Patent ID: 8396442

Claim:
A wireless communication apparatus comprising: a plurality of steerable antenna apparatuses; a directional pattern table memory for storing a plurality of combined directional patterns, each of the combined directional patterns being a superposition of a plurality of directional patterns set on the plurality of steerable antenna apparatuses, respectively; a controller for controlling directional patterns of the respective steerable antenna apparatuses to set a combined directional pattern stored in the directional pattern table memory; and demodulation circuits for demodulating a plurality of signals received by the plurality of steerable antenna apparatuses, respectively, wherein the directional pattern table memory stores the plurality of combined directional patterns so as to form a plurality of combined directional pattern groups in each of which the plurality of combined directional patterns are ordered by different predetermined priority according to a different radio propagation environment, and wherein the controller: computes a communication performance expected value based on a first radio propagation environment parameter for signals received when a predetermined initial combined directional pattern is set on the steerable antenna apparatuses, and selects one of the combined directional pattern groups based on the first radio propagation environment parameter; and according to the priority, sequentially sets respective combined directional patterns included in the selected one combined directional pattern group, on the steerable antenna apparatuses, computes a communication performance value based on the second radio propagation environment parameter for signals received at each of sequential settings, and performs communication using a combined directional pattern with a communication performance value that first exceeds the communication performance expected value, wherein the first radio propagation environment parameter includes received signal strengths of signals received by the respective steerable antenna apparatuses, wherein the second radio propagation environment parameter includes a wireless physical transmission rate and a packet error rate of signals received and demodulated, wherein the directional pattern table memory stores the plurality of combined directional patterns so as to form the plurality of combined directional pattern groups each corresponding to a different combination of relative strengths of received signal strengths of signals received by the respective steerable antenna apparatuses, and wherein the controller selects one of the combined directional pattern groups based on relative strengths of received signal strengths of signals received by the respective steerable antenna apparatuses when the initial combined directional pattern is set on the steerable antenna apparatuses.