antenna switch of said diversity antenna system, said signal level testing device providing an indication for the need for antenna switching to avoid signal loss by means of a signal at its output whereby phase reference signals, present in the transmitted MPSK signal, repeatedly occur in a time sequence; a MPSK demodulator having a computer device and coupled to said receiver for evaluating the phase reference signals that are present, so that when a phase reference signal occurs that carries the current reference phase related to the reception signal, said reference phase is updated in the receiver, thereby causing the subsequently transmitted useful symbols to be detected with the correct phase; wherein the time interval between updates of the reference phase that follow one another in terms of time is so small that the vehicle distance traveled is not greater than λ/5; wherein the antenna switching that is required because of the predetermined criteria is locked out, with the exception of one time interval, in each instance, immediately before every update of the reference phase; and, wherein each reference phase update occurs with the smallest possible time length, but maximally ⅕ of the length of the time interval between updates of the reference phase.