A METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR RECEIVE ANTENNAE DIVERSITY SWITCHING

摘要

The invention relates to the field of wireless communications, more particularly to a method of and device for switching between antennae in communication with a diversity receiver, each of the antennae receiving signals transmitted from a single source. A packet from a transmitter is received by respective antenna communicating with a diversity receiver. The signal strength of the preamble of the packet received in a first antenna is sampled (104). If the signal strength is of sufficient magnitude to affect reliable reception (106), the associated antenna is selected for the duration of the packet transmission (108). If the signal strength is below a predetermined threshold (106) the signal strength of the preamble of the packet received in a second antenna is sampled (110, 112) and compared to the sample associated with the first antenna (114). If the magnitude of the second sample is greater, the signal associated with the second antenna is selected (116). To determine the signal strength, the arithmetic average of the signal power over a given period of the preamble is used.